After our trip to Tokyo, Scott, Casey, Chris, Jason, Jacob and I 
hopped on the Shinkansen for the 3 hour ride to Misawa. On Tuesday we rested a bit and took in the city of Misawa and the Air Base. On Wednesday the six of us snuggled into our rented van, and headed to the Iwate Prefecture to ski at Appi Kogen Resort. Wednesday we had beautiful weather and lots of great skiing. Jason and I took turns skiing while the other played with Jacob in the lodge.
hopped on the Shinkansen for the 3 hour ride to Misawa. On Tuesday we rested a bit and took in the city of Misawa and the Air Base. On Wednesday the six of us snuggled into our rented van, and headed to the Iwate Prefecture to ski at Appi Kogen Resort. Wednesday we had beautiful weather and lots of great skiing. Jason and I took turns skiing while the other played with Jacob in the lodge. 
We stayed overnight and our accommodations were perfect. Jason discovered a Bed and Breakfast, called Pension Mutti, close to the ski resort which was run by a Japanese lady, Kayoko Mutti.
She had been a ski instructor years ago and skied all over the world. She told us that she used to ski 250 days out of the year! (slacker) Twelve years ago she opened up this B&B. It was darling! Our rooms were modest, but pleasant, and there was a private onsen we took advantage of. Kayoko took great pride in the quality of the accommodations and her meals she served. Wednesday after a great day of skiing and a relaxing trip to the onsen, we were spoiled with an amazing meal. She served each of us potato soup, a salad and small appetizer plate, our own personal trout, steak with a small potato, and a delicious desert. For breakfast Thursday morning we had corn soup (my personal fave) a small salad, scrambled eggs, sausages, and her most yummy-luscious homemade rolls, fresh from the oven. 
Thursday morning we awoke to a blanket of six inches of fresh snow,
beautiful blue skies, and lots of sun. We thanked our wonderful hostess, bid farewell to the Pension Mutti, and headed back to the slopes. Although the gondolas had already closed due to winds, skiing in the morning was full of fun with new powder and stories of losing poles and ending up waist deep in the trees. After lunch though, it was a different story. The falling snow had picked up significantly and the wind gusts were steady and strong. When Scott, Casey, Chis and I snapped into our skis, we had difficulty getting to the lift due to the strong winds and blinding snow. Once we were on the lift, I 
will not lie, my palms were
sweating a bit from all the blowing around. When we got off the first lift we discovered that the rest of the lifts had stopped and the resort was shutting down. As we could not see more than a few feet in front of us due to the white-out conditions, Scott suggested that we all stay together as we headed down the hill. Once we packed up Jacob and the van, it was evident that we were not going to make it back to Misawa in these conditions. The Expressway back had already shut down due to the storm and would need a place to stay for the night. Luckily, Kayoko, welcomed us back to the Pension Mutti, although she was very concerned about what we were going to eat, as she had obviously not expected us back for dinner. We assured her that ANYTHING was fine and not to go to any trouble for us. Well, although we did not have a 5 course meal as we did the night before, we were eager to gobble up the large wonderful plates of chicken in a mushroom sauce with desert. Kayoko apologized profusely for a meal that was below her expectations and even gave us a complimentary bottle of wine. We all thanked her for the amazing meal and service. Jason and 
I look forward to staying there again. Mental note though....do not leave the house unless you triple check that you have enough diapers for a blizzard! Even though I usually over estimate the supplies I will need for Jacob (I had brought enough rice cereal and burp cloths for a week!), I somehow did not bring enough diapers. The supply I brought was barley enough for the original trip, let alone another night away from home. So, Jason, Scott and Chris ventured out into the storm to get diapers at a near-by convenience store. Thanks Guys!
will not lie, my palms were
sweating a bit from all the blowing around. When we got off the first lift we discovered that the rest of the lifts had stopped and the resort was shutting down. As we could not see more than a few feet in front of us due to the white-out conditions, Scott suggested that we all stay together as we headed down the hill. Once we packed up Jacob and the van, it was evident that we were not going to make it back to Misawa in these conditions. The Expressway back had already shut down due to the storm and would need a place to stay for the night. Luckily, Kayoko, welcomed us back to the Pension Mutti, although she was very concerned about what we were going to eat, as she had obviously not expected us back for dinner. We assured her that ANYTHING was fine and not to go to any trouble for us. Well, although we did not have a 5 course meal as we did the night before, we were eager to gobble up the large wonderful plates of chicken in a mushroom sauce with desert. Kayoko apologized profusely for a meal that was below her expectations and even gave us a complimentary bottle of wine. We all thanked her for the amazing meal and service. Jason and 
I look forward to staying there again. Mental note though....do not leave the house unless you triple check that you have enough diapers for a blizzard! Even though I usually over estimate the supplies I will need for Jacob (I had brought enough rice cereal and burp cloths for a week!), I somehow did not bring enough diapers. The supply I brought was barley enough for the original trip, let alone another night away from home. So, Jason, Scott and Chris ventured out into the storm to get diapers at a near-by convenience store. Thanks Guys!Although the remainder of Scott, Casey and Chris's trip was foiled due to the "Blizzard" which dumped more than a foot of snow throughout the region, we all enjoyed their last day in Misawa with a slow, but safe drive from the resort, a trip to a Buddhist Temple, and a couple intense games of bowling, and a delicious sushi dinner (just ask Chris!). We are happy to report that our guests made it back to Tokyo and Narita Airport and back to the States with no issues or delays.
Scott, Casey and Chris: Thanks for coming to visit us and Japan!!! We hope
you had a wonderful and memorable trip! 
you had a wonderful and memorable trip! 
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