Evan

Feb 26, 2017: It happened. My final full day with my host family. Though I think we were all well aware of the fact, we took a relaxed approach to the day. They let me sleep in till 8:45 (pretty late considering when I have had to get up) and then we had a delicious breakfast with leftover oden from the night before. After breakfast, they prepared their dolls for the festival and then had me dress up in traditional clothing with a katana for photos (if you want to see the photos just ask).

Once that was done, we went out to go shopping and to get lunch. I was able to get some gifts for people as well as myself and it was a pretty successful outing. During lunch, I think they noticed how tired I was and took me back to their house where I had a 2 hour nap. I kinda regret napping because it means I lost 2 hours with them but at the same time, I don't think I would have been able to enjoy the rest of the day if I hadn't.

After I woke up from my nap, we went to a hot spring together where we stayed for just under 3 hours. It was incredibly relaxing and we had a great time. I even got to go into a Sauna for the first time while there and it was pretty intense.

The next thing we did though was probably my favorite of the day. My family took me to a snow festival where lots of people were just eating food together and chatting. They introduced me to some nice people from their town and I didn't make a total fool of myself when talking.

Finally, we went home for the last time. I began working on this blog when I got back and was interrupted by my host brother. He said that because it was my last night, his family wanted to talk with me for a while. I joined them and we had an amazing conversation over dessert. It was really bittersweet and I am really happy I went in for that last conversation.

Anyway, I am gonna start packing now because I have an early morning. Thanks to anyone (if anyone even did) who read this blog because I think this will be my last post. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope that came through at least a little.

Feb 25, 2017: Today was a day full of firsts and to decrease the time away from my family, I will probably only mention all the firsts that happened today. Before we got to Niigata, my host brother and I had to board a shinkansen to take us there. This train ride was my first new experience. Though I have been on shinkansen before, I have never been on one that doubles as an art museum. The art on it was pretty cool and the seats were incredibly comfy. All in all, the train had an incredible atmosphere (funniki). The second new thing I did today was something I never expected to do. With some fellow trippers and their host students, I did karaoke. I was really out of my comfort zone the whole time but I wound up enjoying myself the whole time.

The third and fourth new things that I did both involved transportation. For the third, it was my first time using roller skates. I was pretty bad but being with others that weren't great made it easier to start. By my second lap, I was actually able to roll without almost falling every two seconds. Soon after roller skating, the fourth new thing happened. I actually got to ride a segway and, believe it or not, I was actually pretty good at it.

The fifth and final new thing was when I tried oden for dinner tonight. The oden contained a couple forms of fish and various vegetables. I was able to enjoy it despite the fish and I am glad I got to try something so new.

Feb 24, 2017: Today was so much sadder than I ever imagined it would be. Today was our second, and last day at KJ. Yesterday, I had no idea how much I would miss the freezing halls of the school today. Now though, after the school day has ended, I am pretty upset that I won't get to speak more with most of the students. Also, the idea that I only have two more full days in Japan is starting to hit me pretty hard. Luckily though, today was not all moping and there were lots of good parts.

After I finished my presentation, the relief I felt was pretty amazing and I was surprised by how well I actually did. Another really great part of today was when I actually saw the student I hosted last year I wasn't expecting to see. We had a nice chat in the train station for about half an hour while he waited for his dad and I waited for my train. This was a really nice surprise for me and probably one of the best moments of the trip for me. The next fun thing to happen to me, which was also really great, was when I got home from school. My host family was waiting for me and we all made Gyoza together. When I ate them, they tasted delicious and everything was made better knowing that I had made it myself.

This is really out of order but at the beginning of school today, Betsy delivered a gift from her host student Hiroe to me. Despite never having met her, Hiroe knew about my love for cheesecake and decided to give me a small cheesecake and another dessert similar to cheesecake. This act of kindness came as a total surprise to me and made my day. After that happened I knew I could make it through the day no matter how my presentation went. Even if you don't read this, thanks for that Hiroe!

