Category: Family Blog

Today was our last time going to the Frontier Village Horse Riding Club. They are closing their doors. It is really sad, but we have made some good friends there, and we are planning on going to another riding club together at the end of November.

I will miss Bonanza and Charlie. I hope they settle in well to their new homes. Charlie was perfect for Hana and Maki, and Bonanza was a one in a million horse for me.

We did end up bringing another rabbit home though!! So now we have Oreo, Sonny, and Mashupi!!

Inaba San got dressed up as Natsumi Soseki for a bit of entertainment!! It’s great to meet people with that strength of character.

Anyway, thanks again to the Frontier team. You got me back in the saddle!!

Eddie 

Hi there!

Yesterday someone took a video of me riding Bonanza in slow motion on their iphone. He recommended that I add some background music for effect……..Hana and Maki think its very funny!! There is a bit of the rabbits too!

Hi there!! Today we picked up Sonny and Oreo. They are only 4 weeks old, and were only weaned from milk today.

Here is Oreo……

And here is Sunny…….

I finished making the rabbit hutch a couple of weeks ago, so everything was ready for their arrival.

We put them in, and it didn’t take them long to feel at home…..

 

 

They even used the bridge and went in the run. Oreo dug a hole, and then they both sat in it and looked like they were going to fall asleep…….

Hana and Maki are so happy to have Sonny and Oreo. I just hope they will keep their promise and take care of them properly.

Anyway, that’s all for now,

Ed

Hi there!!

Sorry I haven’t posted anything here for so long. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to recently……

Our old friend Greg from American came to visit Japan recently, and came to stay with us last weekend. We decided to go up Mt Nokogiriyama. We had a fantastic view from the top, here are some pictures…..

The cherry blossom was in bloom for longer than normal this year. It was great to be able to enjoy it for so long.

We went to Nambo Paradise in Tateyama a couple of weeks ago. Mami seemed to be a bird magnet!

The strawberries were pretty good this year too. We got together with the cousins and went strawberry picking…….

This morning I went to ride Bonanza. She really had a spring in her step.

I was given an origami Samurai hat to try on!! Not sure if its my style really!!

 

The Frontier village is a fantastic place to spend a Sunday morning. Maki saw some rabbits, goats, horses, and caught a lizard!

Anyway, that’s all for now!!

Eddie

Happy New Year everyone!!

We have just got back from a trip to England. We had a great time……..here are some photos……

It was great to get all the cousins together. And Hana and Maki got to meet their newest cousin Jack!

Grandad was very happy to see Hana and Maki……

Grandad bought some farm overalls for Hana and Maki so they could play on the farm without getting too dirty!

It was good to have a real Xmas roast dinner again…….

Can you see Mami in Uncle John’s tractor?

In Cheshire a lot of people ride ponies / horses. On Boxing Day I was on lead rein duty for my nephew…….

 

Then we went down to London to go on the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour……

 

They rebuilt Harry Potter’s house inside the studio for easy filing purposes…….

I had no idea that Hogwarts was actually a model!! It was amazing to see how they made it look like a real building using computers…….

 

 

And they got to ride on broomsticks too!! Here is a video:

The buses in London came every 5 minutes, so it was easy to get around……

The weather wasn’t great, but we could still take a walk in the park and see the squirrels…….

We also went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, but by them it was getting a bit too cold and wet!

At the end of our trip my family had a 40th birthday party for me. I am not quite 40 yet, but they decided to do it early as I will be back in Japan by the time my birthday comes around…….

Anyway, I need to go on a diet now after all the chocolate I ate in England!! Time to get back to the grindstone!

Ed

 

Hi there!!

I did it!! I completed the Tokyo Aqualine 2016 Half Marathon!!

 

There were 12, 000 people in the full marathon, and 5, 000 people in the half marathon. At the start it was so crowded, it was hard not to bump into people…..

