Festivals and Fossils

(Oh the negligence... my humblest apologies...)

The past weekend was a busy one—not that she’s making excuses for not updating, or anything…

*ahem*

On Friday, they made there way over to Shiga University for their Yukata Festival in honor of Tanabata. Tanabata is the celebration of an old folk tale about two lovers in the skies that are separated by the milky way. But on one day a year, the seventh day of the seventh month (even though I'm pretty sure he's not the seventh son of a seventh son... maybe) if the weather is clear a bridge appears and they are able to be together. 

(to the back and right are the two kanji for Tanabata (literally "seven night") and "2011" spelled with candles patrons could buy and color to contribute)

So, naturally, this being a yukata festival, the Gaang (minus a few State-side members) dressed in their finest and had a merry time:

(Photo by Jenny)

(close up of Ashley's yukata pattern)

She even tried plum wine.....(thank you, Katie, for the photo montage ~)

(The Apprehension)

(The Attempt)

(The Tasting)

(The Description)

(The Rejection)

......and she didn't like it much...

The night wore on and eventually she made the long trip back to Nagahama and her home-stay (but she saw a beautiful black cat on the ride home, so she could ignore the fact that her close were sticking most uncomfortably in the 80 something heat despite the fact that it was past 10pm...)

On Sunday was the JCMU field trip! They were to take a bus together to the Lake Biwa museum in Otsu (the sister city of Lansing, MI, and the capital of the Shiga prefecture about an hour away) and then visit an Onsen at a very upscale Japanese Ryokan (Onsen= hot spring bath; Ryokan=tratitional Japanese Inn), and then a shrine that was posted over the waters of Lake Biwa.

The museum had fossils, rock specimens, and an aquarium, so naturally she was thrilled to pieces:

(Mammoth!)

(Oh, Water Temple... You've been plaguing people for a very long time...)

(Washtubs~ So many delightful references come to mind~)

(Awesome)

(we have cookies shaped like these)

(Rory!)

(Katie!)

(Aquarium tunnels are the best; even old Japanese men think so~)

(Being a glutton...)

(BEING GHOSTS D: )

They rushed out and were ushered back onto the bus to take them to the Ryokan. It was so beautiful, and kind of intimidating:

(They passed this lovely hidden lemon tree, and discussed the infinite uses and advantages of having a  lemon tree in one's back yard..)

(Look at all those foreigners...)

(Our very fancy traditional Japanese lunches...)

(Full of delicious creatures with their eyes intact O__O )

(Oh yeah. There's fear in those eyes...)

She and Katie decided not to join everyone in taking a bath; and instead sang free karaoke with another classmate for over an hour~

The JCMU crew boarded the bus once more time and headed to the shrine:

It was a little small, too small for the amount of students swarming it, SO she and Katie left to make friends with the locals on their way to get ice cream back by the bus:

(Sleepin')

("....hey. Who are you?")

("Can we be friends?!")

(So hot and so little shade)

We needed to remedy this situation. The water bowl was in the sun and could have comfortably steeped tea in its hot water. So she bought a bottle of cool water for the poor dear:

(I wish I could just take you to a home in the hills where it's cooler and you could play in the water and lie in the shade...)

Shortly after the rest of the students began swarming the bus and so they returned home, reading Green Rider, no less~