Onsen Roadtrip
We have been enjoying our new life in Osaka, but the time finally arrived to take a trip outside the city!
Fukuoka
Jeff had a conference in Fukuoka last week, so the boys and I tagged along :) Fukuoka is the largest City in Japan's southern main island of Kuyshu, so we thought it'd be a fun trip. Turned out this was a HUGE understatement.
We took the shinkansen (bullet train) to get there, which travels at about 300 km/hr. Seriously, why isn't there a single bullet train in all of North America? How great would it be to travel from Toronto to Montreal in 2 hours, with no airport nonsense?
Anyway, while Jeff was dazzling the crowd about electrodes, the boys and I hit Marine World. The main tank seemed so big (1,400 m3) - with countless sharks sharks, sting rays, and schooling fish. Amazingly though this is tiny compared to Toronto Ripley's 5,700 m3 tank (which you can also sleep over at - highly recommend if you can!).
Since the boys are now old enough to hang out alone in the hotel room, Jeff and I had a quick dinner date at some food stalls in Fukuoka, which the City is famous for. While some people might choose "Italian" or "BBQ" as their favourite food genre, mine is definitely "mystery street food" :)
Fukuoka is also known for this amazing shopping mall which has a coloured water fountain that choreographed to music, we saw the Beatles 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'.
Beppu
This trip went from fun to phenomenal thanks to our side journey to Beppu. We rented a car and drove across the island to Beppu (about 2.5 hours), and having a car opened up so many options that we would have missed.
Before we get to that though, a big shout out to Sharon for helping Jeff get his international driver's license via the mail. This is needed if you plan to drive in Japan, but you can only get it from inside Canada! Probably should have looked this up before we left. We knew luck was on our side when we checked the mailbox as we were leaving the apartment and Sharon's letter had literally just arrived as we were leaving. If you don't know, Japan drives on the "other" side. There's no way I will drive here - it's insane! But Jeff and Wesley had a saying to remind him to be careful when turning: "right turning is frightening", and it worked...not even a near miss.
Anyway, we rented a car in Fukuoka and drove to Beppu, the "onsen" capital of Japan and famous for the "7 hells". Onsen means natural hot spring, heated by the active volcanic craters nearby. The city literally has steam vents all over from the heat of the onsens. The "7 hells" are a tourist attraction you can visit, like bubbling mud, and brightly colored water from the minerals, but the best part is just soaking in the hot water.
We spent the first night at a very traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) with small private (2-3 occupancy) onsens on-site, and the 2nd night in a modern hotel with onsens on the roof. 
Both pretty great, but the highlight of our visit was the natural onsen we found in the middle of a forest outside town. It is impossible to describe this scene, but imagine a river flowing down a mountain side, feeding 4 separate rocky pools where hot and cold water were blended to get 4 different temperature pools, under a canopy of blossoming trees. Somehow we had this all to ourselves! Although this was because it was so difficult to get to, up a narrow and rough dirt road, so having a car made this possible. It was so great we went a second time the next day, but it was busier, so imaging the same scene just described, but with 10 naked Japanese dudes, and me as the only female (with a bathing suit)! Still worth it.
We also went to the source of all this heat, and stood in the crater of the old volcano. I don't know how long ago it erupted, but the heat (and sulfur smell) are still going strong.
But, if you ask the kids, the best part of the trip was the "all you can eat" BBQ. They haven't really been to one at home, and they couldn't believe you just take what you want. The parents couldn't believe it was pour your own drink bar! Dinner was extra fun 'cause you cook yourself at the table!
700 Year Old Temple
On our drive back to Fukuoka to return the car, we took advantage of our mobility and headed to a very special but remote temple, Rakanji Temple. This is purported to be the first zen buddist temple in Japan. The monks who have lived here over the centuries have carved 4000 stone buddhas and stashed them in the caves around the mountain.
They also built a temple into the side of the mountain. Probably the best part was the super sketchy chair lift that they have installed to get tourists up the mountain to see it.
Bamboo Forest
Jeff found an amazing trail through a bamboo forest on his walk to the University, so the kids and I sometimes go walking along it. It's so different from back home, but I guess it's just a normal forest. See the pics and you be the judge.
Saito Nishi Park
We have been struggling to find a good park with room to play and things to climb...well we finally found some awesome ones, even though they are few train stops away. They are actually pretty fun: slides with a vertical drop (seriously!), and a roller slides that takes nearly a minute to go all the way down.
Zoo
Since we are now officially doing "home schooling", I took the boys on a day trip to the zoo to learn about animal cruelty and inequity in society. No pics necessary.
Umeda Sky Building
This is the main observation deck for Osaka, at 173 m it doesn't compare to CN Tower 346 m, but still provides amazing sweeping views of Osaka.
Friends
I'd like to thank Yumi for hanging out with me and answering random questions, like "Which bottle is bleach"? And Midori, who helped me find kids swim lessons near by, and made us amazing traditional food. Fraser has also joined a soccer class!
Thanks so much! Jeff & Lisa