Iwappara

With another 4 day mid winter break we decided to take the kids on a quick one-nighter ski trip. This time to Yuzawa, a 75 minute train ride on the shinkansen (bullet train). We left early Friday morning to allow for a half day on Friday and full day on Saturday. Although we allowed enough time to get to the train station we had to change our tix as the travel agent booked us for the wrong dates. By the time Jack finished with that exchange we had 1 minute to get on the train...and a lot of stairs to climb up to the track. The train was not going to wait. Poor little Connor was crying and I'm just urging him to hurry hurry. We literally got on and the door shut. There were a few other Japanese in the car out of breath as well. It was nice to see we weren't the only ones cutting it close.

Kate and Nick far more confident early on this time.
We got a nice dump of snow Friday night that carried over into Saturday. Kate catches a few flakes below. Jack and I took turns hanging out with Connor. I tried to get him down the hill at the kid's park. We lasted halfway and I told him to take off his skis and walk down. Later I learned that Connor had Nick's skis on. Do you think that was part of the problem???? The photo below is of a far more patient and eager parent helping Connor to ski. I think I used up all of my patience while teaching prior to having children.

Connor looks like he should/could be skiing.

It's been a while since they have seen this much snow.

Jack decided to pound them with a few snowballs.

A wonderful Italian restaurant on the hill. We ate lunch here both days. It was also the only English menu we found. Best pizza in Japan so far.

Nick is on a mission to see how long he can grow his hair...I have become the mother who continues to say, "Move your hair out of your eyes! How can you see through that? Don't you want to get your haircut?"

My favorite pics of Kate. Although the one below makes me a little nervous as she looks like she is about 16 and drinking a beer.

Connor at the end of the second day. Not sure why he is so tired, as he skied down the little hill 1 time - you saw it above. I guess it was walking around in those ski boots all weekend. Notice the required slippers he is wearing? Before we went to dinner at the resort the kids were giving me a hard time because I wouldn't let them wear the vinyl slippers supplied by the hotel for the guests. They had baskets of them stashed all around. Anyway, we went to dinner and EVERYONE had on the slippers, but us. There's something a bit bothersome about these slippers that you often see in many public places. I am not really interested in putting my foot, even with a sock on, into a plastic shoe that many other people have put their sweaty feet into as well.

At the train station eating dinner.

I bought some yakitori at a little stand in the station. I thought chicken? beef meatballs? and probably some chicken nugget things. There were other choices...squid, octopus, whole fish, unidentifiable pieces of meat, but I played it safe. We tasted each one and the consensus was that the chicken nuggets were the only things we all really liked. The meatballs, as Jack put it, were probably meatballs but with crushed bones or something unusually crunchy and the other chicken was basically fat. Yum. Could you pass me the peanuts instead?

...to be continued below. Don't ask.