Sunday, August 7 was a day off for the students, a chance to relax and spend some time with their host families. And everyone made the most of this time! 

I asked everyone to write a brief description of what they did (and include some pictures, if they so chose). Here's a glimpse into how they spent their first full day in Japan!

Ashley Whitehead: My host family took me to a local shrine and a local festival.

Evan Lysko (with Sebastian Feliu and Cole Gradeck): Went to Osu temple with my brother, cole, and Sebastian  (6 people ) stopped in a bunch of stores. Used subway.

Jacob Aluise: I went to atsutajingu and Nagoya castle, after that I went to an exhibit of Fujiko F. Fujio's manga.

Jasmine Talbert: I went to Inuyama Castle.

Maya Best: Yesterday I went shopping at Aeon in the morning and then we visited a Neko cafe. There were many cute cats that gathered around us and ate treats from our hands. In the evening we went to a market to buy vegetables and meat for dinner.

TaeChaun Goggins: Yesterday, my host family and I went to a festival, enjoying the sights, sounds, and the treats. In the evening, we went to my host siblings' wadaiko practice.

Jacob Stuligross: We went to Okazaki castle, where we saw a few museums, and then we went to a kaitenzushi restaurant. When we came home, my host brother taught me how to play fue.

Sabrina Cheng: I went to 3 temples on Kyoto: kiyomizu, kushimi inari, and kinkakuji.