week 2 in Japan

Week 2 in Japan, wow. Do I have some STORIES? I should first start with my Tokyo trip. Ten other girls and I took a bus to Tokyo, and we left on a Thursday morning around 9. It took us 3 hours to get there by bus, but hey, it was a cheap ticket, but man, it was uncomfortable. When I tell you, we threw our stuff into lockers the second we got there. Oh, Tokyo has coin lockers everywhere to safely leave your stuff, like luggage, in the city while you go and explore. It’s so intelligent and convenient. The first place we went was to Shinjuku. It’s known for its fashion and good shopping. The first thing you see is the famous cat. It is a giant screen board with a cat doing various cute poses and commercials. It’s so cool. After that, we walked around getting lost, getting slightly scammed, of course, cause we were all foreigners, and they wanted to charge us more for the same stuff. I got the whole Tokyo experience. The clubbing, the finding random whole in-the-wall spots that take you out of the bustle and hustle of Tokyo and transform you into a new place. I made some new friends and spent a lot of money at Shibuya 109. It's the best shopping I’ve ever been to. It had nine floors of the best J fashion. Things that would never be in a mall in America. It would have also been three times the price in America as well. I took an empty suitcase with me and left with a full back. I even returned to school on Saturday and returned to Tokyo to buy more clothes. I shouldn't be spending so much money, but you know what? I do not care. This is Japan, and if I want to spend my hard-earned money on clothes and shoes that make me happy, that’s exactly what Im going to do. Tokyo has so many levels to it. There is a whole city underground, elevators, and many stairs. It is amazing. I truly loved getting lost in Tokyo, wandering around different alleyways, and discovering places outside the normal tourist spots. My favorite part of Tokyo was Shibuya, and my second favorite was Akihabara. My all-time favorite moment was wearing a Kimono and walking around the most beautiful shrine in Asakusa.

Week 1 in Japan

To conclude my first week in Japan, I can say that Japan is living up to my expectations of everything I hoped it would be. Attending ICLA has already given me many friends from all around the world, including France, Mexico City, and the Philippines, to name a few. The first few days I spent here taught me more about myself, like how I can ride a bike, and I proved myself by bicycling to Kofu Castle and back with my friends. Mind you, I had never been on a street with other cars before. I was shaking like we had to take a couple of breaks for sure cause, man, I was putting myself out of my comfort zone, but that’s precisely why I came here. To push my limits on what I can do. And you know what Im a pretty good bike rider. It was scary at times, but hey, I figured it out. I've made the trip on bike to Kofu Castle twice now, and each time, I got faster and had to take fewer breaks. I've also decided on what courses I want to take this semester. Fundamentals of Sound and Music, intro to Filmmaking, ELA, Aikido, Intro to Data Science, College Success, and my Japanese Language class. I know it may seem like a lot, but 2 of these classes are only worth one credit, and they are mandatory this semester, so next semester, I should be able to take more fun stuff as well. I could take math next semester; I do not have to do that now. Anybody who knows me will tell you that Math is not my strong suit.
I'm so excited to continue exploring the city of Kofu. I even took the train myself one day to do karaoke and sang my little heart out. I love the ice cream here; it’s so delicious (Oishi). I've had some of the best food at low prices. You can get a full meal with a drink, rice, miso soup, and a main dish for about 1000 yen, which is around 7-8 US dollars. Everything is affordable here out in the countryside. I am still not used to eating 3 meals a day, but I am enjoying it. Having a meal plan is fantastic. That pretty much sums up my first week in Japan. I can’t wait to write about our entrance ceremony and my trip to Tokyo soon.

