Friday night gatherings

This is one example of the beauty of Japan. Everyone keeps telling me that I came at a good time because soon all the Cherry trees will blossom soon. A few have started early. I think the others will bloom in a few weeks.

March 3rd is "Girl's Day" in Japan. It is also referred to as the Doll Festival. It's basically just a day in Japan in which the girls are honored. (Boys day is March 5th). I did a little bit of research on the internet about it and found that families will set out these beautiful tiny doll displays in hopes that the girls in the house will be healthy and happy. Traditionally each girl will have their own set. In honor of this day, the school nurse invited Carly, myself, John, and Beth over for dinner. It was such a fun night. We took the train to Kashiwa and the school nurse (I can't remember her name right now!! sorry!) picked us up in her van. It was so weird because they all drive on the left side of the road here and the driver is on the right side of the car-completely opposite from America! Anyways, when we got to her house we took off our shoes and she gave us some cute little slippers to wear. At the entryway she had displayed two sets of dolls. They were so tiny and beautiful. I wish I would have taken a picture. There weren't only dolls, but little accessories as well.

The nurse has two daughters and a son. Also joining us was her mother (who is 80 and lives with her. She is the cutest lady ever!) and her niece. This is the school nurse and her daughter Keiko. They both know a little English, but mostly spoke in Japanese. It was fun to listen to them though.

Dinner was amazing. This picture doesn't even show the whole table! There was SO much food. We made our own sushi. It was so cool. I tried some crab, squid, and various other fish. I was so full at the end of the meal!

For dessert we had these intricate little cakes. They were a very nice treat. I almost had a bad experience though. As I was posing for the picture below the piece almost flew off my plate!