Golden Week 2012

Golden Week is the holiday in Japan at the end of every April, like Easter break I guess.
This Golden Week was busy! First I went camping in Shizuoka 200km south-west of Tokyo, and then on a family trip with Toshi's Osakan family to Wakayama, the 'Hawaii of Japan'.

Camping

Driving 200km along the highway/motorway for the first time (left) and carp banners for Children's Day (right)

 Can you see Mt Fuji faintly towering over us?

Video: I catch a very easy Sakuradai fish!

Two sakuradai fish and tempura for lunch

Two lovely-looking fish that Toshi caught (*^^*)

Campfire's burning..

The campsite

Osaka/Wakayama

 Why wasn't our plane the Pokemon one!!?? (;_;)

 Feeling motherly with Satomi-chan and singing English songs to her ♪

 At a Yakiniku restaurant, grilled meat (especially beef).

This is the most delicious beef I've ever had! But one plate of cost about £10! Luckily I wasn't paying ;P

 

 Speaking of meat, I saw whale meat for the first time at a Wakayama fish market.
And no, I certainly did'n't buy any. The price of the smallest cut you can see here is about £10.

 Beautiful Shirahama beach!

 

 We visited a cave that was the location of a secret pirate hideout several hundred years ago!

 At Senjō-jiki, a very windy rocky point and Engetsu-tō, a natural sandstone arch

 Snorkeling!

 All-you-can-eat buffet back at the hotel after my no less than third hot spring bath in three days!

The last month or so..

Quilting Show
I got a free ticket from my student who works for a quilt shop, so I attended the Quilt Show at Tokyo Dome (the big convention centre). Here are my favourites:

 The moon made of rabbits (from a Japanese story) and the Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland

Snow!

As you probably know, I like the snow. However, I don't like driving in it! I couldn't see the markings separating the triple-lane highway :S Anyway I made it safely in one piece!

I shivered just seeing these Junior High School students walking in -1C conditions with no tights/long skirts!!!
So when my own 13 year old Jr. High School student comes into class with red-raw knees I asked her why she (and other popsicle-legged kids I see) doesn't wear tights/trousers. The answer: it's against school rules. And because the men who establish these rules want to be able to see up these teenagers' skirts.

In Japan, it's appearance (or more specifically 'cuteness') first, health and everything else second. 

Because girls huddling together complaining loudly they're freezing is really kawaii..

Outdoorsing

Despite the freezing cold, Toshi and I drove to the countryside to cook nabe, a Japanese stew on a campfire.

A video for those of you who'd like to see me driving through a stretch that reminded me of the Welsh hills :D

Carrots, chinese cabbage, noodles, tofu and ash = yum!!