Walking The TOKAIDO Days 5 & 6

MARCH 8th

Day Five. Today was going to be a short day, since only had to walk about 20 kilometers to reach my daily goal.  I was going to stay at another guesthouse, this time near Mt. Fuji. When planning this trip I was surprised how few guesthouses were available on this route, especially when it seems like there are many people who travel this way. I think a lot of people would benefit if they started a guesthouse chain/series that runs along the Tokaido Route.  General markers along the trail would also be very welcome.

So, once again, my day out was going to be relatively short. My entire walk from Numazu to Fuji City was marked with Mt. Fuji watching over me. I took my time, and even took a small detour to go stare at the ocean again, so I was having a very good, chill day.

I was actually relieved that there was little walking today because my legs were still sore from the hike. Above all, the back of my calves, right below my knees were so tight. My shoulders were a bit sore as well, and even though there wasn't anything extra in my bag, everything just felt heavy.

My guesthouse for the day was NASUBI Mt. Fuji Backpackers. I arrived around 4pm after stopping to grab groceries at MaxValu because I wanted to cook my meals. Oh man, I am missing on eating food regularly. Food that I make.

I was the only guest at the guesthouse when I arrived, but I learned that I was sharing my room with three other people: it was a 6-bed dormitory, two other guests were from Switzerland, and one from Japan.

With the run of the house to myself I decided to do everything, literally. First I jumped in the shower, and then I threw my clothes in the laundry (washer and dryer for only 400 yen! better than a coin laundry which I was thinking of visiting!) and while the clothes were washing I cooked myself some salmon and ate dinner. While I was eating dinner one of the other guests returned. He was a 50-year old Japanese man who was traveling around taking pictures, so he had gone out to take photos of Mt. Fuji. I talked with him and the guesthouse managers (a lovely couple, they were so chill!!) until they started to make their own dinner. I considered going to bed early because the next day I would have t walk another 7 hours, but fate had something different in mind.

That night a friend of the guesthouse manager's came to visit. He was studying traditional Japanese massage techniques, and had also studied physical therapy. My first thought was "Oh, I could really use a massage..." I actually would like to study massage and/or physical therapy one day because I know many people who I could help with it. While the man treated the Japanese guest, I watched intently and learned alot about his studies. He offered to massage me next, which I was simultaneously gracious for, but also resistant because I KNEW how tight my body was and that it was going to hurt. But eventually I couldn't turn down the offer.

And I'm glad I didn't! The traditional Japanese massage techniques really tapped into muscles and nerve points that I did not know existed, particularly in my neck and shoulders and my head!! It was impossible to completely loosen my shoulders up, but the massage made a considerable difference.  After that we ended up talking until after 11 pm about studying massage and his business (so much for sleeping early haha). I can easily say today was the best day since I left Yokohama! Too bad it's my last guesthouse for a while...

[+20.4km = 144.2 kilometers total]

MARCH 9th

Oh boy.

Day six... from the best day, to what turned out to be the most... not worst, but very difficult day.

My day started early. I wanted to leave the guesthouse by 8am because it was going to be a long walk to Shizuoka City. I made and ate my delicious fried egg breakfast before anyone else was awake (except the Japanese guest who stepped out early to take more pictures). My shoulders were feeling much better from the massage, but I could still feel strain in my calf muscles. I was assuming that it was because I needed to drink more water.

Slowly the day began to bring on the challenges. First, the drawstring on my pants was half-retracted into the waistline when I did my laundry. I spent a good 15 minutes or so restring them using a safety pin which I was smart enough to bring along. My head felt strangely calm, as if it knew it was going t be a long day.

I didn't get out of the guesthouse until about 8:40. The guesthouse manager gave me two snacks"for emergency" - they were sweets, and I wanted to turn them down, but I just didn't have the spirit to refuse them. I was determined not to eat them, but I didn't know what I would do with them.

The first couple of hours went well and I was making good time on my walk. As I was walking I could still feel the strain in my calves. My plan was to get a 2L of water and make sure I wasn't dehydrated, but another thought occured to me. Maybe the muscles weren't able to heal fully because I was lacking electrolytes and needed a carb load.

I couldn't reason myself out of it once my brain decided that's what I needed to do. So at lunch I ate tuna with mayo, an avocado and some cheese which I had bought the day before at MaxValu. I had the two little treats as well.  Kept walking, ended up going up a mountain again because Route 1 wasn't walkable, and a couple hours later I finally bought my 2L of water... and that custard cookie ice cream.

More walking, then some orange juice and peanuts after a bathroom run at Seven Eleven. Finally, a 'low sugar/carb' piece of chocolate cake by Rizap. It was one of those days where it's like "well, I already ate XX so I might as well eat YY today too and get the craving out of the way". I also had a little ice cream at the net cafe because it was free (I had a feeling when I checked in that I would end up on the floor with the ice cream machine). Soo yeah it was a HIGH carb day, but I figured that it would be good to see how it affects me the next day. Just praying that I don't feel horrible cause I still got to walk!!

By the way, I stayed at Kaikatsu Club just outside Shizuoka City. It was AMAZING. Special ladies only area, yes free ice cream, and a very good price. Who needs hotels? haha

[+35.1km = 179.3 kilometers total]

ON TO DAYS SEVEN, EIGHT, AND NINE >>>>

Walking The TOKAIDO Days 0, 1 & 2

Well, so much for falling asleep. I guess I will take this opportunity to catch you all up on how my time has been so far.

****I WILL ADD PICTURES LATER I PROMISE****

It's been 2 days since I left Nagoya.



