AFTERWORD: Go to Japan!

    Japan is known for being eclectic, and it certainly did not disappoint. The list of things to do, places to go, and people to see is seemingly endless. Japan will satisfy adventurous ones looking for quirky thrills, and more relaxed folk looking to see historical sites. Japan has everything from underwear vending machines to a beautiful natural environment. Athletic types would have their hands full with a climb up Mt. Fuji (though we only saw the beautiful mountain from afar, I can tell it would be quite an ambitious hike!) The fashion minded would enjoy the wide variety of local, modern, traditional, and...expressive clothing to see or buy. For those looking for a good show, fantastic artists like Hiromi Uehara excite. Japan's Winter Illuminations Festival makes for a memorable midnight walk. Many people from around the world come to see this dazzling light display. It was amazing to see the way the various aspects of nature were portrayed just by using tiny LED lights.

     Overall, our trip to Japan was a great experience. Statistics show that 71% of online travelers want to take a trip to Japan, and 56% of those who have been to Japan would happily go again if given the chance.  It was very different than our lives in the United States: people wore similar and different clothing, the food was tasty (but at times a quite exotic), and the people we met could not have been nicer to us "clueless American tourists"! As newly experienced Japan-goers, we highly recommend that you travel to this diverse country!

HOME here we come!

Day-11, November 30th

     Our two weeks traveling around Japan was so enjoyable it felt like two days! But, now we're on our flight back home. While it was an unbelievable trip, I have to admit that those floor mats didn't cut it for me. I'd like to get back to my family and sleep in my own bed!  Right now everyone else is asleep, so I decided to make one last blog post before we arrive at the RDU airport.

     This trip was amazing. We saw so many different aspects of Japan in person, which gave us a well rounded view of the country. From peaceful gardens to wild streets, our group really enjoyed every minute we had to soak up the nation. I would say that the Grand Sumo Tournament was the most interesting, since we saw the history of Japan meeting modern life.

a sumo referee in a traditional uniform 

     Different cultures reminded me of Rick's dinner one night. You won't find this in the United States!

                                                 

       

Interesting street style!

We learned about the Japanese culture which includes the harajuku clothing style and the beautiful Shinto shrines! It broadened my horizons to see the differences and similarities of a country abroad.

    I'd really love to come back again and see more of Japan! It is definitely an amazing country.

~Laiken

Festival of Lights

November 29, 2012 - Day 10

     Today, we decided to take a trip to Nagashima to see the November-May "Winter Illuminations" festival. Our hotel staff advised us to see the garden of lights at night, when the lights would really shine. The bus ride there was actually more confusing than I thought that it would be! Ryan, Rick, and I all studied the massive map sprawled out on the bus seat, only to see this:

Russell and Laiken's bickering didn't help our growing headaches. 

     Thankfully, we met a fellow American who helped us out a bit, and we finally got an idea of where we were going. Kind of. Not really. I was glad that at least Rick and Ryan knew which exit was correct.

     

     Soon enough, we stopped at Nabana no Sato Botanical Garden for the gorgeous light show. Using millions of tiny LED lights, many aspects of nature were recreated. We saw the sunrise at Mount Fuji, rainbows, and even auroras. We all walked around the garden and tunnels of endless lights for quite some time. I took some pictures! 

    

     By the time we got out of the maze, it was about 11:30pm and everyone was pretty tired. On the bus ride back to the hotel, even Rick passed out with his face plastered against the bus window. Laiken was drooling on Russell's shoulder while he had his mouth wide open in sleep. I stayed awake with Ryan so we wouldn't miss our stop; we played cards, but we were so tired he threw the cards across the bus and accused me of cheating.

    Anyway, we got off at the correct stop and sheepishly slugged back to our Hostel room. Rick passed out in the hallway. We left him there. Eh, he'll be fine there until the morning.

