Trip of a Lifetime; Japan.

一期一会 Ichi-go Ichi-e; once in a lifetime opportunity

  I have never traveled the world, or all of the United States, or even all of Texas. But this past June (2019) I had the opportunity to join a group of other students and chaperones to the country of Japan. I’ve always known that I want to see as much of the world as i could, but Japan would have never been my first choice as to where to start my journey, or even in my top 10 places to visit. But shortly during that 10 day trip, my views changed and it has quickly become one of my favorite places on Earth.

            Our itinerary was packed full with meetings, visits, social interactions, touring, and more. Because the program was through my town’s local museum (National Museum of the Pacific War/Nimitz Museum), along with a Japanese government program called JICE, our attire was very professional. Every day we wore suits, slacks, blouses, blazers, and everything you would expect to be in between. No jeans, shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, or leggings. Boy, was it humid… We were sweating profusely, but we were HANDS DOWN the best dressed group in the program, which made us feel proud and keep our heads up.

As we walked into the Tokyo Airport from our 12 hour flight, my mind was prepared for a crowded city full of people who spoke a language that I did not. However, as we walked through baggage claim, I was shocked to see how empty it really was. The feeling was almost eerie. As we excited the airport, a large bus greeted us. It was strangely the nicest bus I have personally ever been on, with curtains, cup holders, air conditioning, and very polite staff. We began our drive to the hotel, which was about a 45 minute drive. It was amazing to just drive through the city. I hadn’t processed the fact that I was really in Japan. Everything was so different and yet amazing.

One thing that i can say i had mixed feelings on was the food. I enjoyed the rice with literally every meal, although i wasn’t a fan of the cold meat and raw EVERYTHING. I definitely have a new respect for the Japanese people and their taste buds, though. No wonder they’re all so thin! Hardly any of their food was processed (which was actually a nice change). I can proudly say I have eaten real, Japanese sushi now, which was amazing. We were able to watch the chefs make it in front of us and try a little bit of everything. My favorite, however, was the ramen. Ohh boy, did i love the ramen… Unfortunately, I only ate it one time during the whole trip, but it was delicious. My host family cooked breakfast for me and the other student who stayed with me, and i was pleasantly surprised with how amazing that also was. It was kind of like a omelet, but the way the eggs were cooked were very different than back home. (Props to you, host mom <3)

I think everyone else who went will agree when i say the elevators were one of the strangest things about the country. They were the smallest i had ever seen and very hot. There was also no elevator music, lol. The elevators here in the U.S. have motion sensors to where the doors will open if someone stuck a hand out or is trying to get in. The ones in Japan, however, do not. We had to make it a habit of literally running out of the doors whenever they opened, because there was a large chance of getting squished by the closing doors. It became a game, really. Many of the students got stuck with their bags, or didn’t make it in and it was honestly quite funny.

I got to experience such an amazing culture and it was such a blessing to be able to go. I have met so many new people from both Japan and the United States and gained friendships that will last a lifetime. Everything from the bus rides, the oddly small hotels and elevators, the lack of AC, the signs and advertisements, the food, the people, the homes, the style, and everything else, Japan was so amazing and i can’t wait to go back.