A thatched roof village near Mt. Fuji

Today’s adventure was a trip to a thatched roof village near Mt. Fuji. We were so disappointed that Fuji was not visible, due to clouds, but the scenery was still beautiful. We rented a bus through the base tours and travel group, which covered gas, tolls, and came complete with a driver! We went in on the bus with about five other moms/kids (almost thirty of us in all)! What a great way to travel!

The village.

Each building in the village houses different types of local crafts or food items. Our first stop was to the kimono/ninja dressing shop. For only ¥500 ($5) you can dress in traditional Japanese clothing and wander the village dressed up. Sign us up! 

There were LOTS of us to dress!

While the moms were getting dressed, the children were drawing quite a response outside! I guess they have experienced the paparazzi! Here are the kids…..

And here is the mob!!! Too funny!

Sidney and Audrey, our groups youngest. Adorable!!

The kimono dresser was a cute little old lady. She loved dressing the children, the moms, not so much! On my turn, she kept shaking her head in dismay and saying “too large”, meaning ME, not the kimono! Haha! She was tugging, yanking and pulling as well. I found it humorous. These sleeves should have been down past my wrists! I guess I am taller than your average Japanese lady.

The obi (the big sash) were tied so beautifully.

The little girls felt so beautiful!

We spent the remainder of our time walking around the grounds. The thatched roofs were actually quite fascinating. This is a picture from underneath.

This is a traditional Japanese kitchen, basically,  a big cooking pit in the middle of the floor.

This shop had a make-your-own-pottery area.

The mountains were so pretty. I was reminded of Utah, my home.

  

The fall leaves were just starting to change color, so pretty!

Everyone tried Mt. Fuji bread on the way home. Just regular bread, covered in chocolate, in a cute shape- of course! Another great adventure!