Amalia

2/1/17

10 days until we leave. As of right now, I am still having feelings of disbelief that this trip is actually happening. This will be my first time ever being away from my family for so long. I also have never been out of the country so this experience is completely new to me. As we continue to talk and plan at our trip meetings, I keep envisioning me meeting my host family and traveling to so many different places. I plan on taking my GoPro camera with me to take cool pictures and videos. I still need to figure out what type of clothes I am going to wear. Planning way ahead of time is not something that I am very good at. I'm starting to have some ideas but these need to come into reality pretty soon.

Day 1

The night of, I decided to try and pull an all nighter as a way to help my body adjust to the time difference. I really thought I was going to be nervous the day of the trip, but that didn't happen for me. The long 14 hours on the plane really got to me, though. 5 movies and 2 naps later, I finally had arrived into Japan. We spent a lot of time at the airport dealing with train passes and passports but after many train rides, we reached where we are staying for the night, the Toyko Youth Central Hostel. I've never been in a hostel before so this is a completely new experience for me. I am really excited to explore Tokyo tomorrow!

Day 2

This was my first time having a Japanese breakfast! I had eggs, nori, sausage, cabbage, and croquette. I am used to my cereal or french toast in the mornings so my body had to adjust to the different foods. After eating, we went to a park and saw beautiful cherry blossom trees. They all smelled so nice and it was a great place to take photos. From one spot, you could see Mount Fuji! Today I also tried Yakiimo, which is a cooked sweet potato that is just served plain. It reminded me of the sweet potatoes you eat with soup in Haiti. Around the area, I bought my brother a gift too. Later on, we were traveling around Tokyo and my friends and I found some really cool shops to stop at! There was one called Chicago and it was cool to see the Japanese interpretation of American fashion. We also went to the 100 yen store too. While walking around, I tried a Creme Brulee Whip Cream crepe. When we got back to the hostel, we had dinner. It was really good tonight and I had enjoyed it. After dinner, we went to go the Tokyo Lights show. Right now, I am so exhausted that my eyes can barely stay open. Time to sleep!!!

Day 3

Today, after eating breakfast we went to Ueno Part and saw the National Museum. I really enjoy going to museams and looking at different types of art so I had a good time there. At the museum, I bought some gifts for my friends and my mom. After the park, we traveled an old shrine, where I purchased my first stamp book! When visiting certain places, you can buy handwritten stamps to put in your book. They're so beautiful to look at. After the shrines and museums, we went to a small shopping district. There were restaurants and stores all over. We stopped at a place called Mr. Donut and just walked around for a bit. When we were done, we went to a temple where I was able to get another stamp for my book! At the temple, there is a huge puff of smoke that comes out and you see people putting the smoke on their heads as a way to cleanse your mind. There were Koi fish and beautiful buildings all over. Then we went back to the hostel for dinner. All day today I was worried about our evening activity- the sky tree. I am very, very afraid of heights and so this was a completely new experience for me. By the end of this, I was super tired and looking forward to the nice bath at the hostel. Tomorrow we travel to the mountains!

Day 4

Today I realized how bad I am at packing! We were leaving the Hostel and traveling to Nagano to go to the Shibu Onsen. Going to the Shibu Onsen we took a bullet train! At the train station, we all bought Bento boxes (pictured), which are premade Japanese meals. Mine had rice, eggs, chicken, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I couldn't recognize. Regardless, it was still pretty good. The train ride was a bit long but the seeing the change from busy Tokyo to the mountain side was an amazing sight. After getting ourselves settled at the hotel. We took a small bus and then a 25 minute walk to the Snow Monkey mountains. Here, there were just tons of snow monkeys walking everywhere. They weren't enclosed, they could just walk right past you. The view from the mountain was beautiful. There is a lot of snow here in Nagano. When we came back for dinner, we all dressed in our Yukatas (traditional Japanese robe) and went to go eat. This meal was definitely something that I had never experienced before. The food just kept coming and coming. I found myself getting a bit overwhelmed by the amount of food that was being put in front of me. It was all so new to me too. There was a small amount of food that I actually recognized. It was really nice to experience traditional Japan, though. After this meal, I was definitely ready to go to bed.

