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My First Week in Japan

Published on by SophiaLeave a comment

My first week in Japan has been unbelievable. I have already learned so much about the country and the culture that I wasn’t aware of before I came here, which is crazy to think about since I have only been here for a week. When I first got here, it was late at night and I was exhausted, so I stayed at the hotel at the airport. This was a great decision because hauling my luggage would have been difficult while figuring out transportation and feeling exhausted from the flight due to my rheumatoid arthritis. Since I arrived at Haneda late and didn’t sleep well on the plane, I managed to avoid jet lag by sleeping that night and waking up in the morning, quickly adjusting to the time change.

The next day, I woke up and took a taxi to my place where I was going to stay. I was really scared to take public transportation, and I had a big suitcase, so this was the right call for me. It was a 40-minute drive or so. Unfortunately, I could not stay at my share house that night because it was not ready for me, so I stayed at a hotel near it and explored the area around my place. This got me accustomed to the public transportation around me (which took a lot of trial and error) and helped me understand the neighborhood where I would be spending a lot of time by myself.

After moving in, I quickly realized that I was missing many essentials, like blankets, pillows, and towels. The next day, I spent my time using public transportation and walking around to gather the necessary items for my new place. With this came many cultural differences, such as the very confined spaces, little to no places to dispose of trash, and no disturbing others on the public transportation. Despite Tokyo being extremely crowded, it is pretty quiet because everyone is respectful. They do not want to disturb others.

After I got my essentials, I thought it would be a great time to go check out my University. I took the train over to my university and explored the neighborhood. It was beautiful. I am so excited to start classes there. I also checked out the Ana- Hachimangu Shrine close by and loved the architectural design. I took some photos of it as well as my school that I posted on my Instagram:

The next day, I decided I wanted to go to Shinjuku, so I went to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. I also posted some beautiful photos of nature on my Instagram:

Yesterday, I registered for classes. Although I was a bit nervous, I completed the process. Since enrollment is done lottery-style, I’m not guaranteed a spot, but I hope to get into the classes. I will find out soon whether I was accepted or not.

That’s all for now. See you next time!

Week One: Exploring

Published on by Katie SandovalLeave a comment

Quite a lot happened during my first week in Kyoto, Japan. When we landed in Osaka, my friends and I took a bus together to Kyoto. After about 3 hours we had to navigate the subway station which was a bit overwhelming—there were so many people, and it was confusing trying to figure out where to go. Being all together helped, as we had each other’s backs when someone got confused about where we were supposed to be or what we were supposed to do.

Eventually, though, we had to split up since I was staying in a different dorm than they were. I got off at a different station and had to figure out how to get to my dorm on my own from there. Walking through the streets with my luggage felt a bit awkward and I was nervous trying to find the building. It was about a 10-minute walk, and once I finally got there, I started getting anxious having to speak with the dorm managers. It felt like 3 years of learning Japanese went out the window, just leaving my mind blank when I actually needed to speak Japanese.

The woman that was showing me around was really kind, though, it felt like I had no reason to worry. She mostly spoke Japanese but would sometimes switch to English for a few words I didn’t understand. She explained things slower if I needed, and I was proud of myself for actually being able to understand most of what she was saying. Later that day, I met up with my friends to shop for some basic necessities—towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face cleanser, food, along with other things. We didn’t really get everything we needed, but since we’re staying in Kyoto for about 5 months, we figured we’ll pick some things up over time.

Besides that, classes haven’t started yet, and they won’t for about another 2 weeks. However, I have already picked up my student ID and attended an information session to get ready for the semester. I’m in a different program from my friends—the GEM program—so I’ve also been reviewing the courses I want to register for. I am also getting ready for my speaking interview for my Japanese placement and making sure I am understanding things I need to do, like getting health insurance.

One thing I had to figure out this week was how to pay the rent for my dorm. That turned out to be really confusing. For a while I went to a few places that didn’t have what I needed, but eventually my friends and I figured it out together—after a bit of trial and error. On the topic of dorms, for a while I did not see any of my dormmates until our dorm orientation. They were all really nice, and even though I’m a shy person, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and ended up making some new friends.

Aside from all that, I had been exploring on my own sometimes, like what is around my dorm and places further away. I have already gotten lost a couple of times, which can be frustrating not knowing where I’m going, but when that happens, I just take a break, look around the places I am near, and then decide whether to try again or to continue exploring where I am around. Because of that I feel more comfortable using the subway station as I have already gone in a cart going the wrong way, figured out how to change subway stations, seeing which exits are closer to a place I need to go to. It is not bad to get a little lost, actually, as some places I have seen have been really interesting to just walk around.

I have also visited places with my friends like Nanzen-ji Temple and Heian Jingu Shrine, which were both beautiful places—especially during golden hour. We’ve also tried a bunch of new foods, and honestly, everything has tasted amazing so far. We have been planning things day my day, but so far, we have been having a lot of fun just exploring what is around Kyoto.

Besides that, some difficulties I have experienced so far is how hard it is for me to speak Japanese. People speak Japanese quickly, which I am slowly adjusting to, and there are many words that I still do not know. So, it has been quite difficult trying to explain or understand things. However, I am hoping that the more I use it during my 5 months here, the better I will get at speaking Japanese.

Something else I’ve noticed is how tough it is adjusting to the time difference, and I don’t mean this because of my sleep schedule. It’s been hard not being able to text or call friends and family back home whenever I want to, like I normally do. It feels lonely, in a way, having to wait hours for a response back. But now that I’ve made a few new friends at my dorm and I’m hanging out with my friend from DU, I think the feeling of being alone will start to fade as I’m looking forward to exploring more with them too.