So, I am not done with my summer blog posts, but school has kept me busy. Therefore I still am behind on those.

Time to talk about autumn. I mean. The continuation of summer. Daily it is between 75-80 degrees out. On top of the mountain it's cooler, usually 70-75. The humidity is gone and therefore it's bearable to go outside. The sun is almost always out except for the random sunny rain. I don't need to buy a jacket yet nor extra blankets because even at night it's usually 60 or so. The leaves haven't changed yet. It's still green and there are many flowers. Mikan (mandarin oranges) are spotting green little trees, same with persimmon which are much bigger than I thought!


Japan likes to make strange things, as you might have guessed by now. McDonalds has what is called the Halloween Ikasumi burger. It means Squid Ink burger. Squid Ink isn't just a fancy name. It's the reason why the bun is black. Squid ink is used in breads and noodles and other things. This burger is a double cheese burger with a yellow spicy cheese sauce, fried onions and some strange black sauce of some kind. This burger tasted good! I mean, it's from McDonalds, but it was actually a good McDonald's burger. It tasted no different than a regular double cheeseburger except for the fact it had the spicy cheese sauce.

Back in America I think of fall as hot coffee (well... I still like iced coffee...), hot APPLE CIDER and of course pumpkin everything. Now, I will say that's one thing I miss. I can't find a single orange pumpkin here and kabocha (the green winter pumkin) is too thick to make into a jack-o-lantern. I've been busy and haven't even been out much. Until today.

I stopped by Starbucks and had their autumn themed custard and caramel thing and wow. Just. Wow. I love it. I want it more. It will never be in America and that makes me sad.

It's very sweet, but what do you expect from a custard, cinnamon frappuchino?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 Okay this post will actually be two separate, not consecutive days. But it's fits together.

My host family lives in a mansion (an apartment complex) which has a lovely view of this amazing amusement park called Greenland. At night it is lit up beautifully. Like so. Greenland is a very popular, and a very big amusement park (I'll soon find out) and it is always crowded. In the summer, at least.

On the last day of August which is the last day of summer before school starts there is hanabi (fireworks) set off. So we went to their friends for hot pot, since they have a better balcony view of the fireworks.This marks the last day of summer. Literally, the last day of being crowded.

So, a few days later I went to Greenland with my new friend Mai! She is so cute and fun to hang around with! I had to use my Japanese a lot more since she doesn't speak English. There was literally NO ONE at Greenland and it was wonderful. Still humid and hot, but no lines, nothing.

I played with guinea piggies.

Me and Mai!

There were at least ten different coasters, three haunted houses, two haunted theaters, games and many more! It sorta reminded me of a retro theme park because the rickety sounds were a little ah... unnerving, but I am not dead. I definitely had fun!

I've said this many times. Host families are literally the best people you can hang out with. They welcome you, a foreigner, into their home without knowing you at all, feed you, take you on fun trips, talk to you despite maybe not knowing the language. There is so much at risk for them and yet they STILL welcome you.

I stayed with them for half a month, which is a lot of posts, so I will maybe squish multiple days into one and talk about what we did together!

First things first, my host mother is crazy about climbing mountains. Like, the whole huge backpack, mountain climbing sticks and all that fun stuff. We climbed a baby mountain to practice for a big mountain later.  I thought it would be a nature walk. Aside from bugs, there are no animals up in the mountains. It's quiet. DEAD QUIET.

This was the look out point. We could have gone further up, but it was raining and I was ready to die. It was fun though. I was drenched in sweat and eaten alive by bugs but my host mother is so sweet and happy that it was so much fun. Japanese mountains are just... nothing like I've seen before. The forests are so different. I don't live near mountains nor had I seen one really until I came to Japan and holy crap.

SEE A PATH? I DON'T EITHER.

 After that we went to an onsen. Literally that was my whole trip. Climb a mountain, do something intense, then go to an onsen. Once getting cleaned up in lovely happy onsen (hot spring) we went to a shrine we went to back in March. No more cherry blossoms, but it is still a lovely walk!

One bell for family, for partner, for friends and for strangers.

Not actually home home. I'm going to my host families home which is home enough.

Now, I tried to be really cheap on this trip. Which mean I decided to go by bus and train everywhere. That being said, I took a bus from Sendai to Tokyo in the morning, a bus from Tokyo to Osaka later that night and took a train to Fukuoka that morning, then a train to Arao that evening. Needless to say I needed a shower, but saved a bundle.

The bus company I used was: WillerBus. The website is in English and the prices are cheap! There are different buses, from plain seats with no features, to capsule hotel style seats. Of course they get more expensive, but I think I paid about 25UDS each way on these buses and they were great. No one talks. Only women sit with women and they visit a rest stop almost every two hours or so.