Hana and Maki were supporting me, and waving the homemade flags they made specially……

Everyone runs past so quickly, its really hard to get good photos!!

Mami couldn’t get a photo of me, as she didn’t know when I was coming past until the very last second……I got lots of photos taken by the official photographers though. Once they are available, I will add some to this page…..

The Aqualine is quite steep, but it was an amazing experience. As I was running, the Japanese Self Defense Force’s helicopters flew over in formation……it was breathtaking…….

 

I finished the 21.0975 km / 13.109 mile course in 1 hour 54 minutes and 14 seconds. So, I was placed 449 out of 5, 000 runners. I was so happy when I finished, almost close to tears!! It feels great to try new things, and to push myself……

Anyway, I am very hungry after all that running, so going out for a meal now!!

Ed

Here are the photos!!

 

 

 

Hi there!! We had a great morning riding Bonanza again today. She is such a good horse!! Hana is learning how to turn left and right and stop, and she did really well today.

Maki thought it was hilarious when Bonanza shook to get rid of some of the horseflies. Every time she did it, Maki started laughing!!

I know Bonanza is too big for Hana and Maki, but there aren’t many ponies in Japan. There are lots of ex race horses looking for homes, but you don’t see many ponies here. Bonanza has a really good temperament, and has a lot of experience with kids riding her. Here is a short video as well………

Then it was off to see some Guinea Pigs (Hana is mad about them at the moment)

Anyway, that’s all for now!!

Eddie

Hi there!!

We just came back from a horse riding school in Chiba. We have seen a few other places, but they usually insist on taking lots of lessons before they let you ride the horses by yourself. At the place we went to today, we could just get straight on the horses! They are all ex race horses. I got to ride a horse called Bonanza. Here is a photo of her from her racing days:

Bonana won quite a few races, then retired to Hokkaido where she was a breeder. After that she was sold to a local riding school. However, the owner of the riding school had some health problems and couldn’t take care of Bonanza properly. She was rescued by a horse racing fan who had tracked her down. She was in poor shape, but was nursed back to health. Now she is 14 years old, and lives in Chiba. It was so good to be able to ride her today. It was my first time on a horse again in many years. Plus, I have put on a bit of weight during the summer holidays so I thought I might be too heavy for her!! Anyway, here is a video of me riding her:

 

Hana got to ride a 25 year old ex race horse. He was very slow, but just right for her. We thought it was funny that his name was Maki!

 

Then it was Maki’s turn. I just led her around a few times. The two Makis!

We are so glad we have found this place. We are going to go back as often as we can!

 

Hi there!! We have just come back from a fantastic caravan holiday in Ichinomiya, Chiba. It was great to have some quality family time, and hang out together. Here is a where we stayed:

Our caravan was at the back. It is the only one they rent out to short term guests. The others are all rented by surfers from Tokyo. Apparently the 2020 Tokyo Olympics might have the surfing competition in Ichinomiya. I can see why -the waves seems quite big!

The second day was cloudy, and not really beach weather……

So we took Koo to a park and let him have a run around……

Hana and Maki loved sleeping in the caravan. The bunk beds were like little rooms with lights and windows etc. They were very happy staying there…..

And I enjoyed cooking tuna steaks on the BBQ and having a few beers!

The next day was great weather, so we went to Onjuku beach. It was nice, but a bit crowded……

Each night Koo was eating all the left overs, and doesn’t seem interested in dog food anymore!

The beach we found on the last day was the best for us. Ohara beach, not crowded at all, and great waves for body boarding!!

The kids said they want to stay for a week next time, but at the same time its so nice to be home and sleep in our own beds!!

 

 

 

  
Hi there!!

Today we went down to Tateyama to go sand dune sledging! The dunes were really steep, but it just wasn’t as slippy as snow. Luckily there were other things to do. We went exploring and found a cave, deer tracks, and a beautiful lake!!

  
Chiba has so much to offer……love it!!