Golden Week

It has been a month since I arrived in Tokyo on April 4. So far, this is my first update on life in Japan. I'm sure you've already noticed that my blog is fast turning into a photo album instead. Well, what to do? Withouth a laptop, going online is so inconvenient. Whenever I'm in the library, I'm busy uploading photos; whenever I feel like babbling away, I don't have the chance to blog. Someone should propose that the library be open for use 24/7. Anyway, now that the holidays are over, the library is open for business as usual.

Last week was the Golden Week, so called because three of the major holidays fall in that week. April 29 is Green Day (緑の日), May 3 is Constitution Memorial Day (憲法の記念日), May 5 is Children's Day (子供の日). As for May 4, which is sandwiched between two holidays, it's declared as an official national holiday as well. For most companies (no, not our university, unfortunately), May 1 and 2 are also off days and voila! you have a whole week of holiday! This is the season when the Japanese come out of their nests and fling money like drinking water. And yes, that was what I did too; burning cash to fuel my new-found passion, sightseeing, that is.

This is a gist of what I've done during the Golden Week.

April 29: Went to a barbeque with TOFSIA at Koremasa (是政). TOFSIA is a group of Japanese students volunteered to help out international students.

April 30: Sightseeing in Takahatafudōson Temple (高幡不動尊金剛寺).

May 1 and 2: Lessons as usual, no holiday! Sigh!

May 3: Visited Ueno Zoological Park and Tokyo National Museum, both in Ueno (上野).

May 4: Went to Ōkunitama Jinja (大国魂神社) in Fuchū (府中) to see Kurayami Matsuri (暗闇祭り) float possession.

May 5: Stopped by at Heisei Jingu in Yoyogi (代々木) before going to Sendagaya (千駄ヶ谷) to cheer for the Malaysian team in the Thomas Cup semi-final match against Denmark. Thanks, Teik Chuan, for getting the subsidised tickets for us from the embassy!

May 6: Had dinner with a senior in Shinjuku (新宿). Thanks for the treat!

May 7: Rainy day. Stayed in the dorm to study. Thanks to my far-sightedness, I checked the weather forecast last week and anticipated the bad weather. So, I arranged to go out on the first four days even though I preferred to study first before enjoying myself.

Now that the Golden Week is over, life is back to the normal hectic pace. We'll be sitting for a mid-term exam on May 25, which is barely three weeks away!

Sorry, can't be lingering any longer! Somebody help me!