| May
5 , 2003
Currently, I’m in the midst of “Golden Week,”
a slew of national holidays that began on the last day of April
and will end on the sixth May. Golden Week historically has spectacular
weather and this year was no different – every day had clear
skies and temperatures in the 70’s. To take advantage of the
nice weather, nearly all employers grant their employees a week
off from work, and popular Golden Week activities include traveling
about Japan or relaxing at home with the family.
The first holiday of Golden Week was Green Day, which from what
I gleaned is pretty similar to America’s Earth Day. To celebrate
Green Day, people planted various plants, removed trash from their
surroundings, and organized a huge recycling event. Next up was
Children’s Day, a holiday for kids, of course. The holiday
is celebrated with picnics and by flying enormous carp kites from
your home.
I was lucky since my host family decided to take a small trip this
week. We ventured to the town of Susa in the northern part of Yamaguchi
prefecture. Susa is a seaport on the Sea of Japan/East Sea (there
is a current debate between the Japanese and Koreans as to what
the name should be). The town shares its
name with a storm god from Japanese
|
|
antiquity. Susa is known for excellent seafood, scuba diving, and
large rock cliffs. I didn’t have a chance to go scuba diving,
but while in Susa I did view the amazing rock cliffs and I tried a
bit of the famous cuisine. We stopped at a small roadside kiosk where
a man was selling sazei, a rare sea snail. My host dad bought enough
for everyone to try and I prepared myself before I took the first
bite. The snail was grilled in its shell with soy sauce. The end result
was not too
 
|