Japan Update!

Japan Update!

So this week has certainly been a busy week for me! Last Saturday and Sunday, I stayed with another host family (just for the weekend) and enjoyed the Kanuma Harvest Festival that was going on. It was definitely a lot of fun! Saturday, the other two AFSers in my area and I met our host families for the weekends and went to the festival later that evening. On Sunday, my host family took me to a Japanese amusement park before meeting up again with the other AFSers and their families to enjoy the second day of the festival. Also on Sunday, the other AFSers and I got to be in the parade and helped pull one of the large floats! It was very hard work, but absolutely thrilling. The next day, Monday (we didn't have school because of the national holiday), we left our host families and headed to a bit outside of Utsunomiya to help harvest rice. That was also a lot of fun! It wasn't as hard as I had imagined, but it definitely wasn't easy! On Wednesday, we had a massive typhoon which delayed my school until after 1pm. Everything was alright though, and it wasn't all that bad. Thursday (my school didn't have school Thursday and Friday), my host mother and other host sister took me to the Nikko Festival held at the Toshogu shrine. It was completely different from the one held in Kanuma! But at both, I enjoyed myself. It's been a busy week so far, and next week will be even busier! 

Next Week?

This upcoming week, the other two AFSers and I are switching schools and going to the Kanagawa prefecture for one week. We all leave tomorrow morning to take the train together, and we won't be returning until next Sunday. I'm looking very forward to seeing how this school differs from the one I go to now. I know it will be a lot of fun, especially going to the same school as the other exchange students!

Pictures!

Toshogu Shrine

 Tochigi Ken Boys' School Festival

 Highway Truck Stop 

 Fukushima Art Museum

 Shaved Ice

 Ice Cream Shop Poster

 River

 Ice Bucks Hockey Game

Moving Day

Moving Day

Today was moving day for me. I spent the first half of my morning with my first host family, which was very nice. My host sister and I went to a festival in Utsunomiya, then went shopping in central Utsunomiya. I had a lot of fun and took a ton of pictures! And even bought two new shirts. Afterwards, we headed back home where I had a last cup of tea with my host mother and sister. Then, it was off to my new host family's house. 

My new host family is very large and very kind. I have a host sister, brother-in-law, nephew, mother, and father, and they're all very wonderful. They don't speak much English (only a few words here and there), but that's quite alright. Their house is a bit far away from my school, so I will have to take a bike, a train, and then walk to school everyday from now on. I don't think it will be all that bad, even in the winter. Oh, and before I forget, I live on a Lilly farm. It's very wide and spacious and absolutely beautiful. 

It's definitely a change from my first host family, but nothing I can't get use to!