Day 2: A-Maze-Ing Day Trip to Yamanashi Prefecture :)))

This morning we are heading towards Yamanashi Prefecture. There isn't clear blue sky, but we are thankful it isn't raining either. :) We'll just enjoy what's bestow upon us. :) 

There was a slight delay as we had some difficulty finding our way to the highway. Once we did, the rest of the journey was a breeze. :) Love WAZE!

And 1.5 hours later...

This pretty sight makes our journey worth every effort!

We quickly parked our car, grabbed the picnic basket and stepped out into the cosmos fields. :) 

We didn't exactly know where to begin and got tickets to a park within a park. :)))

Found a nice spot for breakfast...under the maple tree. Autumn is just round the corner & I wonder when they will start turning yellow/red. :) The sight will be stunning.

Our combini breakfast. :) It's my must have whenever we are in Japan. :)))

Presenting our all time fav...pork cutlet with egg sandwich :)

And our new fav...potato salad with egg mayo sandwich. :D

Secretly wishing the sky is as blue as these morning glories. :)

Check out the floral & fauna in this paid park. :)

While the paid park is pretty, we much prefer running through the free of charge cosmo fields. :))) 

Just seeing this field of orange replenished our vitamin C levels! :)))

Awesomeness! We received a message from Nakagomi Orchard, saying our reservation has been confirmed. We can now go pick apples! The drive is about an hour away. :D

Bought some sweet potato at the carpark where our car was parked. No harm having something to munch along the way eh? :)

We love Japanese sweet potatoes and they hardly fail in terms of sweetness and texture. :)

Sadly they are overcooked & too dry. :(

Lin was sorely disappointed. :/ We used the sweet potatoes as hand warmer instead. :)))

We stopped by a 100 Yen store 5 mins drive away for some cheap retail therapy. :))) No pics here cos I was engrossed with shopping.

On our way to the apple farm. Enough though the cosmo park and Nakagomi Orchard are within the same prefecture, the journey from the cosmo park to the orchard takes about an hour. : O

Nakagomi Orchard. :)

Finally a pic with our car. It's isn't as cute as I hope it will be. :(

A country pumpkin me was ecstatic to see apple trees! :))) We have plucked strawberries, cherries & peaches previously. And finally today RINGO! :)))

The instruction given by the orchard staff was to pluck only the big yellow and red apples. :))) The red ones are definitely more appealing. :)))

Yellow apples might be sweeter than the red ones, you think?

Our harvest for today! :)

Paying up & having our apples packed! :)

Feel free to try the apples & grapes at the payment & packing station. :)

These grapes are ridiculously sweet to be missed. We bought a pack too. :)))

So thoughtful to have these makeshift taps for washing hands. :) 

I'm thankful to be out doing something different today. :) A short break helps me walk a longer distance. 

Perhaps because the vacation is so short, every minute counts. However we didn't have a game plan on what to do next after plucking apples. :))) Our tummies started to protest and we figured we would just drive around. :)))  Daunting & fun at the same time. :)))

God knows we are hungry we could eat a cow. And vola! We find ourselves at Gyu-Kaku. :)))

A super late lunch at 3.30pm. 

There isn't English menu... but picture speaks a thousand words. We just pointed to what we wanted. :)))

What you see on the menu is what we had. :)

Time for Lin to do some work. That is to cook for us. :))))

Seriously, I think we over ordered... : O

I'm not into garlic but I really like this garlic rice! It's bursting with flavours. :))) 

Happy bellies ready to move.  :) Now we need to feed the car. The fuel level is precariously low. :O It's 4 plus in the afternoon and we are anxious to head back to Tokyo. Waze Waze, please lead us to the nearest petrol kiosk. We went round & round & round. *.*

5 hours in a jam is a test of our endurance. Lin failed miserably. She was whiny throughout the trip back. We didn't dare drink any water for fear of the need to use the bathroom. 

Sticking together for such long hours took a toll on us and we couldn't agree what to have for dinner. Sister rivalry brewing...

By the time we reached Grand Hyatt, returned the car to Toyota-Rent-A-Car, and struggled to reach a conclusion on where to do dinner, most restaurants are closed. :((( 
Room service to end our seemingly long day. *.*

All we needed is a bowl of ochazuke to soothe a day of weariness. :)))

While Lin needed to end her day on a sweet note, I hit the sack. Zzz...Day 2 in the land of the rising sun has been a-maze-ing...

Details of Nakagomi Orchard:
W: http://nakagominouen.com/en/