Abby

Final Thoughts

For me, the most valuable part of the trip was my homestay and time at Kokusai Joho. Although I used my Japanese through the entire trip, this was the time where I utilized it most often and thus was when my vocabulary and speaking skills grew the most. Because Momoka’s parents and sisters only spoke Japanese, it forced me use my Japanese in situations where I was uncomfortable and normally would have talked in English as a result. I also had to During my homestay, I was constantly pushed outside of my comfort zone. I had multitudes of new experiences each day, and experienced things I could never have dreamed of. From the ballon festival in Urasa, to the (possibly) teacher less gym class and dinner at Momoka’s grandparent’s house, I learned so much about the cultural expectations and values of Japan and Japanese people. What I found most impressive was the incredible intrinsic motivation that existed within Japanese society. This was demonstrated by the clean city streets despite the lack of garbage cans, the amount of work that KJ students put into their study, and the students cleaning their own schools, among other things. It was incredible to see the differences between the American and Japanese education system, and how seriously Japanese students take their education. During class, there was no one on their phone, or doodling, or even staring out the window (all common occurrences in ETHS). Every student cared so deeply about truly learning and understanding the material. For them, a good education was a point of pride, something to be constantly sought after.

My host family truly feels like a second family, and I am grateful for every second I got to spend with them. I only wish the homestay could have been longer, as I feel that my family had so much more to teach me about both the language and culture of Japan. I hope to see them when I got to Japan with Karin this summer, and am very excited to see Momoka when she comes to America next month. I want to share my life with her, because it is so different from the life she lives in Japan.

Day 14- Fifth and Final Day of Homestay

Today has been packed, just as all my other days have been. However, Momoka and I got to sleep until 8:30 today, which was a welcome surprise. Momoka fell asleep last night while we were doing homework, so I think she has been pretty tired too. For breakfast, we had bread, cabbage salad, a quarter of an egg, and a bit of home made yoghurt. Her mom had to work and Nana had ballet, so it was just Momoka, her dad, and I. Her dad asked me to show them my house and school via Google Earth. I managed to find both simply by zooming in on a map of the US rather than typing it in the address bar, which I was very proud of (people who know me know I'm terrible with directions, so it was an accomplishment). They were stunned at the size of ETHS, and Momoka couldn't believe the school had its own football stadium.

We went first to Nishikigoi, the koi pond in Ojiya. There, we were given ice cream cones filled with fish food. You were able to throw the food into the koi pond. This created a feeding frenzy, where the koi were piling on top of each other in an attempt to get to the food first. There was an exhibit about the different kinds of koi colors and koi breeding practices as well. I had no idea that there was such a large culture around koi in Japan, or anywhere in the world, for that matter. At a museum I went to later, I learned that during the earthquake that destroyed Momoka's house, all of Ojiya's koi perished because the ponds broke and the water drained out. This was a huge loss to the village, because the practice of koi keeping was a huge part of their livelihoods. Ojiya is known for its koi, which usually sell for between $300 and $500 each but can be worth as much as $10,000. Koi can live for over 30 years with the proper care, and the earthquake destroyed all of Ojiya's breeding stock, which had been developed over hundreds of years.

After Nishikigoi, we went to the Ojiya Textile Workshop, which utilizes traditional Japanese weaving techniques to make traditional and modern garments. Here, Momoka and I wove coasters on traditional looms, which was both fun and challenging. If I ever have consistent free time, I think I'd like to start weaving. It was quite enjoyable and is definitely something I could do while listening an audio book. Although the instructions were a little challenging because they were given in Japanese, it was quite easy once I understood it. We also got to see women weaving traditional Japanese textiles. After the textiles are woven, they are treated with snow to intensify the white color.

Next we had ramen at a popular local ramen shop. The shop was so popular that the line was out the door, and we had to wait a little while before being seated. The ramen was delicious, and so much better than any ramen in the US. The serving, however, was gigantic and I wasn't able to finish all of it, which I felt bad about.

We then went to a 百円 shop, or 100 yen store, the Japanese equivalent of a dollar store. It was a lot of fun to look at all of the cute little items, and I bought a few things to bring home, including a toy for my dog (did you catch my reference to Quinn in my last blog post?)

After the 百円 shop, we went to the Ojiya Chyuetsu Earthquake Museum, which talked about the earthquake that struck Ojiya in 2004. Momoka started crying in the first room of the exhibit because her grandparent's house, where they lived, was destroyed in the earthquake. The exhibit was entirely in Japanese, but with Momoka's help I was able to understand most of it.

After the museum, we went to a shopping center where we ate soft serve ice cream (which I learned is called soft cream in Japan) and bought supplies for dinner, which is called Takoyagi (see picture of circular food below) and contains octopus. I was a little apprehensive about this, but it turns out it just tastes and feels like overcooked steak.

