Last Saturday I was invited by Masuda-san, the man I met when hiking Mt. Takao, to attend his Christmas party in Hachioji. In addition to celebrating the holidays, the party’s co-theme was cultural exchange. As a result, many of the attendees had very unique backgrounds. There were 4 Americans, several Chinese and Taiwanese exchange students, a woman from the Ukraine, and a few others. Most of the attendees were in there mid 30′s and therefore brought along their children also.
As the party was planned by a Japanese woman, it was incredibly organized. Upon entering, I was given a planned schedule of all the events that were to occur in the party’s timespan, including dinner, introductions, games, gift exchanges, talent show, etc. While to many this would seem slightly cheesy, it really was a blast. I had a lot of opportunities to practice both my Japanese and Chinese and eat tons of homecooked food.
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As many of the exchange students are running home for the 10-day vacation, this week has been full of holiday parties and early New Year celebrations. Below, is just an assortment of photos from my recent outings.
