Hi again everyone! I’ve done it again… I did so many fun and
exciting things one after another that I ended up having no time to blog. I’m
sorry that it has been so long since I posted, but there is some good news as
well! I now get the chance to share all of the stories I’ve made in the past 3
weeks, and there sure are a lot of them! Since I last was able to write to you
all I have made a number a new friends, seen sights that would be impossible to
witness anywhere else in the world, and have made precious memories that I will
carry with me for the rest of my life.
It is amazing how much I have been able to experience in the
short time I have lived in this country. I can say wholeheartedly that I have
never grown so much as a person as I have done
during my short time in Japan. Living here has changed my perspective on the world as
well as the way I live my life, and I am incredibly grateful that I have the
opportunity to be on this journey. Since I last posted I have gone on a huge
trip near Mt. Fuji with my school club, traveled alone to beautiful areas
surrounding Tokyo, bathed in famous hot springs, and visited some of the most
culturally important Japanese sights in Kyoto. Each of these trips allowed me
to see entirely different views of Japan that have truly helped me gain a better
understanding for the country as a whole. Now without further delay, allow me
to tell you a few stories!
Golden Week
Gasshku
Near the beginning of May, Japan has a string of consecutive
holidays that students and workers get off of school and work. Many schools
(including my own) give students the whole week off from classes. Thus this
week has been nicknamed “Golden Week”. During this time most school clubs plan
special activities that often involve going trips where the sport clubs will
train and the other clubs will generally relax, bond with new members, and do
other club relating activities. These trips are called “gasshku” in Japanese.
The international cultural exchange club that I am a part of called “Niji no
Kai” was no exception. They planned a three day two night trip to the Yamanashi
prefecture near Mt. Fuji that I decided to take part in.
I was really excited for my clubs gasshku because I really
wanted to make more Japanese friends at my school. Since I am a foreign
exchange student and most of the club’s members are Japanese, I was able to
play a large role in the cultural exchange aspect of the trip, and at the same
time I was able to meet an incredible amount of people. I think around 100
people went on Niji’s trip, but it could have been more. The first day we left
early in the morning on buses the departed from school. Since the entire
country was on vacation the traffic was terrible, but the ride went quickly as
we play a lot of games and became more acquainted with one another. I made one
particular friend on the bus named Atsushi that I got along really well with
and who I have been hanging out with pretty frequently. When we arrived at our
destination I was surprised by the accommodations we had booked. Niji had
rented out what seemed to be a mix between a traditional Japanese hotel and an
athletic park. There were traditional tatami mat rooms, shared baths for men
and women, and a common eating area for meals. Outside there was a ping pong
room a basketball court and space for badminton, Frisbee, soccer, and whatever else you could want to do. It was
very different from anywhere I have stayed before, but I was excited to see
what it would be like.
The first day we had free time to explore and play around
for a while. Later that night we had some activities planned and then went to
dinner. Afterwards we were put into groups in order to meet new people and then
played some games in which the winning group received some small prizes. At the
end of the day there was a small party. The second day was also pretty
structured. After breakfast we played a very elaborate scavenger hunt that also
involved other games simultaneously such as a three legged races and group
trivia. Then we had lunch and there was an athletic tournament later the day
that mostly consisted of an obstacle course and a few other activities. When we
got back we had a big delicious barbeque for dinner and had another party at
the end of the night. On the last day there were no planned activities. After
breakfast we had free time until the buses came to take us back to Tokyo.