After dinner, Nana showed me some of her English textbooks. We had a good time and laughed a lot as she tried to read some of the pages and listened to me read them.

After Momoka and I did homework for a bit, she played the electro-phone for me. She's incredibly good at it! She had to stop playing because she needs to study so much for school, which is sad. After she finished playing, her mom brought out a cake and her family gave me parting gifts. Momoka, her parents, her sister, and her grandparents all had gifts for me. After the gifts, Momoka, her mom, and her sister started crying because I was leaving, which made me sad too. They've become like a family to me in a way, and I will miss them. I've had a great time with Momoka's family and wish I could stay longer. At least she's coming to America soon and I'll see her then. Sensei said that if our student comes to Chicago, we will host them. Momoka is coming to Evanston, so I think that means I will host her.

Day 13- Fourth Day of Homestay

Today we got to sleep in all the way until 6:45! For breakfast, we had miso soup, rice, meatballs, salmon, and something else I can't remember. Nana had ballet class, so it was just Momoka, her mother, father, and myself. We drove about an hour and a half to a shop that sold glass figurines. It was incredibly beautiful--there were so many tiny creatures and they were all made so intricately. Every figurine was hand made, and we got to see someone blowing glass. I bought a couple dog figurines to add to my collection, and I enjoyed looking at all the glass trinkets. I had never seen a store quite like it before.

Next we went to an onsen, which was very close to the glass store. It was located in a ryokan, and the water was green! Momoka's mother explained that, because the water comes from a natural hot spring, the tint was caused by the minerals suspended in the water. The onsen was wonderfully relaxing, and Momoka was fascinated when I french-braided my hair afterwards. Because my hair is very long and has a different texture than typical Japanese hair, it braids differently and holds the shape better, she told me.

After the onsen, we walked around a small shopping street. There were a variety of food shops selling sweets, and her parents bought all of us dangos (mochi balls covered in a sauce/paste) in a bunch of different flavors. My favorite one was the red bean-paste covered dango.

Momoka wanted to know if Japanese McDonalds is different from American McDonalds, so we went there for lunch. It was different-- there is a teriyaki burger and all the portions are smaller, which was nice. I taught Momoka how to pronounce McDonalds in English-- in Japanese, they say "mac-dough". I also taught her how to pronounce Starbucks and Donald Duck. Momoka is teaching me a lot of words, like "osu" for setting something down, and "ki" for tree and "hakobu" for to carry. I did a lot better in terms of using my Japanese today. I managed to explain the origin of the American national anthem, in Japanese! I was very proud of myself because it was difficult but I managed to be understood.

While waiting for Nana to finish her ballet lesson, we went to a large indoor mall. There, Momoka and I bought matching earrings. KJ students aren't allowed to have pierced ears, so Momoka bought clip on earrings and I bought real ones. Japan has "allergy free" studs, where the metal post is coated in plastic to prevent allergic reactions to metal. I hadn't seen anything like this before, and it was wonderful because I have reactions to some types of earrings, so it was nice to not have to worry about it. I also bought a few pairs of fuzzy pajama socks, because a certain fluffy, white little monster has chewed holes in most of my fuzzy socks back home.

We went home for a little bit after that. Momoka showed me her itinerary for Chicago, and I explained American coins to her, because I had some in my wallet. She was mesmerized by the small engraving of Abraham Lincoln inside the Lincoln Memorial on the penny, and afterwards she explained the people and symbols in Japanese coins to me.

We weren't home for very long before going to a winter festival in Ojiya. There, children were sliding down tall snow mounds and there were hot air balloons being inflated. I also met the mayor of Ojiya while I was there! After it got dark, there was a short fireworks display. It was rather chilly, but fun nonetheless.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant. There, I had a meal with soba, tempura, and sushi. It was my first time having sushi in Japan, and it wasn't that different from American sushi. Granted, the meal was cheap, so maybe higher quality sushi would taste different. I hadn't been feeling well for most of the day, but I took an ibuprofen during dinner and feel fine now, so hopefully that means I'm not getting sick. After dinner, we returned home and Momoka and I did homework. KJ students have 6 hours of homework each day of the weekend, and 4 hours of homework each day during the week. Because I'm here, Momoka has a lighter homework load, but there's still a lot to do. Tomorrow is my last full day in my homestay, and then I leave for the US. I've had a wonderful time here and am conflicted about leaving. On the one hand, there's so much more I want to do, say, and eat. On the other hand, I'm rather homesick and am looking forward to seeing my dog, barn, gerbils, and family.

