Nikko

Nikko landscape from the bus
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Me and a sheep on the farm! I love sheep!
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Me and friends at Toshogu Shrine
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Me and Tokugawa Ieyasu! Yes, he is in there!
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A bunch of us at Kegon Falls. Isn't it beautiful?
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Me and "Jiji" at Tsuki-chan's Shichi-go-san
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Me and Family at Shichi-go-san. I look huge compared to them.....
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Is it just me or am I wearing the same thing in every picture? hmm....

日光行こう！！ Hello all! Sorry this update is so late, I have been really sick! I caught my usually bronchial fall cough/cold....but I am taking medicine ad should be better soon! Although, I did get my family sick...

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Anways, we had last Friday off, so everyone on our program plus our Japanese buddies all went to Nikko! Nikko is about 2 hours from Tokyo by bus, and it is very pretty! There is a saying that goes something like "you haven`t seen beauty until you have been to Nikko." They think a lot of themselves...

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The bus ride itself was long, but we amused ourselves along the way. It was on of those really fancy buses that are usually reserved for rich vacationers in the states, but are pretty standard here. It was cool being on a Japanese highway, and to see scenery that did not consist of skyscrapers!

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When we arrived in Nikko, our first stop was lunch at a Japanese farmhouse. It was cool, we even saw cows and sheep just hanging out on the countryside! The lunch consisted off beef, rice, vegetables, milk, and soup that we fried ourselves on a grill on the table. I am guessing the beef and milk were quite fresh....

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After the meal, some of us went outside to explore. To our surprise and delight, we found a playground! It was the type of playground that is probably allready outlawed in the states as too dangerous, which made it extra fun. For those of you who have seen "ninja warrior, " the playground wasn`t unlike some of the obstacle in the show. We got a little out of control we had so much fun!

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Next, we piled on the bus again to go and visit Toshogu shrine. Toshogu shrine is basically where Tokugawa Ieyasu`s ashes are....in a huge highly ornate complex his grandson Iemitsu built for him. It was pretty amazing! Other famous things there include the 3 monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil), the "sleeping cat," and a room with a dragon painted on the ceiling.

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I really like a kid in a candy store! I probably too 100 pictures....Ieyasu is my favorite.....Also, all the shrines have little charms that you can buy (basically souvenirs...) and I bought many from Toshogu. I was so excited, me and the people I was with were late getting back to the bus....oops. It was tons of fun though!

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Next, we headed to Kegon Falls, which is a famous suicide spot in Japan. I would say it was amazing....but there was way too much fog to even see the waterfall! We were really close too...it was strange being able to hear it, but not see it.....Regardless, there was a cool gift shop there and I bought a bag of apples (sounds weird, but they are expensive in the city! I miss fruit!) and some strawberry candies for my family.

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Then, we began the long drive back. I know when I described it it does not sound like we did much, but everything above lasted until dark. Everyone took a nap on the way back. The trip in total was very fun, but I could have used less time on the bus...this is why Kamakura was more fun for me. (the other group trip we went on).

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The next day, I went to Tsuki-chan`s Shichi-go-san, which is a festival for those turning 7, 5, and 3 years old. I didn't realize how formal it was supposed to be....so I only wore jeans, shirt, and my coat. However, my host family was decked out in kimono, a suit, and a hakama....which they didn`t change into until we arrived at my host grandparents house. oops! While they were changing, I hung out with host grandpa, or "Jiji." I met him once at the sports festival I mentioned in an earlier post, but he is really a pretty cool guy. He had an American atlas, and I pointed my home town, and we discussed American politics. We then went out around the corner to this quaint bento shop and brought home lunch before going to the shrine.

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At the shrine, tons of dressed up kids and family were waiting their turn to go in the shrine and do the shinto thing. I am pretty sure there was some kind of fee involved (there always is when it comes to shrines) and we entered the shrine with other families and watched a shinto dance and bowed our heads a lot. I really couldn`t understand what the shinto guys were saying very well....so I cannot go much deeper into it. When it was over, Tsuki-chan received a balloon, an arrow, and a medal. I have no idea what that is about.

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On Sunday, Mama, Tsuki-chan, 5 people from my group, and myself all went to the Zoo. (yes, again! it was cool, ok?) We got a bit separated because Tsuki-chan had a one track mind when it came to the Hippos, and one of the guys in my group had never been to a zoo before, and was taking his time. But it was a really fun time! I got to see more of Ling Ling the panda this time, which was cool.

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On Monday, we went on a field trip with my Japanese class to a natural disaster safety museum. It was REALLY cool....First, the decor was kind of "futuristic"....but what "futuristic" meant in the 1950s. We watched a cool 4D movie depicting an earthquake with a bunch of other groups. The other groups (mostly middle aged ladies ) seemed to be amused by us all...and the tour guide was impressed we could understand when he told us to take off our 4D classes....hmmmm....

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First, our group went and learned CPR techniques. I am pretty sure I am not qualified.....Next, we went to a "fire room" which was supposed to be practice if you are in a fire and there is a lot of smoke. Basically, in groups of about 4, we were sent into a smoky maze where we had to find our was out. However, we had to stay close to the floor, and if you stood up to much, a loud buzzer goes off and you would "die". It was cool because you could watch the other groups on a screen when they went into the maze. Luckily, my group made it out alive!

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Next, we went to the "earthquake" room. Basically, it is a room that shakes at the degree of a 7.0 earthquake, and you have to get under a table and protect yourself. I was surprised a 7.0 was that intense, it was very scary! (and kind of painful...)

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Last, we went to a room that displayed a simulated fire, and we used fire exstinguishers to put it our. As I have never used one before it was really fun! And yes, I prevented the building from burning down! yay!

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At the end of the tour, we took a test on what was learned on these weird 5os futuristic computers. After the quiz, you get a cool certificate!

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Well, that has been the week so far! This weekend is going to be busy as well! I promise I will try and post sooner this next time!