Hazel

10 More Sleeps:

I have dreamt of going to Japan ever since my childhood friend first introduced me to the wondrous culture was I was nine. Momoko told me stories of her visits to Japan while we sat folding oragami around her kotatsu after school. Little did I know this opportunity would come true. I dared to believe it possible when I enrolled in the Japanese program freshman year. Now, I have had a year to process the reality that I will be spending two weeks in Japan, and yet it still remains entirely surreal. Words simply can not describe how excited I am. 10 Days away, and it is all I can think about!

2/11/17 Day 1:

Writing this, I am deliriously tired. I got up at 6 am (after 4 hours of restless, excited sleep) and managed to sleep 2 hours on the plane. It is now 10:35 pm in Tokyo, but 7:35 am Chicago time. I have slept 6 hours in the past 48 hours. The plane ride was thirteen hours. I personally enjoyed it though. There is something very calming about being on an airplane, so isolated. During the flight I napped, attempted to nap, talked with peers, and worked on my photo album I am giving to my host family, listened to music, watched Spiderman, and did homework. Overall it was a really nice flight largely due to the excitement our entire group radiated.

Getting off the plane felt unreal. There has been so much build up to this trip I am still having trouble processing I am really in Japan. Immediately we began trying to read the various signs all over the airport. Many things were as I imagined. The signs were just like the pictures of signs we've studied in class and the map just like the infographics we've annotated. Alfredo at one point said "I feel like were inside of sensei's head". I thought this was funny as well as very accurate.

We spent several hours going through security, converting dollars to yen, and obtaining railway passes. All of this occured with in the airport. We bought dinner at a 7 Eleven in the airport. It sold lots of delicious Japanese food and no processed chips, candy, etc. I bought sushi, inari, and nigiri. It was cheap and delicious.

The last segment of our long day together was our first experience with Japanese public transportation. We took three trains to get the Tokyo Central Youth Hostel (we'll be here for the next three nights). Their trains are amazing! So efficient, quiet, and clean. I look forward to our future train rides and the many more adventures to come:)

2/13/17 Day 2:

We started the day with our first Japanese style breakfast. I was surprised by the amount of fermented foods, and also by how savory it was. It could’ve been a lunch or even dinner. After breakfast we took the train to Hanagioen park where we admired beautiful plum blossoms, adorable Japanese children, and perhaps most stunning of all a perfect view of Mt. Fuji! Apparently this is very rare to have a day clear enough to see it. It was amazing we were so lucky. I held my first Japanese conversation with a native speaker. A group of us stopped to admire an elderly main painting the blossoms. We chatted with him about why we were there and taught him how to say plum blossom in English. I was amazed at how much we could understand and how well he was able to understand us. Afterwards Alfredo gave him some candy as a thank you. It made my morning to see how touched he was. I made goal of holding more conversations with strangers the next day.

After the park, we headed to Harajuku. We were given a lot of time to wander independently. I chose to head with a group to a shrine a couple blocks away. We enjoyed the beautiful nature within the city. After making it to a display of ancient painted sake barrels, however, we turned around in hopes to have time to making it the most famous block of Harajuku. Before doing this of course we needed lunch. I asked a Japanese person where they like to eat in Harakuku. I recorded the conversation. I made some very basic and embarrassing grammar patterns, but regardless was understood and the brief conversation was successful. I can't wait hold more like it! We ended up getting crepes which were delicious and very fun. We then met up with sensei who much to our delight and surprise bought a blue wig.

Up next on our itinerary we took a train to a park that had a ferris wheel and a rollarcoaster. WE rode both! I love big rollar coasters and have ridden the largest ones at six flags and this beat all of them. The fact that it was in the center of a city and literally went through a building probably helped this.

At the Hostel we ate delicious meal. By the start of dinner the intense fatigue began to settle in. A drank a coffee to help, nut it did very little. The clearly exhausted and largely very sluggish group remained eager for adventure, however. We headed out again to see I light show. At this point we were incredibly tired. I actually fell asleep standing up on the trian ride back. At the hotel we all had a lot of work to do. I took a quick nap seeing as I could barely keep my eyelids open and then worked on homeowrk. Unfortunatly, this meant staying up late. Exhausted I went to sleep desperate to keep some sleep and left this blog for the next day(It is actually 2/14 right now).

2/14/17 Day 3:

We've been here two days, but it feels like more. I had imagined this trip flying by; each day feeling far too short. I think because of the amount of diverse activities crammed into the itinerary each day has on the contrary felt like several. This is a really nice surprise. It feels amazing to have two weeks full of adventures which, if planned by sensei, is really three weeks worth.

