So I recently reconnected with my friend (Tomo) who's originally from Japan (I find it ironic that we got back in touch after I moved to Japan, since he's Japanese and lives in America, but I digress ). After chatting and catching up, he sent me a text saying:
"If you would like to experience O-bon, a Japanese traditional event in relation to each family's ancestors taken place in mid August, you are welcome to go visit my house and stay with my family to get a real Japanese cultural experience."
So (no brainer) I say yes, and in about two days, I'm on a bus headed for Daisen Tottori. I ended up staying with my host family for about four days and had a great time. My host family took me to some cool spots and I learned a bit about the Bon festival too (unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera while partaking in the festivities :/). Anywho, bellow is a quick recap of my experience and some fun pics. Enjoy!
Off To Mt. Daisen
While visiting, my host mother let me wear her kimono and we went out to Mt. Daisen after dinner. They were displaying 唐傘(からかさ/kara kasa; traditional Japanese umbrellas made of paper) on one of the trails up the mountain.
Field Trip with Mr. Tanaka
My host father was kind enough to take me out on a trip during his day off on Friday .We visited home prefecture, Shimane and saw some awesome stuff.
On our way back we stopped in Sakaiminato, Tottori. This is the hometown of a cartoonist named Mizuki Shigeru, the creator of one of my favorate shows: Gegege no Kitaro. The streets are packed with statues of characters from this show (for those of you unfamiliar with this tv show please click here for more info).
So yeah、overall I had an awesome time in Daisen. My host family was very kind and layed back. It was interesting to experience daily life with a typical Japanese family. We'll definately keep in touch ;)
 My lovely host family (^。^ ) |  Grandma and Grandpa. For some reason they kept trying to feed me... |
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