The Week #162

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  • We went to the Odawara Hilton hotel with the big pool that we went to last year. It was a lot of fun though was muuch busier this time around what with covid restrictions being a thing of the past and the borders open again.I booked using my family discount, so it was a bit cheaper for the room...but then I realized it didn't include dinner or breakfast. And since it's a "resort", there's not anything across the street or even nearby. So we had to reserve when we checked in...which resulted in dinner at 7:30, which is a bit later for us than usual.

    Thanks to that though, we got the kill some time spending money at places we usually wouldn't in the hotel – namely the "amusement center", which includes 8 lanes of bowling, air hockey, and some arcade games.

    I love bowling. I took 2-semesters in college as my sport. So I was happy to be able to play a couple of games with Leo (bumpers down). He loved it. In his second game, he event managed to knock all the pins down. I'm greatly looking forward to going bowling again.

    As for the main attraction at the hotel, the pool, it was as good as always. Leo's swimming has really improved. His front crawl is on point. We went both as soon as we arrived and for an hour in the morning before checkout. I think visiting the Hilton Odawara Spa and Resort may become an annual trip for our family.

    Looking down at Nebukawa station tracks.

    Nebukawa station doesn't have any station staff

    Watching the sun rise from our room
  • Until relatively recently, sun umbrellas were used almost exclusively by women. I've thought this was ridiculous for a while, but the only sun umbrellas they sold were all frilly, something I'd be embarrassed to carry by myself.

    Recently though, they've been making more "mens" / unisex umbrellas. i.e. simple black or or gray ones (thank god men's version == camouflage patternsΒ  isn't a thing here). And as such there's been a growing number of men carrying the umbrellas – enough for a dedicated word, ζ—₯ε‚˜η”·ε­ (higasa-danshi) or "sun umbrella guy".Β  I've become a ζ—₯ε‚˜η”·ε­.

    My particular umbrella is collapsible. The top is gray and the inside is black, which is what allows it to block 100% of UV. The handle has a slight curve so it can hang on things. The stem is made a cheap alumni that feels like it will (and indeed it did) bend with a good gust of wind. It can be used in the rain as well.

    As for the experience, it's so much cooler, like walking in the shade the entire time you're outdoors, even when there is none. I felt a bit sad for salarymen walking under the oppressive august sun without one. No sunglasses...no UV umbrellas...do theyΒ  not teach about the sun in school?
    Where I trialed my UV umbrella. A toasty 34 degrees out.
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