Category: Japan

1) I feel like the cities we were going to kept becoming more and more modern and Osaka and Tokyo were probably the most modern of the cities. That being said, it felt to me that there were more people in Tokyo at times, but I can probably assume this is because of it being the capital and being a very popular city.

2) Being able to create this food with our own hands was a really cool thing to do. Even though I may not be the biggest fan of fish, I liked learning about sushi and making a nice looking presentation of the food I made was awesome as well.

3) Watching live tv was pretty cool. I was able to see some live Olympic qualifiers as well as see some broadcast anime. It would be a lot more awesome if I could listen and understand what everyone was saying, but hopefully, I can learn the language a bit and the next time I’m here I can understand a little of what is going on.

I really enjoyed the scenery here in Koyasan. It was so pretty and tranquil. It was so cool thinking about everything I’ve done and knowing that I was here on a mountain sleeping in such a nice place in a different country. Once in a lifetime for sure.

For concepts, I saw Chinmoku and some Gambari. I saw these mostly in the meditation as we used the silence to find ourselves and reflect on our lives. It took some determination to really try and sit on our shins through the whole meditation.

My life so far hasn’t had too many problems I’d say. I keep a lot of what troubles me to myself so I don’t cause other people to worry about me. It’s hard for me to open up to others and to really talk to someone. I feel like this trip has helped me get out of my shell just a bit because I feel like I’m a bit more open to talking to the others about things that I am feeling.

Picture 1:
I found the train to be really cool. I liked the design of it and how it looked really aerodynamic. I know they go really fast but it didn’t feel like it while sitting on the train.

Picture 2:
It was challenging to find my way through crowds to check out all of the stalls as well as trying to find the way to the train station. I probably had to walk up and down the line of stalls a couple times to figure out what I wanted to eat or purchase.

Picture 3:
I wanted to share this picture because it was crazy seeing how many of these there were in a row. It looked very cool while walking the path through them. If I could get lucky enough to take a picture of these with no other people I think it would make a great picture.

Well the first big difference between Tokyo and Kyoto is of course size. Tokyo is the biggest city in Japan. And the feelings between the two cities is completely different. Kyoto is where you can get quintessential Japanese culture. It is the oldest city in Japan with a lot of temples in the city and the surrounding area. And Kyoto also has the Gion district where people can see geisha and experience an older side of Japan.

Tokyo is a city full of youth and innovation. You can still experience Japanese culture there, but there are so many international influences in Tokyo, which makes the city so unique and a tourist destination. In my mind Kyoto and Tokyo are like Washington, D.C., and New York City. New York City is new, with a lot of cultural influences, and Washington, D.C., is more “American,” with all of the museums and monuments.

Making the sushi was very fun. But I was pretty down that morning though because I was feeling pretty emotionally drained. Overall it was still a good time even though I was quieter than usual. I thought it was great to be involved in the culture in that type of way because when people hear Japan they think of sushi.

It has become such a common food here in America that I forgot there is an art to making sushi. It takes a lot of time and hard work to learn how to make it properly. So taking that sushi class helped me appreciate that more. And I also learned some new things too, like how to properly eat sushi. I know now that you eat it all in one bite because before I would take bites out of it, which made it harder to eat.

The picture at left is one that I took in Akihabara. I chose to share this picture because it was actually a place that I didn’t exactly enjoy that much. I mostly went because a lot of other people in the group wanted to go and Akihabara is a famous area to go to in Japan, so I figured that I had to check ot out. I didn’t have a horrible time but I also didn’t have tons of fun. I think that’s mostly because I’m not into video games, arcades, anime, and manga that much. I enjoy watching it and playing video games sometimes, but it’s not a hobby or passion of mine. India and I did go to one of the photo booths there and that was a lot of fun. The pictures were funny too.

Looking back at the goals that I wrote in the itinerary before we left for Japan, I feel like that I have partially fulfilled these goals and expectations. I have definitely been able to understand the world other than the U.S., used my knowledge of the Japanese language, and gained more cultural knowledge about Japan.

I was able to find independence in the sense that I am no longer afraid of going abroad and that I know how to navigate an airport by myself. But that deeper sense of independence and getting to know myself better is something that I think I can only gain if I go abroad for some time by myself. I would be out there making mistakes and learning how to problem solve completely on my own.

And being on this trip so far, the only thing that I wish I had done before going was to take a Japanese history course. I feel like that would have given me a better understanding of all of the sights that we have been seeing. I can appreciate things a lot more if I know the history behind it. But I have been looking online to learn more about Osaka castle, the different religions, and the cities. But when I was on the ferry ride, I came to the realization that I would love to come back and study here in Osaka for a semester. I feel this course has given me all the tools needed to go back to Japan on my own and succeed. I would just love to come here and study and learn how the universities are here in Japan. And there’s no better place to study Japanese culture than Japan itself.

The picture at the top is one that I took during our free time in Namba. The lady in the picture is a Jehovah’s Witness here in Japan. This was special to me because I’m a Jehovah’s Witness too, so it was great to see another Jehovah’s Witness from another country because our religion is international. She was so nice but she also didn’t really know English well, so I tried my best to talk to her in Japanese. And she was also able to show us where we needed to go to catch the train.