~EmmaLi

Martial Arts

November 28, 2012 - Day 9

     Today our gang attended a one day martial arts class at the Kobukia Jujutsu Do Jo. We learned a lot about the background of martial arts: It first originated in Japan, and was first created to solve disputes.Originally it was much more violent and involved more kicking, punching, and kneeing. Martial arts is a very theatrical sport with physical violence too. We also learned that martial arts teaches disciplines which pertain to medicinal practices. The Kobukia Jujutsu Dojo taught us a lot about the history of martial arts and the correct way to fight. The instructor taught us about self-discipline. He was very tough and made us all scared but showed a lot of cool fighting techniques. At the end of the day, we were all very tired. However, I got a few new moves to hit Russell with, so I'm happy.

Black belts hard at work

We found a video of our instructor (in the red). He is incredible:

Dazaifu Tenman-gū

November 27, 2012 - Day 8

       
Today was our first day in Fukuoka. We rented a taxi and drove to the beautiful Dazaifu Tenman-gū in an attempt to have a nice picnic and enjoy the scenery. The park features a Shinto shrine for the god of literature; the most famous shrine is Honden (right). It is also well known for beautiful plum blossoms (lower right). Legend has it that Tobiume (the tree next to Honden) flew from Kyoto to Fukuoka to be near a poet who had cared for it.  According to what Rick has read, there are about 6,000 plum trees in total in the entire park, varying from about 197 types!

       The historical touch to this area didn't stop Russell and Laiken's shenanigans. They went at it once again and nearly catapulted all of our ham  sandwiches into the koi pond. Luckily, Rick caught our beloved sandwiches right before they splashed into the water, keeping our lunch from becoming fish food! After we had settled down from the near death experience of our lunch, we found a nice spot under an old cherry blossom tree. For the first time on our trip, things were actually pretty quiet and peaceful. Of course, the peace didn't last long once someone ate the last potato chip. I'm pretty sure Russell's cry of anguish could wake up my parents all the way back in United States.


                               

     We also all stumbled across these pretty amazing bridges! They called the Taikobashi, the bridge, and Shinjiike, the pond. The first bridge that was arched represented the past, the flat bridge represented the present, and the second arched bridge represented the future.

I can't wait to see what else Japan has to offer!

~EmmaLi

Hiromi Uehara - Jazz Legend

November 26, 2012 - Day 7

     While traveling from big Tokyo to the more modest Fukuoka, we got off in Okayama to see a music concert. Hiromi Uehara is my favorite musician EVER. The vituroso pianist/beautiful human being just-so-happened to be performing with her TRIO Project that night, and, through clever train scheduling, we managed to grab seats. We got off our train with minutes to spare, and got pretty good seats down-center. As we waited, I explained to the others a little bit about Hiromi: She's a jazz pianist, but her music spans genres, generations, and locations (she's written arrangements of the Japanese folk song "Sakura, Sakura" to Debussy's "Claire De Lune"). She's an incredible improviser and has this unbridled joy that can't help but be contagious.

But enough of that. Hear for yourself some of what we experienced that night.

"Trumpets basses saxophones, rhythm making love. People wearing fancy clothes, it's the voice of my people...for me, jazz is all the truth to be found, never mind who's putting it down. Jazz ain't nothing but soul." - Esperanza Spalding

-Rick

SUMO TOURNAMENT!!

November 25, 2012- Day 6

     The event today is what I have anticipated the most. Today is the Grand Sumo Wrestling Tournament! I am so excited for today's all-day entertainment that I have been up since 6:30am. Though we left the hostel early, around 9:15am, we arrived just in time for the opening ceremony (Rick's navigational skills are not the best). The opening ceremony was amazing! We saw all the men in their traditional "lower" robes that were so bright and festive! While the robes were nice, the wrestling was unbelievable Who knew that big men pushing around bigger men would be so entertaining? The only averaged about a minute in length, and one man would have to try and push the other down or out of the circle. It was too intense and funny! All the lightweight matches were fun, but when the big men came out...Oh Boy. These giants were huge: 6.8 feet tall, 400 pounds, and scary as mess. (One even growled at Ryan when he came in. He was so scared from then on.) The heavyweights were so strong, and they tried everything to knock one another out. It was ridiculous! The final match lasted forever. However, a winner came out on top. Literally, one guy sat on the other for so long that he gave up.

