Lake Chuzenji

This week the kids and I decided to take a trip up to the mountains near us to see Lake Chuzenji. Justin had a late work day that day and we decided to get out of the house for a few hours. We had been up this way before to see some waterfalls, but the weather that time was cold and nasty and we didn’t get a good view of the fall foliage or the lake. The kids were excited to go! I think that’s one of the fastest times I got them out the door to do something.

The kids were good the whole trip! That’s pretty rare, but I think they were just too mesmerized by the view. They kept talking about how they wanted to climb the mountains surrounding us. The views of the lake were stunning! As we walked/ran around the edge of the lake we found a paddle boat dock where the paddle boats were shaped like swans (they were still decorated for Halloween). We rented one thinking “forget lake-side, lake-ON!” Totally worth it! Caroline helped me paddle the boat along and Nathan steered us further out. They had a blast. A small cruise ship went past us at one point and rocked our little boat and the kids giggled their little hearts out.

We watched the sun set over the mountains then headed back to shore to find some dinner. We went back to the same restaurant as before when we came to see the waterfalls. This little mom and pop restaurant has this very out of place, but super interesting Katana and old rifle display. I added a picture so everyone can see. I’m not sure what date it’s from since the Japanese signify their years and eras differently based on the emperor of the time. But it’s still so cool looking.

I can’t wait to have more adventures like these with the kids!