My parents, on the way back from a long trip to see family in Taiwan and a tour through China, stopped to visit us for about a week. The kids were very glad to see their grandparents! We also had the chance to see my mom's relatives, who live in the suburbs of Tokyo! Unfortunately, due to regulations, we couldn't get them on to the base. So we headed to a nearby outlet mall and Costco to check out the area and enjoy a meal with them.

We ventured out of our comfort zone that consisted of a few miles around the base to go explore Mt. Mitake and the shrine there. We had went on a pretty steep cable car ride (Ah Po and Kira on the cable car, above) to get the beginning of the easier trails around the mountain.


Besides the trip to the shrine, we were also able to do a short, but kind of steep, trail to a small waterfall. The kids loved that we got them individual camelbaks so that they could keep hydrated on their hike!

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the hike and are clamoring to go on more hikes! The kids really enjoyed the short, but sweet, visit with their grandparents, and can't wait till they come back again to visit!