Devenere

Feb:1st- The Japan trip is in 10 days!!! とてもすごいですね。I'm super excited to go to Japan and see all of the culture and speak the language I've been studying for 4 years. It's been a process and the trip is so close so I'm really getting ready and prepared for the trip.

Being in Japan will be new to me and this will be a fun experience. I'd love to bring you all on this journey through this daily blog. どぞうよろしくおねがいします。See you there.

Feb-11th and 12th: Day 1! We arrived at O'hare airport and departed . We had a super long flight, 14 hours. I watched 5 movies amazing spider-man 2, dead pool, doctor strange, Big hero 6, and kubo and the two strings. Yet, the flight still had about 4 to 5 hours left. After the super long flight we landed in Narita and did all our customs and currency exchange, as well as get our rail passes. We rode three trains, one was a 新幹線(bullet train) and the other two where normal trains. After wards, we made it too our accommodation, the Tokyo central youth hostel. I had loads of fun travelling around japan today and seeing it for myself the first time. can't wait for the next two weeks.

Feb 13: Day 2! Today we ate breakfast in the Tokyo central youth hostel. It was really good and is very different from american breakfast. We had rice, After we were all ready we heading to the train station and went to a very beautiful park with lots of flowers and a tea house. There Max, Jeff, and I were interviewed and we're going to be on Japanese TV on march 4th. It was really cool and Interesting, The guy interviewing us asked us where we were from and gave us samples of his product which was a sweet pretzel like snack. it was all in Japanese too which is the best part because we can really show how much of the language we learned. Afterwards, we went to a downtown kind of place called Harajuku. I love clothes and street culture so this was very awesome to me. Almost all the people around my age where dressed up in Supreme, Bape, Off-White, and tons of other expensive clothing brands that are very hyped and sought after. Also, almost everyone had yeezys on which was cool to see. After Harajuku, we headed over to the Tokyo dome and went a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster. The roller coaster was just like the Goliath or the raging bull with an 80 degree drop which was very fast. We then went back to the Tokyo central youth hostel and eat dinner. The interesting thing about Japanese meals are that every single one has rice in it, which is pretty cool, even breakfast. After we eat, our sensei said he had a surprise for us and we went to see a light show that was honestly pretty dope, but at this time I was very tired and my body and mind were in sleep mode. As soon as I got to the Hostel I went straight to sleep. Can't wait for tomorrow.

Feb 17: Day 6! Today I felt much better, I've been very sick for the past few days which I will touch upon later tomorrow, but long story short, I'm back and I'm better. Today we woke up and ate breakfast in our ryokan which was very good. After breakfast, we packed up all of our things and said bye to the wonder shibu onsen staff which really looked out for me. We then transferred onto three different trains that spanned about 4 to 5 hours. The trains went to Nagoya and then finally to Kyoto our next stop. We brought our luggage in and left to get dinner at a very big mall inside the train station. It had 11 floors and was very open and spacious. Victor, Alex, Noah, and I ate at a very nice pub type place with cool scenery. Afterwards, we explored in the malls for a bit and looked at multiple shops. We went into Gucci and were astonished by their prices, 32,560 yen for a tie (about 320 USD) that was just crazy, but it was Gucci so... We then left the mall and headed back to the Ryokan in Kyoto to call it a night. Again sorry for not posting I've been very sick and haven't been able to blog. I'll explain everything tomorrow.

Day 8! Today was our travel around Kyoto day. Sensei said that this was his favorite city on earth more than 2,000 times, but I understand why he said that. Kyoto is a very beautiful city. It is very calm, relaxed, historic, and mysterious while also being modern. First, we went to (Toji) which is known for it's very historic building that is the tallest standing wooden building in Japan. We went inside and bowed to all the many statutes of the temple which were cool to see. Unfortunately no photos were allowed. While we were there we connected with and old student of sensei’s, (Marianne Finneran). She lives in Osaka and came to say hello and tour with for a bit. After we went to ume Park. There were over 2,000 plum trees in the park, as well as a temple and a shrine. Next we went to get lunch at 7/11 which is like the best place to get lunch in Japan. So much variety in such a small place. Then went to nijo jinja which is an old house where daimyo, old Japanese feudal Lords, would stay and be protected by ninja who set up multiple traps for attackers. It was a very beautiful and interesting house. After we went to Nijo castle, which is one of the oldest in Japan. We walked around and saw all of the rooms that the residents would stay in and we walked around the outside as well. It's very big and easily has over 25 rooms in the small area we went through alone. Next, we went to (Fushimi Inari) which was a range of giant orange Japanese style gates that spanned up a mountain for miles. My group went about a fourth of the way which took a half an hour or so. Each gate had Japanese writing on each telling its own unique story. Then, we went back to station for dinner was good as always because that station is massive and has a wide range to choose from. After eating and moving all day, we went back the hotel and went to sleep. Tomorrow we go to kanazawa.

