Day 4
Miles: 2.9
H
Day 3
Miles: 9.6
Oh ouchie do my feet hurt! Today was a little rough. We started the day at Waseda university, which was super pretty. I noticed a lot of the campus streets and signs are similar to Northwestern in their pattern and style. We met up with Emma's brother, which was really fun. After Waseda, we wen't to a government office in Shinjuku where we could observe the city from 1,200 feet in the air! I got lots of cool photos from the top of the tower, and a lot of people got cool food from the shop! I got a 2020 Tokyo Olympics pin and little origami earrings! After that, we took a quick walk to a Denny's in Japan. GOD was it cursed haha. I got like chicken nugget things and a matcha sundae and I felt horrible afterwards. Mr. VanKrey and I were both having allergic reactions, but the rest of the group cheered us up by joking there was a demon in the restaurant.
Day 2
Miles: 9.3
There was a LOT of walking right off the bat today. We had to speed through a bunch of stations today to catch the train to where we were going today. We went to the Meiji shrine this morning! It was a really cool place, and we were able to meet one of Mr. VanKrey's old work friends! She was incredibly nice and spirited! We were supposed to wash our hands in a special way before we entered the shrine, and it felt nice to do so on such a lovely morning. I got a charm at the shrine shop for healing of the mind and body and hung it on my phone! It's golden and beautiful! Once we entered the shrine, we were able to pray and write our wishes for the year. We saw winners of a national calligraphy contest and then went on a lovely forest walk. It was super refreshing to do that first thing in the morning. Harajuku was super fantastic, and it was interesting how different the shops were. I got a super cute sweater! (That I eventually spilled tempura on...) Before lunch, we stopped at Hachiko station which I LOVED because I remember reading that book in second grade and crying. Shibuya crossing was just as hectic as pictures make it out to be, but I made my way to a ramen shop with ease. It was so delicious! Everything I've eaten so far has been very rich, salty, and delicious!!! After lunch we headed to Odaeba and spent a lot of time at a museum! I learned about particle physics, which is something I did not think I'd take away from this trip. Then we walked to a little center called Pallette Town to ride a ferris wheel during a sunset! The whole town was rainbow-themed and it was the so incredible to see Tokyo from the top of the ferris wheel. It was very nice to chill out and get some lovely photos hundreds of feet in the air after walking many miles. We walked back to a mall, where I went to the Hello Kitty store. I bought two key chains, and I will never forget my conversation with the checkout lady. I said "yes" "yes" "yes" "no" "yes" "that's cute!" "no" and "yes" as answers to her questions up until that point, and she then said to me "Your Japanese is very good, do you live in Japan?" I was flattered. But apparently, I might've misinterpreted what she was saying because I accidentally said "yes" to wanting the key chains gift wrapped, and she spent 15 focused minutes showing me the whole process from using multiple bags and stickers to choosing the right ribbons for the purchase. I will never forget her because she was so sweet and funny. Mitaka, if you're out there...
Day 1
Miles: 5.6
Today was kind of a long day, even though we didn’t do much. My favorite parts of today were tending to my tendinitis! The flight wasn’t too bad, because I had fun playing games with other friends on board, and even though it really tested my patience, I was able to get through it. When we got off the flight however, it took me some time to get my customs check paper, and when I finally did, I had to fill the form out in Chinese! I also got really sweaty in the Chiba Airport! I don’t know why! We then went to a 7/11 and got some really nice quality food! I got Calpis water, and it was really great! I absolutely loooved bathing though! I tried it Japanese style, and it was really fun! The bath was actually really hot, but I soaked my feet in it and it felt nice! I’m super tired from walking everywhere, and my foot is sore, so I’m gonna go to bed now!