     While there, our group also learned about the history of sumo wrestling. Sumo wrestling is when two opponents try to force the other out of a circle with the strength of their contact of bodies. To get ready  for a match you must go through several rituals like the salt purification and the bathing of the body. Most of the wrestlers dedicate their lives to wrestling: it is their sole job. We also learned about several rules and rituals during the competition, as well as the colorful lower robes that represent wrestlers' skills.

     It was an experience we won't soon forget. After the long day ended at 5:30pm, we were allowed to talk with some wrestlers and ask for autographs (though the communication was poor because the language barrier but they were friendly and seemed nice.) In the end though, Russell was so pumped on adrenaline, he decided to pretend he was a Sumo Wrestler too and tackled me. We got into a bit of a brawl and were asked to leave. Still, the whole thing was incredible. We all loved it and, for me, it was the best day in Japan for sure.

EmmaLi snagged a picture and a short video of one of the matches:

               

Here is the link to the website for the rules and reguations;   http://www.sumotalk.com/rules.htm                     

~Laiken

トイレ, 洗面所, お手洗い-The Toilet

November 24, 2012 - Day 5

     Today we took a trip to one of my personal favorite landmarks in Japan, the National Olympic Stadium. We saw an ad for the Super Great Toilet Keeper: a toilet-like machine that is supposed to defend a soccer goal by shooting a smaller ball to intercept the soccer ball. Russell called dibs on shooting first. He gave the ball a good kick, but it wasn't fast enough and it got blocked. I was next. I kicked the hardest kick I that I had kicked in years, but the Super Great Toilet Keeper blocked my shot like it was nothing. It turns out the SGTK uses high-speed cameras and an advanced motor-and-spring system to rotate and shoot a small ball to block shots. It can block balls shot up to 160km/hr (that's 99.4194 mph for those back in the states!) EmmaLi and Rick’s shots were the same results as mine, but Laiken had a different idea. She tried carrying the ball across the line, but was unsuccessful: the SGTK shot the small ball at Laiken’s head to stop the soccer ball from getting in the net and ended up knocking her down.We decided "enough is enough!", so we headed off to Juchheim restaurant about 5 minutes away from the stadium. After that exciting morning, and with dinner in take home boxes, we decided to take the rest of the day off and chill out at the hostel.

Here's a demo video of the deadly toilet:

-Ryan 

Tokyo National Museum

November 23, 2012 - Day 4

        On our fourth day the group woke up around 9:30am. We got everything we needed for the day, including our cameras for our informative day at the Tokyo National Museum of Nature and Science. Once we checked the schedule of the museums exhibits we rushed through a light breakfast, and arrived at the museum around 10:30am. We entered with our tickets and headed to our first exhibit: Nature of the Japanese Islands. We learned that Japan has undergone rapid geologic and topographic changes due to tectonic plate movement. Japan is constantly being influenced by monsoons and currents, which nurtures the aquatic organisms in and around the coast of Japan.

Our favorite sight was the blue whale!

     We had to practically drag Laiken and EmmaLi away from the minerals exhibit. (They said the gold was “calling” their name.) Once everyone was rounded up, we walked over to the adjoining restaurant. The restaurant contains a diverse menu, but everyone stuck with American food this time around.

      





   
     Now was our chance to visit the Theater360. We stood on a bridge in the middle of a giant dome. It was really disorienting, as it seemed to turn us in any direction using video technology. It was quite the experience

~Russell 

Shopping Extravaganza!

