Final Update from JPN!
July 27, 2026
Day 14 (July 24th)
Picking up where we left off…! After our early morning on Mt. Fuji, our crew caught up on some well deserved z’s on the bus. Before we knew it, we were up in the hills of Shimoda overlooking the beach and soon arrived at our Airbnb. Our home for the next three nights was a massive four-story complex, complete with a game room, onsen, and an industrial kitchen all to ourselves! We dropped our bags and showered off the volcanic rock dust we had been thoroughly coated in while descending Fuji. With no rest for the weary, everyone piled back into the bus and were driven down to the beach. Em scouted out an excellent beach front spot for supper! Taco Studio was just the vibe we were looking for. We sat outdoors people-watching the beach scene, recapping the day, and devouring taco after taco together. Mexican was an appreciated switch from our normal Japanese cuisine! Before heading home, we ventured to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for our next couple of meals. Our LOD’s EMan and Ryan closely supported Em and Taylor in this shopping spree. A Japanese grocery store hates to see us coming! Back in our humble abode, we met for Moonup. Ryan and EMan challenged us to think about what 3 items we would bring to a deserted island. We decided that Ryan would be the most likely candidate out of our crew to survive this castaway scenario. Sammy had the bright idea to bring a net for fishing and Latham declared she would bring her Dad for moral support. CC insisted her dog must accompany her for entertainment while shipwrecked, as well as her contacts (quite practical if you ask me)! At last, we hit the hay and took back our stolen hours of sleep from our early morning on Mt. Fuji!
Day 15 (July 25th)
Another great day to be alive! Feeling well rested, our troops made their way downstairs for a homemade breakfast of eggs, toast, and cereal. The night before, the boys declared a prank war against CC, EMan, Charlie, and Kate and created an impressive barricade outside their room for the girls to wake up to. This lighthearted joke was taken well and the girls began scheming ways to get back at them later. We started our big day of ocean activities at 9AM with surfing! The weather was perfect and the cool salt water delightfully refreshing. Avery caught wave after wave and our instructors declared her a natural. CC, reminding us all of her Californian roots, stylishly rode the big ones with impeccable form! For a few wave sets, Jonas and Kate were catching every rip together. After our productive morning absolutely shredding the gnar, we returned our boards and chilled on the beach for another hour. Taylor, Em, Ben, and Judson threw the football in water while Peter and Quinn explored the rocks with their snorkels. Our group was initially very skeptical of their snorkel purchase, but after they swam back in describing the sting ray and puffer fish they saw, everyone wanted a turn with the goggles. Charlie and Kate joined Judson, Ben, and Taylor in the ocean for an intense game of Jackpot with the football. Charlie, being 5″2, was at a disadvantage but did not let it stop her from coming away victorious from the scram with the ball several times! Em and the rest of the gang enjoyed shaved ice and some shade. Sammy, CC, Sloane, and Jonas think it’s the best shaved ice they’ve ever had. We also chatted all about their past Moondance trips and what trips they may want to do next year. Everyone is very torn because there are so many great options to choose from! After a full morning in the sun we went in to the town of Shimoda to get lunch at the grocery store. Sammy and Avery manned the buggies and helped check out our lunch goodies. Naturally after our lunch we needed a sweet treat and Emily and Taylor led us to a delicious gelato shop. The milk flavor was a huge hit. After, we shopped around and Charlie picked up a pair of shades and Latham got some souvenirs for her family. We spent a good deal of time in a thrift shop and Peter, Ben, and Jonas bought some dope vintage T-shirts. After a couple hours we were back on the bus. We explored the Shimoda heart cave and went sand surfing! Peter, Ryan, and Jonas found a cool path to a rocky lookout of the water. We cooled off the water and enjoyed each other’s company. Everyone got great photos in the water, too. Lots to sift through on the plane! Back at the Airbnb, Taylor carved up a watermelon. We all devoured the thirst-quenching treat, showered, and chilled before dinner. Emily and Taylor fired some Pizzas for dinner, courtesy of our industrial-grade kitchen. After dinner, Sammy and Avery led us in a moving moonup where we shared some of the hardest moments of our lives and what we learned from the experience. Taylor and Emily are so insanely proud of this group and for being so open and supportive. We closed with a human cinnamon hug!
Day 16 (July 26th)
Today we woke up with a bittersweet pep in our step to make the most of our last day together! We chowed down on breakfast and some fresh pineapple before loading the bus. Our activity of the day was SUP, Stand Up Pattleboarding, and we embraced the chill time in the bay. The water felt amazing and our crew soaked up the sun, swam, played king of the hill, and Peter and Quinn snorkeled some more. Avery impressed us all with her handstand abilities while balancing perfectly on her board on the water. The sunshine felt amazing and we had fun just sitting and talking out in the bay. After, we went back to Shimoda and walked and shopped and got lunch. At lunch, Judson kept us entertained with a plate of bubbles he bought. The bubbles gave us lunch and a show! Per tradition, a sweet treat was a must after lunch and we tried out a new ice cream shop. Charlie, Sloane, and CC found more cool rings and Avery got glass straws there as well. We also found a cool new thrift store where a few of our ranks indulged in some retail therapy. Ryan picked up a dope band tee that we were all jealous of. Back at the house, we did some housekeeping forms, packed up, and got ready for our Banquet dinner! We took some flicks and boarded the bus for dinner. Dinner was at Izu Shirahama Barbecue Garden, cook-it-yourself style on top of a hill overlooking the beach and the sunset! EMan stepped up to the plate and earned her stripes as Grill-Master. Meanwhile, Peter monitored his tables wagyu. The perfect last supper! Suddenly, the sky opened up and it began absolutely pouring rain. Never ones to let a little rain stop us from having a good time, a dance party broke out. The kids then formed a human pyramid to finish their routine. It was a joyous sight and Em and T could not stop laughing! We made a mad dash from the restaurant to the bus to avoid the rain. Soaked but content, we jammed out the whole way home. We gathered and circled up for one last Moonup. After many rounds of nugs, Em and T gave out paper plate awards and Mt. Fuji patches from our outfitters. For the silly question we shared the moments from the trip when we laughed the hardest. This of course inspired even more laughs and was a great way to recap our past two weeks together. We continued with a mini love roast, expressing what we love about the person to our left and our right. This was so heartfelt and it is evident how much this group loves each-other. To close, we went up to the roof for some celebratory firework sparklers. What a final day!
Day 16.5 (July 26/27th)
Reporting on the evening adventures from JPN 3 crew – as requested by CC and Charlie. After Moonup the kids all hung out in the pool table game room where they played an intense game, inspired by the TikTok eating challenge trend. CC was the referee of the game. There were three rounds, all with increasing levels of difficulty. Quinn, Ben, Judson and Peter all had a face-off, competing for who could reach the orange slice first. The game ended abruptly when Peter was unhappy with the referee calls – LOL. The recap from the kids was hilarious and I’m sure they can tell you more details in person. This silly game brought a ton of laughter to the group and became some people’s funniest moment of the trip! We love how much fun everyone has together even in little moments. It is such a testament to the energy of the group!
