Golden Week

Golden Week is a wonderful time of year in Japan...3 consecutive national holidays and a day of nenkyu, plus the weekend = a nice spot of time off just as the weather is at its best. This year I had no firm plans (and no money!), and was just looking forward to spending a leisurely week around my apartment and town. It has actually ended up being a really lovely few days...time out in the sun...time with friends...time with flowers, jamaican food, and paints!!! Random, simple, yet lots of fun!


I spent a lovely morning in Yamaguchi Flower Land in Yanai. Beautiful sunshine, pretty flowers, and a lovely chat and lunch with my favourite Japanese friend.



I had a great day in the sun with Kat and Hannah. We enjoyed a yummy picnic on the field behind my apartment (now affectionately referred to as 'the meadow'), gossiped, played cards, got sun-burnt, and also became a little delirious ('Kat, don't be such a grass blanket!')...probably also from the sun!! The day was capped off by yummy roast chicken and veggies, white wine, and an hour of American Idol! Perfect!

The next day (Thursday), Kat and I joined Ellen and Alex for a day around the lovely island of Oshima. Our first stop was our favourite lil roadside 'restaurant', for Jamaican food...

Chicken, yummy rice, and fresh juice....pineapple for Alex and I....

...and mango for Ellen and Kat

After our delish lunch, we spent an hour at the beach, where we paddled, relaxed, and I got very excited about the arrival of summer ("it's summer, it's summer!")

The final national holiday of the week, Friday, was spent doing 'arts and crafts'!! Well...actually it was a spot of painting, and then plasticine modelling outside in the sun on the meadow again! We were attempting to relive the school holidays of when we were kids...and it was soo much fun! I still cant draw, and am not really an 'arts and crafts' person, but it was still fun to be creative! I was particularly proud of my portrait of Kat!



After the painting, came the clay models! I gave up very quickly, and just sun-bathed and sang Take That songs. But Kat and Ellen did a sterling job, and produced these masterpieces!

An hour of cards rounded off the afternoon.

A lovely Golden week, and I'm certainly going to miss Japan's numerous holidays when I go home!