A REAL Japanese Experience

I had the privilege of having one last Japanese experience with my friend, Carol, before she and her family PCS'd.


We went to Enospa, http://www.enospa.jp/, a Mediterranean-style spa on Enoshima Island.  The experience was just beginning!  We were thinking we were sooooo blessed, lucky, all-that-and-more when traffic was very light all the way through Kamakura.  It was a very nice Saturday and you can usually move faster on this stretch of waterfront road by walking.  But, it was smooth travels!  Until...


We started our real Japanese Experience!


Well, we made up for the lack of traffic by getting to check out the paint chips in the bumper of the car in front of us for quite some time!  By the time we got to Enoshima, it had been two hours.  To put it into perspective,  my house is at point A and Enospa is at point B.  We took the toll road, making it faster, but
purple line route is about 25 km.  That is 15 miles.  TOTAL.  Two hours.  It is just part of a real Japanese Experience.  What we lost in time, we more than made up for in conversation and laughs!


The parking was crazy.  Lining up to get into a parking lot would seem even crazier.  But we did it!  See the line of cars going up the street to the left?  Each car has to wait for someone to leave the lot...

 As the one leaves, the gate opens for one to enter...

Part of the Japanese Experience!


Found a spot!  We are waaaaay down the way.  Part of the Japanese Experience! If you have good eyes, I have the red Subaru Forester with a big, black cargo box on top (eighth car if counting from right - white Toyota being 1).

We parked across the causeway, on the mainland.  Part of a real Japanese Experience!We had a great view of Enoshima & Enospa!

A real Japanese pose for a real Japansese Experience!

The dragon statue in front of Enospa spews huge flames - not sure why they were off today...  Just part of a real Japanese Experience...


Enospa has three levels of pools - a traditional onsen (i.e.: divided/no suit) and two levels of co-ed, swimsuit, pools.  All overlook the bay; the swimsuit areas have open air pools.  The ground level has a waterfall you pass through to get from inside the cave to outside.  As we stood outside, we kept getting  hit with the smell of lavender.  We never figured out where it was coming from, but it was definitely ethereal!  Definitely a real Japanese Experience!


On the way back, we stopped to get an ice-cream.  Japanese ice-cream, although soft-serve, is like none other!  OISHII!!!!!  We got our Sweet Potato ice-cream (a real Japanese Experience!) and saluted the sunset:

As we walked across the causeway, Fuji-san came into view - look to the left of the sun...  a dim triangle on the horizon...

What a day!  Carol and I both left with sore mid-sections just from laughing about how REAL our Japanese Experience was.  We were both sad that we had not done this sooner, but happy that we did it at all.  As all of our lives here in Japan are somewhat nomadic in nature, you have to get used to the comings and goings of friends.  You also have to make choices in whom you will be deliberate about staying in contact with.  Carol and I reveled in the fact that our husband's spent the day at the beach with all the boys while we drove forever to not get very far - just so we could enjoy our Japanese Experience.  Brad and Eric were never lacking in conversation (nor entertainment!).  It is not often that you find another family in which your family meshes with.  We really believe our friendship that blossomed with the Emerson's is a true gift from God.  With that gift, we have chosen to be deliberate.  Deliberate about staying in touch and intentionally finding each other.  And I am deliberately thanking the Lord for their gift of friendship.


It has truly been a real Japanese Experience!!!


Love to you and safe travels, Emerson Clan!