Beach Camping

I am convinced that the best kind of camping is done on a beach. We headed to Fukui prefecture last weekend and discovered what might be the most amazing campsite in the world. Well, that might be a stretch, but it was really nice, and to top it off, we were the only people there! We had been wanting to see the Japan Sea for quite some time, and we finally headed towards it last weekend with some friends. We ended up finding a campsite, which wasn't opened for the season yet, and we were able to camp alone and for free. It was very relaxing, and nothing beats unzipping your tent door to face the ocean.

Here are the boys: Travis, Zac, Zac's college friend, Top, from Thailand and Eric. They were manly enough to build us a great fire that lasted the entire evening.

The girls were outnumbered, but we managed to have a great time together. Notice the nuclear power plant in the background. Always a nice touch.

An obligatory shot to capture our Japan Sea adventure. We later found out after returning that the area where we camped had once been a location where Japanese families were kidnapped by a certain neighboring country. And, I don't think I realized just how close we were to that country. Kind of creepy, but we made it back safely.

The next morning, we went on a really short hike to check out some of the interesting rock formations in the area. They were really beautiful, but unfortunately, most of the shore was covered in trash. We saw everything from old refrigerators, to shoes, to diesel engine oil barrels. Kind of hard to appreciate beauty when you're surrounded by trash. Japan is typically spotless, too.

Today marks 28 days until our return to the U.S. I'm so excited, but the transition is certainly bittersweet. We've had an amazing time living in Japan, but it's not always been easy. We've experienced challenges here, and I can't wait to get back home to family and friends and Target. :) I'm not naive enough to think challenges won't exist there, too, but I am anxious to be reacquainted with so many of the comforts I've missed. Travis and I have spent half of our marriage in Japan, and I've lived in Nagoya for the same amount of time I lived in St. Louis. It's surprising how comfortable I've become here, and I'm really going to miss it. I never would have predicted the experiences I've had over the last two years, but I am grateful for every single one of them.

The journey not the arrival matters. --T.S. Eliot