FRIDAY, MARCH 3rd, DAY ZERO


I caught a bus from Nagoya Station to Tokyo. That morning I went to my student's graduation. To be honest during most of the ceremony I kept spacing out and running over the day's plans in my head. One thing did stick out to me however. In the student representative's "Thank you" message they said something like this:

"I know there will be good times and hard times. But in those hard times, instead of saying "I'm tired" I think we should say "Look how far I've come / Look how much I've done.""

At the start of what I knew to be a tiring trip, I really took those words to heart.

**

The bus took about 6.5 hours from Nagoya to Kawasaki, via Tokyo. It did stop in Shinjuku, but I had plans to stay with my friend in Yokohama (just south of the Tokyo Metropolitan), so Kawasaki was the closest I could go by bus. Normally, I enjoy bus trips, but normally I am only on the bus for 3 hours. You can guess how happy I was to get off at my destination.

My friend came to meet me at the station and we went back to the apartment he shares with his girlfriend. I was in for my first surprise. He lives UP on a hill. There was a hundred stairs to climb (it seemed). First the bus, now this trek up a small mountain... my mind was telling me all kinds of trouble must be coming.

The reality that I was doing this trip still hadn't set in however. I was just hanging out at my friends house. Nothing challenging yet.

**

MARCH 4th, DAY ONE, 7:20 a.m.



The alarm on my watch didn't go off. I was getting started an hour later than I had planned - but in reality, I probably would have woken up an hour too early. I quickly ate breakfast (2 eggs and some cheese), packed up my bag, and told my friend that I would be back around 6 or 7 p.m.

I caught the train from Yokohama Station and rode it into Tokyo. The official start of my trip would be at NIHOMBASHI.

But first, a coffee.

Many of you reading this know that I don't usually drink coffee, and I generally tend to avoid cafes. The only reason I chose to go was because I was going to meet a friend from university who I haven't seen in almost 2 years. She now lives and works in Tokyo, so it was a perfect chance to meet again.

After our meeting, she walked with me to Nihombashi. This was it. It was actually starting!!

But first, let me take a selfie (haha).

Now with full spirits and a good picture to mark the moment, I took my first step on my journey.

Walking of course came naturally. This is what I had been training over 2 months for. I kept my eyes open for markers of the Old Tokaido trail, but there was little of interest to me in those first hours - just buildings, people, streets.... you know, a city. Thankfully, sightseeing is NOT the purpose of this trip!

**

3 hours from Nihombashi I made a stop in Kamata to meet another friend who I hadn't seen in almost 2.5 years! We had hung out a lot while I was an exchange student, so we were very close. It was just like old times.

He also bought me lunch: Freshness Burger's Avocado Burger, without the bun. Thank you~

We talked for over an hour and I was feeling rejuvenated. 3 more hours to go and I would be back in Yokohama.  I realized how lucky I was that my first day went so well. The weather was great, not too hot and with a slight breeze. I had the chance to reunite with my friends.  And free food. That always makes for a good day.

Eventually I reached my friend's apartment in Yokohama. His girlfriend made gyoza (meat dumplings, mine were chicken) for dinner, which I had no guilt in eating after the 6-7 hour walk.  We played a couple rounds of Jenga and then went to bed around 11 pm.

I'm glad it was a good day, but I also knew that my journey had only just begun. If I was taking the ring to Mordor, day one would be the start of the journey where we are all still innocent and having fun... before the orcs attack us.

Starting tomorrow, I'm alone.

[30 kilometers]



**



MARCH 5th, DAY TWO, 7 am



Two more eggs for breakfast. I am going to miss being able to cook my food.

I have two possible destinations today, either Chigasaki or Hiratsuka. Hiratsuka is slightly farther of the two, and I preferred to go there because it would make my walk on the 6th an hour shorter. Either way, I was planning to spend the night at a net cafe.

Just before I left from Yokohama, another friend of mine stopped in to take my place at the apartment haha. The three of them sent me off with well wishes, and day two began.

I was taking Route 1 from Yokohama and finally seeing markers of the Old Tokaido road. On my way down from Tokyo I stayed on Route 15, so I only had markers which told me how far I had walked from Nihombashi.  I took a few pictures of the trail markers, but as I mentioned before, I'm not doing this to sight-see.

About 2 hours in to my walk I spotted a pair of backpackers ahead of me. I suspected they were walking the Tokaido as well (not alone after all!) However, they made a stop at a convenient store, while I still wanted to continue walking. If they were really on this road for the long haul, we would probably run into each other again, I thought, so I kept on my way.

Initially, I had marked a restaurant on my map to rest at. Every 2 hours or so I plan to rest my legs and shoulders, and maybe eat something too. My luck was good. There was a small department / supermarket in Totsuka on the way. I stopped in with the intention to buy some food and then eat it at a nearby park, but I noticed they had a small sitting area which we could use freely. Don't mind if I do. Second breakfast was green tea, a small salad, and bran rolls with butter.

I was feeling good and confident about my plans and training thus far. My legs were sound, and even my shoulders were adjusting to the weight of my bag (8-9kg, or about 18 lbs). The weather was actually warmer than I had been expecting, but thankfully I planned for that too. Also, I could take breaks on my own time, and eat what and when I wanted - freedom!

It was during my second short break at a Lawson that I spotted the two backpackers from earlier. Yup, they were walking the trail. Time to make my day a little more interesting. The hunt was on.  I quickly jumped back on the trail and followed after them.

