Liam's Trip Blog

Day 1 Report--1/29/18

It is just past 6AM right now, and I meant to write this blog post last night, but I was too exhausted to do anything but lie in bed! Arriving in Tokyo and and just standing in the train station after having gone through security yesterday afternoon was incredibly exciting (despite it not sounding so!). There was this feeling of "Wow, I am actually here!" and of course I was surrounded by Japanese, so I had to try to read half of the signs I passed. There were so many interesting little things to see. Right away I spotted one of the famous Japanese vending machines, so I had to go check it out immediately! I ended up buying a Pocari Sweat just because the name is so famous, and it tastes like less sweet lemon-lime Gatorade (so not bad).

Another feeling I got just after arriving was the crushing weight of Japanese history. Here I was in another country with thousands of years of history of its own. When seeing Japanese people in the train stations we went through, it was interesting to consider how different my life would be had I been born here.

When walking to the youth hostel last night we passed over a beautiful lighted bridge. Furthermore, the youth hostel is on the eighteenth and nineteenth floor of the building it's in, so we get a beautiful (albeit condensation-covered) view!

So all in all, despite being exhausted for most it, I had an incredible first day yesterday! There are so many details to take in, and simple things such as glancing over signs, attempting to understand train announcements, and looking at Japanese advertisements was more than enough to keep me well awake and excited! I'm looking forward to what today holds!

Day 2 Report--1/30/18

It seems that at least when we are in Tokyo, I am going to end up writing these in the morning after each day because I have no energy to write them at night! As for yesterday, we did so many interesting and exciting things, and I have yet to let everything we did fully settle. My favorite place we went to was definitely the first place: the famous Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo. After getting off of the train we were in a seeming typical urban area--cars, large buildings, city noises--but within a minute we were standing at the entrance to Meiji Shrine.

Above is actually a picture from the other side of the entrance, and you can see the buildings of Tokyo outside. What I liked about Meiji Shrine was it was perfectly designed to be a place of natural tranquility in the middle of the bustling city. As you go through the entrance, massive trees hang over the wide path leading down to the actual main site, and an area of plants on both sides further provide a barrier. Going to this ancient shrine made me consider how Tokyo melds old and new. Though Tokyo is an incredibly modern city, it still maintains tradition and a distinctly Japanese character, and a large part of that it through the historical sites it contains, such as this shrine. Everything in the shrine, from the roofs to gates to walls, was absolutely gorgeous to look at.

Some of the experienced I had at Meiji Shrine included looking at shockingly good calligraphy made elementary schoolers (shown below), going through a cleansing ritual at an area outside the main site, and giving an offering off coins to the Gods of the shrine.

Shown to the right above is what I had for lunch in the downtown area of Shibuya. I often have instant ramen at home, so I was really excited to try the real thing! It turned out to be delicious! I especially enjoyed the broth, noodles, and pork. I have to go eat breakfast now, but if I have a chance later I will continue to write about what I did on the 29th because I experienced so many more things!

...It is right now 10 PM (still the 30th), and I surprisingly have a little bit of energy left, so I am going to first finish blogging about yesterday, and then I will make a new post about what we did today. After we ate lunch in downtown Shibuya yesterday, we walked around a bit, and I noticed at one point I was in an area that looked shockingly familiar. I then realized that I had actually seen this exact same area in a video game I'd played before--Persona 5! It was really hilarious to me to have been in this exact area in a game, but this time I was there in real life. Below to the left is the picture of the area I'm talking about, and I also added a picture of the Shibuya skyline. Shibuya is full of the famous massive advertisements and screens hanging on buildings that Tokyo is known for.

After Shibuya, we went to a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay called Odaiba. There we saw interesting sites outside such as a giant Gundam statue, and we also went to a famous science and innovation museum called Miraikan. Though most of the exhibits at Miraikan were perhaps more geared towards a younger audience, there was one exhibit that I absolutely loved. It was about AI and robots, and they actually had two (somewhat) human-like robots there. (They looked pretty terrifying actually.) Then, later, when we went through the lobby of a mall, we saw a robot manning the information counter. I have heard about Japan's lack of required manpower in certain sectors and that they are resorting to robots in many cases, but it was fascinating to see one in real life!

Day 3 Report--1/30/18

Today was even more enjoyable than yesterday--partly because I was less tired and partly because I think we went to even more interesting places! Before I start the actual "day" post though, I want to add a list of general observations I have made so far about Japan and Tokyo specifically. These are things you immediately notice after spending a day or two in Tokyo.

• I was shocked by how many people where face masks. If you are walking in a semi-crowded public area, there are usually at least four or five people wearing them. The idea, of course, comes down to respect--not spreading your germs if you are sick.
• Tokyo is unbelievably clean for a city of its size! You have to actually look hard to find any trash. The first full day we toured around (the 29th), I honestly don't remember seeing any trash. (Edit: I'm sure there was trash, but I wasn't looking for it. Still, the cleanliness is very noticeable.) Today I did find some, but I'm surprised it took this long!
• Everybody uses trains to get around and thus, they are usually very crowded. Whether it be by subway, express train, or monorail, you can get where you need to go by train! Furthermore, when I say everybody uses them, I really mean that. We saw children that looked like they were in elementary school in the station commuting to school.
• Japanese is not at all necessary to navigate Tokyo. I was somewhat surprised by how much English is in Tokyo. It's pretty much everywhere: train announcements, signs, restaurant menus, etc. Of course, this profusion of English is not going to exist when we travel to rural Japan tomorrow--there, I am told, we are not to expect to be able to rely on English at all!
• Vending machines are everywhere. They only sell drinks though.
• It is pretty weird being a white person in Tokyo. Japan is obviously incredibly homogenous (less so in Tokyo, but still), and it's strange to feel as if you are constantly sticking out like a needle. I might be feeling this simply because I have never been to a country where I am in the minority however.
• This is hard to describe, but Tokyo feels "narrower" than US cities and suburbs I've been to. This is probably because the US is far more spread out in general, but in Tokyo, balconies are narrow, alleys are narrow, and there are lots of narrow passages leading from one area to another area or shop. The exceptions are downtown areas and Odaiba. Odaiba had massive buildings that were very spread out.
• On escalators (which are everywhere in train stations) people who don't plan on actually walking upwards stay to the left side. That way, people who are in a rush can run up the stairs on the right. (Not super significant, I know, but still an interesting tidbit nonetheless!)
• I will keep adding to this list as I remember more things I meant to add but forgot about.