We began the day with breakfast at the hostel at 7. I did not feel so great in the morning, mostly from lack of sleep. The night before I had gone to bed late and had had trouble falling asleep after working for a couple hours had woken me up. I had A LOT of coffee in the morning which helped. We left the Hostel after breakfast and took the train to the National Museum in Ueno park. This was reallyyyy interesting. We saw hundreds and in some cases over a thousand years old, costumes, statues, paintings, pottery, and samurai armor and weapons. There was a lot of focus on nature in the art which really spoke to me. The ability to capture the beauty of a plum blossom or mountainous landscape in few perfect strokes was awing. I also noticed that similar to 15th-16th century Europe woman also didnt exist in japan the same time. They were virtually never featured in the art (I saw two in the whole museum) and werent part of the brief plaques explaining some of the pieces and the settings in which they were made. It made me really curious to look into the social justice issues (ie. sexism) in Japan and how it differs from in the states. Alfredo and I had really interesting discussion about this and spent a lot of the day making observations about gender.

After the museum we visited a traditional garden with in the park. It was stunning and tranquil. We also went to the shrine in the park. Afterwards I had Udon for lunch and walked around an outdoor market. I talked to multiple Japanese and recorded one of the short "converstations". The entire group then took the train to Shinshou-jin, an shrine.

We took the train back to the hostel for dinner, and then went to the Tokyo Skytree. The view was stunning. We went to the very top where we hung out for awhile absorbing the view and talking to one another. Later we returned to the Hostel and collapsed almost immediately.

2/15/17 Day 4:

We woke early to pack and eat breakfast before leaving the hostel by 9. We took the Shinkansen or bullet train which was really exciting. We also had bento boxes for lunch. They were incredibly cute, healthy and tasty.

After spending about three hours on trains we arrived in Shibu.

We spent the afternoon at Jigokudani monkey park. It was AMAZING. The monkeys were even cuter than I had imagined. There were so many of them too and they were completed unfazed by all the people. Several bolder monkeys came and walked among us. To get to the park we enjoyed a beautiful snowy hike.

That evening I had perhaps the best meal of my entire life. We all got dressed in our

2/16/17 Day 5:

We began the day with another incredible meal. Lots of vegetables and tofu. Afterwards we were given freetime to explore and enjoy the hot baths. Sensei bought us all a special cloth that could be stamped upon visiting each onsen. We set out determined to visit all nine.

The baths were even more wonderful then I imagined. We spent all morning and afternoon enjoying them. WE got to practice our Japanese with some of the women we ran into in the baths. Mst were empty, however, and I just had great conversation with my peers.

Before dinner I was able to go for a 20 minute run. This felt amazing, especially since it has been almost a week since I ran last. I got to see more of the Shibu town as well as work up an appetite for what I knew would another large meal.

The meal was indeed spectacular and just as large. It was ridunkulous©. I have never eaten so well. Again, I was proud to finish it.

After dinner a group of my classmates and I went for a walk around the town in the evening. It was interesting to see it in a different lighting. When I returned to a cozy room I fell asleep right away (despite efforts not to) with my blog open on my chrome book in front of me. Shout out to Betsy for putting it away for me.

2/17/17 Day 6:

We had our last amazing breakfast at the Shibu onsen ryokan. It was amazingggg. AFterwards we packed and headed off to the train station. WE took several trains spending 3 hours on one and 30 minutes on a shinkan sen before arriving in Kyoto. We got lunch at a convienent store at the train station. I had delicious sushi and a green tea pastry.

I was once again in awe upon arriving to our Ryokan. Everything is so beautiful and culturally authentic. They also provide us with tatamis to wear, and will be serving us breakfast.

We headed out after dropping our stuff off at our rooms. We took the train to the Cube or KYoto station which is an 11 story building with incredible modern archituctire and lots of retaurants and shops. WE were given two hours to explore and find dinner. My peers and I enjoyed ramen. AFterwards we had fun exploring the rest of the cube and eating donuts. I tried to order a hot choclate but was given a hot dog. Karma for ordering in english.

We returned to the inn afterwards. All the girls enjoyed taking our time in the bath talking with Yokota sensei who has become a role model for all of us.

I am know sitting in our room feeling well rested and excited to see more of this beautiful city.

2/18/17 Day 6:

We started the morning eating breakfast at the Ryokan in our Yukatas. They too served us an enourmous and elaborate breakfast.

