Our hotel is set back from the main drag with a nice view of the river. It has a very quiet location. We see a lot of older properties, like this hotel, trying to update to remain competitive. It must be challenging. We were quite happy staying there but one small elevator for the whole hotel was a challenge. Last night when we checked in, the wind was howling. This morning, all is calm and it looks like like we will have a nice day. Close to check out time, our floor had a long line up just to get on the elevator. The staff at the front desk clearly understood as they were waiting by the elevator to take your keys so that you didn't have to line up again at the counter. Most people took advantage of complimentary coffee before heading out.
This is a strange thing….the hotel is upgrading trying to make it more modern. But, in this bathroom they missed the mark. In raising up the sink and vanity, it was too tall for most Japanese women to reach the sink. Hence, the little step stool in front of the sink.
Riding out of Fujisawa on a Sunday can be busy. We are fairly close to Kamakura and everybody seems to be heading in that direction. This woman was so interested in my trike and she wanted to know everything about it. I think she might have bought it from me if I had been interested in we rode alongside each other for some time.
Kamakura is on our way and we are hoping to visit the Big Buddha. We were here about 40 years ago and we cannot believe how much this area has changed as well as the sheer volume of people on the streets and in the shops. It is a weird feeling to be surrounded mostly by people who are not Japanese. We have decided not to stop and just carry on. We lost count of the number of tour buses parked in town. Sadly, it is hard to find the charm of Kamakura that we enjoyed when we were last here.
This is so true and I found out the hard way. I was sitting by the sidewalk enjoying the view of the beach when I felt a sharp pain in my finger and then a weird slap on my face. Suddenly I realized that my sandwich was gone, my finger looked bruised and the slap I felt was the Kite’s wing hitting my face as it took off. What an experience.
This couple also lost their lunch to the Kites. The Kite is so fast and focussed that if you have any food in your hand, it will be gone before you know it is happening.
The road is full of cars, bumper to bumper, in both directions. We have taken to the sidewalk to try to make some progress. We will soon find out that it ends up ahead. We will have backtrack to take the road…
Mascots are a popular thing in Japan and they are always a happy character. This mascot is called Myusy, a sea slug and she is an ambassador for Hayama’s 100th anniversary.
We are approaching the area where our friend Leslie lived for a number of years. The following photos show some of the buildings in her neighbourhood which we think should have been here during her time living and working in Japan.
Leslie and her family lived right across the street from this local police station. She told us that the scooter is like the same scooter and was parked in the same spot.
We were drawn to this baseball game because we could hear the loud cheers of their fans. Wow, these kids are good. Baseball is a very popular sport in Japan.
When we arrived at our destination, we discovered that our trusty rain covers that we use on our trikes are missing. We were drying them out last night and I guess we forgot to grab them, so we headed to Daiso to find something that we could use.
We had trouble finding rain covers at Daiso, but we bought some large plastic sheets that we’ll try when the weather is bad. But what we did find were these stickers for your car which signifies if you are disabled, elderly or a beginner driver. We have seen these on cars and wondered what the ones for the elderly and beginner driver meant. We think we may get the elderly ones for our trikes.
You can’t always believe reviews or the photos when booking accommodation. This place was disappointing…overpriced, the beds had springs that were ready to pop and it was pretty rough around the edges. However, the couple who own and run this place, are lovely and very hospitable.
