Black gold! Today Z-bee and I went out to the local Petroleum museum located near Mt. Bodaiji in Niitsu, Niigata, Japan.

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We had no plan to learn about oil or fossil fuels today, but that's what happened, in the most natural and organic way possible. You see, all I really wanted to do was go hiking, and the trailhead just happened to be here at this museum/visitors' center/kids' learning center where a booming oil operation used to sit. I had no idea that as we hiked up the path we would be able to see the old equipment still there, or that signs would guide us through the experience.

The drilling complex here, though now non-operational, began over 100 years ago. We enjoyed the hike, and got to talk about dinosaurs, how oil is made in the ground, and why people drill for it. We also talked about which fruits we would marry, if we were going to marry a fruit (Isaiah loves apples). Not really related to oil, but hey. This is the beauty of unschooling. we go with the flow and have fun. That is the most important thing there is.

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Heading up the hill.

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An abandoned oil derrick in the woods.

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Z-Bee was able to give it a crank and get it moving.

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As we continued up the hill, we began to come out onto the ridges of the small mountain range bathed in sunlight. The smell of the warm pine in the air, and all of the flowers and wildlife, with the scenes of higher, still-snow-capped mountains far in the distance behind us, and the Niigata rice plain and Sea of Japan stretching out into infinity on the other side, I became exhilarated. So happy winter is over. So glad for the warm, fresh spring air and sunshine. It took me somewhere else for a second and I was overcome with a feeling of this is really what life is all about. I shared this with Isaiah and we both agreed. Nature is great. It's not natural to be in a city, building, or even town all the time. We need to connect with the earth and the rhythms of the natural world. So peaceful. So quiet. No rush. No worry. Just being.

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When we had returned from our hike (we made it pretty far but Isaiah let me know he had to poop, and we had no tissues or suitable leaves around, so we didn't quite make the summit :), we hit the visitors' center to use the restroom and check things out. In typical Japan fashion, it was clean, fun, and free/open to the public. We viewed a beautiful scale model of the mountain range, looked at a few simple kids' activities placed around the model, and then hoppedin the car to get an ice cream from the conbini to top off the outing before heading home.

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Beautiful scale model/elevation model of the area.

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What's in the mystery box?

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Matching birds to their feathers.

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All in all, today was a great day, and for me, a perfect example of what unschooling is all about: experience. We found a cool new place where we can hang, a beautiful hiking trail, and were able to learn about the history of the area where we live, the processes used for drilling oil, and the various wildlife in the area. We weren't trying to do anything like this at all. We were just out to have a fun day hiking in the sunshine!

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Thanks for stopping by!

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(If you missed the last installment of Unschooling Blog, Vol. 45: "Manga Math at Breakfast," you can find that HERE. If you are a parent residing in Japan and are interested in joining our unschooling play group, Niigata Unschooling Meetup, please don't hesitate to do so, and come hang out with us!!!)

~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DTube and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)