If I caught up, I would say something... well, I did catch up because they stopped at the bottom of a hill to rest a bit. I sort of awkwardly said "Hey" as I drew closer and confirmed my suspicions. They were indeed walking the Tokaido route, but only to Kyoto. The pair of them were also planning to stop at a hotel in Hiratsuka that night. Maybe I am a little competitive, but that set my mind to going as far as Hiratsuka as well.

Figuring we would run into each other again, I excused myself and pressed onward. I don't mind talking with someone on the way, but I'm actually not in the mood to join a party.

The walk from there went relatively smoothly. I discovered there is a part of Route 1 that you CANNOT walk, despite what Google thinks. Google, I am not a car. I cannot go ON the highway. In any case, that area naturally leads pedestrians onto Route 30, so just trust the road.

Two hours later I was lucky again to find a shopping mall on the route. I grabbed some sashimi (raw fish) from the grocer and ate it in the food court. From there it was a 1 hour walk to Chigasaki (where I also stopped at a Gyomu Super to grab avocados and cheese haha). While in Chigasaki I called the net cafe in Hiratsuka to confirm if they were open. Their website would not load, so I was worried something happened, and should worst come to worst the next place I could stay the night would be an hour away.

The call confirmed that the net cafe was up and running, so I walked one more hour to Hiratsuka.

I always feel the most energetic in the first and last hour of my daily walks. Today I couldn't help but dance a little with my hands (legs are kinda busy), and when a language course came on I was ready to repeat all the phrases aloud as I walked. No one will bother to stop me, so why not. They probably think I am on a call with someone. Singing is more difficult... people will know when you're singing.

Finally, at about 8:30 I reached the center of Hiratsuka. I found the net cafe I planned to stay at and chose the best time package. I decided to get the 9-hour pack for 1800 yen. However, I had to wait until 10 pm. Fine, no problem.

As I was waiting a Japanese man asked me if I needed any help, but when I spoke back in Japanese he was surprised to hear me speak. We spoke a little and he offered to buy me a drink while I waited to go into the cafe. I accepted the company, ordered a hot tea and we talked for an hour until 10 pm.

Day two was coming to a good end. I got into the net cafe, paid for my time package and got a flat seat booth ("for sleeping"). The manager was very kind, and my flat booth was perfect. There was also a couple good movies I could watch while I ate my dinner (avocado, cheese, sliced chicken and another small salad).



[+33km = 63 kilometers total]



Yeah, this is the best net cafe I have been to yet.

Halfway through the movie, at midnight, I decided I would sleep until 6 am.

My wish was not granted.

THE GUY IN THE NEXT BOOTH SNORES LIKE A BEARRRRRRRRRR. WHYYYYY???? HOW CAN YOU SLEEP? NO ONE ELSE CAN SLEEP!!!

*tears tears angry tears*

So.... that's why I can't sleep and I wrote this blog haha. Now it's 5:15. The man left 30 minutes ago. I am going to try and get a little sleep in now!



Until next time, take care!

ON TO DAY THREE & FOUR>>>

Deluxe Tour Japan Winter 2016 (Part Four: YOKOHAMA, Day Three)

(*This blog entry was written a few weeks after the trip, but I changed the post-date for organizational reasons~ ^^)

December 24th, Day Three, YOKOHAMA

Today started off early, but we took our time actually getting ready and leaving the Guest House. On the way to the station we stopped at Lawson's for breakfast. (No ice cream this time! haha) We grabbed a few onigiri, breads and tea. There was also a flavor of Cheetos that I had never seen before, Garlic Butter; sounds delicious right? So we grabbed them as well.

We ate our onigiri and sampled the Cheetos (delicious as expected) as we walked to Kamata Station. The weather was great. There was no sign of rain or even a cloud in the sky.  From Kamata Station we took the JR Line to Sakuragicho Station. Now we were in Yokohama, the port city. I just remember being taken back by all the blue! The sky, the ocean - it was a perfect day. Shout out to the lone guy chilling and just reading his newspaper on the grass. Why not?

Today's main destination was the Cup Noodles Museum. Not only is it a museum that presents the full history of what we know today as "Cup Noodles", starting with its creation during the War, but there is also a hands-on Cup Noodles Factory.

I'm not going to lie, with all the hype about Cup Noodles, and all the innovation that has stemmed from it, I was expecting the exterior of the Museum itself to be more... eye-catching. There's modern art for you, simple.

So the outside wasn't much to look at. However, the entire inside of the museum was covered with Cup Noodle mascots and modern art. Everything was a strong white and red motif, very simple, very clean. And not surprisingly crowded. We purchased our entry tickets, 500 yen each and received our time slot for the "MY CUP NOODLES" Factory. The bulk of the people were gathered on the 3rd floor, constructing their own Cup Noodle, or waiting in the cue. Our time slot was 11:00~11:30.

There are actually two working areas on the 3rd floor. One is the MY CUP NOODLES Factory and the other is the Chicken Ramen Factory. At the Chicken Ramen Factory you experience making your own Noodles from scratch. However, you cannot just arrive on the day and decide to participate. Most reservations for the Chicken Ramen Factory are taken 3-months in advance.

For a good 10 minutes we were waiting at the front of the cue line that started at 11 o'clock. All the while watching people move into the other line towards the MY CUP NOODLES. Turns out, yes, we were in the wrong cue, so we quickly slipped over and got into the correct line. (My fault for not properly observing the situation and posting pictures to Facebook, I know.)

