I was in Japan for two weeks in May as a part of my grad trip.
I spent most of it with my friend Karen, but we met up with friends from home and met a large number of new people, too, which was unexpected but made the trip so fulfilling.
Japan has always been one of my dream countries to visit. I've always been fascinated by the culture and the bizarreness of its people, food, and history, because, well, like many, I've been exposed to its cultural products that have traveled overseas.
Here's a not-too-comprehensive overview of my trip (I often didn't want to carry my heavy DSLR, can you blame me).
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Osaka felt like a city of the late 20th century, a mix of the traditional and modern (in the 80s kinda way). I don't know if that makes sense, but even with highrises and business districts, it lacked the post-modernism feel of large cities. It felt like a family-oriented city, where working class people go home to enjoy a traditional meal. This is just my perception, I'm sure I can be very wrong.
Our airbnb was a quiet place tucked away from the city centre. It was a pain when we were super tired and still had to travel a long distance from the city, but it had its perks. Each morning, we would grab an onigiri from the local grocery store or street food from the vendor pictured below. It was always fresh and delicious, and most importantly, at our finger tips.
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| Streets of Osaka, where beautiful plants are common sights in front of households. |
Nakazakichō Station marked one of Osaka's hippest neighbourhoods--think independent stores with items a little pricier than you'd usually pay for them.
Some of my favourite images from the trip were of people, or mostly students. I know it's a little strange, but I was transfixed on how students of all ages were just everywhere at any time ("Shouldn't they be in school right now?" we would always say to each other). Also growing up with media imagery of Japanese school culture, it was really cool to see it happen on the streets that I see on TV.
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I liked Tokyo better out of the two cities. It's just a personal preference, but I felt much more comfortable in the larger city, a place that I would like to spend more time in. The city was different enough to draw my curiosity and familiar enough to attract my stay.
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We arrived in Hakone on a lazy afternoon, taking our sweet time. The town was already pretty deserted by the time we got there: turns out attractions shut down early, and we missed a lot of the big tourist sights. I enjoyed the afternoon nonetheless, where we wandered around and watched the sunset with Mount Fuji in the background, making frequent trips to the 7-11 for more snacks.
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| The famous water shrine. |
If you're reading this, please visit Japan when you can. It's a must-do.
-Tracy