Onsen Weekend!

Last weekend I went on a trip with Takashi, Yui and his son Taikei. We traveled to Yamagata prefecture, which is north of Fukushima, and stayed at a traditional onsen hotel. It was lovely to spend time with good friends and to relax for a while. After enjoying the baths we had a great meal, called shabu-shabu - thin strips of beef which are dipped in boiling water to cook before being dipped in sauce to eat. It was delicious.

The trip was to celebrate Taikei's 8th birthday as well as a get together before I leave next month. Taikei seemed to have a good birthday party and loved his present - Mario Cart for his Nintendo Wii. I received a lovely Seiko watch from Yui and Takashi as a goodbye present.

After leaving the onsen we went to buy some local cherries which are famous in Yamagata. These were delicious as they had just been picked. We then went to the cinema to see the new Indiana Jones film before heading back to Aizuwakamatsu.

On Saturday night I stayed at Yui's house for a BBQ and to see Yui's wife Hiromi and their daughter Kanon. It was lovely to see them both again and spend time with the whole family. I had a lovely evening. They'd even bought a cake for both Taikei's birthday and to say goodbye to me. I will see them again before I leave, but it was nice to spend some good time with them. Takashi, Yui, Hiromi, Kanon and Taikei are lovely people, I am going to be very sad to say goodbye to them in July but am confident that we'll be friends for a long time to come.