Overall Trip

The trip overall was a blast, and I wish I could of study abroad there during college.
Some of the takeaways from the trip that I would tell others before coming is, bring
a coin purse or a coin pouch. The yen goes up to 500 yen as a coin, which is the
equivalent of $5.  You will get change and trust me you want a coin purse or fear
losing or dropping your money.  The second thing I will tell studentsis to bring yen
to Japan, don’t take it out the atm machines until necessary.  I say this so you can

avoid atm fees and also you get a better transfer rate in the USA than you would in
Japan.  In addition, many places do not take credit cards, like in the USA, so having
cash ready to go would be the smart option.  Lastly, I would learn some basic Japanese.
I felt really horrible for not even knowing how to say the simplest phrases in Japanese,
so a quick course on basic questions and answers would not be a bad idea.

The one thing I did really appreciate about this trip was the reunion in Tokyo and Kyoto.

I met a couple of people that I haven’t seen since freshman year of college. So it was
nice saying hi to them and seeing how their lives were going.  I also got to meet new
people from Japan and met some classmates that were studying abroad in Japan.
I hope the future Japan D-term trips can have these reunions also.  

Of course I have to give a shout out to the 100 yen stores.  If you are going to Japan
and are looking for cheap souvenirs, are just looking for something basic, the 100
yen shop is here to save the day.The shops to look out for is Daiso, Can Do, and
Le Plus, these are the major brand stores in Japan.

With that I say see you later Japan, and please have these sleeping Eevee
when I get back!

Tokyo: It's good to be back

The final two nights in Japan, we stayed in Tokyo.  This was part of the trip I was waiting for, we had a free day on the last full day in Japan and I wanted to visit a couple of sites.  On my list was, Akihabara, Shibuya crossing, Tokyo Tower, and to find an arcade.  This was part of the trip I wanted to go alone on because I knew I can get stuff done faster, and I could do what I want to do than follow a group.  Plus, I wanted to learn how to use the trains in Tokyo, so when I do come back I know how to use them. So my first stop was Tokyo Tower.  I went here more so I can cross it off the list of places to visit in the world.  I also wanted to see how it compares to the Eiffel Tower.  I liked the Eiffel Tower better, maybe because it was the original tower.  But it was pretty cool how close I could get to the Tower though.  I did not go inside and up to the top of the tower because I did not feel like paying $9.  

My next stop was Akihabara.  This was the place I was most hype for since this was anime central of Tokyo.  Let's say I was not disappointed.  There were so many places to buy anime merchandise, I think any fan would have a very hard time keeping their money in their pocket.  I somehow did not buy anything for myself, I bought a Pokemon doll for my little brother though.  I even got to experience a maid cafe, although I thought it would be better.  I guess anime maid cafes look more appealing in the show.  The only weird thing about the cafe was that I saw grown men, that could be about 40 years old or older at the cafe.  This would not be weird if the women working there were in their 30's, but they were about my age or younger.  I then went to the arcades, which of course were fun and was trying to brainwash me to spend all my money.  

After Akihabara, I went to Shibuya, for the Shibuya Crossing. I learn during this trip that there was a live feed on Youtube, so I was hyped to have my friends back home to watch the live feed.They were able to spot me after the 5th time crossing the street.  The crossing was not as big as I thought it was going to be, but there was a lot of people crossing though.

Staying with the locals

This was probably the most anticipated part of this whole entire trip.  No one was
for sure what to expect, but everybody was ready for it.  I heard that some of the
host stay families forces you to learn how to eat with chopsticks, and before
coming to Japan I could not use chopsticks to save my life.  With that in mind I
tried very hard on the trip to learn how to use chopsticks before hand so I would
not get a lecture.  Thankfully I did!  So first appearance of the town we are staying
at, reminded me we are in the country, and I was correct.  We were transported up
a hill to where our host families were.  It was not a small hill either I mean it was a
huge hill.  We finally met our host family.  To tell you readers the truth I'm really
horrible with names so I do not remember what their names were, but they were
extremely nice.  My host mom even gave me a scarf to borrow because it was really
cold that day.

Before we got to move in with our host family, we got to explore the local shrine.
It was a very beautiful Shrine.  The caretaker of the shrine did a ritual for us and
gave us a quick tour of the place. We then got to see a swordsmith making a
sword.  While watching him make a sword, there was a video guy that filmed us,
so hopefully we end up on tv.  Lastly we went to a green house, which was growing
roses.  I picked a purple/pinkesh one and then gave it to my host mom later.

