Although I have only been in Japan for 2 full days, I feel that I can already get a general vibe of the culture here in Japan. I've talked amongst our travel group and we all are amazed by how polite everyone is. I expected this prior to arriving to Japan, but it's different seeing it in person. I actually feel as if the politeness of the Japanese inspires me to be even more polite. The politeness of people here in Japan is actually one of the things I appreciate the most about Japan so far. I truly admire it because I don't see the same level of politeness on average in the United States or in Korea (which I visited just a week before arriving to Japan.)
On the first day that we arrived to Japan, a group of travel mates and I decided to go to Sannomiya to grab a late dinner. We had yakitori which was grilled skewers. Each order came with 2 sticks and all the yakitori orders cost only 280 yen. There were a variety of meats to choose from and also different organ parts such as liver and heart. I had never had chicken heart before and although it sounded a bit scary to eat, it was actually quite tasty! Near the end of our meal, we decided to go karaoke and ended up singing for 6 hours! It was a very fun experience and although I was very tired, I don't have regrets because I enjoy being able to make the use out of every hour here in Japan.
The next day was our first meeting with KGU. It was an amazing welcoming. When we walked through the room we were welcomed by students and faculty lining up and clapping for us. They made a beautiful banner to welcome us as well. It was extremely sweet and again it was a reflection of the politeness and hospitality of the Japanese. It was very exciting to meet my pen pal after talking to her for the past couple of months. All the students and faculty were very nice and it was such a positive environment to be in! After meeting our pen pals and faculty we enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch at the university. The BBQ was not like in America where it was hamburgers and hotdogs. Instead it was deliciously seasoned chicken, pork, and meat. I was grateful to see all the students and faculty members helping grill the meat. I know it was very hot for them to be standing by the grill, but they were so enthusiastic! I heard from my pen pal that they don't usually do BBQs at KGU and that this is a once a year event that happens when a University of Arizona group visits KGU. Again, I felt so grateful for the hospitality that the students and faculty have shown and continue to show for us.
After the BBQ we went to see fireworks in the evening. The fireworks show lasted for 1 hour, which is the longest firework show I have ever seen. It has also been the best fireworks show I have seen so far in my life. It was definitely way better than the United States fireworks shows I've seen! There were so many types of fireworks that I had never seen before and it was just breathtaking!
The second day in Japan we visited Nara, an area of Japan that is inhabited by many deers. The deers roam around the parks and we can just go up and pet them. I absolutely love animals and it was so fun petting the deers. There were so many! They were pretty crazy if you had food. I bought crackers to feed the deer but I got scared because once they saw I had crackers a group swarmed toward me. The deers will nip at you gently for food and some had antlers which made me worry that they'd poke me with them. However, none of the deers were violent! They were just hungry and trying to nudge you for food! Another amazing thing about the deers is that if you bow to them sometimes they will bow back! Even the deers can be polite in Japan! I think that any animal lover would love seeing all the deers in Nara. In addition to the deer we visited a Buddhist temple. The temple was a pretty building and it was my first time visiting a temple in Asia. I've been to Buddhist temples in Arizona, but the one we visited in Japan had a very big Buddha statue!
After visiting Nara, a group of friends and I went to Osaka to walk around and shop and eat. It is a fun experience to hang out with them and be immersed in the Japanese culture!
I look forward to the rest of our trip! Beneath all the shops and food available, I really think the culture of the people here makes the experience even better!
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