So to start off my final month in Japan, I'm starting to make a list of things I've already done and things I want to do! But for now, I'll write about how awesome my weekend was!
I had a great time with Lee as we ate sushi at Tsukiji and then chilled at Akihabara!! I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm REALLLLLLLLLLLLY starting to love raw fish! ha ha! For those of you who know me, you'd know that before I came to Japan, I'd never touch the pure raw stuff. But now? I'm totally loving it!! And Akihabara is always fun!! So overall, I had a blast with Lee ^_^ Can't wait to do it again!
Next off, my host family took me to....um....they took me to the countryside at some place whose name I completely forgot because I'm a derp. Either way, it was a quaint little town in the country side! Ha ha ha! It was about maybe 2 hours from Tokyo so I watched "My Neighbor Totoro" in the car with the kids until Taiga fell asleep on me ♡ We went to stay with Masae-san's parents so we could go to a Japanese festival Sunday evening.
Oh. My. Lawd.
EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved Masae-san's parents! Japanese old people are sooooo much fun! They were so incredibly nice to me!! They were amazed that I knew Japanese (Even though I'm terrible...) and they kept wanting me to talk with them and what-not. They were so incredibly sweet! Oh, and their house was REALLY big! It was very traditional with tatami mats and a table you had to sit on the floor to eat on! It was so great!
When we first arrived to the country side, my host parents took me shopping while the grandparents stayed with the twins. We ate udon together which is definitely becoming my favorite dish! (I have to be careful not to get fat over it...) We then went to the mall and I found a REALLY cute skirt for 5$!! I also found a houndstooth skirt for about $7 and bought it mostly because I was just in shock that they actually had houndstooth in Japan. Ha ha! Annnnnnnnnnnd these skirts have been the only things I've been able to find that actually fit me....I hate being a fat American ha ha!
After shopping, we went back to the house to get ready for the festival. I had bought a very cheap Yukata just for this occasion! It was about 12$ in total for the robe and the obi! VERY cheap! <3 But....I was kind of stupid and didn't realize just how complicated Yukata really are （。_°☆＼(- - ) バシっ！
It took Masae-san about an hour to get me fully dressed in my yukata ^_^'''' It was one of her first times at trying a bow on the yukata and it took us FOREVER to figure it out! Finally, we managed to get it securely on! But WOW those things are tight..... Like....really tight. I could barely breathe. But I didn't complain and I just sucked it up! Plus, I was in a YUKATA, after all!! How many Americans can say that they went to a traditional Japanese festival in a yukata?! Er....probably a lot but still!! Let me enjoy my moment! ha ha!
The festival was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO lovely! Like....beyond expectations!! There were floats like in a parade and EVERYBODY was wearing a yukata! I got a lot of stares for being the only American at that festival....but I felt special <3
But WOW the food was AMAZING! They had all kinds of booths and stuff! I was able to try Takoyaki for the first time and discovered that I really love octopus! (Once again, I bet my friends and family from home are all shocked...) It's just sooooo yummy!! I also had some yummy yakisoba!! Oh, and their cotton candy was fantabulous, too! AND THE OHAGI! Unfortunately, my obi was tied soooo tight that I couldn't eat very much....
The festival almost felt like a dream!! ^_^ The grandparents went with us and grandpa kept introducing me to all his friends and was doting on me for being able to speak Japanese.... I got a feeling that gramps really liked me which made me feel REALLY special! He bought ohagi especially for me since he knew I had never had it! Ahhhhhhh! He just wayyyyy too sweet!!
After the festival, I pretty much went back to the grandparents' home and crashed. I took a lot of pictures from the festival so I can't wait to upload them! (Ugh, I really need to get into the habit of uploading pics to my blog! Why am I so lazy??)
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Although the country side was beautiful, something happened at 5 in the morning that really gave me a HUGE scare. Another earthquake.
Okay, so I had already been in two earthquakes so you think I'd be okay with them by now. NOOOOOPE. This one literally almost made me scream. It was a Level 3 earthquake (which to my host family was considered VERY small, but to me, it was bigger than Texas) and I was dead asleep and it woke me right up. The whole house started shaking and rattling and even a few things fell off the shelves. I just threw the covers over my head, latched onto my Totoro plushie, and prayed for it to be over soon. It lasted for a full 45 seconds which may not seem very long but when it happened, it was the longest thing EVER!!! AHHHHH I wanted to cry!! They're just so scary!!