Day 17 (July 27th)
Airport day is here and we are feeling so bittersweet about it. What an insane 17 day adventure we have had the joy of sharing with your children! Em woke up the kids to the classic “It’s Great Day To Be Alive” song because every day is truly a GREAT day! The kids all had a mega slumber party in Eman, Kate, CC, and Charlies room. They created a perfect Tetris of sleeping mats on the tatami floors, which happen to be super conducive for slumber parties. Everyone was sleepy from a late night of hanging out and playing hide and seek in our massive Airbnb. The kids all did a great job packing up and leaving the house looking even better than it did when we arrived. Ryan had a stressful wallet-less moment but found it in his swim trunks! We appreciated how helpful everyone was with putting the trash in the garage, carrying bags, and cleaning up. Joy and our bus driver arrived at 8 am sharp. We loaded all our bags on the bus and hit the road to drive to Tokyo. On the way we stopped at our final truck stop. The rest areas here are nothing like the U.S. – they’re full of great stores and shopping opportunities. Em, Kate, Charlie and Judson got coffees at Starbucks. Peter, Jonas and Judson finally found Pokemon collector cards! Ryan got some last onigiri for the plane. And most importantly the kids finally got to try Japanese McDonald’s! CC and Eman got happy meals. Ben, Quinn, Jonas, Sammy, Peter, and Ryan all tried a variety of different meal combos that hit the spot. We said goodbye to our short lived truck stop and continued on our way to the HNA airport. The kids have all checked in and are on their way to you back home in the U.S.A.!! They can’t wait to see you soon and tell you all about the trip!
It has been such a pleasure to spend time with all fourteen of your wonderful children. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. We adore each of them and feel beyond grateful to have spent the last couple of weeks together.
All our love,
Em & T
Checking Back In!!
July 24, 2026
Hi JPN 3 families!
We have been absolutely living it up over the past week in Japan and can’t wait to share all the details. Picking up where we left off!
Day 7 (July 17th)
We arrived in Matsumoto and did a quick grocery run to get dinner and breakfast items before transferring to our Airbnb. LODs Ben and Latham were stellar shopping assistants and helped find all of the ingredients we needed. Our menu for the evening was tacos, but we had to adjust slightly once we realized that they don’t sell tortillas nor tortilla chips! Instead we stuck with our roots and bought rice for burrito bowls. Still a nice switch up from the Japanese cuisine we’ve had over the last week. We piled back on the bus, drove to our Airbnb, and braved a massive rain storm while hauling our luggage inside. Our home for the night was nestled in the heart of a local neighborhood in Matsumoto, and we fit perfectly into our house. It felt like we were one big family of 16! The kids quickly settled in and started playing card games. Charlie also taught the group one of her favorite large group games, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. The hang out room was full of laughter! In the meantime, we cheffed up dinner for the kids and had so much fun doing so. Jonas and Ryan helped as our sous chefs, mostly responsible for the gourmet microwave rice haha! Our spread was absolutely delectable. Taylor picked out some chocolate cookies and oreos that the whole group devoured before Moonup. Moonup was led by Ben and Latham who did a great job facilitating our conversation for the evening. We all squeezed into one of the AC rooms upstairs. Our silly question was “whats your biggest pet peeve” followed by a conversation about events in our lives that have shaped us into who we are today. It is so special to have a space where everyone can seamlessly shift from unserious topics to sharing vulnerable moments in their lives.
Day 8 (July 18th)
HBD TO QUINN!! Today is a very special day because we got to celebrate Quinn’s 17th birthday!!! The day started off strong with pump up tunes, including all of our favorite birthday songs to get hyped up for the bday boy. Em and T whipped up some breakfast, including eggs, sausages, toast, cereal, and a whole watermelon. It’s the most important day so we had to fuel up! Afterwards, everyone lent a hand with packing up and making sure we left our Airbnb even cleaner than we found it. Eman (Emily Manuel) and Avery were especially helpful with the clean up. Our guide Joy came to pick up our bags and we said goodbye to our Airbnb. We headed on foot towards our first activity: Soba noodle making. We met our chaperone/translator at the spectacular Matsumoto castle where we took some photos and admired the structure. The castle was constructed in 1953 and is the oldest of its kind in Japan. It also happens to be one of the only 12 original castles in Japan. It is nicknamed Karasu-jo (Crow Castle) due it its unique black siding and wing-like rooflines. Also, most castles are built on hilltops but this is one of the few flatland castles. So cool! We headed to our cooking class which was just a couple minutes away. After washing hands and dressing in aprons, we watched a short instructional video on how to properly make the noodles. Soba noodles are the most difficult style of Japanese noodles to make. They are crafted primarily from buckwheat flour, offing an earthy flavor and nutty aroma. Our “Soba Master Chef” taught us the art of making noodles as he explained the importance of speed and precision. You first rapidly mix the flour with water to form smooth dough, then roll it paper-thin, and finally slice it into tiny noodles. It takes serious concentration! The group totally crushed it and made delicious noodles. Em and Jonas won “best noodles” according to the Soba Master Chef, but Latham and Sloane were a close second. Then we got to eat our noodles downstairs in the restaurant! It was the epitome of luxury; they cooked our noodles for us and served them alongside tempura and karage (fried chicken). Yum! After lunch we made a quick 7-Eleven pit stop to get some birthday ice cream in honor of Quinn’s big day and chowed down on our way to activity #2 of the day: Samurai class! We had an absolute blast!!! The whole experience was so cool. Led by a Master Samurai, Miharh, we learned all about the ancient fighting techniques and got to practice them ourselves, all while wearing a yukata (light kimono). We learned to draw the sword (“battô”) and then how to put the sword back in the sheath (“nôtô”). Our teacher also instructed us on three sword position and cutting/fighting methods. Peter, Judson, Quinn, Ben, and Sammy were the first to perform at the end of the class and impressed us all with the moves they quickly learned. Miharh even performed for us at the end, too! She learned how to fight over ten years ago and was an excellent teacher. Following our class we shopped around the city, mostly on Nawate Shopping Street. Charlie, Kate and CC, our three biggest shoppers of the group, were thrilled to find some souvenirs to bring back home. Everyone picked up all sorts of goodies! Em led some of the kids to a coffee shop for some delicious lattes and a much needed afternoon caffeine boost. Ryan and Emily bonded over their shared appreciation for coffee and their dreams of opening a cafe of their own someday. At 3 we checked in to our hotel and had some R&R time before dinner. The kids all piled into one room and hung out, playing games and just enjoying each others company. On our way to dinner we stopped by a store in search of samurai swords. We were in luck! Jonas and Peter led the charge, both purchasing mini ones to bring back home. Sammy, Quinn and Judson also decided to buy one, too. They were determined and excited to make these purchases! Then we went to dinner, which was seriously such a highlight of the trip. All you can eat BBQ-and our crew definitely got the most out of what we paid for!!! Consuming dozens of plates of meat, as well as pancakes, fried chicken, French fries, etc, etc, etc, we were all sooo full after the meal. We had tons of ice cream, too, and made big tower of our cups at the end. We laughed a ton and so did the restaurant workers! They even sang HBD to Quinn and brought out a cream filled doughnut. It was such a great way to celebrate and finish off our fun day in Matsumoto. We did Moonup in front of the castle and headed to bed!
Day 9 (July 19th)
We woke up to another day of sunshine and warm weather. Lets go! Breakfast was in a huge ballroom and we had an amazing spread of food to choose from. All of the fresh fruit is such a highlight! We piled into the bus to travel towards Minnakami for our rafting and canyoning adventures. Our first stop of the day was at Daio Wasabi Farm. The farm is one of Japan’s largest and most famous wasabi farms, located in rural Azumino City near Matsumoto in Nagano, close to the Northern Japan Alps. It was established in 1915 and is over 37 acres, recognized as the largest wasabi farm in Japan. The farm is meticulously maintained with hundreds of rows of wasabi plants, all shaded by black tarp sheets. The plant is very difficult to grow and takes over two years! We wandered around the farm, appreciating the beauty and hard work that it takes to cultivate the crop. Afterwards, we tasted wasabi ice cream! Ryan and Ben both went all in and got just wasabi flavor. The group consensus is that it tastes like matcha and is pretty mild, not too spicy. There was also a performance with a monkey at the farm that we watched for a bit. We got back on the bus and headed towards our second stop of the day: cherry picking. It was fun to be outside in our second farm visit of the day! We walked around and had a mini-scavenger hunt challenge to see who could find the biggest cherry. Avery won! Charlie even found a double cherry where two had grown together. Back on the bus, we listened to more curated tunes by the group que and arrived at our home for the next three nights in Minnakami. We were excited to be off of the bus and explore all that the hotel had to offer. Complete with a game room, onsen, complimentary snacks and popsicles, this hotel really has it all!! They even have massage chairs! The kids all enjoyed the amenities before heading to dinner. Dinner was the buffet spread of our dreams and has literally everything you could imagine. From Japanese cuisine like sushi to American food like pizza and everything in between we all loved it. Safe to say no one is going hungry on our trip! Sammy and Charlie even tried sushi for the first time and we could not be more proud of them for attempting to expand their palates! Kate and Ryan led Moonup tonight and we all shared about our best friends and why they mean so much to us. It was really special to learn more about the most important people in each other’s lives. We hit the hay to gear up for our big day on the river tomorrow!
