October 13, 2002

Lake Towada, Japan

12-13 Oct 2002

Susan and Debbie met me in the Base Exchange parking lot and then followed me out to Lake Towada. Once getting to the lake, we stopped at one of the scenic overlooks for a few pictures.

On the road again, Susan took lead and I followed them to the campground. After checking in we hauled our kayaks and gear down a small but steep hill to the water. We suited up and headed left along the shore.

The scenery was magnificent even though we were about a week too early for the peak color change. As we glided along the steep banks, we wondered aloud if there were any places to camp along these shores. I'm amazed by the fact that the Japanese have managed not to build along the waterfront. Not just here, but it is that way throughout Northern Japan.

We paddled on slowly and watched a few ferry boats pass us with many interested onlookers. Susan was obviously excited to be on the water as she sang as she paddled. We crossed from one of the large peninsulas to the next, all the while keeping a sharp lookout for the ferries. Once across we all needed a break, and Susan and Debbie headed toward the tip of the peninsula while I headed in closer to shore. I found a tiny pull out but by then couldn't get their attention. I stepped out of the boat for about 2 minutes to give my butt a break then hopped back on to sprint back to the other two.

Around the back side of the peninsula we pulled in to the place where I stopped on my first trip here. We had lunch and talked about everything we had seen; the clear water; the rocky shore plunging deep into the water. Several places we had seen were ideal for a rope swing if only the water weren't so cold. You never see Japanese swim in this pristine lake, most likely they know that the cold water is deadly, and so deep that someone who drowns is unlikely to be recovered. This late in the summer the water isn't nearly as frigid as it was earlier in the year, but it is still cold and I'm glad to be wearing my wet-suit.

We paddled back with the light quickly fading. The air began to chill quickly and I pulled a paddling jacket out to wear over my wet-suit. When we got to about a mile back from the launch I sprinted ahead.

On landing I quickly pulled my kayak ashore and sprinted for the cabin. I hastily put out a cake and a few Happy Birthday decorations. A surprise party for Debbie - her 40th.

At the cabin next to us we had some Americans that I soon learned were friends of Susan and Debbie. With them they also brought some friends of theirs from Alaska.

As we stood around the campfire that night, some Japanese nationals up this way on holiday stopped in for a while. Two men and a woman from what I think they said was Sony, or one of the other large Japanese electronics firms. I don't remember for sure - the problems with waiting so long to write a trip report. But I do remember them telling us they couldn't tell us what they did...it was a secret.

The big joke of the evening was the blue icing on the birthday cake. It got on EVERYTHING. And it was like blue dye instead of icing. People were walking around with blue lips, blue fingers, and blue clothes - we were still finding blue icing the next day. It wasn't like the whole cake had this color icing, only the words "Happy Birthday" were written in this blasted stuff.

The next morning Debbie and Susan went for a paddle while I took a few pictures and went for a walk. When they returned we packed for the drive back to Misawa. The cabin had cost us 3,000 yen (~$25) and although it wasn't the greatest accommodations, it was cheap.

The pictures I took can be found here.

Woody

Update 25 Jan 2003: Little did I know on this trip it would be my last in 2002 and my last in Japan. It was a great year for kayaking for me, and although I didn't write about every trip, I gained a HUGE amount of skill in the surf. I'm still no expert, but I'm better than a year ago. I'll keep good thoughts about paddling in this country.