Day 5

Today has been so nice! This morning we had another traditional breakfast (in the picture). After so many hectic days of taking trains back and forth and exploring Japan, we had the whole day to relax at the hotel and go to the 9 bath houses located in the area. As a souvenier, we were given these small towels with the names of the bath houses where we can stamp them, showing that we visted that place. I've fallen with a cold so it was super nice to basically sit in hot tubs, get some homework done, and sleep all day. While walking from bath to bath, my friends and I found this noodle restaurant and I had Soba noodles for the first time! Well, it actually wasn't my first time, since we were actually served soba noodles on the plane, but it wasn't that great so I'm not going to count it. Anyway, I realized how much I really like Soba noodles. They were so good to eat after walking around on a cold day (the noodles are served in a soup). After eating, we found some small shops and bought some gelato and japanese snacks. I really like green tea Pocky sticks! Later on, we are going to have another extensive meal at the hotel so I am excited to see what else I am going to try. Tomorrow we are going to Kyoto, which is a pretty big city. Thank goodness I had the chance to rest up and have some more energy to enjoy whats in store for tomorrow!

Day 6

The train ride to Kyoto was really long. I really liked it though because it was nice to look out the window and just see Japan. After making it to Kyoto, we walked to Nissho Besso ryokan. The rooms were really nice and similar to the last place we stayed at. We only spent a few minutes at Nissho and then went on a bit of sight seeing. We went to the Kyoto train station, and this isn't your average station. It also had an 11 story mall! All of us were given time to break up in our groups and go get dinner somewhere. There was a floor of the mall that was dedicated to just ramen. My group found this small restuarant and ordered ramen from there. This was my first time ever having authentic ramen. I am used to the ones that come in the cups. Honestly, the ramen I had that night was probably one of my favorite things I have eaten on the trip. The bowl was so big too for a small price. After eating, we walked around the mall. A lot of the shops had weird names for such high end clothing. A few of the names were; Ear, Before the Boom, and Dress Slave. It was really funny for me to see how in Japan, they use English words for fashion, and in the United States, we do the same. I can't imagine how many Japanese words are improperly used in the US.

Day 7

On this day, we were told to dress very warm because it was going to be a cold and snowy day! After eating a huge breakfast and putting on many, many layers, we got on a bus and headed up to the mountains. The 3 hour bus ride took us to this place called Shirakawa-go. At Shirakawa-go, there were many temples, shrines, and small shops. I was trying to take pictures on my phone here but I think the cold made my phone die on me. Anyway, this was my favorite place we have been so far. I loved watching the waterfalls and the river coated with snow. Zinta, Molly and I also went to get some really good ice cream here too. We were only given a small amount of time to look around at Shirakawa-go because we were going to Gokayama to see a night light-up. I will post pictures of the mountains from here soon. I'm not entirely sure what it was called but we saw some beautiful traditional dances. I got a few videos but they're on my camera. It was really nice to be here because I haven't seen snow falling in a really long time due to our very strange weather. In the 5+ foot high snow banks, there were candles lighting up a nice path to walk though to see the mountains and rivers. This was a very long day because with the long bus ride and the trains we had to take to get back to Nissho ryokan, we didn't get back until around 11:30. Overall, this was my favorite day because seeing mountains and rivers all around me is definitely not something I was used to.

Day 8

After eating a very traditional Japanese breakfast, we went to quite a few places. We went to the Nijo Castle, and the Nijo-jinya. The Nijo Castle was beautiful. There was ancient Japanese statues that have been there for hundreds of years. Although the Nijo-Jinya was super cold inside, it was amazing to see the strategic architecture. Sadly, we were unable to take pictures inside. Although I forgot what it's called, we also visited a shrine that had a lot of street food vendors along the side. There, I bought a custard cream mochi. It was the best thing I have eaten so far. I had to buy two. After the shrines, we went back to Kyoto station to have dinner and then headed back to the ryokan. I had to make sure I packed my stuff ahead of time because we were going to leave early for Kanazawa!