Day 10 (July 20th)
Sun is shining and it’s another great day to be alive! Taylor wakes up the kids every morning asking if they know what day it is… a great day to be alive! And we couldn’t wait to bring the energy for a fun day ahead. Everyone chowed down at the breakfast buffet and loaded on the bus. We played some banger throwback music to get us excited and had a little dance party on the bus. After arriving at the canyoning guides spot (TOP), we geared up in our wetsuits, booties and helmets. Our first route of the day had a decent walk to the in-point of the canyoning, and we were all throughly sweaty from wearing our wetsuits and hiking in. We quickly cooled off after dunking in the water and started sliding down the river! Ben, Quinn and Judson took the lead and eagerly went first down all of the routes. The highlight of the morning was the mega slide where we got to go down in 4-person groups superman style! CC, Charlie, EMan (Emily Manuel) and Kate formed a little squad and kept going back to slide down together. We had a ton of fun! Back at TOP, we cooked a BBQ lunch on the outdoor grills. Em is the most seasoned chef within our group and she helped execute the grub . LODs Sloane and Judson helped facilitate cooking, and Jonas was also a super big help manning the ribs and sausages. The highlight of our meal was the noodles we made on the grill! With full bellies we got back into our wetsuits for our afternoon canyoning adventure. This activity was a ton of fun and some of the kids even said it was their high of the trip so far! Let us walk you through this incredibly fun route…. We arrived at a big red bridge that marked the start of six canyoning slides. There were two options for getting into the river: jumping off the bridge or scaling down the left side wall using a rope and footholds. Kate and Peter went down the side wall like champs. Taylor was the first to jump off the bridge and almost everyone in the group followed. Judson and Ben were fearless leaders, excitedly launching into the water. It was a legit jump that required some serious guts-but our group jumped in one after the next and made it look easy! Sloane was the first of the girls to jump and had a huge smile on her face the whole time. Once we were all in the water it was time to head down the canyon. The first slide was head first. Our guide Anil instructed us to tuck our chins as we slid. We emerged out of the water right before a big waterfall. That same waterfall was our next challenge-we got to slide down it and drop into the bubbling water below. It was epic! The guides let us climb back up and jump off of the waterfall, too. Taylor did this one three times! Sammy conquered his original uncertainty and fears and came out on top, feeling great. We all hung out on the side of the canyon cheering each other on throughout the slides down. Our final challenge was a two parts. The first required a head first slide into a small pool where Anil caught us and then turned us around to go feet first down another waterfall with a decent drop at the end. It was thrilling! To finish off our whole route we climbed back up into the canyon to jump off of the side of the rocks into a large pool of water. We were all on cloud nine from such a fun hour sliding and splashing around. Ryan says it is definitely his favorite part of the whole trip! And we are so proud of Peter for conquering his fear of heights (yet again!!!) by jumping off the tall rocks at the end. Back on the bus, we jammed out to 2010 throwback tunes and rode the high of our fun day outside. Joy picked us up at TOP and we headed back to the hotel. Taylor and Em had one more adventure in store! We dropped our bags inside and went on a short walk through town to get an afternoon ice cream treat. Several kids got vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. Sammy tried the pound cake with fresh fruits. And the crowd favorite was the blue cream soda float with vanilla ice cream. Quinn, Peter, Judson and Jonas all devoured theirs. While we were in the cafe there was a massive downpour of rain, but we timed our stop perfectly as it was past us by the time we left the shop. We walked back to our hotel for a relaxing couple of hours enjoying the Onsen and game room. For dinner we all wore our kimonos and felt stylish while we ate! Everyone picked out their own patterned robe, so we were a rainbow of colors and fit right in. There are so many fascinating aspects of Japanese culture that we have the privilege of experiencing here, and it’s so much fun to embrace all of it while we can. Following dinner Sloane and Judson led an excellent Moonup on the roof of the hotel. It was such a perfect end to our fun day together. We can’t wait to raft tomorrow!
Day 11 (July 21st)
Good morning from Minakami! We are so excited for day two on the river, but this time rafting! We woke the kids up and hit the buffet for breakfast. This hotel has the best breakfast spread you could ever imagine. French toast, fresh smoothies, made to order omelettes, you name it and they have it! Once we were full and ready to go we got in the bus to head back to TOP and meet our rafting guides. By now, we’re pros and knew the drill for everything we needed for the day. Once we were at our in point for rafting we split into three rafts. Raft one, “The Fuji Five” was Ben, Ryan, Kate, Avery, and Taylor. Next up, raft “Konnichiwaters” was made up of Emily, CC, Jonas, Sloane, and Quinn. Raft three with Peter, Sammy, Judson, EMan, Latham, and Charlie was nicknamed “67/11”, tying together two of our favorite things! Ben creatively came up with his raft name, an ode to the mountain we would soon conquer. “The Fuji Five” passed the time as we drifted down the water playing rounds of wavelength. The “Konnichiwaters” followed suit and conducted their own game. Before our time on the river came to an end, we got to go cliff jumping! Kate bravely full sent it into the water below (with a super nonchalant scream)! Once back at the rafting center, we traded out our wetsuits for chef hats and grilled out for lunch! Traditional Japanese BBQ made by yours truly. By our second day on the grills, we were pit-masters! Sammy and Avery manned the veggies while Kate and EMan cooked the meat to perfection. The boys entertained us all with a game of ultimate death hacky sack. At one point, Judson spider-monkey scaled a tree to recover our stuck sack. That’s a team player right there. After lunch, we let our food settle as we soaked up the sun, our JPN3 playlist setting the vibes high on the speaker. Charlie captured it all on the trip camera! Lunch was a ton of fun and a true group effort. On our way back to the hotel we treated ourselves to some Japanese ice-cream (the first but not the last of the day). Charlie tried the jelly coffee flavor and enjoyed it. Back at the hotel we hit the onsen, conducted midtrip check-ins, and played games in the 3rd floor rec-room. At dinner, we made the most of our last night of the buffet and Quinn broke the record for most ice cream consumed and crushed 10 and a half bowls. Judson was right there with him and ate 10 full plates of roast beef. The rest of the group, including Emily and Taylor, were stunned. Parents reading, you can sleep well knowing that your children are getting plenty to eat! We closed out a great day with a fun Moonup led by Charlie and Peter, full of hilarious nugs and tons of laughs. Our crew shared our longterm life goals and our dream concert lineups!
