Summertime Sadness

As the school year comes to a close nostalgic feelings build.

It's been two years since I visited the island.

After I applied for a free trip and was accepted.

A group of students from Kennedy High School, Washington High School, and Jefferson High School.

We talked to a lot of tsunami survivors, which was especially influential for me as just three years earlier the Flood of 2008 took my home as hostage.

Traveling Japan will be an experience that I will never forget.

Akihabura 

Asakusa

The Golden Temple

Golden Poo

The Home Stay

Shinkansen

Riding the train

My Host Family

The friends I made 

#YOJO2012 (You Only Japan Once 2012)

The AMAZING museums

The smells 

The food

Collecting cool little things that the Japanese put in their magazines as little prizes

Shopping

I look back at my journey every day and I don’t regret a thing

I even learned some new vocabulary that I took back to the states with me.

I credit everything that has happened to me in relation to Japan to my Japanese teacher. Without him, I would have never been to Japan because he was the one who accepted me and recommended that I apply.

It may be a little muggy in the summer in Japan, but don’t let that scare you away. The amazing sites and adventures are worth a little sweat.

In just two short weeks I experienced a whole new culture and an extreme change in the way that I view other people and their beliefs.

I miss our unique hotels and the culture that they brought. We stayed in huts in a hotel in Fukushima Prefecture. There we were accommodated with cultural ceremonies and a truly amazing atmosphere. An early morning walk in the woods is an isolation from Japan. It transports you for a little bit back home. Nothing in the woods except the living is Japanese. There aren't any signs or Japanese characters. It's a relaxing walk that provokes many thoughts. Taking in everything around you is a hard task and I miss those mornings of solitude in the forest.

I guess my only critique of the trip was that I didn’t take more pictures…

Visiting Japan in the summer is a rewarding opportunity.

If any of you get a chance you should go and visit.

Hopefully this blog has made you want to explore more about Japanese culture and activities.