Max

2/1/17

I'm highly anticipating our trip to Japan! We've all been putting in so much work in preparation for this momentous opportunity, and it feels great to know it will soon pay off. I'm finalizing my site report and last preparations until we depart on the 11th. Initially, I was a little worried about make-up work, but I'm feeling rather confident after getting things worked out with my teachers. Full steam ahead!

2/12/17

What a long day! We had a solid 12.5 hour plane flight, but there were quite a few assorted stops along the way that took some time: waiting in line for rail passes, waiting in line for individual tickets, going on multiple train rides, and trying to find out Hostel. But after a bath and getting settled in my room with my three other cool bunk mates and a clean pair of clothes, I feel great! I've stayed up for over a day and a half, but I'm really excited for the coming days exploring Tokyo!

2/13/17

Today I had a lot of fun exploring Tokyo. We went to Harajuku, which was one of my favorite neighborhoods when I visited with my Dad, and yet again I had a great experience. We are teriyaki (octopus balls) and went to Takeshita Dori - a famous "fashion alley" in Tokyo. We had a few street food snacks for lunch, and ate dinner and breakfast at the hostel, so I'm highly anticipating tomorrow when I get to eat my first real meal of the trip!

2/14/17

Today was awesome! We first went to the Tokyo National Museum, where we saw all sorts of awesome traditional paintings, scrolls, sculptures, swords, armor, and every other type of artifact you could think of. Afterwards, we saw the rest of Ueno Park - it was super beautiful. We strolled through some flower gardens and temples, ate lunch nearby, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the world famous Kaminarimon temple (picture included below). We finished the day at the Tokyo Sky Tree, where the views of the city were amazing! It was thrilling to look over the hand-rail(from inside, of course) and even walk over the glass-floored sections. Really glad we got to go!

2/15/17

We woke up at the Hostel today and had until 9 to pack up and clean our rooms. I decided to throw out a pair of underwear and socks and a junky shirt because my suitcase was overflowing and I am starting to need extra room. We had a nice morning transit on a few trains, and we rode the bullet train, or shinkansen, out here into the countryside in Nagano, where the Shibu Onsen is. The Hotel is really quite something, with traditional tatami mats and full Yukata robes to wear around. We had a bath at the hotel before dinner today, but tomorrow we will walk around town and travel to local bathhouses. We also got to take a hike and see the Jikokudani monkeys!

Apparently there is a challenge where one can try to go to each of the nine local bath houses in one day, and recieve some sort of good luck if they succeed. I'm definitely going to try this tomorrow!

2/16/17

Today was our last full day at the Onsen. My three roommates and I (Jeff, Noah, and Drew) decided to go on the challenge to visit all of the bathhouses before lunch - a challenge we called "The Nine Dragons". We went from 8-12:45 taking baths, had a chill lunch, took a siesta in the room, and had a delicious dinner. I got to try "shabu-shabu" for the first time ever. The dish is essentially a hot-pot, and thin beef is stirred around in the pot, which is where the onomatopoeia name comes from. It was delicious! I'm looking for ward on travelling to Kyoto tomorrow.

2/17/17

Today was great! We left the Onsen in the morning and headed for our first train on our trip to Kyoto. After we had boarded the train and were about to leave, our hostess from the Shibu Hotel came running onto the platform and onto the train to return Drew's necklace - it was one of the most kind things I had ever seen, and was a moment I will not forget.

We arrived in Kyoto in the afternoon, and got a tour of our Ryokan (traditional inn), which is amazing. I'm getting a really cool vibe from Kyoto so far - its cool to compare another highly populated and famous city with Tokyo, with which I'm more familiar with.

2/18/17

Today was interesting. We spent the large part of the day on the bus, all for the purpose of travelling up into these really cool and unique cities in Nagoya. These parts of Japan are special because their village houses exemplify an architectural technique called Gassho-zukkiri, wherein the roofs are made with several layers of thick straw, and harnessed with rope and other intricate methods. The crazy part is that no nails or other modern materials are used. It takes over 200 people helping out to complete the project, and the roofs must be replaced every 30 years. I got close to dismissing the trip as boring initially, but it turned out to be really cool.

2/20/17

Today we left the Ryokan in Kyoto and took a 2 hour Tokyuu Densha (express-train) ride to Kanazawa. It was raining pretty heavily when we arrived, and that rain gradually got worse as we stopped by the hotel and went about the rest of our day. Our lucky streak with weather sadly ended! Regardless, we went to a really cool place called Ninjya-dera, or "ninja temple". There was a lot of awesome trap staircases and secret rooms all around. The modest sized temple that seemed like it has two floors actually had 23 rooms and 27 staircases, with two additional floors! It was quite a cool spectacle, and I also got some great listening practice by trying my hardest to listen to the rapid-fire presentation given in Japanese. I'm looking forward to a full day in Kanazawa, hopefully sunny!

