To escape the fucking awful miserable stifling really over the top heat of Tokyo, we escaped to Nikko for the second time this summer. We stayed once more in the Shobugahama campground (as we did with DazKat), but in a tent on the side of the lake, and while it was as cloudy as last time on the first day, (and deliciously only 19 degrees)…………

The next day was glorious.

A campsite in Japan in a happy place to be in summer.

After a day of mooching about the campsite, reading, knitting and breakfasting on the accurately named Cheese Rod

We decided to go to Kinugawa Onsen, a thirty-ish minute train ride from Nikko Station. I guess there are many things that could draw you to Kinugawa, lovely lush hills, onsen along the river, a convenience store that sells Yuzu Peel ice cream (seriously beautiful, refreshing deliciousness) and they have a train station foot bath. But we went to experience the world.

“Real Travel” is expensive and time-consuming, but just three hours and forty dollars from Tokyo lies a world more convenient than you could have ever dreamed possible. And with 97% real trees. We went to

Gay Paree

Egypt

The Netherlands

Germany

America. The only buildings with an until date. They invested in a couple of stickers with 2001 printed on them, and stuck them to vans, so you could understand that this was a period piece. (Jess is wearing a present from his brother that was bought in Alaska’s most northerly shop, which apparently, also has an exhaustive range of dirty magazines)

China

and Baby Japan.

As always, more pics on Flickr!