Day 12 (July 22nd)
This morning we got some extra sleep, which the kids were grateful for since all the boys had a mega sleepover in one room! All of the rooms at our hotel in Minnakami are really two bedrooms in one. When you walk in the first room is a tatami mat with a small table, floor chairs and cushions. You can fit like 12 floor mattresses in here! Then, the second room has two beds set up that look out at the river. It is such a beautiful and serene setting. We went straight to breakfast in our pjs and enjoyed our last buffet breakfast at this hotel. We are sad to leave because everyone loves it so much! We loaded up the bus for a travel day to head towards Mt. Fuji. We spent the bus ride listening to music, playing cards and napping. The scenery along the way is gorgeous and it is truly mesmerizing to just watch outside the window as we pass through small towns surrounded by rolling mountain landscapes. We stopped for lunch along the way and found some souvenirs, too. Charlie picked up a red Japan journal, some pens, and has been showing off her calligraphy skills by writing everyone’s names in the group. We stopped to visit the Chureito Pagoda in Fujiyoshida. This iconic destination is a beautiful, five-story pagoda that sits on the mountainside overlooking Fujiyoshida City. This was our first time visiting with Mount Fuji visible in the distance!! It is rare to have a clear day, but we were lucky to have a perfectly clear view of the mountain we were about to summit tomorrow. So exciting!! To reach the viewpoint we had to climb up an alleged 400 steps… but Peter and Quinn counted every single step and claim that it is actually over 500! Actually, there is a discrepancy in their counts. Peter claims 507 and Quinn claims 509. Regardless, we had a good sweat running up the stairs to the top! It was a super hot day so we were all thoroughly drenched in sweat by the top. Our group overtook the viewpoint area and took several great photos in front of the Pagoda. Afterwards, we enjoyed a casual walk down the ramp. At the base we had to get some treats (of course) and Sammy kindly ordered lemonade for he and Avery. CC, Kate, and Eman (Emily Manuel) all got shaved ice which tasted great and cooled them down from the intense heat. Back on the bus we listened to more music and Avery made some progress in her book. We made a quick stop to grab snacks for Fuji and then made it to our hotel. We were back at Motosu Phoenix where we stayed on our first night together. It felt like we were back home! This hotel was our last Onsen opportunity of the trip, so everyone took full advantage of the experience. This Onsen has both an indoor and outdoor natural hot springs, making it unique and especially authentic. For dinner we chowed down at the buffet and had a great Moonup led by CC and Ben. Following Moonup the kids all packed their bags for our big Fuji trip!! We could not be more excited to hit the mountain tomorrow morning.
Day 13 (July 23rd)
The day is finally here…. MT FUJI! LETS GO! We could not be more excited to be on the mountain and accomplish such a special feat as a group. Our three fantastic guides, Monica, Michael, and Taka, met us at 9 am. They checked our gear and made sure we had all the layers we needed for our trip. It’s hard to believe that we will need puffer jackets and rain gear when it’s been in the 90s and so sunny, but layers are an absolute must on the mountain! Once we were cleared we hit the road to head to Fuji. We stopped on the way at a 7-11 to get some extra hydration drinks (Pocari sweat, our group fav!) and snacks for the bus ride. The sun was shining and we had a perfect view of the entire mountain. From the bus it seems almost unbelievable that we’d be on top of the mountain in less than 24 hours. We pumped ourselves up with some tunes, including Peter’s favorite hype song, and arrived at the 5th station. The Yoshida Trail sits at 2,300 meters (approx. 7,500 ft) and our hike today reaches the 7.9 station at 3,300 m, Akaiwa 8gokan. We followed the Gotemba Trail which is less crowded than most trails. The hike isn’t super long in distance, only about 6 miles, but the elevation gain and high elevation makes it challenging! It took us about 5 hours to reach the mountain hut. We started hiking in the clouds, but emerged from them as we reached Mount Hoei-the second highest peak on Fuji. The crater on the southeastern side of the mounatin was formed during the 1707 Hoei eruption. Since then, the volcano has been dormant but is still technically considered to be active. We had a spectacular view of the entire crater and volcanic rock. Along the hike, Em and Ryan talked about what their dream coffee shops would be, including the location, ambiance/vibe, and what coffee would be served. They both want to open a cafe of their own someday! Meanwhile, we had several games of 20 questions going. Our stomachs were grumbling as we reached the top of the Mt. Hoei crater and we excitedly took off our packs for lunch. We had a delicious smorgasbord of goodies to eat! Our newest grocery store discovery is peanut butter sandwiches, just like uncrustables, that really hit the spot. Kate, CC, and Eman felt a new wave of energy after eating theirs! Charlie got an onigiri rice ball and claims it was the best rice shes had all trip! From Mt. Hoei we only had a couple more hours to go. Jonas talked with one of our guides Monica about her love of ultramarathon running. Jonas is going to the Air Force to run and they bonded over their shared affinity for the sport. Meanwhile, Emily and Taylor played a game with CC and Peter recounting some memories from their time last year in the Dolomites together. We feel so lucky to get to spend a second year as their leaders and have so many special shared experiences together! Before we knew it we’d reached the 7.9th station and settled in at our mountain hut. Akaiwa 8gokan can shockingly fit over 100 guests even though the structure is one long, narrow room. The back wall is lined with 3-story mega bunk beds. We had an entire 3rd level bunk section to ourselves which was a real luxury! After dropping our bags and layering up we headed back outside to take in the magnificent views above the clouds. The fogginess had cleared up and the sun began to set before our eyes. We took several photos, courtesy of Jonas, Sammy and Ryan who all have great cameras. For dinner the mountain hut prepared a delicious beef curry, accompanied by rice, pickled veggies and green tea. It was just the comfort food we needed! After dinner, Latham, Avery, Sammy and Sloane made our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard as they announced everyone’s names in different voices. Latham is our group comedian and constantly has us laughing! She has a hilarious voice she learned in school we have all started doing. We took more photos outside before the sun set. We can’t wait for the kids to show you all of them because it’s just too pretty to even describe! Sloane, Avery, CC and several other kids got hot chocolate to sip on during Moonup, led by LODs Quinn and Kate. We circled up inside the hut and talked about our death row meals and some of the best advice we’ve ever received. Judson shouted out his mom for always telling him that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Great advice. Many of you were named for sharing excellent advice, all of which are great reminders about the mindset and attitude we carry with us every day. After Moonup we climbed up into our bunks to fall asleep as soon as possible. We had an early wake up call and big day to rest up for!
Day 14 (July 24th)
2 AM wake up call today!!! We all popped right out of bed and bundled up for our summit push. Vibes were soaring and we could not wait to make it to the top! The sky was full of stars and we could even see the Tokyo lights glistening in the far distance. It is such a rare treat to have such a clear morning for the summit, so we were feeling extremely grateful to have such perfect weather. The push usually takes 2+ hours, but our group of athletes made it to the top in only an hour and a half and barely broke a sweat. Passing through the Tori Gate felt like such a great accomplishment as the sun rose behind us. All 16 of us made it at the same time and we could not be more proud of everyone! We continued up even higher towards the Naiin crater. The highest peak, Kengamine, sits on the rim of the crater at 12,388 ft. We were above the clouds watching the sun rise and it felt so magical. After taking tons of photos and savoring the sunrise we headed down to the main summit area to get stamps and souvenirs. Sammy found a super cool coin that he custom engraved with his name and the date of the summit. CC bought a tapestry of the mountain. Ryan added a pin to his growing collection. It was a successful mini shopping adventure. We were all feeling on top of the world, literally, after our big morning! Led by our guide Michael, we headed back down to the mountain hut where we stayed to enjoy a hot breakfast of eggs, ham, rice, and miso soup. Yum! The kids all spread out on the now empty bunk beds and took 20-min power naps. Peter felt especially rejuvenated and announced that it felt like he’d slept for two hours! We made our way down the rest of the mountain which was so much fun because we felt like we were skiing as we ran down the volcanic rock. Ben, Quinn, Jusdon, Jonas and Ryan raced down the mountain and looked like pros! What took us over 5 hours to climb up took less than 2 hours to reach the base. Just like that, we were done and dusted (literally, we were covered in dust and dirt from Fuji)!! We’re in the car now heading to Shimoda to spend the last few days of our time together at the beach. Latham was really really excited to see Joy again and she thanked him! We can’t wait to surf and be in the sun and soak up every moment we have left in this amazing country!
