I know, I know...

I've been slacking, I'm sorry. Lately I've been studying for my Japanese placement test for the new semester which starts in April, and I've been planning a trip as well.

But here are some pictures from Girl's Day which was March 3.



The way it works is when a daughter is born into a household the new mother's mother buys a Hina doll set which is actually quite expensive and ridiculously detailed. And every year on 3/3 the dolls are displayed in a particular way. And family member leave offerings at the foot of the display.



This set of dolls, however, was given to my host-parents by my host-mom's parents when they got married. It's supposed to mean that they will stay married for a long time (until they're old).

As to my trip I'm actually leaving this evening! I'm taking a night bus from Tokyo to Osaka tonight. In Osaka I'm going to the Tenma Tenjin Plum Festival, the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, and maybe the 48 Waterfalls of Takihata. The next day I'm taking a day trip to Kyoto where I will be dressed in a kimono and try my hand at weaving and then I'll go visit the Golden Pavilion, Yasaka Shrine, Gion district, Sanjusangendo, and the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The next day I'll be taking another day trip to Kyoto, but I don't really know what I'll be doing yet. Then the next day I'm taking another daytrip to Nara where I'll visit the Todaiji and Kasuga Shrine. The next day I'm taking a bus to Naruto to see the whirlpools and then I'm taking another bus to Matsuyama. The next morning I'm gonna relax in the Dogo Onsen and then take a night bus to Nagoya where one of my friends is living. That following day we'll hang out. Then the next day I'm going to go see Nagoya Castle, Nagoya Noh Theater, and the Atsuta Shrine. And then I'm taking another night bus back to Tokyo. Hopefully I'll be able to update while I'm traveling, but if not, I will have tons of pictures for when I get back!