Moving on to what we actually did today, we again did a ton of things, but I want to specifically focus on the peony garden and shrine we went to, both because those were were my two favorite things we've done so far, and I'm tired and don't want to write too much! The peony garden I talk of was located in Ueno, a famous cultural district of Tokyo. It it were (obviously) were lots and lots of flowers. The walls were really well placed to prevent you from seeing into the next portion of the garden, but most noticeable was that there were straw houses over all of the flowers. The purpose of these was to prevent snow from crushing the flowers, but in my opinion at least, it connects to the cultural aspect of respect--respect for elders, respect for tradition, and respect for nature. In addition to the houses to protect the flowers, there were also crutches to hold up tree branches that might collapse. (I've actually seen these before in a Japanese garden I went to in America though.)

The right picture is a haiku I wrote in the garden--people were able to post thoughts on a board there. The two surrounding haikus were written by Cati and Lulu. My basically translates to the following:

A beautiful day

A bit of snow on the ground

I like Japan!

(Too tired to try to make the last line translate to a five-syllable line in English)

It realize it's a pretty awful poem, but to be fair we were on the move through the garden. An elderly Japanese women overheard us trying to write haikus and found it pretty funny. (It was all good fun though, not mean or anything.)

The peony garden, however, was really only an accompaniment to the main attraction, Tosho-gu, a Shinto shrine. This shrine was probably one of the coolest-looking buildings I've ever seen. The black and gold go so well together, and yes, that's real gold leaf.

The final thing I wanted to mention was this image. I took this picture today from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory, and the massive forested area in the middle of the image is Meiji Shrine, the very one we visited on the 29th. I wanted to include this image to again show how though Tokyo is incredibly modernized, they still leave space amongst all of the giant buildings for areas that hold tradition, allow people to reflect, and show a deep respect for nature. Tomorrow we are going to Zao Onsen, so the next couple of days will likely be quieter!

Day 4 Report--1/31/18

It is 8:16 AM right now, and we are about to leave the youth hostel. Most of the day today will be spent riding shinkansen (bullet trains). I realize I already said this in a previous post, but it is incredibly easy to use trains to get from place to place in Japan. There are actually multiple websites in which you can simply type in your starting city and destination city, and the site will show several routes (with transfers, prices, extra fields, etc.). We have been using these recently in class to study the Japanese train system. It's a shame there isn't such an efficient system in the US (at least, not that I know of).

It's now 9:26 PM, and I really enjoyed the day because (as predicted) it was very different from the ones I've had previously. It was far more relaxed. On the shinkansen ride here, as we went north, I was shocked out how much snow there was. The forecast was for at least five feet of snow in Zao Onsen, the hot springs area we were are currently at, but I didn't fully believe that forecast. Thus, I was shocked when on the way there I saw sights such as this out the window of the shinkansen.

...And then this in Zao Onsen

I loved the bathing experience I had today in Zao Onsen and am looking forward to doing it again tomorrow. The hot springs resort we are staying at has eight (or more) hot springs baths, and many of them are open to the outdoors! This means that while you relax in the natural spring water (which is full of sulfur by the way--smells bad but you get used to it, plus it's good for your skin), you can literally look out a wide open window a few feet away (though everything is wooden--it's not framed), and see a massive snowdrift outside. Bathing is both a relaxing and social experience. The dinner we had tonight was ridiculously good, but I forgot to bring my phone down and thus couldn't take pictures. The resort we are staying at has gorgeous rooms as well.

Again, I might add to this day report later but am too tired to do so right now.

...It is now 6:22 AM the following morning, and I really feel as if I didn't do justice at all toward explaining the public bathing experience I had yesterday and will have again (probably multiple times today). I have to admit that before I had the experience, I was very apprehensive about it because I had never experienced anything similar to it. I'm not sure if it is even possible to have such an experience in the US.

First, I will just list the mechanics of bathing:

• You go into the first room where there are baskets for your clothes and sinks.
• The next room has little stations to wash yourself off before actually entering the baths. Traditionally, Japanese people don't shower to wash themselves off (so there are no showers at this very traditional resort). Instead, you sit on a small wooden stool and wash yourself on from there. It sounds difficult and unpleasant, but in reality, it is easier than it seems.
• Finally, you may enter the bath rooms. I may have said this before, but the resort we are at has multiple bath rooms in the hotel (three I think), and there are also some you must walk to because they are outside!
• The walls of the bath room (and the rooms leading up to it) are all made out of wood. In the bath room, there are really beautiful lanterns to give light!
• Also, I keep saying resort, but the place we are at is nothing like what I would picture if I heard "resort." I can't remember the exact number, but I believe it is around one thousand years old. The mountain village itself that we are staying at is about that old too.
• Another thing: I keep saying bath room (singular), but most of the bathing areas have multiple baths in them. Bath areas are of course separated by gender, and what gender goes to what area changes each day.

As for actually being in the bath, the first thing you notice is it is an incredibly interesting mixture of hot and cold! The water itself (which is opaque and yellow due to the sulfur, plus there is an incredible amount of steam), is very, very hot--hotter than that in hot tubs you would visit at a pool. However, there is also an at least 5 foot by 6 foot opening in the wall three feet away from which you can see the snow falling and a deserted mountain of snow on the ground. The drop from the window is about twelve feet.

Thus, while you bathe, your upper body actually gets somewhat cold while your feet are very warm! Though some people may find this odd and unpleasant, I actually really enjoyed it because the cold air keeps you sharp and active in the conversation. It is not at all painfully cold.

While we we were in there yesterday, we talked about things such as the characteristics of different world languages and politics (North Korea). The bathing experience is so much better if you are in good company because talking and getting to know each other is what makes it truly fun. I meant to only go in the bath for about twenty minutes yesterday, but I ended up staying there for over an hour because it was so relaxing and fun!