In any case, at the MY CUP NOODLES Factory you purchase your cup for 300 yen and then your group is guided to a table. With your blank, empty cup, you now have time to decorate it with the markers provided. Get creative! Just remember to stay within the red lines and mark the date!

Now you have a personally designed cup! It's time to put in the noodles and toppings. The noodles are placed on a belt and the cup is placed over them so they fit perfectly. No crooked noodles here. That orange and blue mess is my cup.... It wasn't half bad BEFORE I added to much blue and there was no going back. (And I'm the art major *shakes head*)

Once the noodles are in your cup(s) then it's time to choose your flavorings! One soup stock and four toppings per cup. There are four soups to choose from, including the regular Chicken Ramen, Chili, Tomato, and Curry. There are also twelve toppings in total, such as shrimp, egg, chicken, cheese, garlic, kimchi, green onion, corn... and so on.

All of us surprisingly chose shrimp! The color palettes are relatively the same too.

After your toppings are all set, it's time to seal the cup. You get the official paper lid, and then the cup is put into a plastic which will vacuum seal itself as it goes through an oven.

 The rest is up to you! Grab your cup, a balloon bag and a string and make yourself a nice souvenir to take home. They recommend eating it within a month, but I have a feeling most people preserve it forever. (I have decided to enjoy mine as I write this blog. Chili cheese garlic shrimp for the win!)

By this time it was nearly noon. We finished walking around the rest of the museum, which included a short animation about Cup Noodles history, and while it would have been interesting to have lunch at the Cup Noodle Bazaar on the 4th floor (featuring noodles from around the world), we were not willing to line up at the time. I actually had a different idea in mind for our lunch.

We left the museum and started to head back towards the city, passing the famous Red Brick Warehouses on the way. It's another nice location for a day out at the port, but that was not where we would have our lunch. We continued walking and soon found our way to Yokohama's other popular attraction - Chinatown.

As much as I hope to avoid crowded places, I can't help the fact that all the "tourist" spots are always crowded. Chinatown was no exception. Far from it. The streets were so packed that navigating was a chore, especially with full backpacks. I noticed that most people were lined up for nikuman, which is a meat but usually made with pork. None of us eat pork, so that was off the menu. I was sure that there was another option somewhere.

We first found these sesame donuts with anko, red bean paste inside. It was a good snack, but we needed something more.

Aside from the meat buns, we did find some shrimp dumplings, but I was still determined there was more. I have had all beef meat buns before and they were so good!! Unfortunately, we didn't come across any beef meat buns, but there was a place that had coconut buns. Hmm, that sounds tasty. So for only 250 yen each we grabbed a coconut bun and a "peach" bun (disclaimer, peach buns are still only filled with anko, they are called peach buns because the outside is colored pink to look like a peach).

It just so happened that the place we bought our buns from was right across from a BEEF and CHEESE Gyoza place! Score!! We ordered one set, 4 pieces, to try them out. If you like burgers, you can imagine the taste I bet. I would definitely get them again, but not to share! We shared all the food we bought, so we didn't really eat properly, but it was great to try all the different treats. I recommend sharing food on trips, and don't be afraid to get seconds!

It was sometime after 2 p.m. when we left Chinatown.  I reserved a bus to take us back to Nagoya, so we had to be at Shinjuku Station by 5:45. On our way to the station we remembered the Cheetos we bought that morning. Did we finish eating them? As we tried to remember what happened, my brother's eyes widened, "Um, I think I threw them out with the garbage." Noooo! No more Cheetos...

We rode the JR Line to Tokyo Station and went to grab our luggage (which was when I realized it was not a one-time charge, but 600 yen per day). Once we had our luggage with us, we headed straight to Shinjuku with time to spare.

I'm glad we had that extra time because Shinjuku Station is just huge and confusing.  First we tried to find a restaurant to chill at and eat to wait out the two hours, but everywhere we wanted to go was either full, or could not accommodate us and our luggage. Eventually we decided to grab food from the nearest convenient store, which surprisingly wasn't so near, and we waited at the bus station. The sign of the station looks like a zombie film to me haha.

It had been nice, almost warm weather all day, but when evening fell, so did the temperature. Our bus ended up being late due to traffic and we had to wait in the cold. However, we were able to finally relax on the bus as it drove us back to Nagoya.

By the time we arrived at Nagoya station it was almost midnight, so we caught the last train to my place.   I live in a simple 1K, so I didn't have much to offer. Thankfully, my friend lent me his air mattress, and I had bought an extra bed set for myself before the trip. One brother passed out right away, while the other kept me company as I unpacked the goods they brought for me from home.

No surprise, tomorrow is another early day. I was glad to be home, even for just the night.

<<PART THREE: TOKYO, DAY TWO                PART FIVE: OKAZAKI, DAY FOUR>>

Deluxe Tour Japan Winter 2016 (Part Two: TOKYO, Day One)

(*This blog was written a few weeks after the trip, but I changed the post date for organizational reasons)

December 22nd, Day One, TOKYO

I left my apartment around 5:00 a.m. and walked to Nagoya station to catch the bus to Tokyo. I highly recommend traveling by highway bus! They are becoming more and more comfortable now, and they are considerably cheaper than traveling by Shinkansen or most trains. The company I often use is WillerExpress.

From Nagoya to Tokyo it is about a six hour bus ride, with pit stops about every two hours at a service station (which for the record are also very nice!) My bus was an hour late arriving to Tokyo because we spent nearly 45 minutes LITERALLY just outside Tokyo stuck in traffic. This of course wouldn't happen with trains, however it was understandable.

