in the MOUNTAINS

We spent one of the first weekends in February on a long trip to the mountains. Our destination was Nazawa Onsen, a little over an hour by bus from Nagano, and one of the 52 Places to Go in 2014 according to the NY Times. It was the perfect spot for us. A cute little town, with very easy access up and down the mountain. Really good skiing and no crowds. Cheap indoor daycare for Wiley who was not a fan of the snow. We found a simple hotel and all bunked down together on the futons (Wiley stuck to her travel crib). The kids enjoyed the old TV in the room and the Japanese olympic programming. We were all tired by the end of it but had a good time. Blue was insistent that he also wanted to go skiing and although I doubted him at first he did indeed persevere and put in two good half-days of effort. I think he will be good at it once he learns some skills. He is strong and has good coordination.