Japan day 1

As I wake up ready for the airport from just spending the best week of my life with my family and friends. It's time to move out. I take one last shot with my dad thinking about how much I know he’s gonna miss me. I remind him that I love him and thank both him and my mom for allowing me to venture out on my own even if it’s this far away. So let’s talk about the plane ride. This was the longest trip I have ever taken in my life. 15hrs! In the sky going thousands of miles an hour to a country that I’ve never been to before. Crazy. As I get on my Delta flight to prepare myself for this long ride I decide to take out a book. Spoiler alert I never ended up reading the book at all. I just watched Across the Spider-Verse, Elemental, and Trolls band together. They were so good and Im a sucker for any Trolls movie cause the music is just so spectacular 😌 . I could not sleep a wink. I didn’t mind it though it was pretty good and by the time I finished all those and played on my phone, we were landing at Tokyo International Airport HND. As I get off the plane mind you I have this heavy backpack on with like 5 books in it. Im wearing 2 shirts a sweatshirt and a leather jacket and my roller skates. I was hot, the sweat was dripping down my back and the immigration line was not pretty. It was moving fast but it was long and wrapped around itself like 20 times. I fan myself with my documents As I finally get to the from of the line I hand my papers in. I received my Japanese residency card with a picture on there that I don’t really like but oh well Im just happy to be here. I collect my luggage from baggage claim and head outside to find my bus. The bus doesn’t leave for another 3 hours. So I decided to sit and wait. 10 min went by and a nice old man told me that I should wait at the airport instead so I took all my stuff back upstairs and looked for something to do. Yall this airport has a tattoo-friendly onsen, tons of restaurants and so many beautiful shops. My mouth dropped. I immediately go to Lawson take some cash out and get my first things at the convenience store. Then I started wandering around and came across such cute shops and my first little item from a gashapon machine. As I make my way back to the bus stop Im introduced to Japanese line culture they truly stand in uniform lines for everything. I got on my bus that would take me to Kofu station. 2 hours into tho I started feeling really car sick and I was praying to god to just let me make it to my hotel at least. God answered ‘cause I made it. Finally, a bed I can lie down in and rest my body from traveling too much. I call my family and give them updates on what’s been going on and after I take a shower and a bath. Yes, the bath after the shower was a must. Japanese tubs are so deep! Like really I was soaking and it felt amazing. That is how I ended my first day in Japan and I can’t wait for more adventures to come.

Last Day of Work

It was my last day working at Homegrown and Muchacho on March 17th. Homegrown for me was Like a second home. Every time I would walk in I was greeted with such warm welcomes. Loads of encouragement and constant fun. The food my god was delicious and all the amazing customers who truly cared about my life and journey (Lori) just to name one wanted to follow my journey to Japan. I have made lifelong friends at Homegrown. At Muchacho I was able to make so many wonderful memories there and connect with people my age who also want to travel the world. Some even left before I did. It gave me more responsibility working these two jobs consecutively. The only thing that kept me going to get out of bed and slave away at these jobs was Japan. My goal for my life was within reach and all I had to do was stay consistent and keep doing the best That I could. Reflecting on the memories and experiences gained during my time at restaurants. Grateful for the camaraderie with coworkers and the friendships formed with regular customers. Farewells are bittersweet, but I'm excited for the new chapter ahead. I wanna say thank you to Daisy, Evan, Pat, Monica, Lauren, Cate, Martha, Meadow, Stella, Piper, Courtney, Lisa, Jason, and Dan for making my time at Homegrown some of my best memories working and I am grateful to have you as friends.

IClA

I first applied to Icla back in August around the time of my birthday. I was super excited because I had already made up my mind that I wanted to live in Japan. The process of getting a long-term visa in Japan left me with very few options I ultimately decided on attending a university after I saw a video of one of my favorite YouTubers Takashii making a video interviewing students from Icla about their life being foreigners in the Japanese countryside. From the affordability of Icla and the fact that it’s a very small school, I knew that I would get the education I deserved.

It was like a sign telling me that the school of my dreams was real and that I could attend a fully English-speaking university in Japan while also getting a degree in Musical theater.

After I weighed my options with other schools I realized that I had lived in a city my entire Life and I was ready to live out in the countryside surrounded by nature. Waking up to a beautiful view of Mt.Fuji every day before I start my studies will give me the push I need.