Summer, summer, summer time!

The beginning of summer vacation proved to be a bit hairy as it was the end of the semester, friends were moving away and friends were coming out to visit... so needless to say, things were busy! So the good news is all of the work is done for the semester, one friend made it home safely while the other made it here safely. My good friend, Caroline, is visiting from VT! Yeah! It's always fun to have a new person visit- it gives you a whole different perspective of where you live or what you've been doing.

Anyhow we've had a busy start with trips downtown, a trip to Kyoto and a trip up Hakusan Mountain.

Below: Caroline arrived at Komatsu airport with no problems (well, for her). The little man in the foreground was so excited to have arrived that he took quite a spill!
There she is! Caroline made it out in one piece (or at least on both feet).
Day 1: Kenrokuen Gardens and Kanazawa Castle

Toyama Tulip Festival

Takenoko (Bamboo Shoot) Digging

Bamboo shoot digging?? Yep, had to try it. It is a school organized event, so with a limited amount of time, we entered the bamboo groves in search of the elusive bamboo shoots (pictured below). Apparently there is a good crop every other year, so needless to say, with my luck, this was NOT the good year. I didn't find any shoots. However, many of my friends and Masa had much better luck than I did.
Masa spotted a WHOPPER! Good find! I don't have too much to say on takenoko except that it does make a very tasty side dish.

Better than Sakura

These spring beauties are my favorites; I love the gnarled branches, and the large flowers. The flowers bloom before any of the leaves do, first the white ones, then sakura and then the pink ones.

Late Sakura

The late sakura is a much hardier lot than the famous and fleeting, someiyoshino. The babies pictured below can withstand high winds and heavy rains, whereas the most famous sakura, someiyoshino, can't so much as make it through a gusty day (it is precisely this delicacy that lends it its beauty).

Sakura

Wedded Rocks

Sunday afternoon proved to be warm and sunny; a perfect day to see the sights on the way back from the tip of Noto. The first stop was a rocky arch called "Ganmon." The second stop was for the wedded rocks called "Hatago Iwa." These are sacred rocks which represent the union of male and female.

A weekend in Noto

This little road trip to Noto was a momentous weekend in my mind; first it was the last hoorah with a good friend who has since returned to the U.S., second, it marked the first weekend of the new semester and last, it was the first time I've driven in Japan (I'm not counting the test course).

My friend, Maylee, loves onsens, so we went to the northern tip of the Noto Penninsula and stayed in a lovely and rustic ryoukan called Lampo no yado. At first I was bummed that there was only one outdoor bath, but the views from the tub more than made up for this fact. The ryoukan is nestled in a bluff on the coast and the view of the sunrise (in the tub, mind you) was spectacular.

A Snowy Day in Kenrokuen

Life Despite the Winter