Memorial Day Weekend

You know what is funny? I am so immersed in my life here, that I didn't even realize it's Memorial Day weekend! When you go abroad, you learn a lot of new, fun and interesting things, but at the same time - it's easy to lose track of things that happen at home. I've spent a lot of time on news sites (cnn, bbc), youtube and famous gossip blogs (perez, gfy) this year, trying to keep up with my own culture (um, because it really is my job... and I know how easy it can be to get behind)... but seems like I missed one of the big ones!
The holiday weekend that wasn't one here.
Well, there were no hot dogs or days out on the lake this year (although my thoughts and respect go out to my grandfather and all those who risk and sacrifice their lives for our country). Overall, though, I had a pretty good weekend.
...starting with the spa (yay!)....
On Friday, I met the girls in Akashi for a trip the spa. My friend Kelly's coworker clues her into all these awesome deals and sales in the area; most recently, the spa in Akashi. This spa wasn't really like anything I have ever been to, but it was quite nice and relaxing. Miwa joined us, although we were all pretty rushed to make the 5:30 appointment after school.
The spa is on an upper floor of a big building, across from the Akashi station. As with many things in Japan, if you don't know it's there, it's extremely easy to walk past it a million times and not realize it... case in point.
When you walk off the elevator and into the place, the lobby is exotic; like a Thai relaxation restreat. Very posh. The staff (all young, pampered-looking Japanese women) took our info and provided us with a service menu (standard package this time) and some sort of yellow, anti-sweat liquid that tasted like gatorade. We were led into the locker rooms (mostly wood-panels and floors with a wide range of free beauty products & electric foot-massagers), given our spa outfits (Thai-style orange shirt and pants), and provided a short overview of what to do.
It seems the basic point of this spa is to sweat!
So basically the spa trip consisted of visiting two large rooms, one with hioki wood (Japanese wood with a pleasant, more deciduous smell) and one with a pond and tiles. The rooms are hot - somewhere around 45 degrees (C). You lay down on the ground in rows (your area is seperated from the person lying next to you by a face wall) on bedrock (with a towel underneath you), and basically sweat out all the toxins in your skin for as long as you can stand it. Wrestlers would love it (for their weigh-ins)! The spa had little hourglasses attached to the wall that you could turn for 10-minute incraments, and they had a yoga class halfway through, but it was seriously not what I expected when going in. It's not quite a steam room and very large; it's just a big, hot, fancy room where you sweat and chat with friends.
We did about three 20-minute sets in the heat before calling it a day and getting dressed. We were given some electrolytes and small, sugarless cookies before heading out, too. It's crazy how heat can drain you; it was good to sit for a minute. Dylan, Heather's boyfriend, met us and we went to an izikaya in the building for dinner... pretty chill night, but the heat wiped me out.
And onto Saturday... and the spa again.
On Saturday, I went to a Thai cooking class in the morning. It was hosted by the International Friendship Association, but two Thai women taught the class, and the food was amazing. I've got a great recipe for coconut-pumpkin soup if anyone wants it! Afterwards, Kelly and I went to the onsen (hot spring) in Kakogawa with our Japanese teacher and another woman from Harimacho. It's interesting to me how comfortable Japanese people are with nudity at onsens, while intimacy is such a delicate subject (even holding hands is taboo!). I don't think I would consider going to a (nude) hotspring with my friends at home, but it is a completely natural social experience here (for coworkers, students, friends - whomever) and one of the things I have grown to appreciate.
Once we arrived, we discovered - to my great surpise - that the onsen had more of the themed "hot 'sweat' rooms" we had encountered the night before (about 15 total!), including a cold room that had artificial snow falling from the ceiling. We spent a while checking out all the hot rooms (including one that looked like a huge oven - at 65 degrees C) and getting some gelato before heading to the baths. The foursome hung out together for the first few minutes, but then split and Kelly and I spent most of our time in the outdoor baths, just soaking and talking. The cool breeze offered a relaxing contrast to the heat from the water. Both Kelly and I were slow to adjust to the nude setting, but once we did, we apparently got too comfortable. It was pretty funny when it was time to leave and our Japanese teacher came looking for us, totally dressed (had been waiting downstairs), and we were still sprawled out on the lawn chairs outside....oops.
Sunday.
Lena came over to go running on Sunday (we might do a marathon together next year - she, Kelly and I are trying to get into a routine). I showed her the seaside path and big temple near me, and we ran into Jonathan and a few of Lena's coworkers along the way (even discovered one of them lives in my building!). That evening, Kelly and Miwa came over for dinner and we just talked and laughed at my place until it was time to go home (or pack for the conference). Good times:)

In closing, a Happy Memorial Day to all of you - wherever this may reach you! I'll be out of town for most of this week, so I'll try to post more soon, but it might be a stretch....