From the bus station in Shinjuku I took the JR Line and Monorail out to Haneda Airport, arriving about an hour before my brothers were scheduled to arrive. When they arrived they were of course tired after the long 13 hour flight, but I was so happy to see them. It felt unreal seeing them in Japan.

Now that they were in Japan my job as their tour guide began! Haha. Rather than taking the limousine bus directly to Odaiba, as was initially planned, I found that we could also go by Monorail, and then by train, for slightly cheaper. The trains were also more frequent than the bus, so we headed out right away.

While on the monorail my brothers had their first glimpse of Japan - well, of Tokyo. We changed from the Monorail to the train at Tennozu Isle. It wasn't long before we reached our first destination, disembarking at Tokyo Teleport.  The weather was threatening rain, but for a December day it was relatively warm. We walked from the station past Palette Town (Pokemon anyone?) towards Diver City. Standing magnificently over the small hill was the sight we were waiting to see...

Yes. The life-size Gundam statue. As fans of Gundam, this was a must-see. And since we had arrived there around 5pm we had time to visit Gundam Front, located on the 7th floor of Diver City. Gundam Front is a part museum, part goods shop. Not only can you see new art and information about the current Gundam series, but you can also watch special animations in the theater. The movies are 3D and presented in a planetarium-like room, so you can really immerse yourself in it! Aside from the theater there is an open lobby with large models and costumes that you can take pictures with, plus a small factory where you can build your own model and goods shop. My brother said it made up for their long flight, so we were off to a good start!!

We left Gundam Front in good spirits and I decided to take my brothers to Yoshinoya for some beef and rice bowls. When I first visited Japan in 2011, I have a clear memory of going to Yoshinoya for my first meal. It's very simple compared to its competitor Sukiya, but it was still delicious. We ordered one bowl each (regular beef and rice, beef with green onion and egg, and karubi (which is short rib meat often found at yakiniku, BBQ, places) and shared them. Once they got over the raw egg idea they realized that it was the best flavor~ ^^

Now it was getting late and it was time to head to our hotel. We left Diver City and said good-bye to the Gundam. From there we walked towards Aqua City to catch a view of Fuji TV Building and the Rainbow Bridge.

Then the plan was to take the bus from Odaiba to Nishikasai, where our hotel was located. This is where it is important to DOUBLE CHECK the bus number. Two buses where set to depart from our bus stop, and the one that I mistook took us in the opposite direction towards Kanagawa! Oh no! Not the first day! But I quickly... not quick enough, but soon realized we were heading in the wrong direction, got off the bus, took another bus to Oi Machi and took a train from there to Tokyo Station, then caught the subway to Nishikasai. I promised to be very careful after that little side trip.

Our accomodations for the night were at the Best Western Hotel in Nishikasai. We had a 3-bed room on the 4th floor. It was one of the nicest places I have ever stayed at. I booked the room via Booking.com and got it for nearly half price at 5500 yen per person.

 And so day one came to a peaceful end. Sleep well, my brothers, tomorrow is a busy day.

<<PART ONE: PLANNING                             PART THREE: TOKYO, DAY TWO>>

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 49 (Final)

AUGUST 3

This is is… the final stretch of the journey. I headed back to Nagoya this morning to join the others for lunch of our favorite Naan Curry, and also to grab round six of luggage. This time I had two full bags, my orange bag, and a large black luggage from Jason. He didn’t need it to go home, because he had sent most of his things home in boxes. Thankfully, I was able to make the trip with Takahiro’s help. Just one more trip and it should be done. To think, if I had asked a friend with a car to help, it may have only been one trip…

AUGUST 4

With the bulk of my property now at my new apartment, it was time to properly unpack and give some sense of order to the piles that spot my living room floor. It took my all day, but for having no furniture, it doesn’t look too bad. Still no fridge, washing machine, futon, shelf or anything, but I plan to buy those after I come back from America. Four more days! Crazy! I wish the others didn’t have to go home, but at least I know I will be back. I am looking forward to seeing my family, some friends, and to eating all of the things that I haven’t had the chance to eat in this past year. But, even so, I don’t want to go. If there was a way to bring all those things to me, then it would be a perfect world.

AUGUST 5

I went back to Nagoya, once again. This time it was primarily to help the other students with their final room checks. We stored their luggages in my room and went to eat at Naan Curry for the last time together. After that, it was already the evening so we hung out for a while before they decided to sleep. They were all heading to the airport early, so the group split and I gave up my floor and bed to them. In the meantime, I went to dance in the Naka District for what I knew would be the last chance I could do so for some time.

Later, when I returned, I found myself locked out of my room until I had to call on the intercom from the first floor. This was our last night together, sleeping with my newfound family, before saying farewell.

AUGUST 6

In the end, I didn’t go to the airport with everyone. I woke up, hugged them all good-bye and walked them to the station, but that was all I could have done. Even if I had gone, I couldn’t have stayed until the last person left because I had one last day of training today. Maybe it was best no to over-dramatize our farewell. I will see them again, maybe in Japan, maybe in Hawaii, or France. This is just the end to another chapter.

AUGUST 7

Yesterday I took the last round of luggage down to Okazaki, so this morning I returned to an empty room for my final check. There was no problem, as expected. I paid for the water and electric bill, turned in my keys and ID, and suddenly I was homeless in Nagoya. Homeless, but not friendless. There was still half a dozen of the Chinese and Taiwanese students remaining for the next 6 months. We ate lunch together at SUSHI-RO, and then there nothing else to do but return to Okazaki and start my own preparations to return home.

