Tiara

Days before the trip

I'm overwhelmed with work and worry about what it will be like to go to Japan. I'm afraid of some of the snacks I will encounter since my allergy reactions are mild but painful. I'm scared to go to a country that speaks a language that isn't Latin based at all.

First Day in Japan (Tokyo Feb 12)

Today we got all of our financials done like our train passes and exchanging out currency. For dinner today we got onigiri for dinner. We went on the train for a while and I've never been more confused about trains in my life. Right now we're in the hostel (5 people to a small room) and I'm loving it. I get to relax and take a nice bath before going to bed and waking up at seven to have some good good Japanese breakfast.

First full Day in Japan (Tokyo Mon, Feb 13)

Breakfast: Yummy eggs, rice, croquette, radish salad, lettuce salad. First time having a breakfast that was so healthy and often eaten with rice was great. I heard that there was cereal, but why would I have that when I could have this instead.

Plum blossom trees and we saw Fuji-sama. The plum blossoms were amazing! Usually when I think of blossoms in Japan I think of sakura blossoms, but now I can only really think of the beautiful plum blossom trees I saw. Also we asked dog owners if we could touch their dog in Japanese (fun times :3).

After we had some yakimo which is a long purple roasted sweet potato. It was very good, but I was so full from breakfast that I just couldn't eat that much.

Next: We went shopping for a while and Abby and I went to to another convenience store. I bought lots from the Kitty store place we went to too. We also saw the biggest wooden tori gate and lots of barrels of sake.

Fun times: We went to an area with a huge ferris wheel called the Big O and we went on a roller coaster called the thunder dolphin. The thunder dolphin was so fun and amazing!

Dinner: Some of that chicken stuff, Shrimp dumplings, rice, fried squid rings, salad, and some other stuff that was yummy.

Finally: Tokyo night-light up thingy. cool. Then we went to bed.

Second day in Tokyo (Tue, Feb 14)

Breakfast: Yummy. I love eating croquettes so much that's all I want with breakfast now.

First we went to Ueno park then we went to the National Museum of Tokyo. All of the historic art was amazing, but I didn't understand why there were some artifacts that could not be photographed.

Second we went to the Peony Garden. I loved the little umbrellas that they put over the peonies to keep snow from covering them. I was amazing how clean and snazzy they kept all of the flowers and the garden.

Here's the shrine that we went (on the right) to and got a book that we could use to get goshuin which is japanaese caligraphy. There's also the shops we went past while in the temple/shrine area (to the left)

At night we went to the sky tree, it was way to high up for me.

Third day in japan - Now we're going to the hot springs (Wed, Feb 15)

Breakfast: This was out last breakfast at the hostel and I will miss being able to be picky about the foods I eat. Also the food there was so good I didn't really have to be picky about it.

We went on a few long train rides today. One was on the Shinkansen (bullet train) and another on a train that wasn't like the Shinkansen, but still very fast. We had a beautiful mountain range view from the train today we even saw Fuji-san.

After we got to the hotel and changed into our warmer cloths we went on a hike up into the mountains. I had sushi for the first time and it was fantastic. I also tried fish eggs for the first time but I was not a fan.

Day 4 Thurs,Feb 16 - Let's Bathe

We went to onsen all day but I stopped after two because the experience after one I did not want to bathe again. I get cold very easily, so it wasn't for me. It was still nice to stamp the towels and see the cool onsens.

The rest of the day we went shopping for some lunch and something sweet. We bought lots of manju which is bread with bean past in it and it was so good we came back to the same store to get more later that day.

We had dinner there and I discovered that I hate eating raw shrimp. When i pulled off the head the guts came with it. The rest was okay-ish, but I still miss eating at the hostel.

Day 5 Fri, Feb 17 - Motion sickness

We left the onsen ryokan and we went on a long train ride to kyoto.

I got very motion sick but I discovered that the motion sickness medicine in Japan tastes really good.

Later in the day we went to a shopping mall in Kyoto station where we ate ramen and had lots of donuts to eat.

We went to the new ryokan and we rested.

Day 6 Sat, Feb 18 - Snow

So we went on a long travel and sight seeing day today it was nice to sleep on the long tour bus. I liked the ride but I didn't understand the tour lady at all and she was way too loud (coming from a person who was also loud on the bus)

I was also happy that we bought little conbini lunches before we got on the bus because I love convience store food so much. Me and Betsy were seat buddies today and we tried a good tasting doughnut and some dark chocolate kitkats today.

The long ride back was insane but it was still nice to sleep, but we got back so late I didn't wann

Day 7 Sun, Feb 19 - Day in Kyoto

Last day of Breakfast in the Ryokan (Hopefully no more things with eyes)

We went to the plum gardens with apparently smelt great (I couldn't smell anything.)

We had this weird tea that tasted more like soup than tea, but the crackers we got were good.

We went to a lot of historical places like one where we couldn't take any pictures and they made us wear out backpacks on our bellies. There was also the historical building where everyone had to walk around on the freezing floor with nothing but socks on and no slippers.