Day 9

The weather was not on our side on this day. It was raining once we left the train station and we had to walk a little bit to get to the hotel we were staying at. We quickly dropped our bags off at the hotel and then made the trip to go visit the Ninja Dera. The Ninja Dera was the place where I did my site report. It turned out to be one of my favorite places we visited because #1, it was heated, and #2, the history behind it was very cool. There were many hidden rooms, stairwells, and traps all throughout the building. Afterwards, we went to this market. I am not entirely sure what it is called but there were vendors everywhere mainly selling foods like fish and fresh foods. It was nice to explore around here. I bought a gift for my friend there too. One of the people on the trip here bought ice cream with a sheet of gold on it! In Kanazawa, they really focus on gold and so you could find a lot of gold foods and accessories there too. When we were done at the market, we went back to the hotel to relax for a bit and get dinner. I had really good pizza and some people and I shared caramel apple french toast! This was the first place we've stayed at that didn't have an Onsen (bathhouse) so my room mates and I were a bit bummed about that but the hotel was really nice

Day 10

This was the last day all of us were going to be together. Although it was sad, this definitely was my favorite day on the trip so far. We were all having such a great time and I started reaching out to more people. We visited the 21st century art museum and it was absolutely beautiful. I love going to museums and looking at contemporary art so this was great. My favorite exhibit was one where there were pictures of different people layered on top of each other to make a brand new face of a nonexistant person. After the museum we went to the Nishi Chaya District. There, we found this icecream shop with many flavors that I was not used to such as: miso, soy sauce, and charcoal. A Dorayaki, which was green tea ice cream in a bamboo and charcoal pancake thing. It was basically an icecream sandwich. I really liked it, I have come to love green tea flavored things. As mentioned in my previous post, Kanazawa is known for gold and so one of my friends bought a golden milkshake, which was pretty cool. I bought a flan and had a really great time just hanging out with my friends. In the group I was with, there were also two other Chiaravalle alum and so we spent the time bringing up stories from middle school. For dinner, we ate at the Kanazawa station. I bought some Kanazawa cookies for my host family there too. When we got back to the hotel, I had to make sure to pack and have everything together because I tend to lose everything. I think I've already lost 2 jackets while I've been here. Anyway, I had a lot of fun this day and laughed with so many people. I definitely am going to miss moments like these.

Day 11

I was so greatful to hear that breakfast was at 8:30. Molly, Zinta, and I stayed in the comfortable beds for as long as possible. We were having a chill start because we were going to take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to go to Niigata and meet our host families! I was so nervous. Once we reached the end of the train ride. I was full on shaking. The people I was going to be living with were just a few hundred feet away. So many thoughts were running through my head. When we were going to greet our families, they all formed a welcoming line and held up posters with our names on it. There I met Mei and her mother. They both welcomed me in a hug and then we left to go to their house. The drive to their home made my nerves calm down a bit. Once we got there, standing at the window was Mei's grandmother waving frantically at me. She was amazed by two things: my hair, and my height. After settling in, Mei and I watched some Japanese TV and we watched some American cartoons. At dinner time, we ate udon noodles. I really liked it! When we were finished eating, I presented my host family their gifts. They all really seemed to appreciate them. We spent some time talking about me and my family and I showed them my photo book. By then, my nerves were gone. I made sure to pack up my stuff that I was bringing to school with me the night before so that I could have a smooth start to the next day.