AUGUST 8

In a few hours, I’ll be on a plane back to the States. It’s all over, the study abroad, my adventure in Nagoya. When I come back, it will the beginning of a new life, a whole new adventure to look forward to. The best way for me to show appreciation for this experience is not to look back with want, but to march on with hope and purpose. Hope that I can see my international family again, and soon, and with all the intention of making that happen. I have been training for a few months now, and I can look towards my job with confidence. I’m not simply teaching English to stay in Japan, but I want to teach. I want to share my experiences with others, and encourage them the same way that my teachers and professors have encouraged me. I have something to give now, a purpose.

Until next time...

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 48

JULY 28

Yes! Back on my feet and ready to celebrate! Another Ramadan has come to an end. Aside from that last bout of sickness, I had no trouble fasting. I had been worried because I was told the humidity would kill me, but not this time.

The afternoon was marked by two events. The first of which was the conversation exam. This time, each of us would have an entire fifteen minutes to speak, and our partner was the professor. When all was said and done, my professor asked me, ‘Did you think it was easy?’ Does that mean I did well? Or, maybe I’m over-thinking it and it really means, ‘Don’t you think you should have tried harder?’ But, I don’t know what else I could have said. It was all right out of the textbook. Oh well, just let it be. Off to party~

Of course, we couldn’t really have a ‘party’ as there were now only three of us. Instead, we had a late lunch at the nearby curry place, and then we also ate some crepes. Then both of my new Indonesian friends went off to study for their exams. I headed home to pack another load and visit the district office to officially change my address. Now that I’ve received quite a few things from the other students, including a size-able box of study materials for the Japanese proficiency test, a folding table, a couple towels, various condiments, utensils, and more. Tomorrow is going to be my fourth round of moving luggage (the third was before I headed down to hand in my visa paperwork on Friday). Sadly, it looks like there’s more to come. So much stuff!!

JULY 29

It must be a universal rule that you have to change your address within 14 days of moving. I only found that out a few days ago, but I made it in time.

I am now an official resident of Okazaki city! A small part of me is still amazed that I was able to do the entire process on my own. In general, it’s not a hard process, but there is a little bit of paperwork. Last night, I stayed in Okazaki, so this morning I took the bus to Higashi Okazaki in order to reach the City Hall. I was told which department to turn my paper into, but no one said there was two buildings and multiple floors. Of course, that was only a small obstacle, and by noon the paperwork was filed. They even gave me a little ‘welcome’ bag, filled with news flyers, and a few bags for sorting garbage and recycling. After that it was back to Nagoya for some final reviewing.

(City map of Okazaki at Higashi Okazaki Station.)

JULY 30

It ended today. My last exam of the semester, my last day of classes at Aichi University, and it was all the last day of my undergraduate career. Would’ve thought I would finish my career as a student, and start a new one as a teacher, in Japan? I’m fairly sure I passed the kanji portion of the test with flying colors, but I’ll never get to see it. I’m not going to look back for it either: onward and upwards.

To celebrate the end of [most of] it all, I treated myself to something I have wanted to go to for years: DISNEY on ICE. Yes. I was actually lucky to get the ticket from a friend who could no longer go because of her exam. Gi and I met at the venue just as the show started. Our seats were off to the side, but we had a great view of the show. Pictures were improbable, but those images will stay with me I’m sure. Interludes with Mickey and the gang transitioned into each storyline: The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Snow White, and my favorite, Tangled. I only wish there had been more, but perhaps it depends on the show? I’ll just have to go to another one someday.

Dinner was my last Taco (salad) Night at Shooter’s with the girls. Tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios Japan!!!! I can’t wait!!

JULY 31

The adventure started off in the warm morning hours as we made our way from our apartments to the highway bus stop. This time, instead of taking a bus from the Meitetsu bus center, we registered with JAMJAM, another highway bus company. Coincidentally, the stop at which we had to wait was right in front of AIDAI. We left early because we were not aware of the stop’s location, so we had some time to wait. As we waited, one of the bus guides, an elderly man, started talking to us; of course, noticing we were foreigners, he was curious as to where we were from. He himself seemed very educated in regards to foreign languages. Too bad he wasn’t our bus guide, but he was an interesting man.

We boarded the bus and climbed up to the second deck. There were two rows of paired individual seats, not benches. These seats were also a comfortable size, complete with a leg rest, and blanket. There was also hardly any other passengers, so we had the desk to ourselves. As the trip proceeded, there would be rounds of visiting the very front of the deck to take pictures, as well as pretend to be driving the bus. One of the things that I noticed, and that I wish I was able to take a picture of in time, was an Egyptian cafe near Nakatsu Subway Station in Osaka. My heritage must have been crying out to me.

At just before 11am we arrived in front of USJ, Universal Studios Japan. There was only a few families and couples with us as we walked past the giant UNIVERSAL STUDIOS globe and through the ticket gate. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as we thought it would be. Once we entered the park, and made a necessary stop at the ATM, the crowds increased, but once again, it was the general crowd you would expect. Families, foreign and domestic, couples in matching clothing, groups of school girls, and occasionally some of the park’s characters would come out as well.

Our first destination was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We hastily made our way to the new attraction; from the outside of the park you could see the upper towers of Hogwarts. Gradually, the surrounding crowd began to increase. Before we could enter the attraction, we needed to take a time ticket. Since it was so new, it was still the most popular place in the park, and so it only made sense that they had to let people enter in cycles. The ticket said nothing about departure time, so it was possible that anyone who entered could spend the whole day there. We might have, if our ticket time had been earlier, but we could not enter until 5:30pm.