Then we went to the historical castle with the beautiful architecture, but still it was very upsetting that we weren't allowed to take pictures.

To end the day we went back to kyoto station to eat some western style food. I got some fish and chips ( I especially loved the chips part ). I was just so happy to eat something that wasn't raw and didn't have eyes.

Day 8 mon, feb 20 - Kanazawa

My favorite parts of the day was the tour in the building with a particularly 元気 tour guide who showed us some of the hidden staircases of the building and told us about some of the ways that people could be killed in the home if they were invading.

day 9 Tue, feb 21 - Why is there so much gold here?

I took lots of pictures of the garden that we went to, but my phone died and I couldn't take pictures of all of the gold things that are in Kanazawa.

Day 10 Wed, Feb 22 - Say goodbye, and say hello

Today is the day that I met my host family. They're so nice and considerate! They always ask me what I can eat and they always try to properly communicate with me even if it means using a translator. I'm sad to leave my trip group especially the girls group (the kibidangos) because we had so much fun together, but I can't wait to have even more fun with my host family.

I went to my host sister's little sister's day care today! They were all so cute! I learned that my host sisters go to learn akido and judo and I even got a practice some judo. Judo here is a little different than what I learned in America. I also taught some of the kids how to properly say three and four since it is very hard for them to say. They say it like suu-ree~ (three) and foe~ (four).

I'm so glad to have WiFi! I have my own little room with a space heater and a heated blanket! My host mother also showed me how to use them. Then she showed me what I would need for school tomorrow like tissues, hand towels, little warming pads (pocket, show, and body warming pads), and a blanket.

I can't wait to see what will happen tomorrow.

day 11 thur, feb 23 - making new friends

We went to school today! It was raining so me and my host sister got to ride in the car then transferred to a train, but I didn't know that I needed sneakers for school today so we had to wait for her mom to bring my slippers to me (sorry host mom). After the train ride we took the bus to school and it wasn't too long. We got there around 7:20am and I only had to be up at 6am (but i was up at 5:30am). There were sweets in the meeting room when we arrived and they were good. My host mom made a very delicious bento for me too.

I felt so tall today! While in school everyone seemed so much shorter (except for some of the guys in our group) it was cool. We also practiced out group presentations which was so fun. We made origami stars. We played basketball in gym (why am I so bad at it?) and we went to history class, English, and Japanese history class (I think)

After school we had to clean up the class room (like student janitors) and that was a change of pace. Then we had a speech and we went to tea ceremony club. I was sad that I couldn't eat the sweet because it was mad out of green beans (luckily Yukine (my host sister) warned me). Then we went to the station and waited for Yukine's grandma with her friends. I showed them pictures of our trip and told them about the things I like to do. They also asked me questions of my travels and told me about the things that they like to do.

Now I'm back at my host home. I asked them if I could go to a dollar store and they said yes! They asked about skiing, but I said I didn't like it and I felt bad. Then they asked about the aquarium and I can't wait to go this Saturday! I hope this Saturday will be the best for my host mom because it's her birthday!

day 12 Fri, Feb 24 - Last day at school then a party?

Starting the last day of school off great by leaving a bit later and getting a ride all the way to the station. It was even snowing today and while I hate snow it was still beautiful. The snow on the roads and walk ways didn't even get gross because it was all melted by the water that comes out of the ground and hoses. Once we got to school it was nice to chill with the gang and talk with the senseis.

Later we went to do a jump roping competition where there was a long rope and everyone got next to it and everyone had to jump at the same time and keep going. I believe we made it to nine jumps in a row but Abby said it was just eight (I still think it's nine). It was fun, but very tiring. Since it's so cold in the gym when I get tired and start sweating steam come off of my body.

We listened to the Japanese students presentations in English and we gave feedback. I remember the presentations from the years before. It's about the same topic but each one is different. I hope that the same presentations happen when the exchange students come to America because there were very good!

I went to Chemistry today and they were doing oxidation-reduction rxns and I could kind of understand. It was very interesting to see how they learn the same topics in Japan.

We made origami and weird face things today. The oritzume or origami crane has always been so hard for me to make, but today I made it almost perfect. I also saw that a few people gaze their cranes legs, but it just ended up looking creepy (lol).

Later we had our group presentations and my group's presentation was totally the best because I was in it. Everyone had a great time and everyone did fantastic!

After school my host mom picked us up and we went to a hyakuensha (dollar store) and a Supermarket! I couldn't help but binge shop when i got there because there were just so many cool things. I was so happy that they took me i just hope that I did not take too long in the hyakuensha.

Then Yukine and I went to a party at Taylor's host sister's home. We made sushi which was cool and we made a salad. When we ate we played Russian roulette with gyoza and there was one filled with wasabi and of course I got the one with wasabi (I even called it before hand). Then we said our good byes and sayonaras and we left.