Feb 25: Day ?!, I've lost count at this point because I'm having so much fun in Japan. Today My host brother Yuhei and I went to a place called Round 1. Round 1 is a very big bowling and sports entertainment center. A few other KJ students and a few of my classmates came along too. We arrived and I was very surprised on how much it reminded me of a Dave and busters mixed with a Brunswick with a dash of The Chicago field house. It was a very cool and open space. When we arrived Victor and I did karaoke with a few of the KJ students. I don't really sing (I can't sing) so karaoke was challenging but still fun. After that, we went down to the sports area. First we did a shooting range and I hit mostly 10's (Bulls-eyes) from 10 meters away, Then we played 3 on 3 basketball on a very short rim that I could dunk on without jumping... That pretty much sums up how basketball went for the other team, next we went roller skating and they don't really have my size in japan so I had to squeeze my feet into a 12 and 1/2 ish size which was interesting and a little painful to say the least, then we played pool and I played against Paul who is really good at pool, but I beat him because he hit the eight ball in, Then we played a few mini arcade games before going bowling. I was very rusty because I haven't bowled in like a year ("cough" excuses "cough") but nonetheless it was still a fun game playing with The KJ students. After all of that, we went shopping in their suto downtown area, which kind of reminded me of downtown evanston in way because of how small it was and how compact it was. We went to multiple stores including H and M, Uniqlo, Gu (A store only in Japan), And Loft (Also Japan only). At H and M I bought a very cool hoodie, which if you know me you will see. After a lot of shopping and a fun filled day with pictures and experiences, we all returned to Niigata station and me and Yuhei returned Home. We had Japanese McDonald's because I wanted to see how different it was. It is pretty much the same besides the Japan only options and everything being in Japanese. I fell asleep pretty early like every other day, but I'll explain it tomorrow.

Feb. 23-24: Days, Link to My sound cloud for all of the students That asked for my music - https://soundcloud.com/user-363266182. On Thursday Feb. 23, I woke up to an amazing breakfast from my host family They are some the nicest and most kind people I've ever met, and I am forever grateful for what they done for me so far even though it's only been one day.

Final Thoughts on Japan: Wow... I can't believe the trip is over already. It feels like just yesterday I was in Tokyo and Kyoto Absorbing So much. I learned an enormous Amount from this trip. From Tokyo to Niigata, The amount of Japanese I used to talk to strangers, Order and convince stores and restaurants, Buy clothing, Ask questions at museums and shrines, and most importantly, build a Lasting relationship with my host family, Really shows all of my hard work and study in the Japanese program pay off. This has really opened my eyes to the world outside my own, and has made me realize That no matter where you are from or who you are, There's really no differences when it comes to compassion and the will for others. Thank You ETHS, KJ, My Family and Friends, And My sensei's for allowing me to go on this trip and have the experience of a lifetime, that I'll never forget.

Feb. 26: Today was a very nice, chill day. I woke up at around 10 which was a nice break from waking up around 6 for school. I had an awesome breakfast as usual and then sat around for about 2 hours. At around 12 Yuhei, my host Father, and I went to a koi fish Museum Plaza that was around the Ojiya city area. It was a very tranquil museum and I got to feed the main tank of koi fish. The food was normal fish food but modified in a way so that koi fish could eat it because koi fish don't have stomachs (something I learned in the museum). After the museum we walked around the Plaza and went to some gift shops that were very expensive. One of the shops had clothes made purely of silk which is super expensive because of how rare silk is. I thought it was very interesting though because seeing a suit made of silk (like an actual suit, like american style go to work on wall street everyday kind of suit) made me think about how Japanese people use all of their resources around them. After the stores we went to a Japanese supermarket, which is very different from an american super market such as a Jewel osco and Vali Produce. Japanese supermarkets have two floors, one for Groceries and one as a department store with a food court in the middle. I found this interesting