With six hours before the main event, the only thing to do was enjoy the rest of the park. We went to Jurassic Park first, just as the heat of the day peaked. The line for the ride wound so far down the trail that at first we thought we missed the entrance. That wasn’t so. Soon we found the end of the line and from there it was an hour and a half wait. If you read my past entry from my first trip to Japan, when we visited the Natural History Museum in Toyohashi, then you know I like dinosaurs. Kids of my generation should like them, and that is in part because of the wonderful Jurassic Park. That said, if I was going to create an attraction that would line up people for hours, then I would put something along the line to distract them, like some dinosaurs in the trees, or information cards. The only we had was a couple oscillating fans that people looked forward to reaching in the hot summer heat. Once we reached the cover, there was an introduction video playing on some TVs, but that was during the last thirty-minutes. By then, the excitement increased again, and very soon we were on the ride itself. I won’t spoil it for you, but just so you know, it was a water ride as if you were in a tour boat of the island. Of course, I wish it was longer, but it was very good. They should make one another level up in one of the Jeeps, and by level up I mean scarier, crazier, and more awesome!

So the ride exited into a small gift shop, once you got off the boat obviously. There weren’t that many interesting dinosaur souvenirs, which was a shame. Most of the store catered to One Piece (a popular anime about pirates) and Sesame Street fans. Those two are also two big attractions in USJ. We ate lunch at the One Piece restaurant (right), where the most interesting thing on the menu was the “Giant Leg of Meat”. It was in fact a turkey leg, but it matched both the Jurassic Park and One Piece themes. As we ate, a couple of characters from the show also appeared and performed a short act in the cafeteria.

After lunch, we walked back around the pond, or some body of water, that is centered in the park. We passed Jaws and Snoopy land, and spent some time near the front of the park which was decorated with Hollywood stars, classic American motifs, and souvenir shops. By this time, we had seen a number of people carrying large, I mean HUGE, bags with Harry Potter on them. We assumed those people had already left the attraction— ‘why would they leave?’ we joked. In addition, we perused almost all of the souvenir shops until we found two that also sold merchandise from the Wizarding World. However, the real special items that were on our shopping list could only be found within the attraction itself. We suspended buying anything at the time ans circled the park until we reached the Spider-Man attraction.

The line for the Spider-Man simulator was incredibly deceiving. Starting from the outside door, you can actually see the entrance into what looks like the start of the adventure. But after that line zigzags once, it throws you down a long hallway and into another maze of waiting. At least this time the walls were decorated with Spider-Man art and newspapers. I can’t recall how long we waited, but I’m sure it was over an hour at least. Slowly the excitement picked up as we reached the area near the entrance that I had mentioned. Then, once we received our 3D Glasses the real excitement set in. Once again, I won’t spoil it, but the ride was brilliant! I would have rode it again if the line wasn’t so incredibly long.

As we departed from Spider-Man’s ride, we took the obligatory picture with the hanging Spider-Man in the alley. Unfortunately, they had a professional photographer in place there, so we couldn’t exercise our freedom with the poses. It’s not like we even wanted a print from them anyway, just the picture on our smartphone was suffice. From there, we grabbed a quick snack of smoothies and soft cream pretzels.

The heat continued to bore down on us, though we still had over an hour to wait before entering The Wizarding World. On our way towards the attraction, we passed through Jurassic Park again. This time, there was a raptor on the loose. It was one of the incredibly realistic robots, except for its legs. As I was taking its picture, it seemed to notice and purposely walked in my direction. When it was right in front of my face, I finally noticed that it was bigger than I expected. It almost reached me before one of its trainers, or whatever the assisting person is, called it away. As it turned, its huge tail took out a small child. I wish my brothers had been there with me to see it; they would have enjoyed it as well.

Soon, the last hour of waiting was upon us, but there was no real place to rest outside the entrance. We meandered into Snoopy land and rode around in circles inside giant cupcakes, and then, once we were tired of the Hello Kitty motifs we wandered back to The Wizarding World entrance. We sought out some shade amongst the giant circle of obelisks, found a cool pace to wait, and then counted down the minutes. Just before 5:30 we stepped into the new-forming line, becoming part of the first ten people to enter at that time.

As we traversed the path lined with coniferous trees we could start to hear the musical score from the Harry Potter soundtrack. Ron’s car was crashed near the trees. The true entrance quickly appeared before us, with its expected stone and wood architecture. The 9¾ train awaited near the entrance, across from various small specialty shops. In the center of the street was a stand selling the famous Butter Beer, which you could have regular or iced. We each ordered a cup, and continued to make our way up the street towards the castle of Hogwarts. Each store that lined the way was an eye-catcher, but first we intended to ride the castle ride. I can’t even begin to describe the level of excitement that was set on by the atmosphere. It would have been great to dress up, and even better to visit the attraction in winter, when the snow on the shop roofs would actually make sense. It goes without saying that the line for the castle ride was enormous, probably taking upwards of three hours from the entrance. The outside wasn’t much to look at, but once one enters the castle proper, then things became interesting. It was impossible to take pictures in the dark though. Then as the line proceeded, we dropped off our things in a locker, passed through Dumbledore’s office and approached the ride. No spoilers~ it was equally, if not more fun than the Spider-Man simulator. If I ever come back, my top priority will be to ride it again.

(We toasted with our  butter beers, which tasted just like crème soda. Here’s to us.)