I will try to take some pictures of the baths (if no one is in there obviously), more pictures of the beautiful place we are staying in itself, and pictures of the delicious food we are served here today! For now, I will post this picture of some insanely massive icicles (largest I've ever seen) which we saw on the walk from the bus stop to the resort.

Day 5 Report--2/1/18

It is 6:50 PM right now, and I just finished trying liquid strawberry shortcake. I got it out of a vending machine while we were leaving Tokyo, and it is absolutely disgusting! Basically, it's sugar water with chunks floating in it that I guess are supposed to be chunks of cheesecake? The food we are served at the resort we are at, however, is indisputably delicious.

Eating at the resort we are staying at is an experience unto itself. We are served both breakfast and dinner at the resort, and each time we enter the dining room which has two long tables by which we sit, the first course is already artfully laid out. Yokota-sensei told us that there is a Japanese expression which states that one must feast with the eyes first, and clearly this is true given the arrangement you can see above! Furthermore, though the above meal was a dinner, no effort is spared for breakfast or dessert either. (Note: The pictures shown below are actually from the 2nd--I'm a bit behind in blogging!)

The traditional Japanese dining experience is unique in many ways. Firstly, there is never a "big" dish. Rather, you are served lots of tiny dishes with different types of food in them. All of the food that is to be served is not present at the beginning of the meal either--new dishes are brought every five minutes as you finish the ones in front of you. Furthermore, there is a "proper" way to eat everything. For example, for the meal in which we had stew with beef in it, to eat the beef you are first supposed to dip the beef in a bowl which contain a yolk which you must whip yourself. Then, you place the beef in your rice bowl and eat it. Japanese food is very flavorful (salty and sharp), so rice is often used as a dampener. Finally, everybody must wear yukata to the table (traditional Japanese robes). Overall, I would say the incredible dining experience we are privileged to have reflects the Japanese values of needle-sharp precision, careful attention to detail, and a strong aesthetic appreciation.

We did not spend the day only eating delicious food however! From about 10:00 to 2:30 myself and a group of people explored Zao Onsen. We went up to the skiing area and watched people ski (while debating whether it would be worth renting a pair--we didn't; too expensive, and how much would we really get to use them?). I ate ramen again at a nice little place closer to the resort where we are staying.

Later in the afternoon, we took several gondola lifts to go see the snow monsters (trees completely covered in snow due to the wind). The views near the top of the mountain were definitely some of the most beautiful I've seen in my life. You can't help but be overcome with a deep sense of awe and humility when you literally stand above the clouds. Below, I am going to post a bunch of pictures--some from the resort and some from up in the mountains.

Day 6 Report--2/2/18

Today was my favorite day of the trip so far! The main event today was visiting the temples in the mountains above a small town called Yamadera (literally "mountain temple"). I have found from both the visit today and the visits to shrines/a temple in Tokyo that visiting shrines and temples are my favorite thing to do in Japan. Firstly, they are breathtakingly beautiful, but they are also very peaceful, and I always feel that I leave feeling somehow fuller and clearer. Also, just in case you didn't know--shrines are of the Shinto religion (native to Japan), whereas temples are Buddhist (came to Japan from China I believe). You can tell if it is a shrine by whether it has the classic Japanese gate above the entrance (look at the picture I took of the entrance of Meiji shrine at the top). Japan is incredibly unique in that it blends to very different and seemingly incompatible belief systems, Buddhism and Shinto, into one.

At the foot of the temples, I was able to buy a very precious souvenir. It is a beautiful book which you are supposed to take with you whenever you visit a temple or shrine in Japan. There, you can pay a small amount to have a person put a page-large mark in the book that includes both calligraphy and unique stamps. I love calligraphy--just look at the stamp below.

I know I said the views from yesterday were wonderful, but the vistas I saw today from the wooden observatory at the top of the temple complex were even better. I especially like how the mountains in the background give a sense of permanence. They have watched as Japan passed from ancient times to the modern age, and they will continue to watch for many millennia more.

I said before that I liked visiting temples and shrines for their beauty and intrinsic self-reflection inducing quality, but the reason I most like to visit them is that they always have incredibly rich and interesting histories. The Yamadera mountain temples are no exception. They are 1400 years old, and the famous poet Matsu Basho wrote haiku there, haiku that we studied in class. I really enjoyed simply surveying the valley below from up in the wooden observatory and imagining what the village below might have looked like centuries ago. For hundreds and hundreds of years prior to my ephemeral visit, people have been born, had their childhoods, fallen in love, and grown old in the very valley I was looking over. Though they are long dead, the temples they constructed to give spiritual meaning to their lives live on.

Another point I would like to make is that there is a great difference in experience between visiting a temple or shrine in Tokyo and visiting those close to a small village such as Yamadera. There were predictably far less people visiting the temples in Yamadera than there were visiting those in Tokyo, and this greatly enhances the experience because it makes it feel less “touristy.” Quiet and lack of crowds is necessary to enjoy a temple/shrine visit to the utmost.

If visiting the temples made my day, the fun I had in the actual village of Yamadera afterward perfected it! For lunch I had some delicious imouni stew—a speciality of Yamadera, and after I was able to try green soybean ice cream.

My favorite experience, however, was meeting and talking to the wonderfully kind old lady who ran the restaurant where my group ate lunch and the shop next door. She was very forthcoming, cheery, and talkative, and when she saw the maps we were carrying that Van Krey-sensei gave us this morning in Zao Onsen, she told us that she was the one who drew the original! It is probably the warmest and prettiest map I have ever seen, and she pointed out where her picture was in the upper left-hand corner. We ended up getting her to autograph our maps on the way out (she was very surprised) as a token of meeting her!

This is the English side of the map, but of course there is Japanese on the other side—that's the side she autographed.

The face she wrote the autograph next to is of course her!

After leaving Yamadera we had another scrumptious meal at the resort to conclude this amazing day!

