Golden Week

Friday at last! Time to stop rushing about to meet my hectic new lesson schedule and think about what to do for Golden Week.

Golden Week is the name given to the first week in May. It's 'Golden' because during that week there are FOUR bank holidays. The dates of these holidays are fixed so they move about the week from year to year, but usually if you take two days nenkyu (paid holiday leave) you can have a ten day break. And my school has approved me taking those two days nenkyu so ten day trip here I come!!

So what shall I do with my Golden Week Break? Well, I can't afford to go abroad (The trips back home last year and increased rent put a squeeze on the savings) so it's the perfect oppertunity to go sightseeing in Japan.

I've done pretty much everywhere within driving distance of Tokamachi (Nagano, Matsumoto, Kanazawa, Aizuwakamatsu) so I'm planning on going to Hiroshima and Kyoto. Rebecca and Sharon went last year when they came to visit and their stories made me want to go as soon as I could, and now seems like the perfect opportunity.

Time to use my terrible Japanese on the girls at JTB to work out the cheapest way to travel and where to stay. Kanto e ikimashou!