oyoshimaru
Member
I just got back from my month long stay in Japan, quiet the experience. I had a chance to visit as part of a university short term program. I lived in Numazu, Shizuoka with my lovely, lovely host family. I have to say that rather then feeling like a tourist, the time I spent there felt so normal and authentic. I did have a chance to visit Kyoto and Nara in 3 exhausting, action packed days. I'm sure you guys already know how beautiful they are. Unfortunately I only had 2 days in Tokyo and that was definitely not enough. Being someone who loves fashion, I fell in love with Harajuku, so I spent most my time there. I wish there was something similar to in back here in New York. I also liked the Meiji Shrine right across.
Other than those five days however, my days were spent hanging out with my host brothers and sister, helping out with their english or math homework while practicing my japanese. Sometimes I hit up the local arcade after school and wow, Japanese gamers are skilled (moreso than I believed). Other nights I would go out with the friends I made in university to an izakaya or karaoke. It was incredibly fun and shiiit, Japanese girls can sing!
My host mother did drive me up 2300m into Fujisan. It was nice day but unfortunately I believe the higher parts were still closed due to snow and fallen trees. My host mother was extremely supportive throughout the whole experience. We would go out shopping for food, or join her friends to eat out or have some sake. The relationship I built with this family will truly last my lifetime.
The food I had during my trip was all excellent, especially the Gyoza, Okonomiyaki, Curry and Ramen! Although I was not a biggest fan of the time my host mom tried to feed me Natto, but it was ok. I was really surprised at how cheap food was, but maybe thats only coming from someone from New York. I'm gonna miss those late night stops at the 7-11s.
Life at university was pretty standard. I had class from 8:30am-12pm, lunch break till 1 and then our class would visit local landmarks and attractions for a few hours. Some days we would be free after 12pm and I used those to make friends on campus. I was suprised at how relatively easy it was to communicate with my combined english and poor japanese skills. But what surprised me the most was the amount of spanish I ended up using on this trip. Of course maybe it was due to the fact that it was an International Relations university and my host family was part a club named Hippo Family Club. I didnt have trouble making friends and most people were really open to speaking to perhaps the only Mexican within a hundred kilometers (me). It's only been a week since I got back but I am still actively communicating everyday with my friends and host family using Line and Skype.
This was an amazing experience that I wil never forget. I hope to visit my host family again soon!
Other than those five days however, my days were spent hanging out with my host brothers and sister, helping out with their english or math homework while practicing my japanese. Sometimes I hit up the local arcade after school and wow, Japanese gamers are skilled (moreso than I believed). Other nights I would go out with the friends I made in university to an izakaya or karaoke. It was incredibly fun and shiiit, Japanese girls can sing!
My host mother did drive me up 2300m into Fujisan. It was nice day but unfortunately I believe the higher parts were still closed due to snow and fallen trees. My host mother was extremely supportive throughout the whole experience. We would go out shopping for food, or join her friends to eat out or have some sake. The relationship I built with this family will truly last my lifetime.
The food I had during my trip was all excellent, especially the Gyoza, Okonomiyaki, Curry and Ramen! Although I was not a biggest fan of the time my host mom tried to feed me Natto, but it was ok. I was really surprised at how cheap food was, but maybe thats only coming from someone from New York. I'm gonna miss those late night stops at the 7-11s.
Life at university was pretty standard. I had class from 8:30am-12pm, lunch break till 1 and then our class would visit local landmarks and attractions for a few hours. Some days we would be free after 12pm and I used those to make friends on campus. I was suprised at how relatively easy it was to communicate with my combined english and poor japanese skills. But what surprised me the most was the amount of spanish I ended up using on this trip. Of course maybe it was due to the fact that it was an International Relations university and my host family was part a club named Hippo Family Club. I didnt have trouble making friends and most people were really open to speaking to perhaps the only Mexican within a hundred kilometers (me). It's only been a week since I got back but I am still actively communicating everyday with my friends and host family using Line and Skype.
This was an amazing experience that I wil never forget. I hope to visit my host family again soon!