Day 7 Report--2/3/18

I am currently on a shinkansen on the way to Tokyo—from there, we will depart to a train station near Kokusai Joho (our sister school) where I will get to meet my host family! Leaving the resort where we stayed this morning was sad because we had such a wonderful stay, but I feel blessed to have even gotten to stay at such a high-end onsen resort! It was made even more sad by us having to say goodbye to Jin-san. Jin-san was in charge of our group at the resort, and he was kind to us far beyond the scope of his job. Before every meal he would give a speech about the meal we were about to eat, where the food came from, etc., and often when he brought a new dish to me and people sitting close by, he would tell us what the dish was (I didn't know three quarters of what I was eating, just that it was delicious!), where it came from (since it was a new dish), or how to properly eat it. He would always cheerfully answer our questions, and to top the cake, on his day off, he wrote letters in Japanese to each and every one of us by hand! When I got mine this morning, I deeply regretted not buying him a gift when we had gone shopping the day before. Fortunately, some people in our group had. I wanted to include Jin-san in my blog because he is the epitome of Japanese hospitality and was just an amazing person in general.

I will write more tonight after having met my host family!

...I finally met my host family! The family consists of Shutaro's grandparents, Shutaro's parents, Shutaro, and his two younger sisters. Right after meeting at the train station, Shutaro and I went to the temple within a walking distance of his house so that I could try zazen meditation. It was very hard on my back, and I was no where close to as flexible as the other teenagers doing it. Most of them could easily do full lotuses! Nonetheless, it was a very valuable experience, and I got to see various artifacts that hung on the walls of the temple. There were many very old straw articles of clothing, such as old Japanese straw snow boots.

After going back to his house, I ate a delicious dinner with the family (sushi), and then watched Japanese TV for a bit. Shutaro's house is very large and very beautiful. Everything is made out of wood, and there are many altars in the house with stunning calligraphy and other interesting items. It is very cold in most areas in Shutaro's house because, like in most houses in Japan, there is no centralized heating. There are heaters in all the rooms in which people are likely to stay for a while though, and I am writing this while my legs lie under a heated table! Also, I haven't had wifi for a while, which is why this post and the few before it are coming in so late.

Above is a picture of my room!

One thing I forgot to mention! Today had some sort of religious significance (I can't remember the name of the day however), so after dinner yesterday we did a ceremony to keep onis (demons) outside of the house and bring fuku (blessings, good fortune, or luck) inside. It involved throwing candy and peanuts into rooms in the house where people sleep or gather and saying “demons stay out, fuku come in” (obviously in Japanese). Shutaro's mom put on an oni mask and chased his sisters around which was really funny! I look forward to what tomorrow holds!

Shutaro and I--I look absolutely awful in this picture, but I feel I have an obligation to post it because it is the only picture I have so far of the two of us. Behind us is perhaps the largest altar in his house!

Day 8 Report--2/4/18

It is currently 4:42 PM, and wow today was fun! This morning, I went shopping with Shutaro, his younger sisters (Rikko--older and Ayaka--younger), and his mother. We went to a hardware store to pick up some wooden boards so that a structure to prop up a futon in the house can be built. Then, we went to a dollar store and finally a supermarket. It may seem boring to just spend the morning going shopping, but I got to talk to Shutaro a ton, and any experience I have in Japan that I can compare to one in America is incredibly valuable.

This afternoon, however, Shutaro's parents drove us to one of the two skiing areas in this town. I believe we went to the easier and smaller one, but that was certainly a good thing because I have never skied in my life! Amazingly, however, after my first fall while going down a slope I never fell again and was able to easily pick up speed, turn, and brake. In fact, I was far better at actually going down hills than I was at just moving on the relatively flat surface at the bottom of the hills. Shutaro's parents were very surprised at seeming me cruising down the hills at the end when they came to pick us up, given at the beginning it took me five minutes to get into the skiing area!

My success, however, was due to me having an excellent sensei--Shutaro. He has skied since he was six and told me he generally goes every Sunday with his friends in the winter. Thus, he is very, very good! Furthermore, he told me that some of the best skiers in Japan come from the area where he lives, and from watching people at the slopes (the little kids included), I am not surprised. I enjoyed skiing so much, and when I get home at some point I want to go on a skiing trip! Also, Shutaro and his dad did take pictures of either myself or the two of us together, but I don't have the pictures yet. When I get them, I will post them.

I learned a ton about Japanese teenagers' lives from talking to Shutaro while shopping today. I have compiled a list of some of the points I remember and will keep adding to it when I learn or remember more.

• The school Shutaro goes to (and the one I will first get to go to tomorrow--Kokusai Joho) is very competitive! It is a sort of super school--very rigorous, basically all the students want to get into top universities. There are other high schools in the town where Shutaro lives, but I'm guessing Kokusai Joho is by far the most competitive in the area. As such, Shutaro as an incredible amount of homework--even though he is only a freshmen. (To be fair, Japanese students only attend high school for three years.) His mom told me that he wakes up at five every morning to do homework, and I'm sure he also does it at night. His mom also told me what time he usually goes to bed, but I can't remember what it was! Either way, I'm impressed.
• Due to the immense workload students at Kokusai Joho have, I believe they are actually only allowed to join one club. For Shutaro, this is tennis club. He also I believe told me that upperclassmen (second and third years) often aren't in a club or go to their club less often. Schoolwork is put above all else at Kokusai Joho.
• The clubs at Kokusai Joho are more traditional than those at ETHS. There is no math club (or clubs relating to any subject--such as science club) for example! So far I know of kendo club, baseball club, sadoubu (tea ceremony club), and tennis club. He told me that baseball is the most popular club--the football team of their school, so to speak. I know that baseball is very popular in Japan in general, so I wasn't surprised when he said this.
• When students enter Kokusai Joho, they pick a sort of major. You can pick either math and science, or English, Japanese, and world history. Shutaro picked math and science, but he likes chemistry and biology more than physics and math. His least favorite class is Japanese--he has to take this class despite his "major" being math and science.
• I believe the day at Kokusai Joho is slightly longer than the day at ETHS. It starts slightly later and ends at 4:00. I could be wrong on these points however. I know, however, that there are seven periods. Most students do not have the same classes everyday.
• Every morning except for Monday, freshmen at Kokusai Joho must take a mini test. The subject varies depending on the day of the week. Upperclassmen have a mini test every day of the week.
• Japanese students (and I think people in general) tend to dress more nicely than Americans! Practically all Japanese students have to wear uniforms to school, but I've noticed that they also have things like nicer-looking coats--types that I haven't ever seen on American students.
• For math, Shutaro told me there are three levels at his school. He is currently in the middle level--this is probably really good considering he is a freshmen (but I have no clue what the levels correspond to in the American system).
• Shutaro commutes to KJ by car, but most students take the train there. Since it is such a premier high school, students commute from very far away.
• Shutaro lives with his grandfather and grandmother. This is traditional in Japan. His house is very, very big though (by Evanston standards), so there is plenty of space.