Omurice and Tonkatsu

Between Tokyo and Osaka I was at the station for a while so I got dinner of my comfort food of omurice and tonkatsu. I finished it all in hopes to store up for the winter ahead. I then went to the book store to read an entire book while standing there for four hours.

Pictures from the Bus

Rice Fields, not perfect grass.

After that long journey, I came home and my host mother picked up me up the station. She fed me sweets, then I showered and went to bed.

Thought my trip was over? I have half a month more of playing around now! Look forward to me struggling while climbing a mountain, painting spiky chestnuts and going to Nagasaki!

Sendai

Back in 2009 I came to Sendai and Shichigahama for a school trip. The trip was ten days and we stayed with a host family. Everyone else stayed in Shichigahama but my family was in Sendai which isn't too far. I have a lovely host mother, a host brother and a host sister.

I knew no Japanese back then, no simple phrases, nothing. I knew absolutely nothing. My host sister knew English but my host mother does not. Yet still, we communicated and enjoyed that week together. I knew I wanted to go back the moment I left Japan and I was sure to always talk to my host family.

But...

In March of 2011, a devastating tsunami destroyed Sendai, flooded it, knocked down buildings and disrupted the lives so a whole city. So many lives were lost and it seemed there wasn't enough aid to go around. To put simply, without any better words, I was also devastated.

Thankfully I got word that my host family was okay, physically speaking. I was encouraged more to learn the language so that I could talk to my host mother. I learned my host sister went to France to marry her fiance. That meant if I visit again, I won't be able to speak English.

Now... how many years ago was that? 5 years. I took Japanese classes, I took my regular college courses, I applied for study abroad, came to Japan and now... I took a bus from Tokyo to Sendai.

I stayed for a weekend and in that weekend we visited a lovely onsen. Even in the heat of the summer, onsen are wonderful to go in. We got a room for the day as well and had lunch.

After that we visited a temple with a beautiful view. The waterfall was huge and beautiful! Sendai and Miyagi prefecture is definitely a beautiful area. Though the best part was that it wasn't nearly as hot as Tokyo was because it's further north.

The rest of the weekend was also spent pleasantly. One of the days we took a drive to Shichigahama. I did not take pictures of this. Maybe, I thought that the differences were best left to memory. The town was... different. It was like walking in a different place. The community center we went to every day was still there. But the view from the back was different. It was flat. The acres of trees were gone and the coast line was wider.

Plymouth and Shichigahama

 Plymouth and Shichigahama are sister cities. We send students there, they send students here. I was so very thankful to go on that trip. I really hope to one day work in this program to see that it always continues.

Community Office/Center

There was lots of temporary housing still. Maybe I was expecting things to be back to the way they were, but they were not. Yet still, I saw students coming back from school activities, or young children with their parents at the playground. Some people were having BBQ at the beach.

This also marks the high light of my study abroad. I had fun in Tokyo and traveling the JR. I had fun going to classes at APU for my first semester. I enjoyed Osaka on QB, I enjoyed eating Japanese food, I enjoyed it all, but this... is why I came to Japan.

I promised I would visit again when I came back to Japan.
Well, I came back to Japan, and I visited.

This is why I am studying abroad.

The subway wasn't so difficult. On day one, yeah it was confusing, but after riding it a few times, you get used to it.

Here is a great website to use to educate yourself before hand. I didn't think to use it. Tokyo Metro. In Japan, subways are all the same. Same ticket booth, same maps, etc. Sometimes they are not in English nor in Hiragana. Good news is that on all of the metro lines the stations are announced in both English and Japanese. I heard Chinese a few times too.

To start, you can purchase tickets at touch screen computers. Just look at the map above, see where you want to go and it says the price from the current station. The computers can be put in English. **Carry 1000 yen bills and coin, as most do not accept anything greater than that unless you are going far on the JR. (JR is not the same as the metro, but there is a JR Loop Line in Tokyo)

Now you get a small ticket. When you enter, put it in the little slot and TAKE IT on you way out of the ticket gate. You need this to get off. When you arrive at your destination, put it in the slot. You don't get it back. If you get off after what you paid for, there are correctional computers where you put your ticket in and it tells you the amount you need to add, then you can exit! Simple.

SUBWAY ETIQUETTE: Japan has subway etiquette. Such as standing in line. There are marked areas where the doors will be. Stand in line. Some cars are female only for rush hour. If you are female, take those. Rush hour is around 8 am and 5pm. I suggest traveling before that, or after that, unless you want to be squished between awkward businessmen. Don't put luggage on seats, offer seats to elderly. Obviously don't litter and no smoking on the subway trains.