Day 12- Third Day of Homestay

Last night was a late night—I stayed up until 12:40 talking with Momoka and her mother and father. It was very challenging, as the more tired I became, the harder it was to communicate. Because of the late night, waking up this morning (around 5:15) was very hard. For breakfast, I had miso soup, rice, nori, and some type of seaweed that tasted like liquorish.

Once again, we took the car to Ojiya station and then boarded the train and then bus. I nearly fell asleep on the train ride, I was so tired. When we arrived at school, Momoka dropped me off at the meeting room and went to go study. I wrote a note to Yumeno, who I hosted freshman year. She is taking a college entrance exam this weekend, and so is home studying rather than in school. Momoka will give the note to Yumeno when she returns.

First period, we played a game in the gym with the freshman class, who they call first graders. I find this to be confusing, as I think of elementary school students when I hear “first graders.” The game we played was a giant game of jump rope— an entire class lines up in two lines and jump the rope as a unit. My group managed to jump the rope about 8 times before hitting it, but that took a lot of practice.

After the game, I went to Momoka’s chemistry class, where they were studying ionization and stoichometry. Because I studied stoic in sophomore chemistry, I was able to understand most of the lesson even if I didn’t quite get exactly what the teacher was saying.

Next, some the of KJ students practiced their presentations for their exchange trips for us. We were tasked with asking them questions after the presentation and correcting their English. It was interesting at first, but after 3 presentations on the declining birth rate and aging population in Uoname, I started to get rather bored.

After that, we gave our presentations. When I got up to give mine, I got so nervous that I forgot all of the sentences I had practiced over and over. I managed to say something, but it wasn’t very eloquent and it was less precise than what I had practiced. However, the KJ students seemed to enjoy our game, which was nice.

For the rest of the day, I saw more KJ presentations and made origami with a club.

After school ended, we stayed because the next bus to the station didn’t leave until 5:30, and it was only 4:30. I talked with Noah a bit, comparing the differences in American and Japanese education, in particular the lack of certainty that exists in American education. In America, if argued correctly, in many subjects there is no “right” or “wrong” answer. Japanese education is much more exacting— there is a right and wrong interpretation of books, metaphors, and other ideas.

I also spoke with Momoka’s friend, Yukime, about college. She is interested in going to college in America, and wanted to know more about it. I had a similar conversation yesterday with Sumire’s boyfriend, Kosei who also wants to study in the US. He has impressively good English, and I think he could probably do very well at an American school. He wants to study criminal psych or pre-med.

Momoka and I took the bus to the station, and then got on the train. When we got off at Ojiya, we took a koi-shaped underpass to a small connivence store, where we waited for her mom. Rather than going home, we went to Momoka’s aunt and uncle’s house, where her maternal grandmother and grandfather also live. I was very nervous, as I worried that I wouldn’t be able to understand them. Her aunt and uncle have two small children—a 2 year old boy and a 6 year old boy. I helped Momoka and her grandfather make mochi, which was very challenging. While the mixer is spinning, one must reach and and twist off a piece of the thick dough. You then use your hand to brush it with water and shape it. Momoka’s grandfather and grandmother were exceedingly kind! They were so patient, and Momoka helped translate when I didn’t understand things. They’re both artists— the grandfather paints and the grandmother quilts. Momoka’s grandfather gave me a hand made cloth lotus flower thing (for lack of a better term) to bring home with me—I hope I don’t accidentally crush it in my suitcase. We ate dinner at her grandparent’s house, and I showed them my scrapbook. After that, we returned home and Momoka and I did some homework. Tomorrow we will go to an onsen and a glass figurine store.

Day 11- Second Day of Home Stay/ KJ

We woke up today at 5:15. Momoka leaves the house every day by 6:30— her father drives her to Ojiya station on his way to work. It was an early morning, but I didn’t have much trouble waking up, which was nice. I folded up my futon and placed it in the corner of the room, and then got dressed.

For breakfast, we had homemade bread and yoghurt as well as left-over tomato soup. DJ got on at the same stop I did, and Evan got on only a few stops later. Mimosa and Sumire, one of her friends, gave me a crash-course in describing guys and girls. Girls are “かわいい” (kawaii) and guys are “イケメン” (ikemen). It was funny, because they taught me by having me call Evan and his host student “イケメン” (handsome) over and over again.

Once we got off at Urasa station, we took a bus that went directly to Kokusai Joho (KJ), the high school. There, I changed into the tennis shoes I had brought with me and Momoka gave me a tour of the school. The hallways and gym aren’t heated, so it was freezing! Everyone wears their coats in the halls. The classrooms are only heated with space heaters, so many girls put blankets in their laps. I went to Momoka’s first period class, which was world history. They are currently studying Mongolia and the Silk Road, and although I didn’t understand much of the lecture, it was nonetheless interesting to look at the textbook.

