we felt completely welcomed and loved as we spent the weekend with Masashi's family in his hometown, Sakudaira. the Japanese never cease to impress us with their hosting; they go above and beyond to pamper their guests! we went to a fabulous onsen, ate amazing food, and played mountain golf (just like put-put but OUTSIDE, so much fun!) and tennis!
our view from the bus.
it is always refreshing to get out of tokyo and into the countryside of japan.
waiting at the station for masashi to pick us up - we made it there all by ourselves!
the restaurant provided these huge (by Japan's standards) napkins especially to protect yourself from the oil spatters from the hot dishes. well executed guys!
beef anyone? :)
with Masashi's mom at the restaurant
Yuki (Masashi's brother), Masashi, his father and Kyle eating donuts
at their local tennis court after playing a few games
this tennis family didn't quite know what to think of our "skills" ;)
cooking fried noodles with vegetables and meat (yakisoba) for lunch
learning Japanese caligraphy from Masashi's mom
believe it or not, the tongue really helps with accuracy! right, Kyle?
can you tell which ones are ours?