I had
an amazing time on this trip. After living in Tokyo for some time seeing so
much nature in Japan was truly a different experience. The food was delicious
the entire trip and the staff was always nice and helpful. The shared bathing
was a new experience for me, but it was not too hard to get used to. The
activities during were a little too structured in my opinion, but they did
allow me to meet a lot of different people that I probably would not have
gotten the chance to talk to other wise. I met so many people during this trip
that unfortunately I cannot even remember them all! Thanks to Niji’s gasshku I
was definitely able to reach my goal of making more Japanese friends. It was a
truly unique experience that I will never forget. I’m really happy that I
joined this club, and I’m incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities it
has given me and for all of the memories it has helped me make. I think that
anyone studying abroad could benefit from joining student organizations while
abroad. At the very least you will have fun things to take part in, and at most
you will be a have irreplaceable experiences. Below are some pictures of…
Bus ride to camp
Diner with friends
Bed room
Camp/hotel/lodge
Scavenger hunt
BBQ!
Ending back at school
Kamakura day trip
After I returned from my trip with my club I still had about
half of Golden Week left. Unfortunately most of my friends had made travel
plans already and were in places such as Seoul, Okinawa, Bali, and southern
Japan. There was no way for me to go somewhere far away at the time so I
had to figure something else to do with my time. I knew that I wanted to see as
much of Japan as I could during my time here, so I looked up the best day trips
to make out of Tokyo. While searching I found a place called Kamakura.
Everything I read about it was positive and many people seemed to think it is
one of the best places to visit if you are doing “higairi” (the Japanese word
for day trip) from Tokyo. I decided that regardless of whether or not I had to
travel alone I wanted to see this place. So after giving myself a day to rest I
departed early in the morning to Kamakura.
It was rather easy to get to Kamakura from Tokyo. It takes
about an hour and a half by train, but seeing the giant city of Tokyo slowly
disappear and transform into a beautiful seaside landscape made the time fly
by. From what I could see, Kamakura is a small town next to the ocean that
relies pretty heavily on its tourist industry. The city has a number of
beautiful temples and shrines that people from all over Japan come to see.
Kamakura and the surrounding area also have a long history of fishing as well. When
I arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the small town atmosphere. I love Tokyo
so much, but every now and then it’s nice to experience places a little less
metropolitan.
I spent the day wandering the city. I went to the famous sights such as the giant Buddha statue, and Hase-dera (a famous temple),
and I searched through the back streets visiting small shops that sold local
foods and souvenirs. After seeing the view of the ocean from Hase-dera I wanted
to see the coastline close up. So I did a little quick research and found a
small island town 15 minutes away by train called Enoshima that was famous for
its ocean views, delicious food, and beautiful shrine at its peak. So I made my
way to the island and found that it is truly famous for a reason.
The island is
essentially one big hill that is very high in the middle and levels out toward
the shore. The views from the top of the island were nothing short of breath
taking and the food I ate there was unlike any I had eaten before. I had great
time exploring the coastline and talking to the locals as well. As the day
began to end I knew I could not stay much longer. I made my way back to
Kamakura to visit one more shrine and do a little souvenir shopping. After that
I made my way back to the train station and headed back towards Tokyo.
At the beginning of the trip I was not too excited to be
traveling alone. I always enjoy havening company to travel with, but after
arriving and getting started I had a great time regardless. It was nice to move
on my own time and see everything that I wanted to even if my desires were a
bit impulsive. Making this trip on my own was great experience. It provided me
with a change of scenery and allowed me to improve my speaking skills further.
If you plan on studying abroad I encourage you to take trips like this
(provided it is safe to do so) and see new perspectives at your own pace. Below
are some pictures of some of the sites I saw while traveling on my own.
Giant buddha
Ocean from Hase-dera
Enoshima ocean view
Delecious green tea ice cream
Sashimi rice bowl with fish head miso
Kanda Matsuri
The last big event of my Golden Week experience was the
Kanda Matsuri. Matsuri is the Japanese word for festival, and the Kanda Matsuri
is one of the 3 biggest festivals that happen in Tokyo. I heard about the
festival the week before and I was really interested in seeing how it was. The
short story is that it was a crazy fun, unique event that you could never find
anywhere else in the world. There were food and game stalls as there are at any
good festival, but all of them were very Japanese in terms of what they served.
