Picnic

Summer is the season when my family and I like to enjoy some outdoor activity.
We, together with other Malaysian students residing in Tokushima had organized a picnic last weekend. It was held in Tsukigatani camp site. One of the popular camp sites in this prefecture with nice scenery and beautiful river stream. Though I had camped here before, that time was just my family, I must say, picnic with a bigger group sure shared more fun and laughter. We also felt safer cause we all watched out for one another. My family might not be here anymore next summer, but we do hope they continue this tradition for as long as they can be.

The camp site was situated in a valley, with beautiful green and clear water. It was nicely kept and the warden was very helpful too. It took us one and a half hours to get there by car.

The main purpose was to 'mandi air'. Just soaked ourselves in the cool water and enjoyed.

We spotted Japanese playing 西瓜割りSuikawari (Watermelon splitting), which is a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick while blindfolded. Played in the summertime, suikawari is most often seen at beaches, but also occurs at festivals, picnics and other summer events. A watermelon is laid out, sometimes on a tarp, and participants one by one attempt to smash it open. Each is blindfolded, spun around three times, and handed a wooden stick, or Bokken to strike with. The first to crack the watermelon open wins. Afterwards the chunks of watermelon produced are shared among participants.






Kids sat together and enjoyed the nature in their own way. Appreciating and preserving the nature at the same time is our obligation. Something I hope Malaysian in Malaysia would have the chance to learn. The soonest the better, before our forest is damaged badly.

After the water activity, the kids occupied themselves with their own games. Hide and seek, basketball, soccer and whatever they found interesting.

We enjoyed it very much. We hope everyone loved it as much as we did. Thank you all for the nice cooperation. Let's do it again some other time.