Now I'm at home all bathed up and ready to organize the stuff I bought.

day 13 Sat, Feb 25 - Host mom's birthday!

We started the day kind of late! I even got to sleep in a bit (I got out of bed at 6:15 instead of 6). We ate breakfast later too! I was happy to get there early and be able to see the tv because no one was blocking it. My host mom was right about Trump always being on the tv. After breakfast it was to the car to start our day long adventure!

We went to a koi museum and the fish were enormous! I've never seen koi so big. It was amazing to be able to feed them and get so close to these majestic fish! We even got splashed by them because there were so many there.

Then we went on a long car ride and I fell asleep (lol my bad) and it took me a bit to wake up when we arrived. We went to a resturant to have some noodles! Mom told me that today I was her child too and she handed me some money to buy some food. I saw kitsune udon and I asked her if there was fox meat in it and she said it was fried tofu (lol why did I ask that?). It was good and I was glad it was not fox meat.

Next we went to Nigata city to go to the Nigata City Aquarium. I guess if I say I like koi that mean I like fish too lol. I loved going to the aquarium though! I felt bad for the bottle nose dolphin and the sea otter because there were one of their kind there, but I was probably the only one there that felt that way. The fish were so amazing! Especially the sharks and manta rays. The little fish petting area made we sad (it reminded me of Finding Dory) all of the sharks were hiding so they wouldn't be pet too hard. You could see some of the creature were killed or had scars from being held the wrong way. Aside from all of that everyone was beautiful and I'm glad my family took me there and I hope they had as much fun as I did. Also they gave me a gift from the aquarium! It was a little bag that folds up into a small pouch when empty.

Nigata was beautiful and we could see the ocean. I didn't get a picture, but since there was no fog we could see China from where we were (at least that's what my host mom said). It was such a beautiful view, but I was too busy eating melon bread with ice cream in it. Even if I don't like ice cream too much the whole thing was still delicious.

After a long car ride we went shopping. I got a pencil with my favorite character from the show Osomatsu-san on it (Ichimatsu-kun). Then we went to another store and I got a few pens and erasers and I was kind of embarassed because my host mom noticed that I love buying pens and she guessed it was because I like to draw (well she was right lol). After buying little items we went to a little sweets cafe and we each got individual cakes. I didn't understand why they wanted me to pick what I like and not what Mom likes because it's HER birthday, but she explained that on birthdays each person gets their own little cake. On Christmas they just buy one cake and everyone eats it. I thought it was a little bit backwards, but very interesting all the same.

While we we eating dinner we were talking about animals because I like animals and they complimented my Japanese because I knew so much vocab around animals. They asked what certain things were in English like: watermelon, various animal sounds, and animals. They told me about what animals live around here and when Mom said tanuki she beat at her stomach and said "ban ban" and I thought it was hilarious. Tanukis are know to use their stomach's like drums lol. We switched to talking about travel and they told me in 2020 when the Tokyo Olympics happen they want me to come back with my boyfriend (lol what if I don't have one?). I thought it was so funny when they told me. Also I could finally understand Ojiisan and Obaasan today. I feel so proud!

Now I'm working on my goodbye note for Monday. Do I have to go?

Last day sun, Feb 26 - Guest of Honor?

Late start today, but I was still up at around 6. I learned that Obaasan(grandma) works at a hotel and that mom edits poems. They were proud that said I want to be a vet, they said it was a good fit. I'm so happy that they love to ask me questions I'm so happy to answer!

Hanae (Yukine's little sister) asked me to draw with her down stairs. It was so sweet of her to come to my room and ask me, she's adorable.

Today we made soba noodles from scratch with ojiisan (grandpa), but no the ojiisan that lives in the house. It was so much fun because Yukine's BFFs came as well. One of them said she watched a dabbing video and she dabbed for me (lol). We watched videos together and I showed them some of the music that I listen to it was so fun. It was said to say goodbye to them for the last time because I wont see them again. They said that they will come to America in to years but I'm gonna be in college so I wont see them. :c

Later Yukine's cousins, aunts, and uncles came over for a big dinner and they said I was the guest of honor. They wouldn't even let me pour my own drinks lol. They even got pizza just because I said pizza was famous in Chicago. The pizza here is very strange though. It was honey pizza and then seafood pizza. The honey pizza was surprisingly delicious, but the seafood pizza was gross and chewy... I wasn't even sure what I was eating (I think it was squid or octopus). They they asked me about my boyfriend (that I don't have) again lol I was glad that someone quickly asked me a different question. They asked so many things about me like what does my dad do and what does my mom do. Also my host mom thought that every rap song says "yo yo" in it and I couldn't stop laughing. After the commotion started settling down and people began leaving they asked me to sign the drawing I had drawn earlier and they wanted to keep it.

mon, Feb 27 - Goodbye :(

I left them two kitty thank you notes and some origami just for them. I hope they don't read it until I leave or it will be awkward. This train and plane ride home is gonna be killer!