November 22 - Day 3
 

                          Rick                 Russell                        Laiken           EmmaLi           Ryan

(Harajuku, an area in Tokyo where people dress up like this every Sunday)

     Shopping for clothes isn't like the above picture everywhere in Japan. Who knew? The Girls convinced (begged) Ryan, Russell, and me to come along and brave the vast expanse of clothing shops in Tokyo. It was actually pretty cool. We had lunch (noodles and vegetables) in a cozy cafe. It was so good we decided to come back for a sushi dinner! Because of our budget, we were careful not to overspend on the first day.  Even so, I actually ended up making a few purchases-I think I even saw Russell grab some suave-looking khakis at the end!

     As a side note, Ryan was still clearly upset over the glitter-in-the-suitcase incident, and after thoroughly washing out his wardrobe, wouldn't even look at clothes. I guess he was trying to stay manly after being embarrassed by our prank. (Personally, I thought it was pretty funny.)

Here are some of the fashions that we saw:
     
     
 
     There's a lot freedom of expression in Japan. There are people trying to dress like their favorite pop artist or trying to follow one of the many, sometimes obscure subcultures. However, a majority of people are just wearing typical western garb-at least in the big city of Tokyo.
     We're back at the hostel now, and it's safe to say all of our feet are happy to finally rest! We unanimously agreed to sleep in before another adventure tomorrow. Talk about shop 'till you drop...

- Rick

Arrival in Japan

November 21, 2012 - Day 2

   The flight from Detroit to Tokyo took 13 hours and 45 minutes-not a big deal for me, but the stress definitely showed on the others. Things were actually going pretty well until Rick got stuck in the bathroom. Also, EmmaLi fell asleep right away on top of me, so no getting up for me. With no one to stop them, Laiken and Russell started fighting nonstop and I think EmmaLi drooled on me a little.

     Now we're in Tokyo, Japan's capitol. We plan to spend the first eight or nine nights in a hostel that caters to foreign student research. I'm actually a little worried about my suitcase because the group was giving it funny looks. EmmaLi and Rick are checking us into the hostel (cheaper than hotels), while I think Laiken and Russell are still bickering. If they don't settle down soon, this is going to be a long trip.

     On our way in to Tokyo we got a brochure of "Ten Really Interesting Facts About Japan", that we thought we should share:
1. Over 70% of Japan consists of mountains. The country also has over 200 volcanoes.
2. The literacy rate in Japan is almost 100%.
3. Japanese people have an average life-expectancy that is 4 years longer than Americans.
4. Japan has the second lowest homicide rate in the world and is considered to have the lowest cruime rate in the world.
5. Japan’s unemployment rate is less than 4%.
6. Japan consists of over 6,800 islands.
7. Japan has around 1500 earthquakes each year!
8.Japan is considered the largest country in producing automobiles.
9.The major religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism. However, practicing religion does not significantly impact Japanese.
10.Japanese food is considered the most nutritious and healthy food in the world.

Outer view of our hostel

Surprisingly spacious bedrooms!

-Ryan

Japan, Here We Come!

November 20 - Day 1

Sunrise at the Raleigh-Durham United airport

   
     Team Japan (Emmali, Ryan, Rick, Russell, and me) met at the RDU airport at about 7:30am and they all chowed down on some breakfast enchiladas at McDonald's (I wasn't hungry.) Afterwards, Ryan treated us all to Starbucks coffee using his saved Christmas money from last year. (Meanwhile, Rick, EmmaLi, Russell, and I all sabotaged Ryan's suitcase by putting glitter in it. He won't find out until Japan.) We had to run for the gate (because somebody spent way too long in the bathroom,) but we got to our gate just in time for departure.

 
     The first flight to Detroit was uneventful. The free crackers were the highlight of the trip so far, if that says anything. I'm sitting with Russell on the long flight to Japan. I don't know if I can stand more than an hour or two in close quarters with him. Good thing our seats are right next to the emergency exit.

Exit row seats for Russell and me

~Laiken 

Pre-trip Planning

Itinerary
T_T Budget Sheet