This would be the continuation of the first post that I should have written weeks ago, lol!
The Friday after the game was the Exchange Student trip. 3,000 yen for a 2 day trip to Gunma ken (ken = prefecture) and Niigata ken. Good price if you ask me. It started out with a disgustingly early 6am wake up, a freezing walk to the train station, and a 20 minute wait for the late bus just outside Hachioji train station. But, since I was suffering with my friends, it was all good. ^^V
We took a 3 hour bus ride to Gunma ken where we stop to make kokeshi (dolls). Mine was actually a pen/pencil holder. All we did was paint them, but since I never went to kindergarden (I was homeschool until 9th grade), I, of course, did a terrible job. It was suppose to be a black cat. After the doll making, we stopped for lunch where I learned of a new religion called "Chemanism". Followers of this religion are known as "Cheminist" and live to serve their god...Chema (aka. My spanish friend). Yeah, I think that bus ride was a little too long.
We moved on to Niigata ken where we stayed overnight in a hotel. I stayed with my friend Sonnya and two other Chinese girls we didn't know (but they were really cool, and now I have 2 new friends. ^^V). The room had tatami on the floor, a little table with those chairs for sitting on the floor, and a closet with our futons (I was dumb and didn't get a picture of it. >_<). After we put our stuff down in the room, we went back downstairs where we were told to go wash our hands. (eh? o_0) Turned out we were going to be making something. It was some treat which had purpel, sweet bean paste inside some...green paste...thing. I don't remember what it was called, and, now that I'm writing about it, I just remembered it's still sitting in my fridge. (o_0 Oops. Forgot to eat it).
After that, we went back to our rooms and hung out a bit; me and Sonnya got to know our 2 roommates better. Then we went down to have dinner. After dinner, there was a party in someone's room (no, not a party like what we have in the US) which was basically a different version of spin the bottle. The bottle would spin, whoever it landed on would introduce themself then do some sort of an act (singing, dancing, telling a joke, doing a trick. Anything as long as it was embarrassing). It unfortunately landed on me second which meant I had no time to think of what I wanted to do. At first, I said I'd sing an Otsuka Ai song(que huge gasp from everyone in the room. omg, an American that knows Japanese music, hehe). But I couldn't remember enough words, so I kind of freaked out in the corner for a bit, then spit out a barely remembered rendition of Avril's "complicated". (See that's the problem when you listen to Japanese music only. You know the tune, but can't sing the song unless there's lyrics in front of you.) After everyone in the room had been sufficiently humiliated, the teachers said their good night and left us kids to party on.
Next, they played some strange card game where you get a card and put it on your head. You're not suppose to know the card number. Through the course of the game, you're suppose to figure it out. Least, that's what I figured they were telling me in Japanese. I, and my other friends who came, left after a few minutes and went into one of the guy's room to watch tv and (they) drink. I find I don't really like the taste of acohol much, so I was just drinking tea and coke. (later I drank a little coke mixed with beer and green tea mixed with beer. Yes, that was "green tea" mixed with beer. Hey, it was good.) It was a lot of fun. We just stayed up talking, watching tv, and goofing around. Around maybe midnight, we realized it was snowing, so we ran out on the balcony to take some pictures. I went to bed at like 1am, and woke up at 7ish to realize breakfast had already started. Me and my 3 roommates threw on our clothes and rushed downstairs. After we ate, we went back upstairs to pack our things, and came back down to the main floor where we made sandals. Making sandals meant sitting in an uncomfortable position for an hour. o_0 Mine, of course, were the largest in the room. >_<
After that, we took a survey about the trip, got on the bus, and moved on to the mountains where it was snowing very hard. We went on a tour that was actually a tunnel inside the mountains. It was pretty cold yet fun. After that we had lunch, then hit the road back home. We got back to Hachioji train station at about 5:30pm Saturday evening. Was loads of fun, and I'd definitely do it again. Even the 6am wake up.
Pictures!!!
On the bus ride up
(rida, chema, hyeyoon, and yumi)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/onthebus1.jpg(yumi and sonnya. I'm pretty sure you know who the 3rd person is ^^V)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/onthebus2.jpgKokeshi (in Gunma ken)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/wearekokeshi1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/wearekokeshi2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/wearekokeshi3.jpg(I don't know what looks more ridiculous. Me crouching down like an idiot or towering over everybody. >_<)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/grouppic.jpgLunchtime
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/gunmalunch2.jpgHotel/room
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel6.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel1.jpg(futons)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel5.jpg(yukatas to wear to the public bath or just to wear around the hotel)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel7.jpgAt dinner
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel3.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel4.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/atdinner.jpg(Someone's getting started on the alcohol rather early)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/atdinner2.jpgAfter party
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/party1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/party3.jpgMy yukata of course stopped half way down my shins. *sigh* To quote chema when I was walking down the hall "Now you look like a real gaijin (foreigner)".
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/yukatas.jpgWe had a good laugh with this picture. He claims it's because he was cold, but, before and after taking the pic, Chema had been screaming that he needed to go to the bathroom. Take that thought and apply it to how he looks in the picture.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/chemawascold.jpgSnowing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/hotel8.jpgMaking sandals
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/makingsandals2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/makingsandals5.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/makingsandals1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/makingsandals6.jpg(the 2 chinese girls I roomed with)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/myroomies.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/makingsandals9.jpgView from the hotel room where we ate breakfast.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/view1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/view2.jpgNiigata Mountains
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/niigata1.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/niigata4.jpgIn the tunnel
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/mountain1.jpgLunch in Niigata
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/niigata2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/neko109/Ryoukou/niigata3.jpg