There were traditional taiko drum performances that were really exciting to
watch. However, the biggest and most exciting part of the festival was the
presentation of the Mikoshi, a vehicle to transport a deity from the main
shrine to a temporary shrine during a festival in Japan. Surrounding
neighborhoods generally each have their own mikoshi that they carry while
wearing matching 法被 (happi: name for the outfits they wear). They bring the
Mikoshi to the festival shrine and then parade it back to their respective
neighborhoods. There is no easy way to describe a Japanese matsuri. So instead
of boring you with long explanations, I’ll show you exactly what I experienced.
Taiko drums
Even the kids join the fun
Goldfish scoop game
Mikoshi
Children Mikoshi
Not sure...
Main shrine
The other parts of my Golden Week in Tokyo were spent with
my friends who had remained there for the week or those who had already
returned from their trips. Being in Tokyo with no schedule was a lot of fun,
and having time to relax is never a bad thing. Unfortunately towards the end of
Golden Week I could tell I was beginning to get sick.
Week of sickness
Being sick in Japan
So the weekend after Golden Week was over I could tell that
I was not 100% healthy. I’m not sure what the cause of it all was, but my
throat hurt, I was very congested, and I was coughing almost constantly. I did
my best and pushed through going to my classes but by that Tuesday and had run
out of the cold medicine I brought from America, and I knew I needed to go to
the doctor. That was a very scary idea for me considering I had no idea how the
healthcare system in this country really works. I didn’t even know which doctor
to go to.
So taking my ignorance on the subject into account I went to
ask my friend Josie, who I knew had been to the doctor before, if she could
help me out. After asking me a few questions she thought it would be best to
take me to the throat specialist that she had been to before. It was very nice
because it was a short walk from my school, but this office only spoke Japanese
so I was pretty intimidated. Thankfully I had gotten my Japanese health
insurance registered the week before, and I was able to get through the situation
without any hang ups.
Though being sick really was a terrible time, I learned a
lot through this experience. For instance, many Japanese doctor offices don’t
take reservations and you are served on a first come first served basis. I also
learned that medicine is very affordable here. I was prescribed four days’
worth of antibiotics and medicine for my symptoms and I only paid 1600 yen, which
is less than $14. My insurance covered a portion of the medicine cost, but I
was still surprised by how little I needed to pay.
This experience was far from enjoyable, but it did boost my
confidence in my Japanese speaking ability, and thanks to the medicine I
received I was able to get healthy by the time my friend arrived on Saturday.
Jajcen week
Sightseeing in Tokyo
I was really relieved after I started feeling better because
one of my best friends from America was coming to visit me in Tokyo for 8 days!
His name is Jajcen (pronounced: Jason). For as long as I can remember it has
been our dream to travel to Japan together, and since our dream was finally
coming true I was incredibly excited. He arrived on Saturday at around 3pm and
after taking the bus to Tokyo and struggling to locate each other at Tokyo
Station, we were about to meet each other at around 7 pm. I was so happy that I
would be able to show him around the place that had been my home for the past
few months.
From Saturday until Wednesday our plan was to see as much of
Tokyo as we possibly could. He got very lucky because the day after he landed
there was another huge festival happening in Asakusa at Kaminarimon. This
festival was called the Sanja Matsuri and it is also one of the 3 biggest
festivals in Tokyo. I cannot think of a better first full day in Tokyo and
getting to witness such an event. We were also able to go to the Tokyo sky tree
afterwards to give him a good perspective of the city he was about to
experience. The following days I took him to all of my favorite places in
Tokyo. We went sightseeing in Shibuya, shopping in Harajuku and exploring in
Shinjuku. I took him to see unique architecture and expensive shopping in
Ginza, and I showed him much of what electric town Akihabara had to offer.
