A New Continent for Hiking

After a week of long workdays, the weekend was welcomed warmly by the detachment. We flew yesterday to pick up the boss in Fukuoka (pictures and story to come), but last night and today were good chances to relax. We were able to catch a movie yesterday, have a few pints and play some pool last night, and sleep in this morning. (This is deployment, right?) Don't worry, I wasn't completely lazy all weekend!

Hector and I biked back out toward Iwakuni Bridge to finish what we started last time. We managed to catch part of some Japanese little-league baseball. It may have been softball because they were pitching underhand, but the kids were pretty young, so maybe they're trying to save their arms for later. Still, the diamonds were all dirt, and with the days as hot as they are right now, I can't imagine how it is to play without some nice green grass out there.

A picture at the first bridge and Hector forgetting to smile
To answer your question: Yes, they do the "hey batter batter" stuff. . . it just sounds different.Once we found a tree to lock the bikes to, we started hiking. Though it only took about 25 minutes to arrive at our destination (Iwakuni Castle), we still consider it our first warm-up for Mt. Fuji. Last weekend, we ran out of time to make it up to the castle because of a late start and unforeseen "bike incidents" along the way. As it turns out though, the impressive looking mountain was only a couple hundred meters high, and it only took a short walk up a steep paved path to reach the top. Even with a short walk to the top, the view was as amazing as any I've seen with that little elevation change. On a clear day, we had a view of the entire city of Iwakuni, including the Marine Corps base and several islands offshore.

The picture above is a bit blurry, but you can still see the rabbits with a fire hose.
I think it has something to do with forest fires.

We opted not to pay the entrance fee to the castle, but instead walked around to view and learn about it from the outside. As far as "castles" go, it was rather unimpressive. . . but of course, that's probably because the idea I had of a castle had more to do with Monty Python than Japanese culture. Knowing that this castle had been around for over 300 years is enough to make even a small castle seem rather awesome. The "dry moat" that runs around it is the biggest of its kind in Japan, and being built on top of a mountain is also somewhat unique in this country. Castles and history aside, it was great to just get out and walk uphill for a while, especially with the green Japanese forests towering around us along a gorgeous steep hillside.

The Moat The Castle
We finished the hike and biked back to base to explore the sea wall here. It's a popular running route, but we wanted to see how far the path led before the dead end. It would be about a 7 mile run from my room if I extended my route to the end of the trail, so for now, I'll stick with my 4-5 milers.

Am I back to California already??

We also got an up-close look at the Japanese sea planes. I had to get a picture of them, because when they're flying, you can only see the side profile of them. Approaching from the back or front, they look completely different.
I suppose I should probably get some sleep. Another long week awaits.