Day 12

Today I had a full day at a Japanese school! My day started with me putting on two layers of socks because I was warned about how cold the school is. For breakfast, Mei's mother and grandmother made me miso soup, fish, and rice. I tried Nato for the first time. It was kinda gross and I did not like it. Other than that, I enjoyed the breakfast. After eating, Mei's mother drove us to school. I did an activity with Mei's classmates where I basically just talked about myself for a couple of minutes. I went to a few of her classes like gym where we played volleyball. Lunch was really good. I had rice, some sort of salad, and what I think was chicken. I met some of Mei's friends there too. Like many, there were very amazed by my hair. All of the ETHS kids got back together and we made origami stars. Mine ended up being super ugly but I had fun doing it. After school, we went to a traditional tea ceremony. I know we have a tea ceremony club at ETHS but this was my first time seeing one. It was pretty interesting to see how delicate each step is throughout the whole ceremony. They gave us these Japanese cakes to eat with our tea which had the consistency of play dough but tasted really sweet. It had a pretty flower on it too. After the ceremony, I went to Mei's basketball practice. I haven't played basketball in a long time but it was fun to play with some of the Japanese kids. When we were done practicing, we took the bus home and then waited at the train station for a bit with one of Mei's friends. I didn't catch her name but she was super kind and loved asking me questions about Chicago since she is coming in March. For dinner, I had some sort of stew (I don't know the name, rice, beans and salad. The stew was soooo good. I made sure to tell my host family that. At dinner my family began telling me about the weekend activities they have planned for me. On Saturday, I will go bowling and go to a restaurant with a few other Japanese and ETHS students. Sunday will be the day to go shopping for a few more gifts for my family and then my host family said they will take me skiing. I have never been skiing before so I am a bit worried but I am very excited!

Day 13

Although I knew I was only going to experience Japanese school for 2 days, I didn't know how strong of relationships I would build. Starting my day, I had the usual rice and miso soup, and then on the way to school we went to the convience store to pick up food for lunch. The convience stores in Japan might look the same as they do in America, but the food here is actually good and won't make you sick! Who knew it was possible to trust 7/11 sushi?! Anyway, in the morning, we did jump rope with the students. It was a very long rope with about 40 students. We only got through the rope twice but we still got an award for teamwork. We did a lot of fun activities like origami and I put on a really pretty Yukata. At the end of the day, Mei's homeroom class gave us a gift of a really sweet note and a picture we had taken earlier. After recieving the picture, one of the KJ students started crying, then Betsy started crying, then I started crying. I had made a lot of memories in the past two days and I am really glad I was able to share them with these students. After school, we went home but had a lot of time before dinner, so Mei and I hung out in her room. I showed her some popular American songs and then showed her the dance that I performed at my presentation. When we were tired from dancing, I put on my favorite movie, The Blind Side. She said she really, really liked it. I have probably seen this movie at least 20+ times but it never gets old. At dinner we talked about our plan for the next day over eating Yaki Soba which was pretty good. I started organizing some of my stuff since I will have to repack everything before I leave. Although it was sad, I had a really good time getting to know the KJ students and I am excited to see some of them next month!

Day 14

Today we had a day full of fun! Mei and I met with her friend named Ririka and we took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Niigata city. On the train we met up with other KJ and ETHS students. The train was different than the other ones I've been on. This one had different art in each cart, and a full size cafe! It was really fun to go through and take pictures. At the end of our stop, there was a private bus waiting for us to take us to a bowling alley/arcade center. Before the games, we went into a small karaoke booth. All of us had a great time singing and dancing along to Justin Bieber, the Beatles, and Taylor Swift. After singing, we first played this game called Squash which was really similar to tennis but the ball was a different size. We just played a lot of different sports and we roller bladed. I found out today that I am really bad at pool. When we were done with the games, we went to go order our food and head to the bowling alley downstairs. I was put in a lane with two KJ students that I hadn't met before so I had a great time getting to know them. After a few hours of that, we walked a bit to a shopping center. When we were ready to come home, we ended up going to the train station too early so we stopped at this cute cookie shop. Ririka and I had waffles whereas Mei had cookies and chocolate fondue. Overall, today was a fun day and I am glad that I was able to hang out with the KJ students one more time. Tomorrow we go skiing! Tomorrow is also my last full day in Japan :(