1 Month Anniversiary

after living in Tokyo for a whole month, we decided to have a little celebration. On Sunday, we only went to sacrament meeting, and rode the train home. we packed 1 set of clothes, toiletries (I still don't get why they are called "toiletries", I mean, why not toothbrushes and shampoo and soap and personal hygeine items? None of those actually go in the toilet), changed out of our church clothes, ate a quick lunch, and just like that, we were gone! we boarded the Shinkansen, which is the fancy official name for "extremely fast bullet trains that just blaze past everything without even realizing you're going that fast", and we were off! goodbye, Tokyo! It's been a good month here! and guess where we ended up?

Uzawa, aka Park City in Japan, or the rainiest place on this freaking planet. Wesley, who is always cold and he always overdresses, never leaves anywhere without a sweatshirt-at least (most of the time it's his massive ski coat), only wears long sleeves, and sleeps in footsie pajamas all year long, only brought shorts, a baseball jersey, and Crocs. (Here, in Japan, they are actually a major fashion statement. I'm not falling for it. the boys tried to start it back in Provo a long time ago, but like me, no one fell for it.) Mom made me lend him my sweatshirt, which she still thinks is hers (honestly, why did we buy matching rain jackets, Mom? so you can look like me without stealing my clothes!). we stayed at a little ski-resort place that was not too different from Park City, but we weren't there for the skiing. we had a massive traditional Japanese room, with tons of extra floor space. and there were 2 bathrooms! (one more than our apartment!) the entire room was made out of tatami mats, and the window shutters were made out of rice paper. there were 2 separate bedrooms, and all we did was chill and relax! and then there was dinner....

this was "Traditional Japanese fine-dining." they thought Justin was a baby and gave him a "kiddie special", high chair and all. this was a surprise because he is actually taller than Wesley, who is 2 years older than him! he wasn't very pleased with his situation. I got a full on "Adult Meal", which was several courses of who knows what the heck is on my plate. You just never know. it could be pickled eggplant, raw fish, raw octopus (one of the sickest things on the planet), tofu, sesame ice cream......it could be anything! the whole night was a Liam Payne situation for me, in that I didn't receive my special fork until halfway through the meal. Wesley and Dad were all gushing about how it was an amazing opportunity to eat traditional Japanese foods, and how we were so lucky to "taste Japan", but all I can say is 6 words.
I. Freaking. Hate. Raw. Fish. Itissofreakingdisgustingandyoushouldneverevertryit.

{I did like the prawn fried in edemame, and I can't even spell that.}

next came...................................hot springs bathing!

what is hot springs bathing, you might ask? it is where you take off all your clothes, put on a robe, boys and girls part separate ways, and you step into heaven where you can't actually breathe, but it's still pretty much heaven. it's like being in a gigantic natural hot tub, and the water feels good on your skin. it was (here's my transcandentalist words): serene. refreshing. simplicity. relaxing. until the water gets so hot that you can't even breathe! after you exit the hot springs, you shower, get back into your special robe, and there was a whole place where you could do your hair, rub lotion on yourself, and fix yourself up. it was............................surreal.

breakfast was at a buffet, where you could either choose Japanese or Western (which is what they call American). i don't think I even have to tell you what I chose..........bacon, scrambled eggs, almond pudding, peaches, crossiants, more bacon, and even ice cream! on the other side of the buffet, there  was..........rice and raw fish. not even going near there.

oh, and one more thing: I may post quite a bit now because we're doing a lot. do not get annoyed with either my frequent postings/ramblings, or a long break with no posts at all. and please make sure to comment so I know that I actually have people reading this thing!

have a legit day.