A day with great friends!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Leaving a country is really a sad thing to do. We have forged so many wonderful friends and I know I will miss every one of them. On the positive side, it has become a wonderful opportunity to celebrate together as well as to explore even more new things.
Saturday was just such a day. Mako-san, her two boys Kenshin and Ryoma, Eriko-san and I took off for adventure. We traveled first towards Obara, a small village nestled in the hills. Obara is the home of Washi no furusato, a famous place where they make gorgeous paper. The scenery alone is worth the trip and there are many hiking trails in the area. We, however, headed towards the craft center where you can actually try your hand at making paper.

The people at the village were wonderful, walking us through the steps for making paper. They also had a great video - in English even - that talked about the whole process. I always am amazed at how people figured out some of the complex processes they go through to create things - unbelievable.

The day did not stop there. We traveled back to Mako-san's home where she treated us to a fabulous lunch - absolutely delicious. We were so full!!! It did make it hard to get up for our next stop - the Nou Theater in downtown Nagoya. The style of acting is very different - slow and precise. It's not unusual to see people dozing through parts of the performance. This one did become quite lively during the second half, keeping you on your toes as the priests exorcised the serpent from the bell (they had English translation available - yeah!)

What a fabulous treat today was! Thank you Mako-san for making it possible!