BUSY weekend!

Several Sundays ago, I got to hang out with Nanaho and her mom one more time. I don't see Nanaho much anymore because she moved to Gunma where she's attending an international school. Luckily since it was a 3 day weekend, she had time to hang out in Iwaki. I'm REALLY going to miss them, but I'll see them one more time at Nanaho's ballet recital in September.


Lunch at the Washington Hotel

At the hotel we also ran into a couple of our other students, Rin and Rei

Then it was back to Nanaho's house for some cards and Wii Fit! Nanaho's mom made arare from scratch!


Wii Fit step class

Ski jump


Right after Nanaho's house it was straight to meet my other adult student, Mrs. Maeda and her husband for dinner! They wanted to take us to eat chanko nabe. Chanko nabe is what the sumo wrestlers eat! This restaurant is owned by an ex-pro sumo wrestler from Fukushima! Good times!







Expensive sake from Iwate prefecture (the one with all the earthquakes)






They are rockin' T&C shirts!

The next day, Rinka's mom wanted to hang out AGAIN, so we went to Iwaki's famous lighthouse, and ate some good sushi!








All the stuff Iwaki's famous for








that is one HAPPY FACE!!

After sushi, we headed to Alios (Iwaki's performing arts center) because the junior high school's were having a band competition, and we have several students competing.




The girl on the bottom left holding the trumpet muters is my student, Nana.

Miyuki

Kim and Rinka having fun on the grassy hills outside of Alios



Keisuke-one of my favorites!

That was one crazy weekend!

hunt for nagashi somen!

Aloha! Summer is here which means...it's time to bust our your yukatas!


kim, me, and hiromi (co-worker)

About a month ago, Rinka's mom had asked me if I had ever eaten nagashi somen. I said, "Nani sore?!" haha...Nagashi somen is usually only sold in the mountains, so I'm sure you have had it many times Suz in Gunma! It comes shooting down the take (bamboo) in ice-cold mountain water, and you catch it with your hashi at the bottom and slurp it up! I was like, that sounds AMAZING! So she looked it up online, and there's a place in Fukushima where you can do it (somewhere between Koriyama and Iwaki). We were like, LETS DO IT!


Us with Rinka at Shiramizu Amidado





ajisai season

ume tree!

she was extra silly today

then she knocked out

Irimizu Do (cave)

Nagashi somen this way!

This restaurant didn't have the bamboo...I guess steel is easier to maintain :)


here it comes!

catch it guys!

everyone is getting full! onaka ippai sugita!

the old couple that ran the restaurant laughed at how much somen we didn't eat!!! we took it home and it was enough for two more meals!

next we walked the A-course through the cave






Next we drove by Abukuma do, the more famous cave of Fukushima

Star Observatory

pretty lavender


It was a great day! But Rinka was mad that we didn't go to her house to make origami :)