I always seem to eat a lot of breads and sweets in Utsunomiya:
Onsen Bread, made from the water of an onsen.
Homemade apple pie and pecan scones 
My friend’s friend’s homemade bread party.
With dog.
Over the weekend I visited my friend in Utsunomiya. The weather was great for mountain climbing. The cool, clean, clear air was colder than that of Yokohama, but it also meant wonderful views. We visited Mt. Kogashi which is not too far west of Utsunomiya towards Nikko. Although a small mountain at 582 meters, it has it share of challenging climbs and descents. There are also many rocky cliffs which are well used by the local rock climbing groups.
There is also para-sailing off the mountain. Next time…
We followed two older men down a hidden route. It was no easy decent but along the way there was also a hidden cave that supposedly has moss that glows at night.
Mt. Nantai in Nikko is on the left.
Excellent view of Tochigi-ken
The last mountain of the year for my hiking club was Mt. Omaru. I have been up the mountain many times before as it is very close to where I live. It is not a high or difficult mountain but still the highest in Yokohama. Afterwards we all went out for the end of the year get together and celebration.
My two favorite game series: Zelda and Tekken… Both of them recently released new games for me to play and waste lots of my time and money on.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: the first game I have played on a console since the last time Zelda came out. This game is great and I even get to play it in English this time. I havent gotten too far though the game yet as I no longer am able to play games when it is nice and sunny outside.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: the next installment in the Tekken series. The original TTT was one of the best Tekken games ever made and they put a lot of time into making this one just as fun. I have already wasted much money at time at the game center but am still having trouble beating a lot of the Japanese players. I need a game center that is closer to me to be able to practice more.