2/19/17 Day 7:

2/20/17 Day 8:

2/21/17 Day 9:

We had breakfast at our Hotel. It was one of my favorite meals yet. It was an all you can eat buffet with countless options; both Japanese and Western. It was honestly amazing to have bread and drink milk after a week of strictly Japanese food. However, I am also loving the Japanese food and most of my breakfast still consisted of it. I was once again amazed at how much I am able to eat for breakfast now.

We left the Hotel around 8, and took the bus to Kenrokuen, a stunning traditional Japanese Garden. It was absolutely magical. I was most amazed at the lush green colors and bright flowers despite it being February. To add to the ethereal beauty, snow was coming down in huge fluffy flakes. I have never seen anything like it. Below is a picture of some trees with rope designed to support the branches during the winter and the heavy snowfalls. Almost all the trees and even bushes in the park had this.

We then went into a villa inside the park with tons of adorable and very impressive doll furniture and accessories. It was very interesting and fun, however, the building like many in Japan did not have a central heating system and there were no space heaters. All of our toes were practically frozen solid despite having worn thick socks and the slippers provided. We even stopped to make a penguin, or perhaps I should say snow monkey huddle, in attempts to warm up. We stood on each others toes to try and thaw them (picture below). The effectiveness of this technique was debatable.

We had lunch at a charming Udon restaurant after exploring the garden some more. Many of us found a place inside to get tea while sensei took pictures of every blade of grass in the park (dont worry we love your passion for photography sensei ;) ).

After lunch we went to a contemporary art museum. I LOVE art museums so it was amazing, although I dont think we had nearly enough time.

We then headed to Higashi Chaya, a geisha district. We were given a couple hours to explore the beautiful, ¨vintage¨, neighborhood. I mostly just walked around chatting with peers and admiring the architecture. We vised one of the shrines in the area. We also stopped for gelato. I had black bamboo charcoal flavored gelato which was amazing. As sensei said, ¨one of those only in Japan moments¨.

We took the bus and back to Kanazawa station we separate into smaller groups to find places to eat dinner with in the large station. I had soba with Tempura and green tea soft serve ice cream. I also ate a small squid. This was disgusting and I only did it because I had made a deal with Alfredo. Trying new and intimidating foods has definitely been a high light of this trip, however.

We returned to the hotel by 9. Most all of the seniors on the trip gathered in a study room at the hotel to write a speech for KJ, work on our presentations, blog, and do other homework.

1/22/17 Day 10:

I woke up the latest I have this trip. 8:00! We all had breakfast at the hotel again with its enormous buffet (seconds not pictured). I am going to have a hard time adjusting back to eating small breakfasts in America.

Afterwards we given ample time to pack; meeting downstairs at 11:30. We walked to the Kanazawa station were we had 7/11 lunches again. Its amazing how at a 7/11 you can get a healthy filling lunch and for cheap too!

We then boarded Shinkansen. On the trains to Urasa we practiced our photo albums and nervously reviewed helpful expressions.

When we arrived at the station we were greeted by a crowd of high school students with handmade signs welcoming us. I could not stop grinning, although words could not describe how nervous I was. It was so exciting to meet Mizuki! She is so kind and very patient and eager to help me with my Japanese which is very exciting.

We took a shincansen to Nagaoto, where we shopped around a little with Katie Jane and Molly and their host sisters. After about 25 minutes her mom picked us up. She greeted me so warmly, holding my face and gushing that I was so かわい (cute). I was so touched by how welcoming and motherly she was.

WE then drove back to their home stopping at a super market on the way. They generously picked out several treats for me to try. It was really interesting to shop in Japanese grocery store. I was shocked by the nearly identical layout and decor. The food and the brand, however, were quite different. I struggled to explain my vegetarianism a foreign concept in Japan. I made it very clear though, I fully intend to eat lots of meat and fish during my stay with their family. It was really amazing what complicated concepts I could communicate with my limited Japanese, Mizukis english, and elaborate hand gestures.

Their home is wonderfully cozy and beautiful. I have a room to myself with a large comfy futon. We had fried chicken (admittedly crazy good), cabbage and shrimp salad, strawberries, tomatoes, a mayo salad of some sort, and of course rice. For dessert we had green tea ice cream. It was all so good.

After dinner I had my first Japanese bath in a Japanese home. I was pretty nervous about it since I really didnt want to do anything wrong. It went very smoothly though and was very enjoyable. There is nothing like relaxing in a hot bath after a long day.

Perhaps the best part of the evening though was after dinner Mizukis little sister, Kyoka, and her mother folded oragami with me. Kyoka (perhaps the most adorable child on the planet) taught me various oragami animals and flowers. It was really interesting to bond with someone with the use of so little langauge. Mizuki is the only one who knows any English. I did use google translate some, which was helpful in having some deeper conversation. Over the next couple days I will try to avoid using it very much. I was really excited that they could understand a good amount of my Japanese and were all interested in hearing me use it.

