Nikko Trip Part 1 - events

So, this past weekend I decided to tag along with many Taiwanese students on a trip to Nikko, Tochigi (kudos if you know where it is), even though I am not technically a Taiwanese student abroad in Japan. It was sponsored by some group that fosters Japan-Taiwan relations and we only had to pay for the train ticket to Nikko. It was actually quite interesting and I'll try to keep the events portion short.

- FREEZING. Nikko is up in the mountains and it was raining when we arrived. WET + 40-50 degrees temp + wing = no fun.
- Went to a festival/matsuri, where besides getting some nice food entered a geta (Japanese wooden clogs)kicking contest. We had to kick them off our feet and see how far they went. Prizes were given to the furthest kickers and those who kicked into a circle. It was fun, but I didn't get anything.
- Took us to a fancy restaurant for some really nice cheesecake while we talked with (older) Japanese people. The lady who sat at my table actually spoke pretty fluent Chinese.
- went to multiple waterfalls, which were pretty nice as well. Did some light hiking but with a diverse group of people (ie, non-active people) we really couldn't go that far, slightly disappointing.
- Stayed in a deluxe mountain cabin. It was really nice (seem to be using that a lot) with all amenities. It was great that they had a heater but I slept right next to it at night. Woke up with a VERY dry mouth and throat.
- Dinner was BBQ/teppanyaki. The food was good but what I realized was that Japanese people really like to get you to drink. Even if you only take a sip of your beer, they will immediately fill up your glass. I was fine but some people...wow.
- They also took us the the local firework show and give us VIP seats (tickets can cost you $30+). It was close enough that sometimes the ashes from the fireworks could drift down on us. The show itself...was AMAZING. Best show I have ever seen and beats both July 4 fireworks and New Years Day Fireworks at Taipei 101 hands down. The one hour show was divided into 4 sections and each had a grand finale. The show must have cost tens of thousands and with the economy the way it is, I do kind of wonder if such an extravagant show was needed. Then again, firework shows are part of Japanese culture. I highly recommend a Japanese fireworks show, you don't even need to get a VIP seat. They are just as good from a distance.