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Last weekend (3rd - 6th May) was Golden Week here in Japan - basically holidays for everyone. I had signed up for another Tokyo Gaijins event - camping at Niijima. We left Tokyo on the night ferry about 10pm on the Saturday night and arrived at Niijima about 8am! The ferry ride was quite amusing. I witnessed a drunk Japanese guy wake up and pee on his friend sleeping next to him (there’s photographic evidence, though not on my camera). I also got hot food (Chicken and potato) from a vending machine:

It was a great weekend, spending two nights in a tent camping. The second night was very interesting as the winds picked up to near gale-force strength. Several tents were demolished by it, but thankfully, my tent survived. I think the beers helped there too…

Niijima’s a beautiful island, although the weather was generally overcast during the stay. It only cleared up on the day we left. The beach was amazing though, filled with surfers when the tides were good though it was too dangerous to swim in for me.

We also got pedal bikes to cycle around the island. I forgot how much I loved cycling. I just walk or drive everywhere these days, but getting back on the bike and feeling the wind in my face was great. You gotta love the bikes we got:

There was also a few onsens (hot springs) on the island. I tried this greek styled one and it was free and open 24 hours/day! I tended to stay in the cooler end as it was just too hot for me.

I really enjoyed the weekend and thanks to Ricky (pictured below with his girlfriends) for the great event! Really needed a break like that. More photos on Flickr as usual: Niijima