Wajya do this weekend?

Listening to: If it Kills Me by Jason Mraz
Currently drinking: OJ...had Starbucks on the way back from Wajima ;)


Wow. That pretty much sums up my weekend. If you didn't already hear, I just returned from a two day group excursion to Echizen and Wajima. I was looking forward to a nice time, didn't have my hopes up too high in case it turned out horrible, but I was not expecting this....

We departed early Friday morning (ew 6 a.m. wake up call ><) so we would have plenty of time for the rest of the day's activities. The first stop on our trip was the paper making museum in Echizen.

We didn't really stay in the area for too long, but most of the time was spent making our own paper postcards, and then wandering around the town for about an hour before getting back on the bus to our next destination at the lacquerware museum. Unfortunately I really don't have any good pictures of the place. We got to watch some of the processes in how they make the pieces, and then were able to look through some of their furniture for sale (some of the pieces were upwards of $70,000 yikes!). They also had some relatively cheaper items, for those of us who mainly live on Mac'n'Cheese. I ended up getting a really beautiful lacquerware plate which I will probably never use, but, you know...when in Japan...

We ended up reaching the ryokan around 5:30 and had about a half an hour before dinner. The hotel was fantastic, to say the least. We were basically treated like royalty the entire time, and the waitstaff was there to cater to our every whim and desire... I think this pretty much sums it up:

After a bit of rest, and some tea, we got ready and headed downstairs for the traditional Japanese dinner we were all so looking forward to. Just to let you know... you should be jealous :)

Everything was delicious. I mean really, really delicious. Most of it was seafood and I'm pretty famous for my dislike of anything fishy, but I made a good attempt at eating most everything and found something interesting... crab is delicious! Never thought I'd say that, but, it's true, I love it. I also had a little bit of sashimi, salmon and tuna, and chowed down on the seaweed noodles. Bon appetit! I have to say, even if it's just something insignificant, like finding out you like a food you never though you would, growth is so amazing. I don't know why I feel the need to remember such little instances, but I do know that I hope to acquire tastes for new things in life as well as in my diet.

Anyway, immediately following dinner was the drum show. I guess the best way to describe it would be heart pounding, wild, and just a little bit scary. The performers wore these disgusting yet surprisingly intricate masks that were supposed to portray each drummer's "personality."

It was the "dinner and a show" of a lifetime. Once everyone finished, we all headed back upstairs to get ready for onsen! For obvious reasons I don't have pictures up (I don't think anyone would be too pleased if I put up bath time photos lol), but I can tell you that it was amazing! Imagine two giant hot tubs, one indoor and one outdoor, where everyone sits, relaxes, and has a great time.

Day one complete. I want to tell you all about the second day, but I'll do that in another post so I don't overload you with too much shawesomeness :P

Always and forever <3 you lattes!