New Year's, Camping, Onsen

Michael and I went back to Ohio for a little over a week and it was a great trip. First off, we were greeted at the airport by my brother and two very surprised nephews. Devon was actually in a bit of shock and didn't hug us right away. Nathaniel on the other hand gave us the welcome we were hoping for. After about 10 minutes Devon came back to reality and talked nonstop for the whole week. We were able to see most of the family and good friends. We probably spent most of the time eating all the things we missed. Well, there were probably one or two or five Target trips too, but it's Target! I even got to spend some time with my cousins Mandy and Fong from New York. For New Year's Eve we spent the day over at Chalisa's with Devon and Nathaniel. We played a lot of wii, well the kids did, and the adults got to catch up. It was good to be with people you love. Later Loni and my brother came over and we had nabe (hotpot) for dinner. The trip consists of a lot of rest and relaxation, but it was a good thing. We came back to Japan and had a little bit of jet lag. Michael was a soldier and went back to work the next day. I took a couple more days to readjust. It was back to the usual this past week, but this past weekend we went to Ibaraki prefecture and did a little camping. Our friend Tada organized a camping trip with some of her friends. We rented a nice cabin for 15 people with our own little bbq pit in the back. It was a secluded camp site, so it was nice to meet some new people and enjoy some good conversation. We can definitely learn some "non-textbook" Japanese lingo. We also learned that hot wine on a cold night is really delicious. It was a fantastic time, thanks to Tada for setting it up. Ok, so I didn't get the blog updatesd as I planned so I am updating some more with our most recent weekend. Michael and I are determined to see as much of Japan as we can before we go home. Michael found a nice area called Kinugawa Onsen and it features many Japanese style hotels (ryokan) with onsen (hot springs). We stayed at a smaller one, but was nice. We stayed in tatami style rooms with the Japanese screen doors. The plan came with dinner and breakfast. For dinner, we had a delicious selection of various things such as yuba (beancurd sheets), tofu stew, tsukemono, etc.. The area was also really lovely, the main attraction is the Kinugawa River. Being in Japan has allowed me to enjoy nature to a whole new level, the mountains, the rivers, they are all so beautiful. Our first ryokan experience was great and we plan to go sometime again before we leave. That was about it for this weekend!
Pictures from Ohio
Pictures from Camping
Pictures from Kinugawa Onsen