We will check back soon and all of the kids are so excited to share all of their adventures with you soon. Thank you for sharing them with us!
Love,
Em & T
SHOUTOUTS!
Sloane: Hey guys!!! Japan has been the BEST! We just finished Mt. Fuji and it was sooo cool. Thank you for sending me here and giving me this opportunity it has been amazing! I am so excited to see you guys and tell you everything. Tell Cody AND Luna I miss them so much 🐶! Love and miss you all sm! Please also tell Brynn I heard or saw smth that said hammer time and haven’t stopped thinking of it since. ❤️
Latham: Hey y’all!!! I’m having the absolute best time in Japan. Summiting Fuji was the coolest thing ever. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip and giving me this amazing opportunity, I’m so excited to see y’all and tell you all about it! I love y’all so much!! ❣️❣️
Kate: Hi!!! We just summited Fuji and it was sooo awesome! Can’t wait to show y’all lots of pics and see y’all so soon! Thank you for this opportunity! Love and miss y’all so much!
Emily: Hey Mom and Dad! We just got done with Mt. Fuji! It was crazy and I’m so happy I got to do it. This place is amazing thank you both for giving me the opportunity I appreciate you both so much! Miss y’all a lot and love you see you soon!
Quinn: Hello Mom and Dad! We are currently on the road to the place we our staying at for surfing, we finished Mt Fuji this morning by getting to the summit before sunrise. Thank you so much for sending me to Japan, can’t wait to see y’all soon.
Peter: Hey Mom and Dad! We woke up today at 2am to summit Fuji and now we just hit the ocean and are driving along the coast to reach our house for the last part of our trip, surfing. Fuji was awesome and the altitude didn’t hit me too bad. I can’t wait to come home but also don’t want the trip to end. Thank you so much and see you soon.
Ben: Hey Guys! Just summited Fuji at around 4 today (guess this is my way of matching dad for Kilimanjaro lol), was a super sick view and really cool. I will say this is the first time I haven’t been homesick at all on moondance and am super sad it’s coming to an end (especially because that means it’s back to college stuff). But that doesn’t mean I miss y’all and can’t wait to see y’all!!
Jonas- Crazy to think that 4 years ago was when we looked at a Moondance catalog and picked canyon-lands! Now 3 continents and 4 countries later I’m leaving moondance with the most insane memories and friends and I can’t thank y’all enough for it. Thank you for letting me disappear for 17 days of the year and do some awesome things! For ever in debt, love y’all so much!
Judson – Hey mom and dad! We woke up at 2 am this morning to summit Fuji and see the sunrise which was such a cool hike and so worth it at the top. After that we spent a few hours hiking back down to our bus and we are on the way to our last activity, surfing. This trip has been so amazing and by far my favorite Moondance, thank y’all so much for giving me the opportunity to come to japan and see all of this, see y’all soon!!
Sammy- Hey Family!! We just summited Mt. Fuji this morning at 2am! It was absolutely INSANE and crazy to be able to do. The views were amazing and definitely worth the hard trek up to the peak. We’re in the bus right now and heading to our final stop to surf. Thank y’all so much for letting me be able to do this trip and be apart of moondance for so many years! Can’t wait to see y’all in a few days and show you all the photos from the past 17 days! Also, happy late birthday momma, love you so much! 🗻🇯🇵🏄♂️
Ryan, Hi family, I’ve had the best day today we summited Fuji for sunrise and the views were insane though some of the other kids weren’t as thrilled about the 2 am wake up but I can’t wait to show you the photos from that. We have just arrived in Shimota for the beach and this town looks awesome, can’t wait to catch you all up on what I’ve been up to, thank you so much for sending me on this moondance I’ve had the best time!
Charlie- Hey mom and dad and anyone else reading!! Today we woke up at 2 am and summited mount fuji. It was sick!! Now we are in a beach town and going surfing and paddle boarding. I tried sushi and ate the whole thing😉I’m suffering from some intense pink eye I can’t believe it’s almost time to come home this trip has flewn by! Thank yall so so much for sending me to japan and making everything work out! I’m so excited to show y’all all the coool videos & pics and tell all the stories! I’ve bought some really cool stuff that mom will love! See y’all soon! Love and miss you guys!!!! 🗻🇯🇵🩷
Cc-HEYYY! Today we SUMMITED MT. FUJI and it was actually AWESOME. I can’t wait to show you all our photos and get back our film! I am so so so thankful to be able to do this once in a life time experience and meet the coolest people! I JUST LOVE MOONDANCE, we’ve done insane things everyday and I’ve learned so much. It’s so unreal that we’re almost done with this trip, it literally flew by!! I also bought a sick banner at the top of Fuji, perfect for the basement!! Miss y’all so so much and can’t wait to debrief all my memories! ALSO HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM, I HOPE IT WAS SO AWESOME AND CANT WAIT TO CELEBRATE WHEN IM HOME!! 🇯🇵❣️🗻
Avery- Hey family!!!! I miss y’all, but this trip is awesome!! We finally summited mt. Fuji and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. Now we’re headed to Shimoda to surf and paddle board!! Thank you so so much for sending me to moondance, yall are the best and I love y’all!!! Can’t wait to see you!!
Konnichiwa from the alps!
July 17, 2026
Hi JPN families!!!
Konnichiwa from the alps! We have covered some serious mileage and made amazing memories over the past seven days. We can’t wait to tell you all the details!!! Let’s get into it…
Day 1 (July 11th)
Travel day from U.S. – 14 hours on the plane!
Day 2 (July 12th)
After a longggg time on the plane the kids finally landed in Tokyo and we could not wait for them to arrive! Our first arrival was Sloane, who came from New York. We absolutely loved chatting with her, hearing all about her family and their recent trip to Italy while we waited for the rest of the kids to get in. Before we knew it everyone else made it through customs and emerged from the arrivals gate. After quickly exchanging dollars into yen, collecting passports, and filling up our water bottles we piled into the bus to head to our first accommodation. Everyone was sleepy, rightfully so, but the group chatted the whole 2 hour drive. Latham and Avery were excited to be reunited after their trip last year in Africa together! We listened to the JPN 3 playlist of requested songs in the car and talked all about past Moondance trips including mutual friends. This group has so much overlap having all done so many different trips! On the way we stopped at the grocery store to get ingredients for GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts) bags for trekking. By the time we made it to our hotel almost everyone was asleep. The sun had set, making it hard to stay awake following such a long travel day. We all eagerly hopped off the bus and headed straight to the dinner buffet. Yum! Highlights included massive crab legs, our first sushi of the trip, and even pizza, too. Jonas even tried the octopus ball. EMan (Emily M) accidentally tried it too. Not her favorite, but very adventurous nonetheless! Following dinner, we had our first Moonup where we elected our first LODs of the group: Jonas and Sloane. They were both chatting with everyone in the bus and we feel confident that they will be excellent leaders to set the tone for the rest of the trip! We also passed out some epic student gifts. It was a great first Moonup where we talked about the 7-11 snacks we can’t wait to try and goals we have for the next 17 days together. We also sang happy birthday to our bday girl Latham. We were so excited to celebrate with her and shower her with love!!!! We gave her a card, some candy, and she looked so stylish in her HBD crown. Before heading to bed everyone packed their backpacks for trekking. We are so excited to get in the mountains and start our adventure together!