Overall, I would say I have learned that competitive Japanese students are incredibly hard-working and sacrifice (whether voluntarily or not) other pastimes so that they can excel in school. There are certainly downsides to this approach, but I do strongly believe that highly competitive American high schoolers are too focused on being in a million clubs at once.

The day, however, is not over, and I'm sure dinner will be delicious given how delicious breakfast and supper last night were! I will add to this post if need be.

Edit: I finally have the some of the pictures/videos taken while I was skiing and will post them below!

I wish I had taken off my ski goggles for this picture, but it was taken while we were on the ski lift which is pretty cool!

I realize now that I looked kind of stupid while skiing since I was braking most of the time, but it was still incredibly fun! Shutaro is so good that he can ski backwards!

Day 9 Report--2/5/18

Today was my first day at Kokusai Joho! I will give specific details about the amazing day I had below the following section, but first I want to just give some of the observations I made while getting to be a student at Kokusai Joho. I realize that some of these observations might not seem acutely relevant, but since I want to be able to look back on this blog and remember everything later, I am just putting everything down.

• Students actually don't wear slippers in the school—they wear white school-issued sneakers. I have been wearing slippers though.
• Kokusai Joho is far, far stricter than ETHS. There is no “express yourself” movement. Accessories like piercings, makeup, and dyed hair are strictly prohibited, and using your phone in school (even between classes) could possibly result in an expulsion. Shutaro told me though that not all schools in Japan are like this—KJ is unusually strict. (Though in general, Japanese schools are of course far stricter.)
• I was slightly surprised to find that students are allowed to wear face masks in school.
• There were many tired students—probably more due to staying up to do homework rather than staying up to watch Netflix.
• For better or worse, technology is not used in the classroom. The only exception is that each student has a device that looks like a Nintendo DS and is used to translate between Japanese and English and old Japanese and modern Japanese.
• All the students and teachers are clean shaven. I'm not sure if this is a rule or just a social norm.
• Practically all of the doors in the school (except for those opening to the outside) are sliding doors. The same goes for nearly all of the doors in Shutaro's house. In general, sliding doors are very, very common in modern Japan—I believe this is due to the fact that traditional Japanese doors are sliding doors.
• All of the male teachers wear suits, and of course the female teachers dress very nicely too. I have had teachers in America wear t-shirts and hoodies to class. Honestly, however, I don't mind when teachers sometimes wear casual clothes because it can make the classroom seem warmer.
• At the beginning of each class, a preselected student says “kyosuke” which I believe means “stand at attention”—everybody stands up, pushes their chair under their desks, and waits. Then I believe the student says “rei” (“bow”), but I never hear this because at this point everybody bows to the teacher, saying “onegaishimasu” (“please teach me”--except the “teach me” part is implied). At the end of each class, students go through the same motions, except this time they say “arigatou gozaimasu” (“thank you”) instead of “onegaishimasu.”
• All of the classrooms have desks lined up in neat rows facing the front of the classroom. No two desks touch each other. Furthermore, there were a lot of students in the class I became a part of (class 1-3)--about 34 to be more specific.
• Practically all of the classes are run lecture-style, and the teacher teaches right out of the textbook. I meant the latter point very literally—the math, science, and Japanese teachers carry around one of the small, soft-cover textbooks (specific to each subject) KJ students use while they walk back and forth along the chalkboard, writing things down. There is very little discussion between students and teacher (if any at all)--generally students don't ask any clarifying questions. To be honest, I'm glad I don't go to KJ because I don't like this method of teaching. Still, witnessing it is an incredibly interesting experience, and I'm sure there are benefits to this very traditional method of teaching.
• There is no AM support, but students who fail the mini test at the beginning of the day can't do club activities after school—they have to take supplemental lessons.
• Though students rarely ask questions, sometimes the teacher will randomly call on a students to answer a question written on the chalkboard. There is more pressure on students this way. Sometimes questions are posed to the entire class, but usually when this happens no one answers.
• There is no “visual candy” in the classrooms—goofy posters, odds and ends, or anything colorful at all really. This is partly due to the fact that students stay in the same classroom for all of their core classes (the teachers move around), but I think KJ also prides itself on its austere learning environment. The only books in the classroom (besides those students keep in their desks) were a few college-exam preparatory books in a tiny bookshelf by the door.
• The mood during class is very formal (practically no warmth or humor). It is then rather surprising to see how quickly the mood changes between classes. Students have seven minutes between periods, but they don't have to move around (since they belong to a single class—4 per year, 12 in all), so students will go to each other's desks to talk, and there's a lot of laughter and humor.
• I touched on this briefly before, but the study materials (textbooks, workbooks, etc.) KJ students use are very small and have soft covers. They are similar in feel to the softly bound manga books you can buy in bookstores.
• The school hallways are very cold—like Shutaro's house, there is no central heating.
• Again, I touched on this earlier, but a large chalkboard spanning the entire front wall is the main tool teachers use to teach. The theoretical chemistry teacher, for example, divided the board into sections by page number in the textbook—this again shows how closely teachers follow the textbook while teaching.
• There isn't any “hands on” learning. Students, for example, take “theoretical chemistry” rather than “chemistry”--so there aren't any experiments. Honestly, I like this method of teaching. I feel that the “hands-on” approach is often held up far too high in the American school system and gets in the way of one actually being able to learn a vast amount of material solidly and quickly.
• After classes are over, on every day there is a mini test (every day except Monday), the class you are in gathers in the classroom with the teachers for that class present. For class 1-3 (the class I have become a part of), there are three teachers. I believe then they announce the top scorer from the class for that morning. Also, the top fifteen or sixteen scorers for the mini test are posted downstairs in the hallway. I told Shutaro that something like this would never happen at ETHS (and practically all American high schools in general).
• I got to experience two different kinds of English class at KJ. The first I got to experience was I believe called GSCE English. The class was for second-year students (only six of them were in it!) who want to study abroad in college—thus, their English was very good. The teachers for the class are all foreign except for one Japanese woman. Going to this class was very enjoyable because we were able to interact with Japanese students (albeit in English)—I met Haruhi and talked to her about her school schedule.
• I enjoyed the second English class I went to far less than the first one I went to (that's me being kind). It is called Communication English, but the students don't actually spend any time communicating in English with each other. Instead, the teacher just hands out worksheets that they work through as a class each period. The topic they were studying was irrelevant to English-speaking cultures and incredibly boring (desalination), and the method of learning was all rote memorization. Furthermore, the teacher kept putting a giant stopwatch on the chalkboard to put pressure on students and would randomly call on them or go through them one by one, asking for answers to question after question. Overall, seeing this class in action made me realize how fortunate I am that Japanese at ETHS is not taught this way!

