Onuma...numa!

So yesterday and this morning I was away in the beautiful Onuma Quasi-national park.  I have no idea what being quasi-national entails, but it was always described in that way.  The weather was great! And the flowers were beautiful! 

The weekend in Onuma is a required part of HIF, where we take a bus to Onuma, stay in a hotel, and do a talent show.  It was a blast.  On the way over we stopped at a park where we had lunch and ate ice cream, although after an hour of eating lunch we realized there were tons of cool activities we could have done instead of eating for so long.  But no bother because after the park we went to the hotel and thats where all the fun activities were!

Nao and I rented a double bike and biked around at unsafe speeds.  Which was probably only around 5mph, but it took a TON of energy to pedal that thing!  We also didn't really listen to the instructional at the beginning about sticking to the bike path...so as a result we nearly drove into the hotel before veering a sharp left and going up the hill we were supposed to go up.  I ate a bug using my eye.  That wasn't on purpose, and it took away my driving privileges.

Other activities included an obstacle course and a metal slider.  The slider was a blast, and even though I had done one before in the states, there is something very exhilarating about flying around a corner and seeing a sign that is written in a language you can't read very fast.  As a result I didn't heed any of the warning signs, but it all worked out!

At 6:00 we had a dinner and a talent show to get to , but before that we had time to shower and go to our rooms.  They were all Japanses style! First you take off your shoes at the front door (like at my homestay house) and then put on slippers and walk into the tatami room.  The chairs are on the floor, and at night time you move everything and unroll futons to sleep on.  The toilet even has a separate pair of slippers that you put on to wear just while in the bathroom.  Before the talent show started, my friends and I gathered in the tatami room to talk and drink in Japanese culture. 

The food at dinner was pretty good, complete with a hot pot of oil to cook some of the food in.  Two of my friends and I decided to drink raw eggs, on the premise that if its good enough for Rocky, its good enough for us.  Also we had been told it was very safe to eat raw eggs, so drinking them should be fair game too.  The talent show was a blast-my class along with the highest advanced class sang "Rinda Rinda" which went over really well.  And is still stuck in my head. 

Afterwards, Karaoke!! Quick fun Japanese fact: it literally means kara (empty) oke (orchestra).  It was great to belt out everything from Chumbawumba to Since U Been Gone.  We stayed until it closed.  Next stop: Onsen (hot springs).  It was closing soon so I didn't get to stay long, but it was very relaxing. It was also very naked, so it was both gender segregated and fairly unphotographable.

After the onsen and some more talking with HIF kids, it was bed time.  The futons were really comfy! Today consisted waking up, taking the bus back home, and catching up on homework.

High: Playing around outside at the hotel!

Low: Missing out on some great activities on the park: even though its an hour away, I plan on returning.

Hero: HIF for planning a great weekend for us!