After that class, we went to the welcome ceremony. DJ gave the speech that we had all written, and Sensei and KJ’s principal also gave speeches. After the ceremony, we went to a language lab for a presentation by the KJ debate team about the school. They did it in the form of a flight safety announcement, which was very entertaining. It was amazing to see how well they were able to use humor in a second language.

Next I went to Momoka’s gym class. I’m not sure if there is a gym teacher or not. The class was led by a student, and they played basketball. Everyone tried their best, even (maybe) without a teacher around. This is very different from ETHS— if a gym teacher even turns their back, most students will take a break.

Next we went to 古典 (classical Japanese). Here, the teacher diagramed sentences from an ancient text (the Japanese equivalent of Shakespeare.) I didn’t understand much, but I enjoyed looking at all the kanji and seeking which ones I could recognize or recognize radicals from.

We had lunch in Momoka’s classroom. Her mom packed me a delicious bento box with onigiri (rice balls), meatballs, a cucumber and egg thing, and some pickled vegetables. I also had a thermos of tea. I’m going to be sad to go back to American food and packing my own lunches—Japanese food is so much better!

We spent the next period preparing and practicing for tomorrow’s presentation. After that, I went to Momoka’s English class. The teacher had prepared some games to play in English so that the students could practice their English with us. This was fun and was a welcome relief from being in a state of constant confusion.

At the end of the day, all the students clean the school. Momoka and I put all the desks against the wall while others swept, cleaned the chalkboard, and dusted. There are no janitors at KJ—rather, the students take care of cleaning the school.

After school, we attended a traditional tea ceremony. The school has a tatami room just for this purpose. We ate wonderful bean-paste cakes and drank some (very bitter!) green tea.

Mokoka and I took the bus and the train back to Ojiya station and then her mom picked us up on her way to dropping Nana off at ballet class. We had a very yummy dinner of pickled vegetables, miso soup, and chicken and seaweed on top of rice. After dinner, we went to watch some of Nana’s ballet lesson. Nana is a gorgeous dancer, and I was very impressed.

Momoka has begun to teach me Japanese words and sayings. For example, did you know that a green light is described as an “青い信号”? That translates to “blue light” in English. She’s also teaching me the verbs for turning off lights, going up and down stairs, driving a car, and carrying things. I’m really excited to see how much my vocabulary will improve while I’m here. I’m already getting more comfortable using more complex sentences with two verbs (i.e.: pick up and eat), and find that I now do it without even thinking about it. I’m excited to see what I get to do tomorrow!

Day 10- Travel Day/ First Day of Homestay in Ojiya

Today was a late start—we didn’t eat breakfast until 8:30 and checkout wasn’t until 11. The breakfast was buffet-style once again, and it was delicious.

Once we packed, we had some time in Kanazawa station because the train didn’t start boarding until 12:40. I bought a conienvce store lunch and slept most of the first shinkansen ride, because I was up until 2:30 the night before doing homework. During the second shinkansen ride to Urasa, where we would meet our host students, I began to feel nervous. I worried that I wouldn’t know what to say, or I would accidentally say something I didn’t mean.

Momoka and her mother met me at the train station, holding a hand-made sign. It was very awkward at first, so there was a lot of laughter. Normally, Momoka takes the train home from Urasa station, but her mother drove us home this time. By car, it takes about an hour to get from Urasa Station to Momoka’s house. When I got there, her sister Nana and her grandfather were home. Mimosa’s grandfather lives in one section of the house, and her family lives in the other. They built the house after their last one broke in an earthquake when Momoka was 6. Her sister, Nana, dances classical ballet, and her dad is an auto mechanic and her mom is an office worker.

They were entranced by my gifts and enjoyed trying the different kinds of candy I brought. For dinner, we had yakisoba, pickled vegetables, and tomato soup. It was all delicious, but there was so much food that I was stuffed by the end of the meal. I don’t want to leave anything on my plate because I worried it would be insulting. Mimosa’s father reminds me a lot of Karin’s father— he is very kind and tells many jokes.

After dinner, I watched a video of Nana’s ballet performance and one of Momoka’s father preforming in a traditional high school festival.

I am sleeping on the floor on a futon in Momoka’s room tonight. I didn’t write much because I spent most of this evening with my host family.

Day 9- Kanazawa

Breakfast today was at 7 AM, and it was buffet-style (thank goodness!!) There was very good rice porridge, as well as some other stuff, including fresh apples, which I was excited about. I can’t really remember exactly what I ate, it’s kind of late here and I’m tired.