We exited the castle into another souvenir shop, but once again, the items that we sought were not present, for example, chocolate frogs. By the time we were able to enter the specialty candy shop where they were sold, they were sold out. People were buying them by the dozens to take home as gifts for other people. We had only wanted one or two, so it didn’t seem fair, but anything that is limited appears more desirable. There would have to be a next time, someday, somehow. We proceeded to eat dinner at the resident restaurant, which also served turkey legs. It was about 15 dollars a plate, though I suppose that’s standard for theme park fare.

Night had come, and soon the park would be closing. We finally did some souvenir shopping of our own, some for us, some to give to our friends back home, or in Nagoya. The night parade was nearly about to start, but we were tired, dead on our feet to be honest. We regretfully left the park and said good-bye to our wonderful adventure.

Leaving the park proved to be quite interesting in itself. The UNIVERSAL City Walk that led towards the station was once again decorated in neon lights and American motifs. It looked like a fun place to explore, if we had the time and energy.

As we boarded the train to take us to Kobe, the cold that Joy had staved off all day suddenly hit with a vengeance. The train was also too crowded to sit down on for most of the way, so she had to bear it standing with us.

We had not made accommodations this trip, in part because we were trying to save money. If we found a karaoke place, we figured we might stay there till morning for not even a fifth of the price of a single hotel room. First, however, we wanted to make a stop at a bar run by one of Rachael’s good friend’s mom. Rachael and I spent most of the night there chatting with the owner, her son, and a couple other random customers. Aurianne and Joy had rightfully excused themselves to find a place to sleep. I made sure that they arrived at their place before enjoying the rest of the night with Rachael on my second wind of energy.

(Hogwarts, Universal Studios Japan, 2014)

AUGUST 1

Good morning, Kobe!

Rachael and I stayed at the bar until well after 3am. We went in search for the Internet Cafe that Joy and Aurianne were staying at, but they wouldn’t answer our calls. The only thing they had told us last night was that it was the same place we saw advertised outside the station that included all-you-can-eat ice cream. After finding that ad once again, we located the Internet Cafe and paid a visit to the front desk. Again, we didn’t really know where they were, so we had to ask by name. We just wanted to confirm that they were there, but the present manager went to check the rooms and brought back a drowsy Aurianne. With that, we confirmed that we had the right place, but it made no sense for us to pay the 1800 yen for only a few hours. Instead, we backtracked to the McDonald’s near the station and ordered some breakfast. There, we, along with other weary travelers and early birds, spent the next few hours loitering in McDonald’s basement cafe. Joy and Aurianne joined us after 7am, and we were back on the streets by 8.

That started a cyclic day of wandering, snacking, searching for places to rest our feet, more snacking and then more wandering. If you ask why, it is because once again, our bus wasn’t until the evening… as if we hadn’t learned anything from our trip to Mt. Fuji. In fact, we had no plans in particular for that second day in Kobe. After we bought some honey, and tasted some Kobe Beef at lunch our to-do list was pretty much complete.

The small steak of Kobe Beef that we ate was tender, juicy and delicious, but I can’t compare it to other beef that I have eaten simply because it’s been months since I have eaten steak. Everything else we ate was some form of sweet or bread, of which there seemed to be at every corner. We spent two or three hours just sitting in a cafe on one order of coffee, simply because we didn’t want to walk around anymore.

The bus couldn’t have arrived soon enough. On one hand, we wanted to shower, sleep and refresh, so we wanted to go home. But, on the other hand, once we returned home, the only thing that would remain for us would be packing and saying good-byes.

AUGUST 2

After a full night’s sleep, I packed up another round of goodies and prepared to head for Okazaki again. Rachael was having a Taco Party in her room, which I briefly attended, even though I swore off food several times since our indulgence yesterday. But, I couldn’t say no, she made special all-beef taco meat just for me.

I couldn’t hang around Nagoya forever because I had made plans to go to the Okazaki Fireworks Festival with Takahiro. The others would have come along as well, but they had already been to two or three other festivals, including the one in Gamagori.

This time, I dressed myself in the yukata all on my own. I still had all the ties and clips that I borrowed from Akane’s grandmother, so it was simply a matter of mimicking the process. It didn’t take too long, maybe not even twenty minutes. I was able to leave a bit early to meet Takahiro at the other end of the station, as we waited to meet his acquaintances from Canada. It was an interesting because he was actually invited to join a girl studying abroad and her host family at the festival. I sort of just tagged along as the outsider.

In fact, as it happened, the girl from Canada wasn’t present when her host mom picked us up. We went back to the house to wait for her to return, only to find out that she would be meeting us at the festival itself. At the time, there were other family members who had not yet even met the girl from Canada, so that’s who they assumed I was. Twenty minutes of being mistaken for someone else, but no one ventured to confirm my identity because they assumed I couldn’t speak Japanese. Finally, as we were about to head for the festival, I had the chance to speak and suddenly everything came to light.

One of the great things about living in a place that has little crime activity, and people in general respect one another, is that you can claim a space by laying down a blue tarp and no one will take it, even if you do so hours ahead of time and nobody is present to state the claim, just a name. Of course, everyone is doing it, so rightfully, everyone has the same opportunity.

The place that the host family claimed was down by the river. It was very close to the fireworks display, and one of the boats on the water, but we were actually watching from the back. We couldn’t see all of the special one-way designs, but we had a prime view over most of the large displays, and those that happened on the boat before us.

The event proceeded with fun and food, but it ended on a precarious note. Some of the other members in our group got sick from drinking too much. Takahiro had to catch the train home, but I stayed with them until their ride came to pick them up, and then I headed to the station to catch the last bus home.