The real fun began at the host families house.  During the stay it was quick to realizes that our host family did not speak English, so we knew we were going to have a huge language barrier.  One of the two other students that was with me spoke some Japanese but not enough to have a full blown conversation.  Yet, somehow we made it.  I feltl a little embarrassed that I had to download Google Translate.  But I want to make sure they knew what we were saying and there was no misunderstandings.  Our host mom made us dinner, first we had sushi, which for me I was panicking at first since I'm allergic to fish, but it was a vegan kind so I was not going to die.   It was egg wrapped around rice and that was dipped in some sauce and it tasted really good.  We then had a pot full of food, it was similar to soup just bigger, and of course that tasted fantastic

To me this was my anime dream coming to life, because our host mom showed
us to our room and it was literally like a getaway trip in anime.  We have the
futons, a tv, and even a room to play cards in.  Then the door slid too, ah,
I geeked out on the inside.  The next day we had breakfast similar to what we
had been eating at the hotels, rice, egg, toast, sausages, etc.  Then the mochi
making time came.  It was really fun making the mochi, the only problem was the
hammer to pound down on the rice was really heavy so I had a hard time lifting it.  
The mochi tasted okay, I guess I'm not a fan of pounded rice.  We then said thank
you to our host family and said our final farewells.  If you have the opportunity to
stay with a host family, do it!  Even if you don't talk the language it's a fun way to
learn the culture.

Nagasaki

Nagasaki, is a place in Japan I don't think I can or will forget.  Known as one of the place that the atomic bomb was dropped on other than Hiroshima.  It was a weird feeling being there, knowing that my country dropped a bomb never seen in war before, that killed so many innocent lives, even if they were the enemy of my country at the time.  I was more surprised though at how the city recovered, it almost looked like there was never a bomb dropped there in the first place.

We first stopped by the Nagasaki Peace Park.  There we found lots of memorials from
countries all over the world to commemorate the devastation that Nagasaki faced and
hope to never happen again.  There was also a huge statue called the Heiwa Kinen-zo,
which is suppose to be there for peace and to stop any future bombs from ever hitting
Nagasaki.  We also saw the remains of a building that was blasted away from the bomb,
all that was left was the foundation of the building.  I also got to see a high school have a
ceremony at the peace statue to pray for the lost souls that died that day.  It was a very
beautiful thing, and I'm glad I got to witness it on this trip.

Our next stop was the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.  If you are not the person that
likes gore or disturbing images, I suggest this museum is not for you.  Otherwise this
museum showed the devastation that the bomb caused on this city.  The museum first
had artifacts of the items that still remained intact from the bomb.  One of the artifacts
that remained intact was a wall clocked that will forever be stuck at 11:02, the moment
the bomb fell.  The rest of the museum showed what the bombed looked liked, how it
worked, and what happened to the objects and people around it.  I was shocked to my
core, how horrible it was.  I cannot unsee a woman with her baby burned to a crisp laying
there dead on the ground in the photo.  So many dead bodies in the photographs in the
museum and the video doctumoctries of the survivors sounded something out of a
nightmare. I wish that my high school taught me how devastating this bomb was other
than glossing over it because I do not think we as Americans know how much devastation
this cause.

After the museum, we visited other sites around Nagasaki.  I also discover the 100 yen shop called Can Do.  Trust me when I say, I was searching for these stores and I was super satisfied with the store.  It is WAY better than the Dollar Store back at home, they had things that I would not think would be in a dollar store such as gardening supplies, bike locks, yarn, ties (name brand), etc.  I also got to meet a cosplayer Samurai at one of the spots we visited.  Lastly I discovered what a Japanese arcade is like.  Let's just say I would recommend to bring about 1000 yen, because the arcade is very addictive and the claw machines will have you there for hours.

  

Hakodate: Winter Has Come

Oh Hakodate, it would have been fun if I had a coat and boots, mostly if you decided not to snow when we were there.  If Hakodate just did that, I probably would not have salt with it.  But regardless of me not being prepared for winter, Hakodate was a very interesting visit on the trip.  I was not too thrilled to visit Hakodate because I never heard about it and it was not Tokyo.  But to its credit it did surprise me.

Some of the highlights of the trip to Hakodate was the local monkeys.  I am usually not the one for animals on a trip, but the monkeys were one of the best parts of my entire Japan trip.  I think it was due to me being able to feed the monkeys by throwing food into there enclosure.  It was fun and I had a lot of laughs out of it.  Oh, a bigger plus, I got a free postcard where the monkeys were located, so I was happy.