Right now, sitting at a kotatsu, my nerves have largely left and Instead remains undescribable excitement and curiosity for the next 5 days.

1/23/17 Day 11:

My host mom woke me up this morning at 6:30. I slept very well; the futon was very comfortable.

For breakfast I had cornflakes(I was very surprised by this), strawberries, cabbage, and yogurt.

After breakfast Mizukis mother drove us to the train station, where we took the shinkansen to school. I think that Mizuki usually takes the regular speed train (it is a lot cheaper, but takes a lot longer) and we only took the shinkansen to make my stay easier.

When we got to school I was amazed at how welcoming KJ was. They even had a small welcome ceremony. DJ and Sensei made speeches and so did a KJ student. We were each given towels that say what I think is there school motto. In all the classes I sat in on the teacher had us introduce ourselves and had designed ways we could be involved in the class. When ETHS has exchange students at our school teachers and classmates will barely acknowledge them. However, KJ is a school of 300-400 students. Because of the uniforms, the fact that all the students know each other, and that they are all the same race, makes us stick out far more at KJ than they do at Evanston. Some students were shy to talk to us, especially if it was in english. During classes I worked to be as outgoing as possible and start interesting conversation with the KJ students.

After school all the eths student participated in a tea ceremony with the tea ceremony club.

Katie Jane, Molly, me and are host sisters then took the train together. While waiting for the train we laughed and teased each other about boys. It was fun hanging out in a group of teenage girls, who, despite lifestyle differences are all kinda the same. We all had dinner together at an amazing ramen restaurant in the station.

1/24/17 Day 12:

Again, I woke up at 6:30. Breakfast was eggs, mini hot dogs, rice, and a banana smoothie. My host mother is unbelievably kind, and I am curious to know what kind of breakfast she usually makes. I know they are making a lot of accommodations for me. I also think she has been trying to cook me some American food to make me more comfortable. I have eaten, hot dogs, and fried chicken, and cornflakes.

Again we were driven to the train station and then took the shinkansen to school. On the shinkansen Mizuki read over the script for my presentation and gave me some advice/corrections. Mizuki then left to take the exam she takes every Friday morning and I met with all the other eths students. Everybody was gushing about their homestay. I was not the only receiving the utmost hospitality.

We then played a jumping rope game with all the KJ students during what was their PE class. It was like double dutch except 20-30 people had to jump the rope at once. It was a very difficult but fun team building activity.

After gym Mizuki lead me to a classroom of 2nd year(?) students practicing English presentations for when they come to Chicago or Evanston next month. I loved this part of the day. It was incredible to see how much English they new. I was then able to give the corrections at the end. They loved to hear what I have to say and were very touched by my compliments which was cute.

Afterwards my group was the first to present. We went to a large classroom with 60 or so KJ students. I was really nervous before hand, but also crazy excited. I think our presentation went really well. It was definitely fun. After school a girl complimented me on it and thanked me for the candy we handed out during it.

In the afternoon I listened to more English presentations and attended an English class.

That evening we watched Back to the Future. In English with Japanese subtitles. Shhhhh. Mizukis Dad also arrived that night. He is a banker but I guess his job requires him to spend some days away from home. When he got home he was eager to talk to me. This was really nice. We talked for a very long time relying heavily on google translate, but I still used my Japanese a lot. We talked some about politics which was really interesting. It was mostly just interesting to hear what questions he had(he did most the asking). For example he asked if I owned a gun, if Chicago was safe, and other questions that demonstrated some of the stereotypes and fears Japanese people may have of the US.

2/24/17 Day 13:

I am sitting feeling warm cozy and releaxed at my host families kotatsu. I just had dinner at a conveior belt sushi place and am unbelievably full. I think they knew I would be hesitant to otake a lot so they ordered a whole bunch. I had a wide variety including one with fish eggs. They were all delicious and the whole experience was very fun and exciting. I said sugoi like a million times.

Earlier that day Mizuki, Nami and Katie Jane, and Molly and T---- all went shopping and then to karaoke. I am completely tone deaf and cant match a pitch for my life. However, I embraced this and it was crazy fun. Everybody was laughing at my terrible singing including myself. We stayed for about three hours. It was also a really fun way for us to share each others pop culture and music.

Between the shopping and the karaoke we had okonomiyaki which can only be descibed as cabbage pancakes. They were insane. Pictures on their way.