This week has flown by fast. I remember when it was my first couple of days in Japan and I thought about how many days I would have to enjoy in Japan. However, I can't believe that we only have 2 days left on our trip.
During the beginning of our week we enjoyed some interesting lectures by KGU faculty members. I thought the professors were so enthusiastic to teach us and it was such a welcoming experience. I especially enjoyed learning about the healthcare system in Japan and about Kampo medicine. I found it to be extremely fascinating to hear about how much less health care cost in Japan in comparison to the U.S. I was also very surprised to hear about how there are no pharmacy technicians in Japan. Moreover, Kampo medicine was also a topic I was interested in because I know a little bit about Chinese herbal medicine. My parents still continue to make herbal soups and encourage me to drink them. We also visited a Kampo pharmacy and I found out that there is no additional schooling on top of pharmacy school in order to work in a Kampo pharmacy. They just get trained at the specific Kampo pharmacy that they will be working at.
In terms of sightseeing my favorite place that we've visited is the Himeji Castle. I really liked how the castle was so intricately made and it was really cool that it looked different from the palaces in China and Korea. We also had a fantastic tour guide so it made the experience much more educational. When I think of the term castle I think that kings and queens live there. However, Himeji Castle was a place for samurai to have meetings and train/practice martial arts. The castle was not a living area like one would think for a castle. The samurai lived in the community but not in the castle.
Aside from sightseeing one of my favorite experiences so far was being able to try on a yukata, which is a summer kimono worn by the Japanese. Our pen pals brought their yukatas for us to try on and it made me wish I had a yukata as well!
In terms of food, my favorite food that I've had in Japan would have to be sushi. Although I've heard that sushi is amazing in Japan, I wasn't sure to what degree. I can say that the fish here seems to be much more soft and fresh. The ngiri I've tried is definitely the best raw fish I can remember ever trying so far in my life.
Overall, I would say that Japanese food is very affordable and there are many options. However, I found transportation to be extremely expensive here. It is many times more expensive than Korea! I was very surprised! I imagine that Japan would be somewhat expensive to live since property sounds like it is expensive and transportation is expensive too.
Lastly, I think that this trip wouldn't have been as enjoyable if it wasn't our whole group! Although there are 18 of us, we look out for each other and help each other out and it's been a great time! The faculty at both KGU and Osaka University have also shown such hospitality. I have been blown away by how much the students and faculty have volunteered to show us around. Let's enjoy our last few days in Japan! I know I will think of Japan once I'm back in the U.S.!
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