(Click to zoom in)

It looks confusing but it's easier than New York. Everything is color coded and numbered.

By reading up on the different lines you can find what is closest to what. There are also private rail companies, not metro, that run through Tokyo. Like the Tsukuba Express which goes from right next to my hostel to Akihabara. Even if you can't read the name of the station, you can know where to go by the station number. There is also the JR Yamanote line (which is not Tokyo Metro) that loops through Tokyo.

For those traveling just in Tokyo you don't need a JR Pass and it's probably a waste of money to get one. The fare between stations is fairly cheap. Take the subway, even if it seems difficult. Taxi are expensive and often times don't speak English, nor do many accept credit cards! 

MONEY MATTERS: Tokyo has more places that accept credit cards, but if you are simply here on vacation, take cash. Exchange in your home country and come with cash, as Japan is a very cash based society. Coins are very much used and it isn't strange to walk around with fat wallets. NO TIPPING IN JAPAN. 

If you do bring a card, you can take out cash from JP Bank. (Which is also the post office). They have ATM's in English but of course there will be a fee.

Today is my last day is Tokyo.

I decided to make a visit to a cat cafe first thing in the morning! Who doesn't like to play with kitties in the morning? Cat cafes are becoming increasingly more and more popular. The young kitties were in a huge kitty house for now. Cats in Japan seem to be much more docile than in America. They actually let you pet their tummies!

Staring intensely at his food being prepared.

Baby cat baby cat baby cat

After spending an hour there, I decided to visit Tokyo Tower! Sky Tree was a little too expensive, so I decided on Tokyo Tower.

The only point at which I could get the whole thing in one shot. It's only about ten meters shorter than the Eifle Tower.

I climbed up to the first observatory. The one at the way top was very expensive. If Godzilla really destroyed Tokyo, I'd probably be dead. The little lego guy is saying that this tower was built with legos!

View from Observatory Deck

Looking down...

A cool shot I took from the bottom of Tokyo Tower. I will definitely frame this picture when I get home!

I got sick.

I guess it waited for a while. My friend in Osaka had a cold and I must have caught it from her. At least it waited until I got home from Disney. The next day I slept in a little bit, until 9 this time. I then walked around Asakusa, got lunch and walked along the river. It was hot today and thankfully not rainy, so the bridge wasn't slippery.

 I am on the opposite side of the river taking this picture. To get to my hostel I cross the bridge. The Train line bridge is to the right of this picture and there is another green bridge further to the left down the river. The river boat terminal is the building in front of "Nikka". I would have liked to go simply because of the boat they used.

Literally, THAT's the boat.

 I walked along the shopping districts, bought my brother a jinbei and then treated myself to a good dinner. Eating alone is not so awkward here. I bought unagi, the most delicious but little bit pricy thing ever. It's eel and it melts in your mouth lovely. In the box from left to right is little neck clams(the brown) egg (the yellow), pickled something or other which I didn't eat, and then unagi.

I often had to duck into stores simply because it was so hot. I never drank so much water since coming to Japan but it is just so painfully hot and humid. I didn't resort to hiding under an umbrella though.

Disney Sea!

Now, here is a great place to go. Sometimes Disney land can be too childish and more family oriented, but Disney Sea has more thrilling rides like Tower of Terror and Journey to the Center of the Earth. It was crowded still but with the fast pass tickets, I was able to go on more rides and explore a little more.

Disney Sea is dedicated to the ocean themed Disney movies. I think. I guess there were some, but it just seemed like a more thrilling Disney Land to me. There were not as many performances as Disney Land, but there were many more rides. There is a massive cove when you first enter and in the center of the park is a large volcano. There are rides inside!

 I first went on Tower of terror because of course, that is my favorite in Florida's Disney Hollywood Studio's. I will say it wasn't as good, as the story is different and the drop is not as sudden. You don't really look over the whole park either. It was still a fun ride of course.

Arabian Coast

Little Mermaid themed

I was rushing around a bit more to get on rides, so I didn't take as many pictures. This park was much bigger than Disneyland and my feet hurt, but that's also the fun of Disney right? The lines were very long at times, but I came during peak season. I brought my DS along and ended up playing with some random kids while waiting in line.

At the end of the day was Fantasmic. Of course not nearly the same as in Florida, I had a great location to see, but not for pictures. I sat in front of a gate in front of the cove in front of the volcano where it took place. I could see everything, but pictures were not easy. I just sat and enjoyed!