Minakami

After giving up our country house by Yamanaka-ko, a lake at the foot of Mt. Fuji, my family missed spending time outside of the city on weekends. So, my parents started looking for another house. We had shared our Yamanaka-ko house with a couple other families. This time, Dad was looking for a smaller house for us to rent on our own. In doing it this way, we would be able to go up to the country anytime we wanted. After about a month of hunting around, Mom and Dad went up to an area in Gunma-ken called Minakami. They looked at a few possible houses for us. Dad went up there one more time before we made our decision.

I didn't get to come up here until last weekend. We arrived on Sunday night. Dad drove up with Pippi beforehand, while we three took the train a little bit later. Getting up to the house from the station is incredibly easy. That is, except for one tiny detail. The last stretch of the hill is very narrow. It is also very steep. So much so that when you drive up it, you are lurched back in your seat quite violently. However, after the minute or so it takes to ascend this stretch, you are right in front of the house. The schlep factor on this house is greatly reduced from what we are used to. Thank goodness!

When I woke up on Sunday and peeked out of the window of the little A-frame room my sister and I shared, a beautiful view awaited me. All around us were tall, luscious trees, and behind them, vast green mountains. I couldn't wait to explore the area.