Overall, I would describe KJ as an incredibly effective machine—taking in smart middle schoolers and getting them past the college entrance exams and into prestigious universities. Despite their austere and colorless learning environment however, the students still live vibrant lives as clear from speaking to them and being with them in their free time.

Now, I will actually share some of my favorite parts of the day! I most enjoyed the final period of the school day—Shutaro had information class. It was basically just a study hall in which students who are going on school trips to other countries soon were supposed to work on their presentations about Uonuma. I spent most of the time talking to Ui, a Japanese girl who was in the same presentation group as Shutaro. We talked about random things—family, vacation destinations, likes and dislikes, etc. (things I know how to talk about in Japanese). I found it really funny when she called Shutaro a “mysterious man”--obviously he is very popular!

Another highlight of the day was going home and getting to see Shutaro's salamanders. He likes biology and chemistry but is less into physics and math. His family also keeps different kinds of fish on the property (there are three ponds in which they live). The koi and goldfish (I believe) are just for viewing, and there are also fish to eat. (I can't remember what they were called.)

I almost forgot! Shutaro also showed me a very special room in his house which I believe is called a "zashiki" (formal Japanese tatami room). Inside the room were two large altars, and on one of the altars were a couple of antique katanas. It was amazing to see a katana up close.

I ate another delicious dinner of karaage (marinated chicken), and enjoyed talking to Shutaro's family (mainly his mother and grandmother). Below I will put some pictures from the day!

Day 10 Report--2/6/18

Today was another super interesting day at KJ! My in-class experience was somewhat similar to that I had yesterday, so I won't give all of the details. First period, however, was different and very fun! Shutaro had "World History A," but the students were all studying for a test, so the teacher of the class came and talked to us in Japanese for about half the period (about twenty-five minutes probably). He explained in Japanese why Urasa (the town in which KJ is located and Shutaro lives) gets so much more snow than Tokyo, despite them both being about equally cold at this time of year. The reason is that Urasa is north of the mountains and Tokyo in south of the mountains, so the clouds have already deposited their load by the time they get to Tokyo. He drew a diagram which I will put below. We also talked about other stuff after that such as what his favorite place in Japan is. (It was a shrine in Niigata I believe, but I can't remember the name of it.) It was awesome to get to interact so closely with a Japanese teacher!

Another part of the day I really enjoyed was getting to go to tennis club with Shutaro after school. On Monday all the ETHS students had to attend sadobu (tea ceremony club), but I realized I would rather see what tennis club is like! Well, today I got to both witness it and actually play tennis the whole time! Since there is so much snow, the tennis club obviously can't practice outside, so they practice in a neat little area underneath the school that is open to the outside on one side (nets prevent snow from coming in). The floor is sandy, and they only have one court to play with because the soccer club has their practice next to ours (a wall separates the two areas and both are the size of a tennis court). Shutaro started playing tennis when he entered high school and joined the club, so I was impressed by how good he was, considering he is still a freshmen! He told me the club has twelve members, but today there was so much snow that trains stopped and many students couldn't actually get to school, so in many classes and at tennis practice there were many absences.

The KJ tennis club had a far shorter tennis practice than the ETHS tennis team has. KJ ends past four, and it took twenty-minutes just to get to the area and get ready (that was with me tailing along though). We left just past 5:30, so we really only played tennis for slightly more than an hour. Furthermore, though the tennis club has a coach, he is very busy, and I'm guessing can't always make it to practice. He wasn't hear today because he was writing entrance tests (or administering them perhaps--I didn't fully understand what Shutaro said) for people trying to get into KJ.

Sports at KJ are far less competitive than they are at ETHS (though there are good players). Their purpose is to let off steam rather than spend hours working to do well in a competition (though Shutaro said they do compete in at least one tournament). Honestly, I really enjoyed the lack of pressure and low-key vibe, and I think ETHS could learn from it.

Another note about clubs in Japan--Japanese high school students pick a single club when entering high school and then don't change clubs. Clubs run all through the year. Since Shutaro picked tennis as a freshmen, it is very likely that he will stay in that club all three years (unless he quits because he wants to focus more on schoolwork--not uncommon, I think). KJ's foremost purpose is to get its students ready for college, so clubs are just an accessory to that purpose--let off some steam so that you are ready to work harder later.

After school today we stopped at 7-Eleven and then went home. Shutaro's mother drives him to school and his grandmother picks him up, and stopping at 7-Eleven on the way home seems to be a tradition. Japanese 7-Elevens sell far healthier food than American ones, and today Shutaro and I both bought a yogurt drink. We both then ate spicy cup ramen and finally dinner later on. Spicy ramen might currently be my favorite Japanese food! (Though I also love miso ramen.) I will put a few pictures below.

Day 11 Report--2/7/18

Today was my favorite day of the homestay so far! We actually didn't go to KJ today, but instead this morning all of the ETHS students took a shinkansen to Ueda to meet the students from Ueda high school whom we have been corresponding with for nearly the entirety of the past semester. I mainly talked with two girls in Japanese during the day. While our group (the yellow team--we had corresponded in groups) walked to a shopping mall, I talked to Mayuuko in Japanese (though she responded in English) about different things. I learned, for example, that during New Year's she likes to eat octopus and food made with red beans (Japanese: "azuki"; English: "adzuki").