Anyways, after breakfast we took a very very crowded bus to Kenrokuen, possibly the 3rd most famous garden in Japan. It was snowing rather heavily by the time we got there, but we had fun exploring the gardens nonetheless. We went inside a Samurai Villa that has a bunch of artifacts from the original clan. They also had a lot of hinaningyo (special dolls displayed on Hinamatsuri, which is Girl’s Day.) I wrote an essay about it, in Japanese, last year, so it was very cool to see the dolls in real life. Can you tell how tired I am by my vocabulary?

After the villa, we wandered around the garden in the snow.We were all VERY cold, and ended up huddling together for warmth. It was a beautiful garden, and I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not been so cold.

We had lunch (ramen for me) at a small ramen and udon place inside the garden. It was a wonderful escape from the cold and it was fun to hang out with Betsy, Alfredo, Katie, Hazel, and Tiara.

After lunch, we went to the 21st Century Art Museum. It was an enjoyable change from all of the historical sties that we were seeing, and the exhibits were gorgeous. I think my Aunt Michelle would have really liked some of the exhibits, especially a portrait exhibit I saw there. There was a very interesting wall that was made out of plants, which was probably the art piece that stood out to me the most.

We then took the bus to Higashi Chaya District, the East Geshia district in Kanazawa. It was full of old-style architecture and tiny shops tucked into small alleyways. There were also a few small shrines and temples integrated into the district. There was a lovely woman I bought earrings for at one shop, but I felt badly because I only had the equivalent of a $100 bill to pay with. After giving me change, she only had two 1,000 yen bills left. We laughed about it with her, and she was very kind, but I still felt badly.

We got dinner at Kanazawa station, and then bought gifts for our host families, since it’s customary to bring things from your travels. Sensei and Yokota-Sensai purchased gold-covered ice cream (gold covered things are iconic in Kanazawa), and it was so much fun to watch them eat it.

At breakfast, Sensei also showed me a letter from my host student! She had hand-written it and had her teacher send it to Sensei. It was such a relief to hear from her!

Day 8- Travel Day/ Kanazawa

We had breakfast at 7 AM once again, and this time it was really our last ryokan meal of the trip. After breakfast, I finished packing, which didn't take too long and we left for Kyoto station around 8:30. At the station, we took a group photo. Three of the boys on the exchange--Max, Noah, and Jeff, have black sweatshirts with a white box that says "standard" in black text on them. They refer to themselves as the "standard group". Katie Jane came up with the idea to write "Standard-er" on a white rectangle of paper and tape it to our trip shirts, which we turned inside-out so they were all black. Even Sensei and Yokota-sensei put them on, and we revealed them right before the picture. I'm not sure the guys quite got the point, but it was worth a try.

The train ride was about two hours, and I tried to do some homework on it although it made me quite motion sick. When we arrived in Kanazawa, it was raining rather hard and was very blustery. We dropped off our luggage at the hotel, and then bought bus passes and took the bus to the Ninja-dera, a temple for feudal lords that was full of hidden doors and secret hiding places. Built during the Edo period, it's actually 4 stories tall but appears to only be two stories tall on the outside because the law forbade any structure taller than 3 stories. The tour was completely in Japanese, but they provided an English translation of the main points in a few books, which we all shared. The complexity of the hiding places and the flawless integration of deadly traps into the design of the house was impressive and mind-boggling.

It was still raining quite heavily, and so we took the bus to the Omicho Market, a large covered market that sold mostly fish and vegetables. Paul and Hazel each gave each other 300 yen to buy something that the other had to eat. I went with Hazel to help her find something, and Katie Jane went with Paul. We wanted to buy him some baby squid for 250 yen, but were unable to determine if the squid could be eaten before it was cooked. Hazel, Alfredo, and I all asked separately in Japanese and all appeared to get different answers. We didn't want to make Paul sick, so we gave up on that. Eventually, we bought him some dried, grated radish. He (well, Katie Jane, really) bought Hazel cucumbers and corn soup. Paul had a bit of the radish but didn't eat much (that was good, because we later found out from Sensei that it couldn't be eaten raw.) After that, we all bought mochi from a small stand. Well, we all tried to buy mochi. Alfredo ended up buying a lot of dough that could be cooked in order to make mochi. We think the shopkeeper tried to warn us, but we didn't understand her.

Because the rain was so heavy that being outside was unpleasant, Sensei let us go back to the hotel. After we settled in, Katie Jane, Taylor, Hazel, Betsy, and I explored the hotel. We found an exercise room and a library. We had a really interesting conversation in the library with Sensei about what he liked about Japanese culture as well as his experiences as an exchange student in Japan.

