Snow Day...

Except...we still had to work! We woke up this morning to this:

And this:

And then trudged through it all to get to the nearest station (a little over 10 minutes on foot from our apartment depending on how you hit the traffic lights). We were only going to Kuwana, a train commute that usually takes about 12 minutes from Yokkaichi, but all of the trains were delayed.

What should have been a quick journey ended up taking over an hour and a half (not including our run through the snow to get to work after finally reaching Kuwana station!).

Keeping positive despite our shivers!

It's still really coming down outside, and the forecast isn't looking to change tomorrow. Considering last year it only snowed once in our area, this is quite surprising weather! Funny enough, it's making us homesick for Michigan snow :-)

We saw this cute snow bunny on our way home from work!

Now we're snuggling up in the warmth of our apartment with tea, hot chocolate, and good books.

ただいま！

We're home!

Our flight got in from Bangkok this morning a little after 7:00, and we got back to our apartment around 10:00. With only a few hours to rest up before work, we were two tired (but happy!) travelers. Thailand was amazing, and we can't wait to share our experiences with you as soon as we have a chance to settle back into things.

As for now, it's a rainy night, and I am reminded of a road patch I stumbled upon during a rainstorm on my way to Kuwana station a couple weeks ago:

Have you stumbled upon anything lovely lately?

~

Nabana no Sato

~

After our trip to Gozaisho, we headed to Nabana no Sato, a huge flower garden in Kuwana, Mie. People come year round to enjoy the beautiful gardens, but the winter is especially famous for the Winter Illumination display. We arrived around 4:30 and strolled through the gardens while it was still light out.

Beautiful fall colors!

It costs 2000 yen at the door (or about $20.00 USD), but part of that includes a 1000 yen voucher to use on food. After we walked around the gardens, we decided to get a bite to eat while we waited for it to get darker. We tried spicy gyoza soup, yakisoba, Matsusaka beef nikuman, and little waffles stuffed with whipped cream and strawberries. What a little feast!

Matsusaka Beef Nikuman

After dinner, it was time to see the real show.

The Christmas trees were beautiful; our camera just can't do them justice.

The amazing tunnel of light pictured above had little flower lights hanging down. It felt like we were in some kind of fantasy scene in a movie (just with too many people to make it as romantic as it has the potential to be!). The end of the tunnel led out to "aurora" lights (pictured below).

This spectacle led us to another tunnel of light that was purple.

We spent a few hours at Nabana no Sato, and although it was a little pricey, it was definitely worth the warm feelings of Christmas that fill you when surrounded by so much magical light. Only a week and a half away from coming home, we're about to burst with excitement. Happy holidays!

~