This morning, my host family asked if I was okay. They seemed totally unfazed by it but they must have known it scared the living daylights out of me. They tried to reassure me that it didn't do any damage but I was still nervous ha ha!! (I'm sure my mom will be, too, when she reads it!) The earthquake wasn't terrible but I was still shaken up over it. (HA! Get it?! 'Shaken up'?! HA! Pun DEFINITELY intended!)
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So this morning, my host family decided they wanted to take me to a place called Nikko （ ・∀・） You should definitely look it up! It's a very historical and touristy place in the country side! I got to even go up a mountain by climbing 200 hundred steps XD It was SOOOOOOOOOOOO cool! I got to see all kinds of shrines and temples!! I even got to see Tokugawa Ieyasu's grave!!!!!! (*゜Д゜*) IT. WAS. SO. COOOOOOOL!!!
Not to mention, I got to eat udon again! <3 (Totally gonna get fat here...)
But ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Nikko was just so amazing!! I got to learn a lot more about Japanese history and culture! ^_^ Not to mention, I got to pray A TON at the shrines! (To Jesus, of course! ♡ I wouldn't dream of praying to anyone else!)
I have to admit.... There was only one wish I could think of when I was at the shrines. I kept praying for the same thing throughout the day.
A great experience and no regrets.
Like I said, I have only one month left in Japan. I have to make the most of it!! I can't dawdle around and wish for something exciting to happen--I have to MAKE it happen! I don't want to come home wishing that I had done this, or seen that, or talked to so-and-so....I just want to go for it! ♡ I want to say that I did exactly everything that I wanted to do while I was in Japan. I really don't want to come home with any regrets..... So I want to have great opportunities and great experiences during my final month in Japan!! ^_^ No more holding back!
After sightseeing in Nikko, the twins were getting a bit tired so we decided to eat lunch and head out.... That is, until my host dad suggested we go to....
AN ONSEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (*≧▽≦)
For those of you that don't know, an onsen is a hot spring ^_^ Like, a very hot bath outdoors. So for 500 yen (about 5$), my host family took me to a delightful onsen :'D
And I must say....
I have never seen so many naked asians in my entire life. (ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)
I mean, I don't know why I was so surprised. I knew that at Japanese hot springs, you're basically bathing in a big open air bath with other members of the same sex. But....it was so awkward at first. But mostly because of all the stares I kept getting ^_^;;; Am I really /that/ different from Japanese girls? .........yes. Yes I am. A lot.
I was a little shy at first because all the women (young and old) kept looking me up and down like I was some kind of mutant but I quickly brushed it off once I got into the relaxing bath <3 The bath at this onsen was both outdoors and indoors. It got REALLY hot really quickly--especially in the summer time!! But it was soooooooo relaxing! It was like a giant bathtub! Or like...a giant heated pool! And they even had a jacuzzi! Ahhhhh it was PURE heaven!! My skin felt so soft afterwards! It was almost like a spa!!
After the onsen, we decided to head on back to Tokyo. It was about a 3 hour drive from Nikko so I ended up sleeping most of the way with Taiga resting his head on my shoulder, snoring like there was no tomorrow...<3 So cute!
I'm REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY loving my host family!! If I was in a Persona game, I would say that my social link with them has reached Level 7!! Hahahaha! I feel like we're getting really close!! I love talking with them even if all I can do is basic Japanese! They make me feel much more confident in my speaking skills! Ha ha! I feel so blessed to have them....
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In any case, I better stop this blog right here for tonight! I'm SOOOOOOO exhausted from all the excitement from this weekend! With only one month left, I wonder what kinds of adventures still await me??
ﾎﾟｯ(*ﾟ.ﾟ)(ﾟ.ﾟ*)ﾎﾟｯ I guess I just have to find out!! Also, I'm sooooo sorry about being so lazy when it comes to uploading pictures.... I promise I'll get some up and decorate my blog more!! I'll also upload them all to Photobucket so I can share my memories with the world and not just my close friends on FB! <3
Until next time.....<3
Omg! I can't believe you were in an EQ. I guess they're still having regular aftershocks though after all that happened. I would've totally freaked out!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know yukatas were that tight either.. they always looked kind've loose and airy but I didn't think about the obi xD But ewww, octopus! I can't believe you're eating these things! <3
One month is a lot of time to make memories so enjoy it to the fullest!