For dinner, we ate at the hotel cafe. The food was Italian-based, and I had a basil pasta dish which was alright. It definitely wasn't near as good as the pasta that my mom makes. After dinner, a lot of us went to the hotel library to study and work on presentations for KJ. Tomorrow is our last day together before we leave for our home stays, and I still haven't heard from my student.

Day 7- Kyoto

Today started bright and early, with breakfast at 7 AM. Hopefully it will be our last ryokan meal of the trip! I saw on Facebook that it's so warm in Chicago that Paula is teaching outside. That made me slightly homesick, as I miss the barn and the horses, as well as the rest of my life, and the homesickness lingered with me the rest of the day. Japan is wonderful, but there's no place like home.

We did so many things today that I'm sure I'll forget to talk about some of them. First we went to Todaiji temple, where we wandered around and got goshuin, or temple stamps/signatures. The size and scale of the Todaiji temple was impressive, especially considering the limited architectural knowledge and supplies available at the time.

After Todaiji, we went to what ended up being my favorite site of the day--Kitano Tenmango Shrine. It was gorgeous! We saw an exhibition of plum blossoms, and then entered the shrine itself. It was like we had stepped into a Miyazaki movie-- there were plum blossoms, stone lanterns, and traditional temple buildings. I took lots pf pictures and got a goshuin. I would have been happy to stay there all day, but we had to leave after only an hour or so.

We picked up lunch at a 7/11 and ate in the Emperor's playground near Nijyo Castle. We assumed it would be a garden--but it was a literal playground. It was small and simple, a tiny square lots with a singular climbing structure and slide in the shadow of a concrete building. We must have been quite the sight to passersby-- 24 westerners (okay, 23 and Yokota-sensai) crammed into a tiny playground eating lunch.

After lunch we went to a ninja house. The tour was entirely in Japanese, but Yokota-sensai translated some of the most important parts to our group, because we didn't have the vocabulary to understand most of it. We had to take off our shoes to enter the house and it was FREEZING inside! All of our feet were so cold by the time the tour was over. We were happy to put our shoes back on.

Next we went to Nijo castle. We rushed through the exhibit because we had more to do before dinner, and didn't get a chance to spend much time exploring the grounds, which was too bad because they appeared beautiful.

We next went to the large red Tori gates on the mountain (I can't remember it's name) and walked around. We got there just as the sun started to set, and it was gorgeous. As it got darker, lanterns illuminated inside the gates which made them glow.

We had dinner at Kyoto station and then returned to the room. I'm going to type up my Momotaro draft now and then pack before I got to bed. Tomorrow we leave for Kanazawa.

Day 6- Kyoto-ish/ Shirakawago/ Gokayama

This blog post will be short because it's already midnight and we were out really late and have an early morning tommorow. Today, we had breakfast at the ryokan which was similar to the breakfasts we had at shibu onsen, but (luckily) there was no sugar in the eggs.

We next took the shinkansen to Nagoya, where we bought lunch to carry with us from a konnbini (connivence store) and boarded a bus to Shirakawago, a UNESCO world heritage site renowned for its thatch-roofed buildings. The roofs are made of reeds tied to the rafters by hand and it takes roughly 200 people to make one of them, according to the video and English guide. The bus ride was medium length (about 2.5 hours, with a few breaks). However, despite a video asking us to be quiet on the bus, people were talking very loudly. I felt embarrassed for our group because it was discourteous to all the other passengers on the bus and reinforced the stereotype that Americans are loud and disrespectful. I spent the bus ride listening to my audiobook and napping, when I could do so with all the loud background noise.

To get to the physical Shirakawago Village, we had to cross a suspension bridge over a river. This made me dizzy and nauseous as I'm afraid of heights. Tiara and I spent about an hour and a half wandering around the village, looking at the buildings. I wanted to go inside of one, but there was an entrance fee and Tiara didn't really want to go, so I didn't.

We next took the bus to Gokuyama, the site of the night light-up (our group was as noisy as ever on the bus.) Here, we had red-bean soup which was too sweet for my liking, and wandered around the village. There were hundreds of candles in small enclaves that had been carved out of giant snow banks, and it was gorgeous, especially when the snowflakes began to fall. While we were there, we saw a traditional Japanese dance demonstration.

The bus ride back was about 3-4 hours, and I again listened to my audiobook and napped. I wish I could say we were more quiet on the ride home, but we weren't. We took the shinkansen back to Kyoto station and then took a local train to our ryokan.

I'll try to post photos tommorow, but no promises because it's going to be another long day and breakfast is in less than 6 hours.

Day 5- Travel Day/ Kyoto

Today's breakfast was the last one at the ryokan--thank goodness! And I was able to trade my fish eggs for some of Alfredo's pickled vegetables, which was a welcome relief. After breakfast, we finished packing and were transported by bus to the train, which was called the, "Snow Monkey Express." The lovely おばあさん (obaasan, meaning "old woman" respectfully) at the ryokan, gave everyone in our group candy that tasted like maple syrup and had monkey faces in it, after the monkeys in jigokudani.