Another highlight was visiting a museum about the Ainu, the local people who lived in the Hakodate area originally. Similar to how the Native American's were in America first.  It was actually really cool to look at some of the clothing and items they used.  It reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender, where one of the groups of people on the show are water benders, who happen to look and dress very similar to the Ainu, who also in the show was not up to speed on certain technology and was also in very cold regions.

The last few highlights from Hakodate was the foot sauna.  It was strange that a foot bath was just in the middle of the city but I was not complaining since I was very cold and I would not mind if my feet were getting heated up.  Next was the observation tower.  The observation tower gave a fantastic view of the whole city of Hakodate.  The final highlight was my, um I guess American cheeseburger, even though it did not taste the same it was still pretty alright.  I also went to Mcdonald's for the first time in Japan at Hakodate, let's just say the quality of the food was 2 times better than back in the States.  Although I felt really bad for the workers who saw us come through there doors,  I have never seen terror to take someone's order before this.

Shinkansen Action

If you are going to Japan, you must ride the Shinkansen or the bullet train.  The Shinkansen is a high-speed train that goes throughout Japan.  The Shinkansen can reach speeds up to 200 mph and is the fastest way to move around Japan on land.  Fun fact, there has been no deaths with Shinkansen up to date.  The best part about the Shinkansen is that it is included in the Japan Rail Pass.  The Japan Rail Pass is for tourist who wants a package deal for public transportation in Japan, it is well worth it if you're going to travel throughout Japan.

Okay, I know what you're thinking, 'Well how was riding the train?'.  To answer that it was very unique.  To be honest, when I first boarded the Shinkansen I thought it reached top speed for the first 15 minutes.  I was genuinely upset since I was prepared for extreme high speed.  Then all of sudden you felt the train starting to speed up until the train was blazing on the track.  I actually wanted the train to go faster than it was, but I guess getting up to 200 mph will have to do, for now.  

The inside of the train was very nice, it was sleek and had either 4 to 5 seats for each row.  The seats on the train were very spacious and the seats reclined (pretty far back actually).  Some the shinkansen even had outlets to charge your phone or laptop during the trip.  Also, every other train car had a restroom on it, so need to get off the train and rush back to catch it before it departs.  Most Shinkansen even had a stewardess who would walk around with food and drinks for purchase.  For luggage storage, there was a rack above all the seats where you can place your luggage or bags.  I wouldn't recommend bringing a huge a luggage on the train though unless you want to put it at the front of the train car, I would recommend a carry-on size luggage for your travels.  In short, you were very well treated on the Shinkansen

Day 1

After arriving in Japan, our group stayed in Tokyo for the night before heading out to Hakodate in the morning.  The first night in Japan was interesting.  First, the hotel room.  The hotel gave the guest many free items, shower caps, q-tips, slippers, and even razors (yes, you heard me razors!).  The rooms, from an American perspective, were quite small. Although considering the Japanese like to minimize the use of space, unlike American people, it makes sense why the room is small.  Oh, and of course the highlight of all the hotels, they all have a bidet toilet.  In case some of you readers don't know what that is, it's a toilet that shoots water up your butt hole so when you wipe yourself after going to the bathroom it's cleaned.  At first, I was sketched out using such a contraption that shoots water up there, but I was curious so I tried it and it's actually not bad.  In fact, I actually miss it, I recommend trying it once in your life.

Following the hotel room, the second most interesting thing about the first night in Japan was the pachinko parlor. A small group, including myself, thought we were going to an arcade, to actually find out it was a pachinko parlor.  A Pachinko parlor is where individuals go to gamble.  Of course, gambling is very strict in Japan, so a pachinko parlor is one way around it. When we first stepped in, it was extremely loud and it smelled like cigarettes.  I did not know how anyone could concentrate on the game they were playing with this much noise, but yet the players were.  I was also surprised how big the building was and how many machines were on 1 floor.  Throughout the trip, I notice pachinko parlors everywhere we went, it made me think of the USA, with casinos.  If you want to learn more about pachinko parlors click here.

     

Lastly, vending machines and convenience stores.  Trust me when I say, you can find a vending machine or a convenience within a 5-minute walk from wherever you are in a city in Japan. The vending machines can contain a variety of drinks, such as hot chocolate, hot coffee, green tea, water, etc.  There were also vending machines for cigarettes and food.  The convenience stores were just like the ones at home except with Japanese style food. I was surprised how popular 7-eleven is in Japan, although I was disappointed they did not have their famous Slurpees like they do back in the States.  So if you do visit Japan and need a quick and cheap meal for your journey, a vending machine or a convenience store will save the day.