School's out for summer!

Finally the long awaited day my son has been looking forward to has arrived.  I don't know why he's so excited, as he loves school very much.  But school is finally out for summer vacation. 

Summer vacation is just 6 weeks in Japan.  During that time, many families go visit grandparents, spend countless evenings at festivals and Obon celebrations, as well as go on vacation. 

Countless people have asked me if we would be traveling to the US during summer.  The answer is no for several reasons, but mainly:  1) It is a really expensive time to travel anywhere.  2) Many people go on vacation during August.  Why would we travel all that way when 1/3 to 1/2 of our people are not there? 

Instead we will do many other things.  I've always got a plan up my sleeve.

We started early by attending multiple festivals this week at kindergartens in the area.  With activities specifically geared toward kindergarteners, my son has a lot of fun doing the crafts and playing the carnival type games. 

These festivals are organized and put on by the parents and staff at the school.  They are small, but full of energy as everyone puts forth a great team effort.  My favorite part is seeing all the kids in their adorable traditional summer outfits called yukata (for girls) and jinbe (for boys). 

Although we are still officially in rainy season (it poured so loud last night that it woke my son up and he couldn't go back to sleep!), it is now summer and we will be having lots of adventures.  So, stay tuned!