We had a wonderful weekend. Monday was a Japanese National holiday so we had 3 days to work-out, hang-out, and cook!
On Saturday we went to the mall with our friends. It's about an hour away so we had to spend a couple hours there to make it worth it. We ate sushi and for a special treat Brian and I had Baskin Robbins. I chose a slightly healthier option of orange and strawberry sorbet, and it was delicious. I spent quite a bit of time at the foreign foods store getting whole wheat pasta, canned tomatoes and beans, and many other foods. I think most people go there to buy a couple things that are difficult to get, but I basically did a couple weeks worth of shopping!
I also ordered a huge amount of Oatmeal which should last us the rest of our time here. I got a bit tired of paying about 4 bucks for a tiny box when we go through about two per week! So that combined with the oatmeal my mom is sending us should tide us over until July! I can even bake cookies and muffins without worrying about buying more oatmeal! Since I'm also trying to incorporate more beans into our meals since they count as vegetables and protein, I also ordered about 7kg of beans online. The price was great and I hope that will last us for a while as well.
I'm so excited about the provision in the health care bill (passed on Sunday) forcing chain restaurants to include nutrition information on the menu. I wish it were easier for all restaurants to include that information, but the provision is definitely a step in the right direction. It will be so much easier to control portions and make healthier choices at restaurants. Thankfully, this provision goes into effect much faster than other parts of the bill so we will see the benefits very soon! (Or in my case when I get back to America). Some restaurants in Japan include this information and it's really nice.
Brian and I are looking forward to our trip which is coming up on Sunday. The weather is supposed to be nicer in Kyoto so we are looking forward to it. It's pretty cloudy in Niigata and I need some sun! Dad will be in Osaka on Wednesday so we are going to meet with him and go to Himeji castle after lunch! Himeji is the most famous castle in Japan. Unfortunately it's covered in scaffolding at the moment due to some restoration efforts, but we will be able to go in anyway. They will be working on the interior around April 16th so it will be closed for the next few years to visitors. We might go to Osaka castle as well and we are visiting Matsumoto castle on the way down. It will take quite a while to get to Kyoto since we are taking all local trains, but the price was worth it. We bought a special seasonal ticket that only cost about $115.00 per person and can be used for 5 days of unlimited travel on local trains. We will be able to go to Osaka, Himeji, and Nara on this ticket and we don't have to worry about the cost of travel!
We are returning our rental car today so I'll be back to biking and walking around Murakami! Hopefully it will help me with the biking part of my training for the triathlon!
I'd like to add that we went to the Murakami Doll Festival, when people open up their houses and display their special dolls. Often times, these dolls are hundreds of years old. Here's some pictures.
There's a few more uploads on facebook.
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