Hakone

The country side of Japan is disgustingly beautiful.
The air wasn't stuffy like it is here in tokyo during the summer.
It was crisp and fresh.  The temperature was all too perfect, and the mist hanging
around the tops of mountains painted in green produced one feeling.

calm.

I tried an onsen for the first time while i was here and loved it.  Laying my head back to see the heat becoming wicked off from the night time breeze, and the stars shining down setting up a pathway for my imagination to float off too.

Yukatas are a wonderful invention, it is a traditional Japanese garment that is similar to a kimono but used for summer.  Very easy to go to the bathroom in, and feels great on the body after the warmth of the outdoor bath shrouded by smooth rocks and so much green.

All i saw was green this weekend.  Green and happy high school girls that may have confessed their love to me a few times. I would hear "Joseph-kun" called from the other side of hallways.  I felt like a celebrity. But ego aside.  The atmosphere, the energy of working with the students, the baths, all came together to make me love japan so much more.

If i have anything to recommend, it is to go see what else Japan has to offer besides the highly marketed and overpriced lifestyle of Tokyo.

Sometimes you just need a break from stress, anxiety, and to slow things down and coast along the lakeside encased in natures wonders.

Sadly, my tour has ended with me coming back to a hot and stuffy tokyo, where i sweated more in the 10 min i was in the train station, than when i was hiking up the mountains with a bunch of energetic students.

But i'll come back to nature, the smell and the visual stimulus has captured the idea of comfort, and i will return to it in my dreams, and someday. in person.