We spent most of the mid-day and afternoon on various trains. I learned that I won't be able to do much homework on the trains because I become motion sick even on the shinkansen. However, I managed to mostly finish my Tails in Bloom speech for the shelter gala on the train before I had to take a nap because I felt so ill. We missed our connection from Nagoya to Kyoto by mere seconds, and so we had to spread out through the compartments of the unreserved seats in the next shinkansen.

The place we're staying in Kyoto is another ryokan and I hope it's food is more palatable than the one in Shibu Onsen. The room is smaller but still traditional, and we're sleeping on futons in a tatami room.

After we deposited our bags at the ryokan, we took a train back to Kyoto Central Station, where we got dinner and explored in small groups. I had ramen, which was the first true Japanese ramen I've had, and it was very good although the portion was quite large. After that, Tiara and I wandered around looking for a book store but we were unsuccessful. I decided not to bring a book so that I would be forced to do my homework during down time, but I'm regretting that and want to buy a book.

Once we got back to the room, I finished my Gala speech and sent it to Shannon. Then I wrote my bog post, and now I'm going to bed.

Day 4- Shibu Onsen

I woke up around 7 this morning. Last night was probably the most sleep I've gotten all trip and it was refreshing not to feel completely exhausted when I woke up. Keziah, Tiara, and I took a bath in the ryokan onsen before breakfast. Today's breakfast was better than dinner in that it had a lot fewer shellfish, but still made me miss the hostel's buffet-style breakfast (breakfast is pictured below). After breakfast, we went out to the onsen.

The town has a total of 9 onsen, or public hot spring baths, and my group went to 4 of them. I would have liked to go to more, but the other two members of my group weren't huge fans of them. We came back to the ryokan and I had a chance to facetime with my mom to work on a speech I'm writing and say hi to my dog and gerbils (and my dad too) before we went back out for lunch. We meandered around the town's main street, stopping in tiny shops and petting the few cats who were wandering around. We got lunch at a small ramen place that didn't actually sell ramen, as far as I could tell. I took a nap in the afternoon and then did some stats homework before dinner.

Dinner was more palatable than the one the night before because it contained far fewer shellfish, thank goodness. That said, I'll be happy when we're done eating ryokan food. I was able to trade my raw shrimp to Alfredo tonight in exchange for some of his pickled vegetables, which was nice. After dinner, I joined Zinta, Amalia, and Molly for a walk up to a tiny temple and then another onsen visit. I packed most of my suitcase and am now going to bed.

Day 3- Transit Day/ Shibu Onsen

Today was a slow start because our shinkansen didn't leave until 10ish. I woke around 6:30, and started packing. My group pooled our laundry and ran one load in the hostel washer and dryer. It wasn't completely dry before we left, but it was mostly dry, so we put it in plastic bags so we could hang it to dry at our next lodging. I had the same breakfast that I ate for the previous two days--the hostel serves mostly the same food each morning. We took a couple regular trains to Toyko Central Station, and then got 駅弁 (in essence, a bento box sold at a train station). Mine was grilled trout sushi and pork dumplings, which was very good. However, I think I prefer the konnbini (connivence store) food because it's cheaper and is in smaller portions, so you can mix and match a lot of different things. The shinkansen went so quickly that it made my ears pop. However, I was able to do a bit of stats homework on the train ride.

When we got to the station, it felt a lot like I had arrived in a ski town. One could see mountains in the distance and the station cafe reminded me a lot of a warming hut. Snow blanketed the group, and was piled in heaping masses on the sidewalks and roofs around the town. We took the ryokan bus to our lodgings, which are very traditional. There are tatami floors, and the sitting area is in the form of a Meji-era school house, complete with old desks. Our room has a genkan (entry way), then a tatami floor, and futons for beds. I'm rooming with Tiara and Keziah while we're here.

After we dropped our stuff off, we took the hostel bus to Jigoku-dani, the snow monkey park. It was a 30 minute hike from the base of the mountain to where the park started. In the park, we were surrounded by snow monkeys. They were everywhere--climbing the mountain slopes, swimming in the hot springs, and even winding their way between the legs of tourists. It made me uncomfortable when people got too close to the moneys. Perhaps I just spend too much time around shelter dogs, but I felt like the monkeys were going to bite at any moment when someone got too close. It was mesmerizing to see the moms carrying their babies in their thick fur and scaling the slopes with such apparent ease. On the way back down, I had a very interesting conversation with Evan about if double negatives are grammatically correct, provoked by a sign that said, "don't fly drone prohibited," (we assume that it was asking people not to fly drones but...) It was a great way to pass the 30 minute hike down the mountain. After we got back to the ryokan, we took baths in the lodge's onsen and went to dinner. The dinner was...interesting. I disliked most of the food served, but I tried to eat it anyways. I'm not a fan of shellfish and that was most of the meal, but I ate as much as I could. I'm going to bed now.

