Sometimes... I love this country!

It is now Tuesday the 2nd. School has been going full force for about 4 weeks now and already we have a holiday. Not just one holiday mind you, but and entire week!!!! Golden Week has arrived and EVERYONE is on vacation. Japan's Golden Week is a series of national holidays that is spaced over 7 days. If your weekends like up correctly... you are looking at a lot vacation time.
April 29th: Greenery Day. This day was the former Emperor's Birthday (always a national holiday) and after his death in1989 they turned it into Greenery Day for his love of plants and nature.

May 3rd: Constitution Day

May 4th: Between Day. There is a law saying that if two holidays fall within one day of each other, the day that is between them will also be decreed a holiday (I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!)

May 5th: Children's Day/ Boy's Day. This day is the counterpart to Hina Matsuri (girls day). Families will pray for the well being of their sons. Large Carp windsocks can be seen everywhere and samurai dolls are usually displayed with in the home (these items are to display strength, power and sucess in life (funny how there is no metioning of finding a good wife... hmmmmm??? Can we say outdated cultural definition of gender roles???).). Golden week is one of the three buisiest times for travel in the japanese calender (the other two being New Years and Obon). Every tourist attraction is guarenteed to be jam packed. Hotels and Ryokans double and even triple their prices and you don' even want to know about airfare.

So... what am I planning to do with this 5 day weekend that has fallen in my lap? Laundry? Pull the weeds out of my jungle (aka my front yard)? Ponder about the state of the universe? NO, No and No!!! Since, I am on a limited budget for the month (I hope to join a gym this month and that will cost a few bucks) and my good friend Tressa is as well, we (me, Tressa-chan and Crystal-lu) are going to go camping on the nuclear power plant beaches of Ibaraki at Oarai.

Hopefully, it won't rain a lot, but nothing is guarenteed. I am really excited about camping at the beach because I have yet to visit it. There is supposedly a great Aquarium and a really big fish market to explore. Smelly, but it sounds fun. I will try to keep ya all informed about the what's going on... but hey... I'm on vacation! (YES... YOU ARE TOTALLY ALLOWED TO BE JEALOUS!!!) No need to worry. I will be back at my desk on Monday. So, PLEASE, don't freak out if I don't return your e-mail in the next couple of days. I still like you, and you are still my Friend/Parent/Sister/Ex-lover etc...

Till next time,
Lots of love from across the blue,
Jody