In Japan summer holiday for schools starts from the third week of July, of which the third Monday happens to be a National Holiday, the Marine Day. National law establishes Marine Day as a day of gratitude for the blessings of the oceans and to hope for the economic prosperity of maritime Japan (ref. Wikipedia). The third Monday was chosen so that the people can enjoy a long weekend with their children who will start summer vacation during this period.
This year we chose camping for a start. Some people like caravan style, bungalows, backpacking or others, but our favorite is car camping or here it is called "auto camp". All you need is a car with a big enough trunk to put your tent, cooler box, a set of table with chairs and some fresh food for the length of stay.
Children can learn a lot from camping through nature walk, fishing, cooking, learning about team work when making a tent, sharing chores or from just being a part of every activities. Just about two hours from central Tokyo, there is a nice campsite just at the gorge of Oku-Chichibu, called the Yuugure Campsite, one of our favorite spot to visit during summer.
There, you can do hiking (from beginners to advanced - up to 6 hours to reach the top of the mountain), fishing for wild fish or home grown fish released in the river, swimming, baking your own bread/pizza in a real Italian type of oven, and just 20 minutes drive from the campsite, you can enjoy a hot bath in a natural hot spring water (onsen).
My daughter caught 7 fish in 3 hours - two of which are wild fish, called "iwana". It was such a thrill for her to be able to catch a very rare fish, that even the adults rarely get to catch one. The fish that we caught are 15 altogether and we have them cleaned and then charcoal grilled... yum!
7 fish in 3 hours... de-c, she needs to go fishing with Steve :) ...
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