Day 3 (July 13th)
Our first full day together LETS GO! All of the boys woke up on their own around 6 am and hung out for an hour before breakfast. We love how everyone is getting along so well and becoming fast friends. The girls were still sound asleep but popped right out of bed ready to begin the day. Everyone hit up the breakfast buffet and fueled up with lots of fruit, yogurt, pancakes and more for the day ahead. At 9 am, we loaded into the bus to drive and meet our trekking guides. We arrived at the Mont Bell store where we were greeted by Tom, Naka-g, and Akkiko. We had Naka-g on our last session who we absolutely adore, so we already knew we were in good hands. Our other two guides, Tom and Akkiko, are both English speaking and have tons of experience leading trips in the alps. They checked our bags to make sure we had all the essentials and in no time we were on our way! On the drive we stopped for a quick grocery store lunch where everyone had their first Japanese grocery store experience (many more to come!). LODs Sloane and Jonas helped facilitate the shopping, including passing out all of the food on the bus. CC said the purple grapes were the best she’s ever had, and Quinn and Latham loved the green grapes. There was so much delicious fruit that the whole group devoured. Charlie found pizza that hit the spot. Many other kids also stuck to what they know they love and we probably crushed 10 pizzas within the group! After a windy drive up into the alps we arrived at Ariake-so, our first of several mountain huts. Ariake-so is situated at 1,380 m, close to the trailhead of Mt. Tsubakuro and Mt. Ariake. It is known for its large, open-air natural hot spring bath which our whole group was excited to experience. Upon arrival we had a quick safety briefing and made our GORP bags. We had several creative GORP bag names; Peter won our naming competition with AriGORPto, a nod to Arigato (thank you in Japanese). Our crew was ready to get out and explore, so Taylor and Emily led a mini hike to a nearby trailhead. It felt great to move our bodies after sitting in the car for a while. We hiked up the road to reach a little hut that serves ice cream! The kids were excited to try their first Japanese ice cream and it did not disappoint. Everyone scarfed down the yummy treat as we sat in the sunshine enjoying time outside. Then Judson, Quinn, Ben and Taylor excitedly started a game of poison sack. Peter, Jonas, Ryan and Sammy also joined in on the fun, and so did all of the girls shortly after. We had a mega game of poison sack with all 16 of us! It was a ton of fun, despite some of us being less skilled than others at hacky sack. Good thing we have the next two weeks to perfect our skills! We made our way back down to Ariake-so to get our last shower in before a few days without a shower in the alps. Peter was the first to put on his kimono and inspired the rest of the boys to follow his lead into the Onsen. This was a fun, cultural experience that they all enjoyed! Meanwhile, the girls hung out in their mega room playing card games and chatting. Before dinner, Emily and Taylor taught the group how to play codenames-a super fun game using cards and a makeshift board. Similar to the New York Times connections, the group splits into two teams with code givers who clue hints to connect words on the board. We had some competitive rounds; our first code givers of the group were Jonas and Peter followed by Sloane and Judson. At 6 pm we sat down for dinner with our guides. We feel very blessed to have so many yummy meals together! The best part of the mountain hut meals is the unlimited rice and miso soup. We’ve all decided that we will probably not be eating rice for a while after this trip! Before bed, LODs Jonas and Sloane led an excellent Moonup. We talked about people in our lives who inspire us and why we look up to them. Many of you were mentioned and it is clear just how much these kids cherish and admire all that you do for them, including providing the opportunity to have this special adventure in Japan. We got to bed early to gear up for a big day tomorrow of trekking and an early wake up call!
Day 4 (July 14th)
We all got up before 7 am to have a quick breakfast and hit the trail. We had two mega rooms last night, one with all of the boys and another with the girls. It was our first experience sleeping on tatami mats. These are traditional floor coverings that have a grass-like surface. On the mats, we lay out floor mattresses with fluffy comforters and blankets. It is an adjustment at first but such an awesome, culturally unique experience. Everyone slept great and we were excited for our first day of trekking. We said our goodbyes to Ariake-so and walked about 15 minutes up the road to reach our trailhead. Today’s hike was not super long in distance, only about 4 miles, but we gained over 4,000 ft in elevation so it was no easy feat! But our crew absolutely crushed it! Ben, Ryan and Jonas led the pack the whole time and had a super positive attitude, cheering everyone on along the way. We played some trail games, including wavelength, 20 questions, and celebrity. The trail is super steep but thankfully has several benches and rest points throughout. We took our time going up the trail, and stopped after about 3 miles for lunch. The hut that we stopped at is known for its fresh, juicy watermelon, served in massive slices. Everyone ordered at least one, and Peter must have single handedly crushed an entire watermelon. Judson and Quinn said how refreshing the fruit was. Avery also started a trend of ordering iced coffee, which was just the fuel some of us needed for the push to our mountain hut. After lunch we had about an hour and a half longer of hiking until we reached our destination for the evening. We could see the hut in the distance as we hiked which was great motivation to reach the top. Charlie and Kate had great attitudes and felt the endorphins of their hard work paying off as we made our final push. Upon reaching the hut, we were met with a magnificent, 360-degree view of the surrounding alps. It was seriously stunning! With not one cloud in the sky, we could see so far in the distance. Even Mt. Fuji was visible from our vantage point. We rested at Ensanzo where Sammy took some excellent photos of the group before heading to a nearby summit. We left our bags at the hut and set off for a final adventure of the day. Tom, one of our great guides, led the way to Mt. Tsubakuro. We passed Dolphin Rock, a famous natural rock formation along the way. The dolphin resemblance is seriously so cool! In no time at all we reached the peak and continued to take in the views. It is usually much more cloudy with low visibility, so we felt especially lucky to see such a beautiful surrounding landscape. Jonas was excited to take a photo with the Moondance flag, and the whole group gathered around on the summit for a pic. After another little photo shoot, we headed back to Ensanzo where we finally rested our legs after a big and exhausting day of hiking. Emily and Taylor sat outside in the sun and journaled. Ryan joined them and hung out for a while as others came and went. Charlie, Kate and Jonas made some friends in the little cafe area and chatted it up with the locals. We are very impressed by how outgoing this group is. They continue to meet locals and learn more about the culture. Most of the people who are trekking in this area are from Japan, so they are always curious to learn more about our group and where we come from, too. Everyone is super friendly and outgoing which we love! Then, we enjoyed dinner which consisted of fish, a burger patty, a variety of Japanese-style bites, rice, and more. It was just what we needed after our big hike. After dinner we saw the most spectacular sunset across the entire mountain range. With pink and orange hues that lit up the sky, it felt like we were in an alternate universe. EMan (Emily M), Charlie, and Sloane, always so appreciative of our surroundings, were especially in-awe of how pretty the sky looked. EMan had the great idea to use our film cameras to capture the moment! We circled up outside to take in the last of the sunset while we did Moonup. LODs CC and Sammy led our Moonup tonight where they kicked it off with a Moondance favorite silly question: if you could have 5 liquids on tap in each of your fingers, what would they be? Our group got creative with some people including gasoline and even liquid gold! It was truly a Moonup for the books with the gorgeous backdrop and endorphin rush we were all feeling after a great day. It feels so good to spend all day outside and reach such a rewarding destination at the end!