At the same time, we went to a few places I had never been
to before. We went to the world’s largest fish market in Tsukiji, which is near
Ginza. We also went to the man-made island called Odaiba that has one of the
world’s largest Ferris wheels and some very beautiful views. Another awesome awesome part of Tokyo we were able to experience was going to a japanese baseball game. One of my friends took both of us and we were unsure of what to expect, but it was wone of the more exciting and fun sporting events I have ever been to (and I usually do not enjoy atching baseball that often). Regardless of
whether or not I had been there before I had an amazing time showing Tokyo to
Jajcen. The beautiful thing about Tokyo is that no matter how many times you
visit a place there, you will always find new ways it is different and
exciting. The city is huge and filled with hidden gems. I’m certain you could
live here your whole life and never truly know everything Tokyo as to offer. I
kept that in mind while we were exploring and it made it an even more exciting
experience. Below are some of the pictures we took together while sightseeing
in Tokyo.
Arcade in Akihabara
In front of Meiji Jingu's gate
Robot resturant in Shinjuku
Japanese baseball game
Kusatsu Onsen
I really wanted to show Jajcen something that he wouldn’t be
able to anywhere else in the world and that was very traditional I terms of
Japanese culture. After thinking for a while I decided that going to a Japanese
onsen (hot spring bath) would be the perfect experience. Visiting an onsen was
on my own list of things I wanted to do while in Japan as well so we decided
that we would take Wednesday to relax in a traditional Japanese way.
Unfortunately I had no idea where any good onsen were, but after asking my
friends for suggestions one of them suggested a placed called Kusatsu. When I
did a bit of research the place seemed to be everything we were looking for,
and it was even close enough to do in a day trip.
Kusatsu is a small hot spring town to the northwest of Tokyo
in the Gunma prefecture. By normal train it takes about 3 hours to get to
Kusatsu, but it is well worth the trip. The town relies very heavily on its hot
spring industry and takes great pride in their waters. The waters at Kusatsu
are very rich in sulfur, which is very good for the skin (although not so
appealing to smell). It has often been noted how people from this area tend to
look younger than other Japanese, and the sulfur rich hot springs are often
blamed. Jajcen and I woke up early on Wednesday to get an early start on our
hot spring journey. After out long train journey we learned that Kusatsu
doesn’t actually have a train station in the town. After arrival at the station
you have to take a 25 minute bus ride to the Kusatsu. Thankfully the buses are
timed with the trains so the transition was pretty seamless.
The town is surrounded by nature, so it breathtaking to see
the landscape from top of the hill near the bus station. Our first order of
buses in Kusatsu was to get some food since we had not eaten in a long time. We
decided to get food at one of the restaurants that overlooked the main hot
spring area called Yubatake. Both the view and the food were nothing short of
fantastic. After eating we enjoyed the footbath hot spring (which was almost
unbearably hot) before doing a bit of sightseeing around the town. There was a
shrine near Yubatake that was very pretty and there was a park about a 10
minute walk away that was beautiful. I might be exaggerating a bit since I have
had much nature to compare it to recently, but in my opinion it was
spectacular. The town of Kusatsu was a site in itself. It was the first place I
had been in Japan that really felt like an isolated small town. The streets and
buildings were all very unique, and they gave the town a very relaxing
atmosphere.
Once we had gotten our fill of the sites we decided it was time to
actually enjoy the onsen. So we went to the most popular one in the town called
“Otaki-no-yu”. The facility there had both indoor and outdoor baths that were
absolutely amazing. Again the communal bathing was different, but it was easier
to get used to this time. We relaxed in the baths for over an hour and then sat
at the leg massage machines (100 yen for 10 minutes, amazing deal) for 20
minutes. Surprisingly my skin actually did feel a lot softer after the bath and
after the leg massages we were fully relaxed. We had some time to kill before
we needed to head home so we did a little souvenir shopping and sampled some of
the local deserts and sake (both of which were delicious) before taking a taxi
back to the train station and heading back to Tokyo.
