Skip to main content

Danielle- Fuji Gasshuku

Fuji Gasshuku


Since I had the opportunity to attend another neat gasshuku, I reeeeally want to show you some pics I took while at a camp at Mt. Fuji. :D

Actually, it was optional to go as an intern, but I'm sooo glad I went! I had a blast!!


I also met with the other intern from Mexico, other year-long exchange students, and some friends from LEX/Hippo. Pictures of the madness included - the gymnasium was PACKED with people!


One of the cool things we all got to do was get up eaaarly in the morning and take a trek up to a Mt. Fuji viewpoint to watch the sunrise. It was super amazing to watch - slowly but surely, starting from the tippy-top, Mt. Fuji started to turn pink! Hard to describe how beautiful it was, so here, have some pictures.


Most of the camp was actually indoors, but during my break time, I did lots of walking. I found some trails and followed them for a while, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. The landscape around Fuji was a huge 180 twist compared to the loud and busy Tokyo.


During my walk, I also had a mini pillowfight (me outside the window, and them inside their shared room) with these cuties.


And then, when I passed by the boys rooms, I caught a few boys peeping out, so I played hide and seek with them a bit with my camera. Lots of fun. :)


Also, in the morning, I found the most frost I'd ever seen since coming to Japan. Thought it was super pretty, so I took some pictures. As a side note, Japan definitely doesn't get as cold or snowy as it does back in Illinois, so I was super happy to find some white this winter.


Another thing that really took my breath away was a meditation room I stumbled upon. It was a tiny little hut-like building from the outside, but on the inside, it was like a mini church with a beautiful overlook of Mt. Fuji. Absolutely gorgeous. Because I still had some time on my hands before camp activities started back up again, I sat down and did some thinking.


I won't get too mushy here or anything, but it was just a really cool experience and I thought I'd share it all with you. :D

That, and I just reeeally wanted to show you some of my Fuji photos. :>

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Maddie- The First of Many New Experiences

The First of Many New Experiences So, what have my first weeks been like in Japan? ABSOLUTELY BUSY! But, also...AMAZING! Truly, it has been a busy couple of weeks here, but not overwhelmingly so. Furthermore, I`d prefer to be kept busy! Too much free time = too much thinking = homesickness. By keeping a full, fun schedule, with some relaxing and downtime, I can keep engaged with my surroundings, make new friends, and stay sane. To prevent a wall of text, let me break down for you some of my recent activities. So far, I have: Presented about my life in Wisconsin to classes of middle school and elementary school students. Eaten kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi.  Been interviewed about my biggest surprise when I came to Japan (it`s bluntness in regards to appearance, people won`t hesitate to call someone fat, or tell you that you`ve gotten skinny since they last saw you. As I`ve seen it, it`s never been malicious, just matter-of-fact).  Post filming. To my ...

Daniel- I have Guests!

I Have Guests! [訪れていた] (Daniel) After a trip to the Middle East, my sister and her husband decided to return to the US flying over Asia instead of Europe, so that they could stop by in Japan and say "Hi". Y-A-A-A-A-Y. It felt really good to see some family after seven months away. Unfortunately, the two of them could only stay for 3 days, so we were quite busy during that time. The three of us visited obvious famous places like Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, and Akihabara. But I personally enjoyed going to a park where we did the tea ceremony in a tea house on the park's pond. The two of them found it strange that there were no chairs and the process to drink some tea was so formal. I guess I didn't really think about it, I have become so used to traditional tea ceremonies that they don't seem strange to me anymore. I guess I'm becoming a local  I also really enjoyed introducing my sister and brother-in-law to my co-work...

Daniel- Okutama

Okutama (Daniel) This past week, my eyes were opened to the fact that Japan is much more than a concrete jungle of lights and high-rise buildings. For the first time, I was able to head west to Okutama, a mountainous region on the west side of Tokyo Prefecture. Unlike the city, Okutma is covered with forest and greenery. The abundance of nature makes it a beautiful place to visit in the fall. Not too far from Okutama is Heirinji Zen Temple in Saitama, where I was blown away by the beauty of autumn in Japan. The purpose for my being in that area was to visit a kindergarten and to give a HIPPO presentation along with other HIPPO members. Among them was a younger gentleman nicknamed Tango, whom I hadn't met before. Tango and I got along very well, and he invited me on a hike, along with his friend, the next day. Tango's family owns a very quaint Soba restaurant in Okutama. The surrounding mountains and nature really give it a traditional Japanese feel. The three of u...