For lunch all of the ETHS students and all of the Ueda high school students went to a soba restaurant, because the area around Ueda (perhaps even the entire prefecture) is famous for its soba. While eating, I talked to Noa (both of use mainly speaking in Japanese). I learned that Ueda high school is also a very challenging high school (like KJ). Noa said she studies for three to four hours everyday, which is very impressive.

Ahh, I forgot to mention two things! The reason we were able to go shopping is because today the Ueda students didn't have school since entrance examinations to get into Ueda high school were being administered. Also, before lunch we went to an arcade in the shopping mall, and I got cheated out of 400 yen (4 dollars) by a machine while trying to win some chocolate! This claw machine was the most overtly unfair I have ever seen! I'm guessing the ramp was coated with a sticky substance, so if you knock down a stack of chocolate (which I did twice), it can't actually make it to the bottom!

Below are some pictures of the school from outside of it. Ueda high school used to be a castle, so it has a beautiful old gate and even a moat!

Above is a picture of my correspondence group! Noa is the girl at the very far left of the picture. We were pretty disorganized at this point, so Mayuuko is not in the picture--she is probably with everybody behind and to the right of the gate.

On the way to the station, we passed a super cute mini-shrine playground for children! I will put a picture of it below.

Getting to meet students we had been corresponding with online for the past semester was wonderful, but the highlight of my day was going out after school with the Sakurai family to what I guess is best described as a Japanese diner (large menu, most dishes cost about eight dollars, etc.). Of course, they mainly served Japanese food however! The diner is near Urasa station and is owned by a cousin of Shutaro's grandmother. The Sakurai family had reserved a mini room inside the restaurant that had a tatami-mat floor, classic paper walls, a low wooden table, and thin cushions to sit on. I ended up ordering spicy ramen and a sushi side dish. (I'm not actually sure if it was sushi since it wasn't comprised of rolls but raw fish on top of rice, but either way it was delicious!)

During dinner, I finally got to know Shutaro's dad. He is an architect, and he and Shutaro's grandfather have their own company nearby in Urasa, so he is very busy and almost never eats with us when we dine at Shutaro's house. He asked me whether I had eaten rabbit, bear, octopus, or mountain goat (I believe) before, and then replied that they were delicious after I said I hadn't eaten them. (It was really funny.) We also talked a bit about politics, and I explained that the North dislikes Trump, whereas the South likes him. In general, my favorite parts of this trip have by far been the moments where I have gotten the chance to actually talk to Japanese people!

I took some pictures with different family members before, during, and after dinner today and will post them below! Shutaro's mom is super funny, and his sisters (Rikko and Ayaka) are absolutely adorable! Ayaka will sometimes lie down in the middle of a room and not move until Shutaro's mom tickles her.

Above is a picture of Shutaro's mom, Ayaka, and me.

Me and Rikko!

I almost forgot! Today at the Urasa train station, while waiting for Shutaro to pick me up after the Ueda excursion, I got to see Yuri again! Last year Yuri (currently a second-year student at KJ) stayed at my house for a week, and though it was an amazing week, since then we haven't corresponded. He was so sweet today and gave me a letter from himself and one from his mother. His dream is to go to an American university, become a high school physics teacher in the US, and then go back to Japan to teach physics. Obviously this is an incredibly difficult goal to achieve because Yuri has to master both physics and English, but if anybody can do it, trust me when I say Yuri can. I'm hoping now that we can correspond regularly through email so that I can practice Japanese, Yuri can practice English, and if Yuri has any questions about American universities, I will do my best to answer them.

Day 12 Report—2/8/18

Today was slightly more relaxed than the previous days in that I didn't have to try to speak Japanese for the whole day. Instead of shadowing a student today, the really kind geography and history teacher who talked to me, Lucy, and Jose on Tuesday took all of the ETHS students around Urasa and some neighboring towns. We first went to what I guess might be called the historical district. (I later found out from Shutaro that it was located in a town next to a town next to Urasa.) It was a really beautiful area, and the beautiful shops and houses we visited had lots of gorgeous artwork and other items from the Edo period.

One interesting point that I think again shows the finely-tuned aesthetic sense the Japanese have, is that in the historical district they are required by law to have a red fire hydrant, but because the red fire hydrant would look rather ugly next to the beautiful dark wood behind it, they concealed it in a fake lantern!

I then ate miso ramen at a really interesting little place that had manga in bookshelves all over the walls. An old man tried to talk to me there, and I was able to understand and respond a bit, but I've found that it is hardest to understand the Japanese spoken by old men!

After the excursion, we went back to KJ to run through our presentations once. We have to present different things in Japanese tomorrow before about eighty KJ students, and I don't think our presentation is that great, so I'm kind of nervous!

After coming back home I ate a delicious dinner of curry udon, and then I stayed up for about an hour and a half to watch a hilarious and popular Japanese TV show, ItteQ, with Shutaro and Ayaka. It is really interesting to watch Japanese comedy TV because (at least this show) is very different from the typical sitcoms you would see in the United States. ItteQ, for example, has a revolving cast of comedians, and most of it is physical comedy. Every episode is set in a different country, and in each episode comedian(s) have to complete certain challenges.

In the episode set in Los Angeles, for example, a Japanese comedian who knows basically know English had to navigate his way to different places (such as to the famous Campbell Soup painting by Andy Warhol), while having hilariously awful conversations to try to get help. In a other episode a group of female comedians completed different challenges in Finland. The best part was when two were competing in a closed rink with sledge hammers to see who could crack the other side's ice first, and when one of the comedians tried to crack the other's side, her side cracked, and she fell into the icy water instead!

Another common feature of Japanese comedy TV is a small bubble in the upper left corner where you can see the reactions of the cast of comedians watching the show too, and lots and lots of bold Japanese text across the screen when somebody says something. There are also lots of freeze-frames of actors falling or their faces and hilarious, cheesy special effects. I wanted to record my Japanese TV experience because members of Shutaro's family generally watch TV every night. Part of the reason for this is that the room with the TV is the warmest in the house! There is a large fire in there. Overall, it was really nice to be able to sit around with Shutaro's family and enjoy watching TV together!