Gong to Kusatsu was a really unique experience, and I
enjoyed every minute of it. While the town was very busy with tourists we
appeared to be some of the only foreigners in the town. That made the
experience all the more traditional, and so long as we followed the rules and
were polite everyone treated us very kindly (speaking a little Japanese doesn’t
hurt either). This was definitely one of my favorite experiences in Japan thus
far.
Main hot spring Yubatake
Footbath
Kyoto
One of the biggest items on Jajcen’s to do list in Japan was
to see Kyoto. That worked out well for me because it was also on my list! So we
decided to spend the last part of Jajcen’s time in Japan in the country’s old
capital city. We left early Friday morning and returned in the early evening on
Sunday. We wanted to stay in a traditional Japanese hotel, but unless you make
a reservation very early in advance there will most likely be no space
available. So instead we ended up staying a very nice hotel near Kyoto Station.
This was very convenient for all of the traveling we did around the city. We
had booked our Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets early in advance so after
picking them up we jumped on out train and were there in 2.5 hours. Due to some
tie ups at Tokyo station we were unable to leave until 10am so we did not
arrive in Kyoto until around 1pm.
Check in time at our hotel was 2 pm so we left our bags at
the front desk and left to get lunch until we could get into our room. After getting
settled we went out for some sightseeing. Most shrines and temples in Kyoto
close at 5 pm so we did not have much time see much. We decided to see sights
that were close to the hotel on Friday. We were able to see Nijo-jo castle and
the imperial palace park before everything began closing. So we took a long
walk back to the hotel by a river and enjoyed the simple sights the Tokyo had
to offer. We even saw some geisha at one of the restaurants by the water. That
night we ate delicious okonomiyaki and prepared for a full day of sightseeing the
next day.
I won’t spend time walking you all through our sightseeing,
but I will tell you what we saw. On Saturday in Kyoto we saw Fushimi Inari
Taisha, which was a beautiful shrine on a mountain with thousands of red tori
gates. We also saw Kiyomizudera, which is a famous shrine with a breathtaking
view from its balcony. On Sunday we went to a part of Kyoto called Arashiyama
where we were able to climb a mountain and feed and observe some Japanese
macaques. The last sight we were able to see in Kyoto was Kinkakuji. Kinkakuji
is a golden pavilion that is one of the most famous sites in Kyoto, and it is
truly a worth seeing. It may seem like we did not see that much, but when you
take into account travel time and how long places are open (and the number of
mountains we had to climb) we did a pretty good job with the time we had. We
were also able to do a decent amount of souvenir shopping while in Kyoto, and
the food was delicious (especially our hotel’s breakfast buffet). One thing
that surprised me about Kyoto was the lack of convenient trains. I suppose I
have been spoiled by Tokyo’s metro system, but I still feel as though Kyoto is
a bit lacking. However, I did notice that buses are more frequently used in Kyoto
than in Tokyo. Kyoto is truly a wonderful place. We had a great time seeing
such culturally relevant site; it was a really relaxing experience. There isn’t
much to do in Kyoto after 5 and at night, us thankfully there was plenty of
delicious food to keep us occupied. Regardless I’m very glad we took the time
to go see it, but after three days of extreme tourism and mountain climbing we
were ready to head back to our home base in Tokyo. Here are some touristy
pictures of us enjoying Kyoto!
Shinkansen
Nijo-jo castle
River walk
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Mountain climbing
Kiyomizudera
Monkey Park
Passing Mikoshi
Kinkakuji
Once again I’m sorry this post took so long to put up. I won’t
let myself get so far behind in the future. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and
my recent adventures. I’m about halfway through my time here in Japan and I can
say wholeheartedly that coming here has been one of the best experiences in my
life. I feel so blessed to live in this city where I get to have new and unique
experiences every day. As I it in the common area of my building writing this
post I cannot even imagine what exploits I will be writing to you all about
next time. The only thing I’m sure about is that they will be unforgettable. As
always, thanks for reading!