That was my day and yeah, I enjoyed it. The only issue is that everything feels like it is moving too fast.

Feb 23, 2017: This day was a good day. Even though I wasn't able to sit in on a math class, most of the other classes were very interesting. The first class I sat in on was some sort of world studies class. Being that I and others from my group were there, we became the focus of the lesson. Students would come to us in groups of 4 or 5 and spend 7 to 8 minutes asking us questions about ourselves in Japanese. Once they ran out of questions or we became unable to answer theirs, we were able to ask them about various aspects of Japanese culture and different things about the region we were in. We did 4 rotations of this with different people and it was a great way to practice my Japanese as well as learn about their culture.

The next class I went to was very different. It was a class focused on preparing students for life in Japan and college. As a result, the teachers opening lecture was in Japanese only and not that engaging for me (I almost fell asleep and I felt very bad about it). After the lecture at the beginning though, Junpei and I talked about where we want to go to college and what we want to do in college. Some of the vocabulary was a little difficult and I had to ask for meanings of words but all in all it was a very interesting and pleasant conversation.

Once that class was done, we went off to gym. Though I am not a big fan of gym, seeing how into the games of volleyball the students got encouraged me to try harder in gym than I normally would. Also, gym helped me work up my appetite for lunch.

For lunch, my host mother packed me a very delicious bento box. The box contained, vegetables, eggs, and meat with fruit as dessert. Though I was not able to eat it all, cause it was a lot, I really enjoyed what I could eat. Also, and more of side note, today my host grandmother made miso soup for me and it was the first time I have ever enjoyed it. This miso soup was the bomb.

After lunch, I went to an English class (which I totally rocked) and had an amazing time. We were asked to share what we would do if the world was ending in a week and one student had the most amazing response. His idea was to spend the first day getting money from the bank, the second day getting a bus and filling it with his money, the third and fourth days riding in the bus with all the money it, the fifth day buying things, and the sixth day going to a graveyard where he will sleep and die. Not only was this incredibly creative, but his use of English and his diction when telling this story were superb. I could tell he put way more thought into his answer than I put into mine.

This was the last class of my day and after I went to a tea ceremony club event. It was my second time ever attending one and this time was much more special because it was in Japan. All the minute details during these ceremonies are incredibly interesting and the ability of the students to remember these details is insane.

Once that ended, I went back to my host's home, where I am now, and I am currently waiting for dinner. Tonight's dinner will be curry rice, a dish I have grown to love, and I am very excited to eat. Anyway, I will probably post pictures of the day tomorrow and if I don't, I will definitely show them to anyone that asks.

Feb 22, 2017: Today was exciting, really sad, and terrifying all at the same time. Today was the day our group split up for the home stay portion of the trip. Not only would this mean that we would have to speak more Japanese than ever, we would have to do it without the physical support of our peers. Also, we have grown to like each other quite a bit as a group so separating was not easy in that sense.

Once we actually met our families though, a lot of the fear began to fade for me. My host, Junpei, and his parents picked me up and took me to buy slippers, buy my own chopsticks, and to make sure I had everything I needed. On this excursion and caught up in the rush of only speaking Japanese, I got a little carried away. My host student asked if I could eat octopus in Japanese and not totally understanding what he said, I said yes. Now for the people that know me and know that I am not a fan of fish, after having octopus I feel the same way. I was able to eat more than I thought I would be able to but it was still difficult and not the most enjoyable thing. One lesson it did teach me though is that I should be paying more attention to what is said to me instead of blindly agreeing.

After this harrowing ordeal and our shopping had been complete, I went to my host's home and met his grandmother, grandfather, and older brother. We were able to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl because they have a Wii and I also was able to see a snow cave they made and go inside (pics at end of post). Once we had seen that though, I took a bath and ate a delicious udon dinner. During the meal, I was the topic of conversation and I found it difficult to eat in between all the questions my hosts were asking me. Once I had finished though, I was able to politely excuse myself and was complemented on my knowledge of what to say once you have finished a meal in Japan.