I decided to post a picture of the dinner I had today too because it was really delicious! Curry udon is just regular udon except the water has been switched with curry.

I'm am really sad that tomorrow is my last full day, but I feel blessed to have gotten to go on this trip at all.

Day 13 Report—2/9/18

I'm fortunate to be able to say that I had a last day worthy of how much I've enjoyed the trip in general. The presentation my group did went very well. Our topic was American folk tales and fairy tales, and we decided to divide our presentation into three parts. First, we simply told the story of Paul Bunyan, which we had translated from English. Then, we compared the Japanese folk tale Momotaro with the Wizard of Oz. (There are actually some similarities.) Finally, we had our “audience-participation” section in which we divided the eighty students in the room into five groups, and we had each group create a Mad Libs of Momotaro. We generally had no idea what we were saying when we read out the Mad Libs, but the KJ students found it hilarious, so it was really fun! Some of the words I remember were the name of a teacher and “donarudo daitouryou” (President Trump). The whole presentation had to be in Japanese of course.

Later in the day we had an assembly during which myself and five other ETHS students (plus some KJ students) gave a speech in front of all the KJ first years. Originally I wasn't planning to give a speech, and I didn't give my name to the KJ teacher who came to collect the names of people who were going to give a speech. Immediately after doing so however, I felt a deep sense of regret, and I decided to write a speech anyway. It was very nerve-racking going up in front of about 160 people, and I went last which I guess added a bit more pressure (far better than going first though). I couldn't really gauge how well I did while making the speech because I was too nervous and didn't look forward (bad habit), but my kind classmates told me I did well which made me really happy.

After school, Shutaro and I went skiing one final time—this time at night and at a different location. I really wanted to go skiing one last time on my final full day because I went skiing on my first full day (and had a great time), so it felt like the best possible way to end what had been an unbelievably incredible week. My intuition was right, and I had a great time!

When I came back home we took two family pictures (with me)! We didn't have a timer, so Shutaro's mother and grandmother had to switch out, but they came out really well. They were taken in the gorgeous tatami room in their house. After the taking pictures, the family gave me some wonderful gifts. Shutaro's mom gave me a bundle of little presents including sweets, fancy pens, and fun masks. I had a hold time holding back tears when I was given a picture book created by Ayaka and Rikko. It was so beautifully done, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. We then ate some delicious cakes the family bought from a fancy bakery, and finally, exhausted, I went upstairs. I am so grateful they did everything possible to make my last day an extremely special one.

Day 14 Report—2/10/18

I woke up early this morning so that I could write a thank-you note because I knew that I wouldn't be able to adequately express my gratitude for all Shutaro and his family have done at the station while leaving. I wasn't able to spend lots of time downstairs this morning because I had to make the card and then pack, but I enjoyed eating a delicious breakfast one last time with the family. I then said goodbye to Ayaka, Rikko, and Shutaro's grandparents before leaving with Shutaro and his mom for the train station.

As one final extremely kind act, Shutaro's mom stopped at a few places so that I could say goodbye to people for the last time. First, we stopped at the local temple (the only one in Urasa I believe) to say goodbye to the monk who oversaw my zazen session on the day arrived. Then, we stopped at Kento's house—he was also present when I did zazen and is incredibly flexible. Finally, we stopped by the place where Shutaro's dad was working. He was way up high on a roof, but we waved to each other. Getting to say goodbye to a couple of people around town and Shutaro's dad once again made me even more grateful to Shutaro's mom.

Finally, we went to the station. Our goodbye wasn't super emotional—I was far more emotional the night before—but I said thanks once again, and we took some pictures. Yuri even came to the train station just to give me and my family members some gifts, again showing what a kind person he is. He doesn't even live in Urasa, but he still came to say goodbye.

Overall, it was more of a happy goodbye (not to say I was glad to leave). It is as they say—rather than being sad that it is over, be happy that it happened in the first place. I can still picture in my mind Shutaro's mom and Shutaro waving to me as I passed by the ticket office and went around the corner. Each family member truly did so many kind things for me during my stay to make me comfortable and happy, and thus I feel blessed to have gotten to stay with the Sakurai family. I've decided to include pictures of my thank-you note below, less for my audience than for me, so that in the future when I read through this blog, I can be reminded specifically of all the kind things each family member did for me.

Finally, I want to end this final blog post with a big thank you to both Van Krey-sensei and Yokota-sensei. The language I used during my blog may at times sound overly or falsely sentimental, but I can assure you that I never misrepresented my feelings. Before going on this trip I was nervous for multiple reasons obviously, but one perhaps less obvious fear of mine was that the trip would not live up to the many months of preparation everybody (especially Van Krey-sensei) had done. I can assure you, however, that this trip not only lived up to the “hype,” but far exceeded it. Thus, I want to thank Van Krey-sensei for all of the preparation he underwent and stress he put on himself to bring a bunch of teenagers to Japan and watch over them for two weeks, and I want to thank Yokota-sensei for sacrificing her precious time to come with this group of teenagers to Japan. Yokota-sensei was always so kind to everybody, and always patiently answered my questions whenever I had any.

The phrase “once in a lifetime” is not a phrase that should be used lightly (else its meaning becomes diluted), but I absolutely think it applies to the trip I went on and am now sad to finish. Firstly, I learned more than I could ever learn in months of school. I learned an incredible amount about the Japanese culture, student experience, and language. I made many friends, and of course I did countless fun things! But, most importantly, I have grown as a person. I am not at all an extroverted person, but to squeeze the most out of every opportunity on this trip, I have had to become extremely extroverted for the past two weeks. It was exhausting, but absolutely worth it, and I feel that in the future I will be more confident about myself and around others. This effort culminated with me giving a speech on the last full day, but the changes my character underwent happened not in one day but over the entire two weeks. Thus, to everybody who made these past two weeks the best of my life, and to everybody who took the time to read this blog, I would like to give a final どうもありがとうございます。