Back from vacation - the easy life

After spending about twelve days in the States, I came back to Tokyo to meet the wifee and do some much needed hanging out with old friends.  After doing some family things it was back to Fujisawa for some good old fashioned Shonan fun.

My first night of fun on my old stomping grounds involved some wonderful drinking times with Richard.  He ended up in the same place our minds usually do at 5am after too much drinking.  In the garbage-

I had too much fun to take pictures so lets just skip that.  Back in Tokyo we went to ARMS to get some good "American" grub.  Just after getting back from America.  Strange.  Still delicious though in a way only Tokyo can do-

Perhaps it's the atmosphere of a tiny, clean and fashionably burger shop that makes it feel more.....Japanese-

Near Yukino's family's place I liked these gas pumps-

We met some friends for a nice walk in a park. A rather large park at that.  I spotted this little guy-

Really amazing if you look closely. The strange tail. The two funky black side pontoon like parts on the side.  All there for a reason but what is it?

The park was huge as I mentioned and have a zoo, a large pond, extensive walking trails, a small restaurant pictured below and another one that we went too.  It was an amazing place with outside seating, expensive drinks and good magazine and seats.  My place to drink a beer. And that is what I did while everyone else had a funky cafe caramel machiataotoato thing.  

Soon it was time for dinner and Ma and Joe took us to Konamon, an okonimiyaki (the famous dish from Osaka) restaurant in the heart of residential Tokyo.  It's like they took a park, and built a enormous log house restaurant(s) in the middle and made it look like everything grew around it.  With price a premium you wouldn't believe in this area, a space like this dedicated to okonomiyaki blew my mind. 

We had a blast of a time eating tons of food and drinking lots. 

Perhaps the next day, we went out to the mountains of Tanzawa with the parents and sister for some BBQ and swimming fun.  We went back to an area I had been to a few times before but with the father at the wheel we went further up stream looking for a suitable place.  He eventually settled on a place with too many people and no water to swim in.  I said no.  Or, suggested at least that we find a better place. With ME at the wheel I brought them to a place that Yukino and I had been to two times before.  It proved to be the worthwhile choice as there was space to set up camp and get some actual swimming done.  Ayana, Yukino's sister's baby sure liked it and the mother sure was keen on cooking-

Oddly, like the other two times, a huge group of special needs kids and their chaperons showed up-

Yukino, the swollen and pregnant wifee, cooking-

Yukino's dad looking like a boss-

More to come soon!