Day 5 (July 15th)
Rise and shine! 4 am wake up today!! In the mountains we rise early to beat the heat and hit the trail as soon as possible. Despite the early wake up, our group rallied quickly and everyone was feeling energized for a big day ahead. The sunrise this morning was unbelievably spectacular which made waking up early that much more worth it! We packed our bags and departed at 5:30 am for a 10 hour day of hiking. Before departing, Sammy and Jonas used their cameras to take some excellent photos of the sunrise. They can’t wait to show them to you when they are back home. The route we took this morning was along a ridge line. Not only was it so pretty, but we all appreciated the break from our intense uphill section the day prior. As we hiked, the sun rose on our left and began to warm us up from the chilly morning breeze. Our day was split into three sections, each with a mountain hut in the middle and all about three hours of hiking. The first section was the most gradual, as we trekked along the ridge with minor down and uphill sections. We reached our first break at 8:30 am and it felt crazy to have already covered so much mileage so early in the day. Everyone munched on their GORP bags and we hit the trail again. Latham kept our minds off our aching legs by telling us a family story. We all went around sharing about our parents and siblings. The views were spectacular on day 5. The first section offered dynamic scenery along our ridge line hike, with lush green mountains (and a distant glimpse of Mt. Fuji!) to the left and snowy dramatic Alps to our right! Breaks were spent chugging water, reapplying sunscreen, and munching on GORP. Ben, Jonas, Peter, Quinn, and Judson enjoyed a beef sandwich while the rest of us tucked into our Curry dishes for lunch. Avery and Em raved about their salmon rice green tea bowls. After lunch, Ryan and Jonas added new stamps to their collection from the lunch hut. As we continued hiking, Sloane expressed how she could not stop thinking about the delicious curry and we all agreed. We continued to descend down into the valley. Peter crushed his fear of heights, climbing down the steep mountain ladders. Sammy led a fun conversation about what colors we would be if we could pick any color. We all agree that Sammy would be yellow thanks to his outgoing, bubbly personality! The ladders turned into stairs as we persevered, starting our final push ascending up the mountain. Our cozy mountain hut appeared triumphantly through the clouds. It was an epic moment for our crew. This was not an easy day of hiking and we could not be more proud of each student reaching the top. At dinner, Charlie adventurously tried the chicken, pushing her taste buds. Our goal by the end of the trip is to get her to love sushi! After dinner, Judson and Charlie conducted a wonderful outdoor Moonup, the perfect nightcap to a challenging but beautifully rewarding day!
Day 6 (July 16th)
Man time sure does fly when you are having fun! On day 6 we got to sleep in. In the Japanese Alps a 5:15 wake-up call is a luxury and we savored every minute of sleep we could get! For breakfast our Mountain Hut staff specially prepared us a delectable platter of eggs. Of course, no meal is complete without rice around here, and we gobbled both up, fueling up for the day. While we ate, we were entertained by a soccer showdown on television. England and Argentina battled it out before our sleepy eyes. EMan, a diehard Argentina supporter, was captivated by the match. It was awesome to see her love of soccer combined with her competitive side as she unwaveringly cheered on her team amidst a room of England fans. EMan’s loyalty paid off as Argentina took home the gold, despite Peter’s disappointment. We suited up in our rain gear to brave the foggy elements and set off down the mountain, beginning another day of adventure. CC, Quinn, Peter and Taylor passed the time playing celebrity, one of our group’s favorite walking games. The sun came back out, lighting up our hike down and the awe inspiring peaks encasing us. We met some Australian friends along the way and before long, with one foot after the other, we reached our lunch spot. The hut was full of goodies; Kate and Charlie purchased mini donuts and Ryan added another pin to his collection. For lunch most of us had curry, a dish we cannot get enough of here in the mountains. We set off down the trail with full bellies and a new pep in our step. We had tons of captivating trail conversations along the way. Kate filled Taylor in about life at her school, and what it’s like to live at boarding school. Kate, who did the Chamonix Moondance trip last summer, has great hiking experience and told us all about the trip. CC explained the Sigma-Mu competition at her school and the rest of the group asked a million questions about the interesting program. CC and Sammy also discussed colleges, where they might live post grad, and how in one year’s time they were going to be seniors. Meanwhile, Avery and Taylor talked about their music taste and current favorite songs. Charlie also explained her morning routine and how she can wake up and leave the house for school in less than 15 minutes! As we continued to walk, Latham declared how much she was enjoying the more gentle trail and the sound of the river as it wound alongside us. We were really talking about every topic you could imagine. These conversations led us swiftly down the trail. Our yapping was interrupted by a pack of Japanese monkeys, playfully swinging through the trees and crossing the trail! The little creatures were adorable and CC expressed how she wished she could put one in her pocket and take it home with her. Sammy got a dope picture of a baby monkey balancing on a little tree. The excitement of the monkeys carried us until we reached our mountain lodge in the valley, Tokusawa-En. Before we checked to our room, we cooled off with some delicious ice cream cones. Once inside, all 16 of us stayed in one mega room but each had our own sleeping cubby. We slept on shikibutons (a foldable floor mattress) with comfy duvet covers. Super cool setup, perfect for our group. Then onsen was a welcomed luxury and we felt like brand new people once freshly clean! Dinner was a delicious combo of rice, salad, fish, veggies and most importantly, wagyu steak. The meat was butter on our tongues and Ben scavenged plate to plate, checking if anyone had leftover steak. Latham enjoyed her miso soup and explained how she loves how they serve it with each meal. After dinner, Ryan rinsed off for a second time in the onsen. Sloane and Sammy met a new friend named Palmer from the states and chatted about all things USA. Our group passed the time playing cards, snacking, and watching the sun dip behind the mountains in a beautiful golden haze. To close the night, Peter and Avery led us in Moonup where we shared some of our favorite memories, many of which included those of you reading back home! We shut our eyes when the lights in the hut went out and closed the book on a great end to our trekking chapter of our Japanese Adventure!
Day 7 (July 17th)
This morning we woke up in the coolest room we’ve stayed in yet! We were in one mega room, but everyone had their own little bunks, complete with comforters, sheets, and even fluffy pillows, too. Our crew got nearly 10 hours of sleep thanks to a strict 9 pm bedtime in the hut. Charlie said it was her best night of sleep yet! Peter and Ryan woke up naturally early and they enjoyed a slower morning on the porch of our lodge. Once everyone was up, we rolled straight into breakfast. Em and Sloane had an awesome conversation about their families, including how both of them have the same age gap with their brothers. It was a more leisurely morning because we had plenty of extra time and left at 8 am. Today we only had five miles to hike and it was basically flat the whole way. Everyone was relieved to be finished with so much up and downhill hiking! The highlight of our hike was visiting a Shinto shrine along the trail. This historic mountain shrine is nestled in the forest and faces the peak of the mountain. It is known as a spiritual epicenter for mountaineering in Japan. Shinto is one of two major religions in Japan and means “the way of the gods” because people worship thousands of gods. Shinto focuses on purity, harmony with nature, and celebrating life. We have learned all about Japanese culture, including the way that people prioritize others over themselves. It is such a great way of life and certainly inspires us to be even more selfless in our own lives. Jonas picked up a beautiful calligraphy drawing at the shrine and everyone took turns performing a prayer ritual. Ryan was especially appreciative of this cultural stop and really enjoyed learning more about the Shinto religion. We finished out the rest of the hike strong. Taylor played some riddles along the way with Quinn, Judson, and Ben. Before we knew it, we’d arrived at the famous Kappa Bridge. The bridge offers a magnificent view of the Hotaka Mountain Range and is surrounded by several quaint cafes and souvenir shops. We posted up at some picnic tables for a couple of hours playing cards, hacky sack, and enjoying ice cream. It was a super fun and relaxing way to spend the rest of the morning before heading on our way to Matsumoto. We’re on the bus right now listening to tunes and enjoying each other’s company. EMan and Quinn are playing a competitive game of gin rummy while the rest of our crew plays wavelength. We are having a blast with your kids and can’t wait to keep making memories together. We will check back in soon!
Love,
Em & T
SHOUTOUTS!
