Earlier this month Olivia invited me on a
little overnight camping excursion along with some teachers from her high
school and their families. We both really had no idea what exactly it was that
we were getting into, but there was something quite nostalgic about
feeling like a kid again and not having to do anything. That was definitely
confirmed when we were sat on the kids table for dinner.
The entire weekend was a fully scheduled affair,
and once we arrived at the campsite in Takamori, we started doing a variety of activities
prepared by the science teacher. In true camping fashion, the first call of
order was to make a fire, and we all got to have a go. He’d even built a little
contraption himself to get the first sparks going, but even with just a flint I
didn’t make much progress, so I left it to the professionals. By that, I mean
the 5 year old who was really giving it his all.
Next up was making incense sticks, a super
messy process that involved some powder, water, lots of rolling and a little
bit of patience. I’m shocked mine turned out as well as they did, since they
did burn pretty well too. Finally we practiced some knot tying, with the help
of an adorable little guide the teacher created for us to practice with our
ropes.
It was a totally different food experience
to what I expected camping. Never before have I eaten rice and miso soup cooked
on a BBQ, followed later in the evening by a pizza cooked the same way that
looked more like a 10cm high bread dome.
It was super chilled in the evening
though, after Olivia and I took a rather long soak in the nearby onsen, and
returned to drink a few bevs under the shelter. The mood was somewhat ruined though whilst being harassed by too
many large bugs that had seemingly been on steroids.
After our morning hike the next day, the schedule went somewhat out
of the window, so Olivia and I decided to do our own thing. First we visited
the Takamori Yusui Tunnel to give ourselves a little respite from the heat.
Inside there was a variety of lanterns created by various schools in the area,
and also an interesting water display.
The tunnel was originally built for the
local train, but once a water source was found, they changed to project to
become an attraction in the area. A variety of strobe lighting and
radio waves are used to manipulate the water into orbs and allow it to flow in different directions.
On our way back to the city we decided to
give seeing the Mt. Aso caldera a go since we were already in the area. It’s
only recently reopened to the public, but the gas emissions dictate almost by
the minute if people are allowed to enter.
Despite the warnings changing almost instantaneously, we made a break for it and managed to have all but a few seconds at the
crater before we were evacuated.
It’s taken me two years to get there, but at
least now I can officially say I took a photo at the closest volcano to my
house, even if I was coughing up a lung because of it.
