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August 15, 2022

I find it difficult to put into words just how impactful my time in Japan was. I feel that I not only grew as a person, but that I also strengthened my empathy and communication skills. I have a fresh perspective regarding the unique backgrounds of others.

Going into my experience in Japan, I had built up a toolbox of techniques and methods to adjust to culturally diverse situations, thanks in part to courses at my university. I don’t think that I ever faced a situation that was particularly unexpected in Japan, but I did have to consciously adjust my behavior on a day-to-day basis. While at times I would be surrounded by familiar sights such as fast food restaurants, shopping malls, and even bottles of bourbon at the bar, I was always quickly reminded that I was residing in a foreign country.

August 01, 2022

I'm not fully processing the fact that, within two weeks time, I'll be back in the US. It's a similar feeling to when I was on the precipice of coming to Japan in the first place. I've already packed up the bulk of my belongings and just have a small suitcase and backpack as I travel across Japan. I've made plans to meet up with a fellow American expat that I met in Osaka. He's an English teacher in Hirosaki, Aomori. I'm excited because my timing matches up to where I'll be able to witness several days of Nebuta across Aomori. Nebuta is a summer festival where brilliantly lit up floats are paraded across towns in northern Japan. I'm excited to end my time in Japan with one last wholly unique cultural experience. I also made plans to stay overnight in a Buddhist temple on Mount Osore, located in the caldera of an active volcano. While I am a little nervous regarding the prospect of sleeping above an active volcano, I'm really excited for the opportunity to have a peaceful and reflective experience in a place with striking geography.

July 26, 2022

"Golden Week" in Japan is a week from late May to early April that encompasses several public holidays. I was lucky enough to be given additional time off so that I could spend an entire work week on holiday. Considering that up to that point I had spent the overwhelming majority of my time in the Tokyo area, I decided to get out of the city and to travel to the Kansai region of Japan. I boarded a bullet train on the morning of April 29th and made it to Kyoto Station by the afternoon of the same day. I split my time between three main areas: Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara.

The majority of my time was spent in Kyoto. I ended up staying in a lovely guest house called Kingyoya for 5 days and 4 nights. If you have the time and money for it, I really recommend going on a guided tour of the area. There’s so much history to see in Kyoto that it can be somewhat hard to know where to even start on your own. After spending time taking in the views of the city, I traveled to Arashiyama to enjoy a more natural beauty. I particularly enjoyed walking through the garden of Okochi Sanso, which offers absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding area. I also of course visited Fushimi Inari-taisha, one of the iconic sights of Kyoto. I booked a hiking tour that took me through the less traveled paths of the Inari mountain. The sheer number of vermilion torii can’t be done justice by the pictures that I took. I would say that the highlight of visiting Kyoto was a tea ceremony that I took part in. I donned a kimono and learned how to properly prepare and present matcha tea.

July 14, 2022

Traveling from a small town in Ohio to Tokyo has been incredibly eye opening when it comes to public transportation. I was used to having to drive everywhere due to how spread out cities are in the United States, but now I find myself living a short walk away from Shinagawa station, one of the major railway stations of Tokyo. I'm quite lucky to live in the Shinagawa area. While it isn’t as flashy as living in Shinjuku or Shibuya, I’ve really come to appreciate what Shinagawa offers. I can still easily access all of the “fun” parts of Tokyo by train and the best part is that when I go back home the streets are quiet and I can easily fall asleep. There are some really nice local bars in the area too. Drinking and chatting with the locals in places like Shimbabar (a pun based on the nearby Shimbamba station) gives me a sense of community that I thought I would never find in a place as large as Tokyo. I also can’t complain because my commute to work is only a 6 minute walk. Well, really it takes about 8 minutes due to a quick stop in the morning at a 7-11 to grab breakfast. Even so, 8 minutes is the best commute to work that I’ve ever had in my life.