Ausflug Kutchan

I spent the weekend exploring the city. I followed the motto of just going and eventually sitting in a café. I wanted to get to know the city a little bit, and since I didn't have any plans for the day, I simply put on my shoes and started walking.

Most of the people who know me know that I have practically no sense of direction, and to be honest, I have no idea how I managed to find my way back home in the afternoon^^

I think it helped a lot that most Japanese cities are laid out in a grid pattern and the street names consist only of North/South and West/East. Depending on the street, there are different numbers, but the streets themselves usually don't have names.

During my walk, I saw various residential houses, but unfortunately not too many shops. Among other things, I also realized that I have completely fallen in love with a mountain... I rarely take so many pictures of the same object and still find it beautiful. I am still very much impressed by that mountain. I photographed it in the sunshine and with clouds, with buildings in front and without, and also took many other photos. Later, I also took a few photos of some other buildings, but my main focus is still on the mountains that surround me in all four directions...

After somehow managing to return to a familiar environment, I took the opportunity to sit in a café. I have to say that Japanese cafés really invite you to linger. They are usually very cozy, and because you order and pay in advance, you don't feel pressured to buy anything else if you stay too long.

On Sunday, I went hiking for the first time and therefore got up very early... A nightmare... But it was worth it^^

I first hiked to a shrine and then followed a path up the mountain. Along the way, there were Kannon statues on the right and left, and it was really an experience... It was sometimes really exhausting with all the constant ups and downs, but I don't regret it.

After that, I actually wanted to hike along the river to the next village, Hirafu, but after my feet started hurting and I discovered a bookstore, I was hooked. All my good intentions were gone, and I got lost in the books again...

There, I found a perfect magazine for me about cosplay and some Japanese textbooks. It sounds complicated, and it is. But now I have developed different learning methods for myself and bought special Japanese dictionaries (for elementary school) to look up new words and get a clear explanation. So far, it's working quite well, but looking up words can be quite time-consuming...

Well... I didn't do much more on that weekend, except for studying a bit and looking up some more words^^

Best regards

Janina