Golden Week

Golden Week is a succession of holidays at the end of April/beginning of May that everyone has off in Japan. It is the biggest travel time of the year so everything is super crowded and busy! Brad and I didn't do anything too special but we did have fun! Mostly we just slept in and read some books but I did get a chance to show Brad my school, I checked out the Peony Park, and we met up with Chris and Yoko in Roppongi for a night of fun!

The city flower of Higashimatsuyama is the peony and they have a couple of different parks dedicated to the flower. There were posters all over the city advertising the Peony Park Festival so I decided to hop on my bike and do a little exploring. (Side note: have I mentioned how awesome it is to have GPS on my phone? Now I can't get lost and I don't need to know the names of the streets!) And I love my new cruiser bike by the way, I ride it everywhere! (Although riding to school in my suit when its raining and hot is an interesting experience. Thank goodness for looking dorky in rain pants!) Anyways, I got to the park which was extremely busy and had to pay $5 to go into the park. It was full of peonies! Very pretty, but there was no variation. Fun outing though, here are some pics of the park and its surroundings!

Higashimatsuyama is also famous for pears-these are pear trees, you can go and pick them in the fall.

A lot of peonies...

...still more, they are all peonies.

Pretty!

One of the things that Brad and I miss the most here (besides family and friends, of course) is Mexican food. A lot of people have never eaten Mexican food before! Anyway, there are a few Mexican restaurants in the heart of Tokyo, one of them in particular Chris had been wanting to take us to is called Frijoles. It is literally Chipotle (Brad and I's favorite) junior. So we took a trip to Roppongi to try it out and had some fun along the way...

This was in a store called Don Quiote's. I think its my new favorite store. It literally has everything! From imported food (taco kits, candy, diet Dr. Pepper), to Harry Potter baseball caps, inappropriate outfits, to bedding, toys, groceries and bathroom essentials etc. etc.

Chris wanted to get this for Halloween. If only it was cheaper... :)

Could you tell we were happy?

Look familiar? Right down to the color scheme, witty comments on the shirt, and industrial decorations. But shhh...don't tell Chipotle!

Dragon Quest bar right across from our karaoke place. Only in Japan!

Peanut butter is expensive and the chocolate kisses were from Cindy and Don, but they do make a good substitute Reece's!