All in all, today was a pretty good day despite the terror and sadness. Hopefully my fellow trippers have host families as kind as mine!

Feb 21, 2017: Today was our Kanazawa day. When we woke up, we were treated to a delicious breakfast buffet (I had curry rice for breakfast and I loved it) where we were able to choose our own portion size. After breakfast though, the day started to look like it was gonna go down hill. It was very cold and snow was falling. I forgot to wear a second pair of socks so my toes were freezing and felt like they were gonna fall off. When we got to Kenrokuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, we were pretty darn cold. In spite of this though, we were able to cope by playing games like Contact and just looking at the beautiful grounds of the garden. (Pics below)

After touring the garden for a while, we went to a villa where we had to take off our shoes and put on slippers. The slippers were warmer than my boots so I was thankful for this. As for the actual stuff inside the villa, the main things on display seemed to be based around dolls. Whether it was dolls themselves, clothes for them, accessories for them, or furniture for them. There weren't pictures allowed so I can't show you any of the doll stuff.

When we left the villa, we went looking for lunch. At lunch, I tried udon noodles for the first time and it was delicious. The dish I had was curry based (I have decided I just love Japanese curry) and it was so warm and so good.

Once we had finished with lunch, we went to the 21st Century Museum where we saw lots of cool art that I usually wasn't able to photograph. Jaunting through the museum was fun but there is only so much I can say about art. I do have a photo of a pretty cool exhibit below.

We then left the museum, we went to a cool gaisha district but I forgot to take pictures. While there the main interesting thing that happened was when some folks thought it would be cool to take a picture with us foreigners and we all got to pose with them. I don't think any of us actually got the photo taken though so it may be hard to find.

That is all that happened today. It was a pretty great, curry-filled day and my last day before my home stay begins.

Feb 20, 2017: Today we left Kyoto. We took a train to Kanazawa and arrived just after lunch. Upon our arrival, we dropped off our stuff at our first western style hotel and made our way to Ninjya-dera, a temple known for having various traps and secret doors. I was able to get another signature in my book of temple signatures. There was even a really cool secret passage that requires moving a secret door in order to unlock it.

Once we had finished there, we walked through the rain for the first time on this trip to a cool fish market. I didn't have the greatest time because there was mostly only fish for sale and I am not the biggest fan of fish. That being said, there was still some good food and it was interesting just to see another side of Japan.

Best part of the day though? Probably when I got the cheesecake I have been craving for a long time at dinner for dessert.

Feb 19, 2017: Today we spent the day touring Kyoto and visiting some very cool locations.

Location number 1: The first location was a very cool and tall tower made of wood. At the tower, we were not allowed to photograph the inside. Also, while there we got to try some very.... interesting.... tea that was pretty salty. The place is below this.

Location number 2: The second place we went to was called Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and it was super pretty. I got another signature in my book o' signatures. Also, there was more tea and lots of flowers but the tea was just as interesting as before. The place is below this.

Location number 3: This was pretty cool. It was a ninja house with lots of sneaky fake doors and even a fake staircase. It was very interesting and cool to see how much of the all Japanese presentation about it that I could actually understand through context. Sadly, the place is not below this because of no pictures.

Location number 4: This place was the coolest of the day. It was Nijo Castle. Let me explain to you why this place was so cool. It was a giant part of the city cordoned off by a wall and moat that contains a lovely and gigantic garden. Also, when you actually enter the building and walk around the floors are crazy cool. It sounds like birds chirping when you walk on the floors which is CRAAAAAZZZZZYYYYYY and coolio. The place is below this.

Surprise Location number 5: As you have probably gathered from the name I have given this location, I did not expect that we would go here. I am very happy and was pleasantly surprised that we made it. The place we went was a very famous location where there are many Tori gates lined up and it was really pretty. The place is below this.

This was basically our day and it was pretty great. Sorry if my post was kinda vague or rambly but I am really tired now.