Day 1- Tokyo

The day began bright and early, with an unidentifiable beeping sound in our room around 5 AM. It woke the entire room and up, and none of us went back to sleep. I've been dubbed my group's "お母さん" (mother in Japanese), because I remind everyone of important materials and make sure we're all in the right place at the right time. We started the day with a breakfast buffet. I had rice, seaweed, eggs, miso soup, and a croquette. It was nice to have a breakfast that felt more like a dinner as I dislike typical breakfast foods. After breakfast, we took 3 trains to a park for plum blossom viewing. On our way out of the station, we stopped for yakiimo, a warm sweet potato, which smelled delicious. Each group shared one of the large potatoes, and they were delicious. The plum blossoms in the park were beautiful, and the air was permeated with their smell. We wandered around the park and took pictures of the flowers. Next we went to a shopping district next to Meiji Jingu. Tiara and I went to a store full of small, cute toys and walked as far as the sake bottles in the shrine before we had to turn back for the sake of time. We ate lunch at a connivence store, which was, once again, surprisingly good. Sensai decided to allow us to spend more time in the district, and se we went to the 1000 yen store. On the way, Sensai bought a bright, coral-blue wig which made everyone laugh. I bought some candy and other souvenirs to bring home. Next we went to the Tokyo Dome and rode on a giant ferris wheel and a rollercoaster. We had dinner at the hostel, and then went out to see the Tokyo light show. Everyone was having trouble staying awake on both the train there and back. I'm going to bed now, and hopefully won't be woken at 5 in the morning tommorow.

Travel Day

When I arrived at the airport this morning, it didn’t feel like I was really going to Japan. It felt like we’d all get to the airport, meet up, and then return to our respective houses. We gathered in the ticketing area of American Airlines in terminal 3. Between our baggage and our parents, our group took up a lot of space. We took our group photo, and then went to wait in line at the ticket counter. This was the first of many lines today. Once I finally made it to the ticket counter, I presented the attendant with my passport and he gave me a boarding pass and checked my bag. Half of our group was pre-check, while the other half wasn’t, so we split up to go through security. Once we were through, Yokota-Sensai and Vankrey-Sensai divided us into groups to help us keep track of everyone. I’m accountable for making sure everyone in my group —Tiara, Molly, Zinta, and Amalia, are with us at all times.

The plane ride was far more pleasant than I expected. Don’t get me wrong—it was inordinately wrong. However, the plane’s amenities were nice. There was free entertainment, and the cabin was large and spacious. I spent the first 6 or 7 hours of the flight doing homework— I did a chapter worth of stats notes, my Euro section, my Japanese Momotaro rough and final drafts, and read some of my readings for my senior studies project. I also watched a movie and listened to some of my audiobook when I became too tired to do homework. The food on the flight was surprisingly good. For lunch (pictured), we had soba noodles, orange chicken, rice, and a salad. There was also a snack of a sandwich and ice cream, and a dinner/breakfast of teriyaki chicken and fruit. When I finally stood up at the end of the plane ride, I was stiff and sore. We got off the plane, and went through customs. During the flight, I had to fill out a customs declaration (the first one I’ve done on my own!)

We went through customs, and then waited in more lines to receive JR rail passes, and buy train tickets for the trip to the hostel. I had to give my passport to a lot of people in order to get all my documents.

We got dinner from a seven-eleven. I had two kinds of onigiri, one with a fish filling and one with seaweed. They were delicious, and inexpensive! It was surprising how easy it was to eat healthy food, even at a 7/11.

We took 3 trains to the youth hostel, and had our first experiences making up Japanese style beds. I’ve been awake for over 24 hours at this point, so I’m going to sign off and go to bed.

Pre-Trip Thoughts

I'm sitting in a pre-exchange meeting right now, and we've been asked to write about how we're feeling prior to leaving for Japan. I'm mostly feeling apprehensive, because I haven't heard from my host family and we're leaving so soon. I also have never traveled in a group before, which is similarly nerve-wracking. I'm used to traveling with my family and having the ability to take time to recover from jet lag and rest when we feel tired. In a group, I'll need to keep up with the pace of the group. I'm also scared about being in a country where I don't speak the language very well. I have some Japanese, but I'm nowhere near fluency and am worried that I won't be able to understand my host family.