Maybe there are...

(...or not -- this didn't work from my mobile)

Still feel mildly shithouse after Saturday night's beatiful experience of violent vomitdaom, but things are certainly looking up.

Today we went to the third largest waterfalls in Japan at Fukuroda. Despite beig warned that a car would be necessary for the journey we decided to brave it by train - which meant going all the way south to Mito first, even though the falls are NW of Hitachi. Damn JR for forcing us to see more Japanese countryside...

The falls were very nice, and after a viewig we attempted a hiking circuit. but a combination of being very hungry, Helen's arachnophobia and both of us being fairly exhausted and the increasing likelihood of rain put an end to that work out.

Time for lunch - and this made my day better - randomly choosing a soba bar (opting for one without fish-onna-stick roasting out front - the whole fish, like a lollipop) we walk in and find a mother of one of my darling little students. She was very nice and it was good because she has pretty good English. Apparently she works there for her own mother (the kids grandma) who I think owned the place. Both were very friendly to us, and in the end gave us lunch and coffee on the house --- and a bag of manju each. YAY.

The day was topped off with a visit to a non-deserted indoor/outdoor onsen and a leisuely walk back to the train station.

Back home dinner of creamed corn and bread, while watching the final lap of Engine - a japanese drama about a ultra-cool racecar driver who helps out schoolkids (and their teachers) with their problems - and in the end he finally got to kiss lady-teacher.

PS - i wrote this almost exactly the same on my mobile - being very proud of words like beautiful, arachnophobia and vomitdaom which cn be quite arduous to type on a phone ---- but its still not working :(