Marisa

1/28/18 Plane to Tokyo

I only got two hours of sleep but I was wide awake when I got ready for the trip. The plane ride was really long but very productive. I made sure to spend a lot of time doing homework and planned breaks in between. I still had a lot of homework left but it was helpful. I sat next to Alex which was really fun because he is hilarious and makes me laugh when I’m tired. We spent time goofing around and watching movies as well. We watched Spiderman: Homecoming but in Japanese. It was funny because the dub for the movie wasn’t very good so the words didn’t match the lip movements. After we got off the plane it started to sink in that we were in Japan. I think it may have been a bit faster for me than others because when I turned my phone on I got many texts from my friends in Japan. This reminded me that I am in their timezone and it really sunk in that we weren’t so far away anymore. After going through customs we exchanged currency and Yokota sensei let us buy dinner from the convenience store. I always wanted to try convenience store food like pudding and onigiri so I was really excited. I also got a cute steamed bun filled with potato and cheese. Next the the convenience store were some gacha-pon which are like tiny toy vending machines. I got a small keychain and put it on my bag. We took a train from Narita airport to the hostel and passed through Chiba. I was really excited to pass through Chiba because my boyfriend moved there recently so I felt closer to him and I got to see his hometown even though it was just for a moment. The hostel is in a really cool neighborhood and we took an elevator to get up to the right floor. My friends and I all took a bath together (which felt wonderful.) I felt like all the tension left my body and I could sleep well. Even the shower before felt extremely nice. I organized my things and went to bed soon after. We sleep in bunk beds so it feels like one giant sleepover. I’m really happy that I get to go on this trip and bond with my classmates. I dislike how there are different people in each of my classes so I don’t get the chance to bond deeply with many of them. However I get the opportunity to be close with my classmates on this trip and I think we will become like family. Its a really nice feeling.

1/29/18 FIRST DAY IN TOKYO

Today was the first day of sightseeing. I woke up at six to get ready and we sat down to eat breakfast at 7. I ate croquettes, rice, natto (fermented beans), some kind of vegetable that was pickled, cabbage, and egg. I couldn’t finish my food so my friends helped me finish. I was really happy. Then I got my backpack ready and we headed out to the train station. We took the train to Meiji shrine and met Mr. Vankrey’s old colleague. She was so sweet and funny. She even rapped about our trip which was really cute and got everyone excited. I took a nice jumpshot with Cati and Lili in front of the shrine gate. People are not allowed to walk through the middle of the gate because that’s reserved for spirits so we walked around it. There was a nice nature-ish trail to the shrine. We were surrounded by the trees and the air smelled really fresh, I relaxed a lot and got to talk with Eriko-san (Mr. Vankrey’s colleague.) When we got to the shrine I was blown away, it was very pretty. I always fantasized about going to a shrine in Japan because I think they are beautiful and I like the culture around it so I was pleased. Before praying people have to wash their hands and mouth a certain way which was an interesting experience. The air was warm at the shrine but the water was freezing. I prayed at the main shrine and made an offering. Then I got to write a wish on a envelope and made an offering. Hopefully it will come true! I wished really hard (LOL). I was able to buy omamori (good luck charms) at the shrine. I got one that is supposed to help me with school since I study for most of my time. I bought gifts for others as well. Afterwards we took the train to Harajuku. I always dreamed of going there. It’s such a cool looking street with cute shops. I felt very rushed and didn’t have much time to look around but I got cute clothes and some stuff at Daiso!! I really would like to go there again when I’m older and take my time shopping. When we returned to the meeting point there were some Japanese girls who showed us a project their were doing for their college class and I did a short survey for their project. They were very friendly and fashionable.

From Harajuku we went to Shibuya for lunch. Shibuya was particularly fun because we had some more time. Lulu, Lili, Cati, Emma and I found a tiny underground ramen shop. It was really good food and the server/chef was very kind. To get food you order a ticket from a vending machine and give it to the man to get food. It was one of the more foreign feeling experiences I had and made me understand how amazing travel is. I want to go to more small, not well known places again. After we ate we went shopping in Shibuya. The crossing was huge but we decided on going to a Don Quixote store which is sort of like a Japanese walmart. I found a really cute coat and some other things. In many Japanese stores they have tax-free line. This means that if you spend enough money you don’t have to pay tax. The line was relatively short and so we stood in that line. But… it took forever. IT TOOK SO LONG TO CHECK OUT. Cati and I had to sprint back to the meeting point which was actually really fun. We were laughing the whole way back.

Lastly we went to Odaiba. Odaiba is a whole different feeling from Shibuya and Harajuku. Both Shibuya and Harajuku had large, bright signs and lots of color but Odaiba was the opposite. It was very minimalistic, the buildings looked very modern with lots of glass, and it is on the water. I felt like I was flung into some futuristic city. We went to the Mirai-kan which is like the Science and Industry Museum. Many middle schoolers and high schoolers were there as well. As they entered and left the building our group would wave and they would wave back. It was really funny because sometimes both groups would try to outdo each other’s waving. A boy blew a kiss at me LOL. It was really funny. When we got into the museum we found that there is a lot of exhibits on the environment and space. They also had stuff about androids and how they are made. This creeped me out a lot but I found it interesting. I chatted with a lot of the students in the museum and walked around with them. Eventually we became friends and I got their contacts!! It was very fun to goof around with the students and make new friends. I don’t think I will ever forget that.

After Mirai-kan we got to ride a ferris wheel. I think the ferris wheel was fun but there was not too much to see and it didn’t feel too different from Chicago. It was a nice experience though.

By the time we got food we were exhausted. Everyone was sleeping on the table in the restaurant which was funny. I got really yummy Oyakodon and ice cream. I really enjoy eating delicious food everyday here. Tomorrow I look forward to eating as well.

When we got home we were exhausted but the girls’ bathrooms were filled so we couldn’t take baths!!!! We were able to bathe really late but as a result we slept later than intended. I had no intention of skipping a bath. We chatted and goofed around until we slept. We have already gotten really close.

1/30/19

Today is the day that I got to lead the group!!!! I was really excited and kind of proud of myself. But first we got to have a college tour of the Waseda campus from an ETHS alumni. I really liked the neighborhood and want to study there a bit in college. Afterwards we rode the train to the Tochomae and took a cool photo shoot outside the Tokyo Metropolitan building. There is an observatory in the building so we got to take good pictures there. There was also a really nice gift shop that had gifts from each of the prefectures. I got gifts for my family and friends. Afterwards we went to get food at Denny's. Japanese Denny's is very different from American Denny's. I got Omurice and