Feb 18, 2017: Today was a pretty good day. Aside from the rocky start when someone (Alfredo) forgot to set an alarm and we were late for breakfast, the day was pretty stress free and exciting. The main activity of the day was a bus trip to incredibly rural cities in Japan to see a light festival and some pretty cool architecture. The first town, Shirakawa-go we stopped at was mainly just to see architecture and we were able to see the largest temple in Japan with a thatch roof. To top that off, the building was also constructed with no nails at all which is pretty darn cool. The second town, with the light festival, was called Gokayama and we got some amazing bean soup. We stayed at the second village until after sundown and even though we were all freezing, the festival and the location made the entire trip worth it.

Feb 17, 2017: So today we left our paradise at the hot springs and went to Kyoto. After some stressful train transfers and a missed train, we made it to our insanely nice traditional hotel. We then walked around Kyoto a bit but my phone needed to charge so I wasn't able to take any photos. Anyway, Kyoto is amazing so far and I can't wait to show everyone pictures of them but it probably won't be until at least tomorrow that I get any photos.

Feb 16, 2017: So today we did something pretty cool (wait for it). We spent the entire day walking from hot bath to hot (get it? something cool but the baths are hot so it is funny) bath in traditional garb in a small town. Some of us, including me, were able to make it to all 9 of the baths and complete the challenge given to us by our teachers. In between bathing though, we were able to explore many small and cute shops in the area, we were able to get some delicious noodles for lunch, and we even scored some homemade gelato. While there were some road blocks on our way to making it to all 9 baths, mainly forgetting various important things like keys, I learned that I should not be trusted with keys to baths. Also, the breakfast and dinner were to die for. Just to make anyone reading this hungry/jealous.

Feb 13, 2017: This post is coming on the heels of a very packed first day exploring Tokyo. At the beginning of the day we went to a park known for its plum blossoms and got a great glimpse of Mt. Fuji. We also were able to find grilled sweet potato being sold fresh which made for a nice way to stay warm during the chilly morning. Once we had finished eating sweet potato and looking at the plum blossoms, we headed over to Meiji Shrine and the nearby shopping district Harajuku. Here we were given a couple hours to explore for ourselves and some other trippers and I found some crazy crepes. They were fantastic and almost every crepe either had ice cream, cheesecake, or some kind of pie in it. After we had filled up on crepes, we went to a Ferris wheel where there was also a roller coaster. I chose not to go on the roller coaster because it was a bit too spooky for me but I really enjoyed the view while riding the Ferris wheel. By now one of the greatest parts of the Ferris wheel was just that we could sit down because some of us had gotten pretty tired.

After the Ferris wheel, we went back to the youth hostel for dinner and a little brake thinking we were done when all of a sudden we remembered that we were seeing a light show later that night. Determined not to fall asleep on the train, we headed to the light show and enjoyed it.

I think it finally set in that I am in Japan some time today and I am really glad to be here.

Feb 11-12, 2017: Today we finally embarked on our trip to Japan. The day for me began at 6:45 AM and I have been awake for around 24 hours when I am writing this. At the airport, I was able to find some delicious butternut squash soup from Wolf Gang Puck Express which made the airport experience much better. The plane ride itself was also not that bad because of all the free entertainment available. Once our plane arrived and we got through customs and got our rail pass, we took some trains to get to our youth hostel where I am currently writing this. That was my day. It was pretty cool. Still can't really believe I am in Japan but I am sure the reality will set in soon.

Feb 1, 2017: It is currently the last trip meeting before we go to Japan and I am pretty excited. I have been out of the country before but never to a place like Japan. I'm a bit nervous about all of the trip (partially because I haven't packed yet) but I really just can't wait. The idea that I have only been learning Japanese for about 3 and a half years and I am going to stay in a Japanese family's home is also kinda crazy too.

Mainly everything I am feeling is just very hard to process for me. I'm nervous, excited, stressed, and happy about leaving in 10 days and that is all I can really put into words right now.