Vaillant Family Blog: Shimoda, Hakone, Kamakura, and Canyoning

Our first couple of weeks of July were busy and lots of fun. We decided to do a last minute trip for the July 4th holiday weekend and also celebrated my birthday the next weekend with two fun day trips. Eric did a great job of planning everything, and we were able to fit in a lot of cool spots. The perfect cure for my homesickness!

We headed off base early Saturday, July 1st to check out a spot called the seven waterfalls. We then stopped at an onsen (Japanese hot spring) called Amagisou with a beautiful waterfall view. We relaxed there for about 2 hours. Most of that time we had the whole place to ourselves. It was our first onsen experience and I'd say it will be hard to top!

The boys in front of the waterfall

A & E

Checking out the hot spring. The water was really warm.

Me and the boys

Ahhhh

The big boys climbed out on the rocks closer to the waterfall

From there we drove to our hotel on the Izu Peninsula to check in and then headed out to explore the nearby cliffs in Dogashima.

The boys checking out the views

Hayden on a cliff

This kid could not be any cuter!

Contemplating life

Don't fall!

It was a little stressful watching the boys climb on the high rocks

We headed back to the hotel to explore the nearby beach. We also signed up to use the outdoor family bath. It was a different experience but it is very common in Japan for families to bathe together.

Our hotel....Pension Surf Rider. Our room had one full bed and two single beds. There was hardly any room to move about the room but it was in a great location. They had a great breakfast too!

Sunset family bath.

The next day it was about a 45 minute drive to the beach at Shimoda. We visited Ryugu Sea Cave before heading to the beach.

There were many nice beaches within a couple of miles. We settled on Kisami Beach. The boys had a blast. We borrowed a boogie board from a neighbor and Hayden caught lots of waves. I enjoyed sitting on the shore watching Linc play in the sand while the big boys swam and jumped waves.

From the beach we drove to our next hotel in Hakone. It ended up being a 3 hour drive to get to Hakone Hotel Kawakien because of traffic but the boys had a good snooze on the way. We really enjoyed this hotel and the area. We stayed two nights in this Japanese style hotel. We had 4 single beds which worked out great.

The boys in Japanese Yukatas

Exploring the hotel grounds

There was a Family Mart (like a 7-11 with better food) right next to the hotel so we picked up easy dinners both nights. The boys have a new love for chicken on a stick (Yakitori).

The first full day in Hakone we went to the Yunessen Spa and Resort which we could walk to from the hotel. This had many unique onsen's, a large pool, outdoor slides, and feet eating fish.

Wine bath

Don't drink the water!

Coffee bath

Pearl bath

Linc was just short of being able to go down the big slide. He had fun on the little one instead.

Bo sliding down the mountain

Daddy!

Mommy!

So refreshing!

Green Tea bath

How do I get talked into these things?

Dr. Fish 2017

We took a break from the water park to visit the Hakone Shrine on Lake Ashi.

Big Tori Gate Photo opp

On our last day we visited a beautiful Open Air Museum. The views were amazing and the art was pretty cool too. There were some unique structures the boys could play in and they enjoyed exploring the grounds. We spent a few hours here before heading home.

Family foot bath

The mosaic tower was my favorite part

The next weekend Eric planned a date day in Kamakura for my birthday. We had been once and I had been wanting to go back to shop a little more. It turned out to be a hot day so we didn't shop too long before deciding to head back to a beach we passed on the way in. It was much cooler by the water and we enjoyed a drink and the views before heading home.

Shopping and lunch in Kamakura

Enjoying a drink by the beach

We didn't stay out too late as we had a big day the next day. Eric talked me into doing a Canyoning trip that happened to fall on my birthday weekend. I thought I might die at 39 but I made it through. I would probably never do it again, but I'm glad I was able to hang with my fearless husband....well sort of. I got caught up in a waterfall current, had to be pulled out, and then pushed through said waterfall. It all happened so quick I could hardly catch my breath and ended up hyperventilating on a rock while everyone else jumped off the rocks. I might have hated Eric in this moment....