Golden Week Shenanigans

This week was Golden Week. April 29 is a holiday. May 3, 4, and 5 are holidays. This is what my week looked like:

Fri, Apr 29- Showa Day (Showa is the last emperor)
Sat, Sun- regular days off
Monday- Comp day for working last Sunday
Tuesday- Constitution Memorial Day
Wednesday- Greenery Day
Thursday- Children's Day
Friday- took a vacation day
Sat, Sun- regular days off
Monday- BACK TO WORK

Normally, people (especially foreigners) travel during Golden Week, but I hadn't planned anything because I was supposed to be in London in March, plus the entire transportation system was a hot mess after the March 11 quake, and we only got shinkansen service to Tokyo back on Friday.

What I got up to:
Hanami party with the English Adult class.
Saturday was our cherry blossom party. It was a little sad with one tree with a dribbling of blossoms, but whatever, we had fun. I took pics of the spread, but it seems I ate them, because I can't find them now :(

The park, which we'd never been to for some unknown reason, offered an awesome view of the central part of town.


After eating we (= not me, cuz I suck at it) played badminton


A peace monument


A senotaph for those who died in the Ruso-Japan war


Then we played a game where you had to blow a balloon up and burst it by sitting on it. Hilarity- you should try this :)


Then a strange mutation occured: balloon badminton.


Followed by an egg-and-spoon-esque race with a balloon and a badminton racquet


On Sunday, we went to a "flea market" that one of the ladies told us about at the hanami. Only when we got there, it was more of a craft workshop. It was held at our Goshono Jomon Park. It's mostly agreed that the Jomon people invented pottery, and they lived right here in my town!!! They're actually trying to make the park into a world heritage site- only noone will come anyhow. Who's going 600 km out of Tokyo just to see the place where the people who invented pottery lived? Just the pottery-ologists, and they're probably already coming.

Anyhow, we got to try our hands at making fire with these spinny wood tools. No pics, because I thought I forgot my cam- turns out it was in my bag. lol.

Here are two keitai (cellphone) straps I made.


Then I "made" an Okarina. really all we had to do was draw our own designs on them. This is my horrible attempt at drwing Sailor Moon.


On the back, I drew Anpanman. He's a superhero. His name literally means Sweet Bean Bread Dumpling. :) I'd be tempted to play you something, but the Okarina is second only ot the dog whistle in pitch. Still, maybe someday.


My favourite piece of craft for the day was this bamboo snail!


I vegged out for the rest of the week. I had some kitchen adventures (rum+Japanese oranges+lamb) and watched the Sailor Moon live action. The only productive thing I did was to write a 30-page Farewell to Arms summary to help a friend back home study. Monday, it's back to work. Ugh :( Good thing I actually like my job. lol.