The picture at left is one that I took at Osaka Castle. It was one of my favorite places that we went to because it was absolutely beautiful and I remember looking it up before going to Japan. And it’s so weird, but in a cool way, that the castle is right there in the city next to all of these modern buildings. It was fun to imagine what the area was like back when the castle was first built. But I kind of wished that the inside was kept more original.

There are no words to describe my experience with my host family. It was more than I was expecting. When I first met my host father, he was dressed casually wearing a cap. He had a bag full of trash because he goes around picking up trash off the streets. On the way to his house, we took a detour to a local shrine. He mentions that the area looks gorgeous in the springtime.

When we arrived at his house, it was a pretty common Japanese house. I met his wife and daughter, who prepared a delicious dinner and breakfast. I later found out that he is very talented. He is a artist and a musician. He was very insightful and humble. I plan on writing him monthly to see how he is doing. I had never seen the inside of a family house in Japan. It was quite the experience.

I enjoyed my first karaoke party. Just seeing everyone having a good time really made my night. Although I wasn’t in the mix of all the singing, I still had a great time seeing others sing. I actually prefer the way Japanese interact with one another during karaoke versus anything we do here in America. Coming together singing your favorite songs really brings people closer together. I admire that.

The photos here are at the entrance to the shrine. My host father told me this was a very popular spot for people to get married. Ironically, when we left this shrine there was a wedding ceremony that was taking place at this very same spot. I would have love to take a photo of the wedding, but ran out of storage space. Nevertheless, this is a lovely photo that I wanted to share.

1) I enjoyed my stay with my host family! She has had a few children live with her so she kind of knew what to tell me that is different between cultures. A huge difference is the language and the writing, which Mika did show me a little bit. Also our conversations were a little different. We don’t have the same sports athletes, some of the celebrities are different and we don’t enjoy the same TV! I loved our dinner though. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal and I was taught how to make homemade Gyoza! YUMM!! 😋 My family also showed me pictures of the places they have been, and before I left, we went to a photo booth! At the end of the stay I was upset that I had to leave my family! 😕

2) The karaoke was awesome! In America, it is not as common. People are more shy and judgmental. I also think people are not as nervous to sign because everybody is doing it and have a fun time not just people that are good singers or have enough guts too, which makes it more fun.

3) I chose this picture of clocks in Harajuku because it looks cool how it is decorated. They also had smaller clocks around the bigger clock that displayed the different time zones and the time there.

1) I think a huge difference between the two cities is the size of Tokyo. I thought there were a lot of people, then we arrived in Tokyo and it’s crazy how many people there are! I love big cities because there is always something to do, but I feel like in Japan the big cities are modern, clean and more friendly then in America’s big cities.

2) Many people can read a book and learn all about a culture, but they don’t have the experience. Although I learned about the Japanese culture, being there and learning even more adds to my knowledge of the culture. Learning to make sushi was awesome! Now I can attempt to make it at home for my family!

3) The final picture is at a shopping building in Harajuku! I have seen it in videos but Endia & I happened to stumble upon it by accident. It was cool though and was mirrors all the way around the escalator.

1) I think this picture embodies all the big known monuments in the Peace Park. I choose this picture because of how beautiful the memorial looks in remembrance of the thousands of people innocent lives that were lost.

2)I think he did a good job. Also being the first president to visit Peace Park is a big deal and it’s important for America & American’s that our own President, a representative of our country, shares with the Japanese people that we felt it was wrong and nuclear bombs should not be used.

3) The photo I choose to share is not from Hiroshima but is from when I climbed Mt. Misen. Climbing this mountain was something I wanted to do for the last couple months. I have only hiked in America and I wanted to also have the same experience in Japan. When hiking up the mountain it was pouring outside. When pouring I could tell Kisetsu was at play. It is spring and that is the raining time which described in the book.

The first picture is of the shrines in Nara. The tourist guide said there are 3,000 shrines.

The difference between Nara and Kyoto is the size difference and the culture. I think Nara has more traditions and rituals compared to Kyoto — a more fast-paced style and way more shopping area. I think Nara is more based toward tourists that want to know more about history, while Kyoto is geared more toward shopping and entertainment.

The second picture is of the deer in Nara. This was interesting because you never see deer so tame and friendly — letting people touch and pet them. I would never touch them. I was happy to see others touch them. It was a cool experience.

The third picture works with this quote: “The notion of Tao expresses the essential unity of man and nature, and Taoism has long been concerned with techniques aimed at bringing heaven and earth together, blending the sacred powers of the heavens with ritual practice in the mundane world so that human beings can harmonize their life energies with the Tao, or universal spirit.”(Japanese mind pg.72)

Touching this statue is supposed to help heal you. This statue blends the sacred powers of the heavens with ritual practice in the mundane world, and gives us the sense of interacting with the spirit world. — Blog 4 Leonard Oden