Shūmatsu-datta ue-ni, sugoku ii tenki-datta-kara, taihenna hito-datta-yo. (As well as it being the weekend, it was really nice weather, so there were so many people.)

Situation 1: Ms. Tamachi talks to her colleague Mr. Sere.

田町： 鎌倉に行ったんでしょう？どうだった？

セレ： 週末だった上に、すごくいい天気だったから、 たいへんな人だったよ。でも、とても楽しかった。

Tamachi: Kamakura-ni ittan-deshō? Dō-datta?

Sere: Shūmatsu-datta ue-ni, sugoku ii tenki-datta-kara, taihenna hito-datta-yo. Demo, totemo tanoshikatta.

Tamachi: You went to Kamakura, didn't you? How was it?

Sere: As well as it being the weekend, it was really nice weather, so there were so many people. But I enjoyed it a lot.

Today we will introduce the sentence pattern うえ(に) and conjunction そのうえ. The structure Xうえ(に)Y expresses that Y happens in addition to X or that someone/something is not only X but also Y. Here, X is a noun modifier, and the に after 上(うえ) is optional. Y is usually the further state or event of X, so they should have similar meanings insofar that both X and Y are either positive or negative. Examples: ごちそうになった上に、おみやげをたくさんいただいてしまって、どうもありがとうございます (On top of the delicious dinner, thank you very much for all the gifts); きのうは雨(あめ)に降(ふ)られた上に、財布(さ いふ)をなくしちゃって、最低(さいてい)だった (It was a disastrous day yesterday because on top of getting caught in the rain, I also lost my wallet); この店(みせ)の魚(さかな)は新鮮(しんせん)な上に値段(ねだん)も安(やす)くて、 おすすめです (I recommend this shop because the fish are not only fresh but also reasonably priced).

Situation 2: Mr. Sere talks to Mr. Mita about the new rep for their client TK Co.

セレ： TK社の新しい担当者は、女優の綾瀬はるかにちょっと 似ていて、その上、仕事もてきぱきしているんだよ。

三田： え、ほんと？今度、TK社を担当したいなあ。

Sere: TK-sha-no atarashii tantōsha-wa, joyū-no Ayase Haruka-ni chotto nite-ite, sono ue, shigoto-mo tekipaki-shite-irun-dayo.

Mita: E, honto? Kondo, TK-sha-o tantō-shitai-nā.

Sere: The new representative at TK Co. looks a bit like the actress Haruka Ayase, and on top of that, she's efficient.

Mita: Oh, really? I want to be the person in charge of dealing with TK Co. next time.

その上 is a conjunction that means "besides/moreover" and has a similar meaning to X上(に), except that その上 can be used at the start as well as in the middle of a sentence. When it comes in the middle, the end of the clause before it is often a verb or adjective in te-form. Example: このマンションは駅(えき)に近(ちか)くて、 その上、静(しず)かなので人気(にんき)がある (This apartment block is popular because it is near the station and, on top of that, it's quiet).

Bonus Dialogue: Ms. Tamachi is speaking with friends from her high school days. They are choosing who will organize their next class reunion.

田町： 次(つぎ)のクラス会(かい)の幹事(かんじ)、だれにする？

山田： そうだなあ、長井(ながい)さんは子供(こども)が小(ちい)さい上に、家(いえ)も遠(とお)いから、無理(むり)だと 思(おも)うな。

田町： 石川(いしかわ)さんは？

小川： 仕事(しごと)が忙(いそが)しい上に、外国(がいこく)に 転勤(てんきん)になりそうだって言(い)っていたよ。

山田： 鈴木(すずき)くんは先月(せんげつ)、会社(かいしゃ)を リストラされちゃって、その上、奥(おく)さんとも離婚(りこん)したんだって。とても頼(たの)めないよ。

小川： えー、じゃ、やっぱり田町さんがいいよ。事務処理 (じむしょり)も速(はや)い上に、いろいろいい店(みせ)も知(し)っているから。

田町： ほんとうは独身(どくしん)で、時間(じかん)がありそう だからでしょう？まったく！

Tamachi: Who shall we choose to organize the next class reunion party?

Yamada: Let's see ... It's impossible to ask Ms. Nagai because not only does she live far away, but she also has a small child.

Tamachi: How about Ms. Ishikawa?

Ogawa: She said that she's busy at work, and may be about to be transferred abroad.

Yamada: Mr. Suzuki got laid off a month ago. On top of that, his wife has divorced him. We can hardly ask him.

Ogawa: Jeez. Well then, I guess you are best for the job, Ms. Tamachi. You're good with paperwork, and what's more, know a lot of good restaurants.

Tamachi: The real reason is that I'm single and so I look like I have the time to do it, isn't it? For heaven's sake!