Avery- Hey family!!! I love and miss y’all so much, but I’m having a BLAST in Japan. The trekking was a LOT harder than I thought, so I am so proud I finished it. The scenery is so incredible and beautiful, y’all would absolutely love it. We have eaten so much rice and traditional Japanese mountain food, some of it good and some of it was interesting. Collins, you would love the monkeys (and baby monkeys!) we saw in the national park, and John Mills you would have crushed the hiking and love the rice. I hope y’all had the best time in the BVI!! Elle if you’re reading this, I can’t wait to see you two inches taller! To my other friends reading this, I love y’all and I can’t wait to see you back in the gump!!! 🏔️🇯🇵🥢
Cc-HEY HEY YALL!! I miss you guys so much!! But like Japan is actually so so insane, we just finished trekking the past 5 days and it was DEFINITELY the hardest thing I’ve ever done and was so intense but looking back now it was super rewarding and I’m so proud of all of us!! It’s been so fun experiencing a whole new culture and learning so much about this place and myself! I absolutely love my group, everyone is so fun to talk to and we’ve all gotten really close, especially over the past few days of hiking. Also food is fireee but I don’t think I will ever be able to eat rice again.. I am so so excited to summit Mt. Fuji soon and have more MILK ICE CREAM(it’s insane) ALSO we saw monkeys yesterday and I actually want one so bad!! Missing everyone who’s reading this!! TELL THE BOYS I MISS THEM🐾!! This trip is genuinely so awesome and I’m so insanely grateful for you sending me! Love y’all sm and can’t wait to tell you everything! (Mom, Also I need you to buy me a lawn ticket to widespread panic in Wilmington in sept for both nights-our group is plotting) THANKS👋🇯🇵💗😊
Quinn- Hello mom, dad and sisters I am having a lot of fun in Japan I saw a heard of monkeys today on our hike they were super cool I also saw lots of trout in the creeks today. We got these grapes from the grocery store and they were super small but they were very good and tasted like candy. My group is super chill and I have tasted a lot of new Japanese foods we are leaving our trekking adventures after 5 days in the alps it was really pretty, thank you so much for sending me. Also can u plz buy me a lawn ticket to widespread panic in Wilmington in sept for both nights to see Peter, love y’all 🧌
Emily – Hey Family!! Thank you guys for this trip it has been amazing. The food here is very different but I have made sure to try all the new things – a little sick of rice though 😉 The trekking is all we have done so far and it has been very difficult but worth it! The people here are so different from home – mom you would love it 😁 My group is great so far. It’s going by so fast! We saw monkeys and have been above the clouds while trekking which is beautiful. I miss you guys so much and all my friends so make sure to send this to them too. I hope peaches is being butter 💗 I will see you guys soon can’t wait to tell you all about it in person. Love you! Emily
Sloane – Hey Family!! I am having the best time ever in Japan. Thank you guys soooo much for sending me. The trekking is definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done but it was so rewarding (def harder than climbing Pilatus). I know Reed would have absolutely crushed the treks. Yesterday we saw the cutest monkeys on our trek and the babies were adorable and I know you would have LOVED them Mom. The food is good except I’ve had a ton a rice and I don’t think I’ll have rice for a while after I get home. We hiked on the ridge line of the Japanese Alps and it was gorgeous and when we woke up we had the best view of the mountains and sunrise. It’s crazy how fast it is going. I love the group so much and the trip is so much fun! I miss and love you all endlessly. I can’t wait to tell you guys everything and see you all!! 🩷🇯🇵🫶
Sammy- Hey Family!!! Japan is absolutely INSANE it’s so crazy to be here and be able to explore Japanese culture and the country. So far we have summited mountains in the Japanese alps after two insanely hard but fun trekking days. I don’t think I have ever experienced anything as difficult but also amazing as those hiking days. We got to see a sunset above the clouds and hike to beautiful mountain huts where we met so many cool and interesting people like Akkiko and Palmer. On one of the trekking days we saw monkeys and also saw several baby monkeys with their moms which was so amazing to see. I got some sick photos of the monkeys and also of the mountain ranges and sunsets!! I have yet to try sushi but I will eventually try it, I swear. We have rice A LOT which is great and all but we all are starting to get a little tired of the rice and I probably won’t have it for a while after this trip. I have been craving Bojangles the entire trip for some reason so I may be making quite a few stops there when I get back. Can’t believe it’s going by so fast but cannot wait to see y’all!! 🇯🇵🍚📸🐒
Judson – Hey mom and dad! Japan has been so cool so far we just finished our trekking and we are going to an Airbnb tonight where we might get to sleep in real beds! We had to hike for 10 hours one of the days and that was so brutal but the views were so cool from up top. I haven’t had any good sushi rolls yet but the food has still been great. We are going to start canyoneering and then white water rafting after that before we go to Fuji and then the beach. I’ll make sure to get in plenty of pictures for you mom! Can’t wait to see y’all again.
Peter- Hey Mom and Dad, I am having a blast in Japan so far, aside from the highly uncomfortable rice pillows at the mountain huts. We just finished our trekking during which we saw some of those funky red faced Japanese monkeys. The group is great and we are headed to our Airbnb for a nice, refreshing, American meal, tacos. As you can see from other people’s notes we are planning to see each other in Wilmington for Widespread. I am excited for what’s to come here in Japan and I will see y’all soon. Also I got to try wagyu last night and it was great. The hiking was intense but worth it because according to our guides it was the best weather they’ve had. I haven’t also had fun teaching the others how to use chopsticks. Love you guys from across the pond.🇯🇵🗻
Latham-Hey fam + friends! I miss y’all all so much and can’t believe it’s already been a week. The trip has been amazing!!! Japan is so cool and so different. The food is really different but good I have been trying a lot of new things! The trekking was definitely very hard but so rewarding the views were insane and I can’t wait to show y’all all the pictures. My group is great and I’m having so much fun. I can’t wait to see you guys soon! Hope you don’t miss me to much (p.s. if my friends are reading this I can’t wait to go to Jalisco and I miss y’all sooo much) ❣️❣️
Kate- Hi fam and friends!! I’m having so much fun in Japan! We just finished trekking and we are heading to an air b n b! The views trekking were amazing and I can’t wait to show y’all lots of pictures! We got to see some very cute monkeys! Our group is awesome and we are having a fun time together! We got to eat wagyu last night it was delicious! I hope y’all are doing good and can’t wait to come back and tell y’all all about it! Thank you so much for this opportunity! Love and miss y’all so much! Say hi to beans for me!!🇯🇵🇯🇵
Charlie- Hey mom and dad!! I’m having sooooo much fun! We just finished trekking the Japanese alps and it was the hardest thing ever but so worth it and so much fun! The views are INSANE. The sushi is even better here than it is in America!! I’m exited to tell y’all about the whole trip and show y’all the cool photos we’ve gotten!! Love and miss y’all! Anddddd hey Ruth Lovelace Arden lulah charlptte and Ava miss y’all!!!! 🍣🎎
Ben- Hey Mom and Dad!! I hope y’all have had a good break from me, but jokes aside we just finished trekking the Japanese alps reaching around 9000 feet in elevation. All around we hiked around 20 miles across the national park. The culture here is super cool and something that I feel like yall would loved, especially the food which has been great. I can’t wait to see y’all and miss y’all!
Ryan- hey mom and dad! Missing yall here in Japan, I’m having the time of my life over here. We just finished trekking the northern alps and we climbed the 5th tallest peak in Japan during it. I hope y’all are having the best time, we are hanging out in a airBnB in a small town called Matsumoto and it’s awesome, can’t wait to show you all the photos!
Jonas- What’s up! Miss and love y’all so much! Japan is the coolest place ever! The culture and food is so amazing. So much more hiking than I thought and it’s been so amazing. The Japanese Alps are absolutely unreal and combine every euro and American mountain range into one. Probably can’t eat rice or drink tea for at least a year after this trip though😂. Thought this was finally my track off season but I think this trekking gave me more endurance than any 400 workout I could have done before nationals. Also hi Jane and Alice! Love y’all so much and can’t wait to see you soon and hear all about AMG and Cham! This trip is so similar to Dolo and makes me miss all of our insane memories!🫶Ok bye love y’all so much and miss y’all but you’re gonna have to drag me out of Japan😉
