14 days to go...

Hello! You found the Compass!

    Only 14 days are left until the trip to Japan. I still need to get a smaller suitcase so that it will fit in one of the train station lockers. Target should remedy that issue...

     Tonight we had a brief class and learned some new Japanese phrases. One of the first ones we learned, which will no doubt come in handy for explaining a myriad of situations, was "Watashi wa America-jin des" ("I am an American").

U.S.A! U.S.A!

       Anyway, humor aside, I think our group should survive Japan with relatively few instances of us acting like typical Americans. We've learned many basic phrases and customs so as to avoid easily-avoidable cultural differences. So far, so good. An interesting tidbit about Japanese culture: You don't tip at restaurants.

      Let's see, what else did we do today. Well we got basic tourist guide pamphlets about Tokyo, and a few students got maps as well. We were all amused at the fact that a T.G.I. Fridays, Outback Steakhouse, Hard Rock Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company are all in Tokyo. It makes sense for a popular chain to reach there, such as McDonald's, but the unexpectedness of those restaurants (especially Bubba Gump) was quite amusing. In my guidebook I was able to find information on Shibuya, one of the places I want to visit during our two "do whatever you want" days in Tokyo. Two other people in the group and I have played a video game called The World Ends With You, which takes place in Shibuya.

Behold: An awesome game.

     Landmarks like Hachi's Statue and the 104 Building (which you can sort of see behind the group) are in the game, and we want to visit them in real life. As it turns out, the 104 Building is actually called Shibuya 109. (The more you know!) Either way, pictures will be taken and all sorts of adventures will be had! The pamphlet describes it as "a fashion building that is hugely popular among young women. It has many clothing and other miscellaneous goods stores, as well as restaurants." It looks like it is within walking distance of Hachi-ko's statue too! I just might have to wear a Player's Pin (something the main character of TWEWY wears when competing in a deadly game) when in Shibuya, just for fun. I'm sure Kristen, one of my peers, will be wearing hers as well.

 
      Today we also learned about the Shinto religion (which is beautiful) and Tokugawa Japan (an era, Dad, that you know well; think Shogun). We also got a disaster relief checklist, the numbers for the American embassies, and a list of phrases to say if 119 needs to be called (for example: "Shukketsu desu" means "bleeding").

   On that happy note, I'm going to end this post and pour over the pamphlet in hopes of finding other awesome places to visit. Shouldn't be too difficult!

     Oyasuminasai!

Welcome to the blog.

Hello there! You found the Compass! 

      The purpose of this blog is to document my various travels around the world. Hopefully it will be filled with posts in the years to come. The first great adventure that this blog will document is the upcoming trip to Japan I am making through my school for Spring Break. As I write this, the trip is a mere 17 days away. All together there are less than ten students going, and we all get along fabulously, so it promises to be a very fun time!

      There isn't a whole lot to report just yet. As of now we are all meeting once a week to get informed about our trip, study basic Japanese, and learn a brief history of the country. As the day of the trip gets closer, I will be updating this blog on my preparations and thoughts about traveling. Once in Japan, the blog will be updated daily with stories, photos, and possibly videos, along with detailed descriptions of what went on during the day. I also plan on using many Japanese phrases in here to both practice memorization and help readers learn something new!

          

This little guy is from Gardens of the World in California. He is here so that I know photo uploads actually work. Also, he's a very happy fellow and I enjoy his presence.

           

        I think that is about it for this post. There will be more to come in the next two weeks, and once we leave (March 8th) check back daily for new posts!

        Oyasuminasai!