2/21/17

Today was our first full day in Kanazawa - and last day before visiting KJ! I think we all went into this day with a little bit of dormant anxiety, but it turned out fufilling in the end. Today was the first day I felt cold on the trip, as it snowed the entire day, but aside from that, it was great. We visited a really expansive garden with plum blossoms, saw a really cool historical doll museum, and ate some good lunch, all before coming to the best part: the Kanazawa Contemporary Art Museum! I'm really glad we got to go to this. There was two main exhibits: one on a German artist named Thomas Ruff, and another called "The Boundary between Kogei and Design". Ruff had a massive collection of photos grouped together on a number of topics, and I generally liked it. The Kogei exhibit tried to address the issue of modern manufacturing methods that endanger traditional Japanese craft techniques. However, the collection also gave credit to the role of traditionally manufactured objects in inspiring future remakes, from ceramic jars to the Fiat Nuova 500. Also, the complex overall was pretty spiffy and modern looking, with cool interactive sculptures outside to attract attention.

2/22/17

Today we left Kanazawa and went to KJ. We were all a little bit scared - that much I could tell as we boarded the train towards Niigata and everything started to sink in. Luckily, after (a bathroom break and) meeting my student, everything turned out really well. Yu and I are a pretty good match, I think. He is a little bit quiet, but that put the onus on me to engage and start conversation, which is really beneficial practice. I can tell he is a really nice kid! Yu's mom is also super nice. She made curry and salad for us, and is super supportive of me, no different from a real mother. I feel welcome here.

2/24/17

Today was not as carefree and purely fun as yesterday with all of the basketball, but it was good nonetheless. I stressed a little bit about our presentation last night and in the morning, but after lunch I went for it and it went okay. I think the students liked it. Jeff and I talked about old Tom and Jerry, Noah and Viktor did classic Superheroes, and Drew and Keziah talked about modern American anime/cartoons like Avatar and Adventure Time. The segment I wanted to say durnig my part was a bit difficult, and even though I practiced a lot, I had to cut out a small part during the presentation since I blanked a little in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, it was super fun. Another group taught popular dances like "The Dab" etc., and I think the students really liked that as well. After the presentation we went to a couple more classes and during the final class, the Evanston students got up to make a small speech. At the end of the school day, once these two things had happened, I suddently felt super empty and depressed. It was super bittersweet to give my thanks to all of the students and staff for being so welcoming and friendly, because I knew our two short schooldays at KJ were over. Luckily, however, I joined in on a conversation that was happening on the train between DJ and a flock of seemingly enamored KJ girls. After helping translate and telling some stories and jokes, I "became cool" in a flash and before I knew it I was getting asked about my life and other things. It felt great to be popular - a feeling I don't usually experience most days!

Yu and his mom took me out for ramen, and I'm feeling super happy and tired. A little bit of stress is mounting as our departure date gets closer, which marks a reluctant return to reality. I'll try to make the most of my last weekend!

2/25/17

Today was really fun. We took a really special "Genbi" Shinkansen that was themed in a modern art style, with art inside and decoration on the outside. We spent several hours at a big arcade/games/sports center called "Round 1", ate lunch there, did some bowling, and spent the rest of the day at a shopping mall near the station in the Bandai area. I got to get closer with a lot of the KJ students by cracking jokes and speaking/listening in Japanese, etc. The activities themselves were fun, but the group relations were the decisive highlight for me. I'm super tired writing this blog post since the day was so action packed!

2/26/17

Today was reserved as a chill day. I woke up at 10 (admittedly accidentally, but it felt good), did a bunch of catch up on homework, and left the house at 3:30 to visit the supermarket. I loved it! Last time I hosted Megumi we also brought her to a supermarket. While showing her around, I felt like it was a little bit insignificant and lame, but I remember her saying she really liked it. This time, my role was reversed. The market was really great, with really yummy free samples, fresh smelling foods, and surprisingly cheap prices.

Afterward, we went out to eat at a Soba restaurant. I got a "refill" of noodles ("okawari"), and was possibly the most full I've ever been in my life - to the point where it was painful - but after getting a breath of frosty-fresh air outside, I was all good. This was the first meal we had together all together (with Yu's Dad included), and we got to do a good amount of talking in the car, which was nice. It was a good, slow-paced day where I got to reflect on the trip and my home stay. I'm definitely a little sad for tomorrow, however. I'm gonna miss these guys, and Japan as a whole, too!