One day trip to Niigata (新潟一日游)

周末我们参加了HIS组织的国内一日游 - 去新潟吃螃蟹和洗露天温泉! 从东京坐车到新潟要三个多小时. 虽然来去时间比较长但是因为是第一次去新潟感觉还是挺兴奋的. 因为时间有限我们能去的景点不多. 先去了农家品尝新潟的大米, 午饭吃螃蟹. 之后就去関興寺参拝. 最后就是泡露天温泉. 最满意的还是洗露天温泉! :-)

Ueno Hanami (上野恩賜公園赏樱)

To celebrate my birthday yesterday, I went to Ueno park for Hanami with my hubby. I clearly remember the last time we had Hanami at Ueno park was 3 yrs ago - wow, time flies so quickly.

We went to a Kaiten-Sushi restaurant (also called 'Sushi bar') for lunch before we visited the park. There are lots of Kaiten-Sushi restaurants at Ueno and the Sushi tastes really good. Both my hubby and me are addicted to Sushi and we normally have Sushi once or twice a week. ;-)

Getting really full after lunch, we walked to the Ueno park and very suprised to see people here and there. it doesn't look like a weekday at all!

Japanese people enjoy Hanami party very much. They get together under the Sakura trees drinking, singing and dancing - very traditonal Japanese culture.

We did have a good time at Ueno park and Sakura looks really beautiful. I miss the times when i was in Kyoto and the Kyoto sakura is much more beautiful. :-)

昨天是我的生日, LG陪我到上野公园看樱花. 记得我们上一次的上野赏樱是三年前的时候. 搬了家以后离上野远了就很少去了.

去公园之前, 我们先到了上野一家以前经常去的回转寿司店饱尝了一顿新鲜的寿司. 我和LG太喜欢寿司了. 如果一个星期不吃上寿司就非常难过.

昨天是平日, 我们还以为人会比较少可是出乎意料人山人海. 上野的樱花已经有八分开了. 每年的三月底到四月初是日本人赏樱的高峰时期. 日本的上班族一定会在櫻花树下举行露天賞花大会. 他们把赏樱叫做花見 (Hanami). 我们到上野公園的时候, 公园中大部分的赏樱地点已经被占了. 上野公园是东京著名的赏樱景点之一, 所以没有事先的plan一般很难找到理想的赏樱地点. 可见日本人对櫻花是如此钟爱.

满开的櫻花真的很美丽. 远处看，它们就像是一抹飘逸的云彩，从近处观赏又能体会到独朵樱花的纤细之美. 樱花和一些建筑，如寺庙, 神社组合在一起更有一种独特之美. 我在京都留学生活了两年, 对京都的櫻花更是留恋.

赏樱 结束以后我们就乘电车回去了. 中途LG带我去吃了生日蛋糕. 我点的樱花cake really tasted yummy! 这一天过的很充实. 谢谢LG! :-)