Experiencing a Busy Tokyo and my First Shrine Visit !

     20日 6月        

Lets Go!
行きましょう

Crowded streets in Tokyo!
東京の街

Today we finally got to visit Tokyo! Along with other groups from the states, we continued to explore the different areas in Tokyo in our charter bus along with our Tour Guide. I wished I could have taken Asuka along with me, but I still kept in touch with her through email during our trip. We visited Shibuya and Shinjuku where we got to walk around and get to see how people go around the city. It was very crowded and most people in area walked to get to from place to place. We got to spend some free time there and I walked around with Riley and Karen through the city. Afterwards, we went to see the Meiji Shinto Shrine! It was very interesting since I've never been to a shrine before. It was a very big area, full of trees and a great area to walk around in. Their forest was massive! It felt very relaxing just to walk through the forests.They also had this big wall made of sake barrels that you get to see when you enter the shrine. Apparently the shrine was dedicated to the spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his wife, the Empress Shōken. We continued to look around and got to experience the proper way the visitors pray and make offerings at the shrine as well.

今日は東京に行きました。私たちは チャーターバスで旅した。渋谷と新宿に行きました。多くの人々があります。私はライリーとカレンとあった。それから、私は明治神宮に行きました。私は大きな森の中を歩いた。酒の壁がありました。メインホールでの祈りと供物がありました。

Sake Barrels!
酒バレル

Torii (a Japanese Gate) leading to the Meiji Shrine.
明治神宮で鳥居

Offerings in the Main Hall in the Shrine.
神社に供物

Beautiful walk path in the forest of the Shrine
森の中でパス

Day in the Life with Asuka Mizutani !

17日 6月

明日香と私

It has been a long week living with Asuka and her family in Toyota. This picture of us was taken, in front of her home, the day before I continued on to the touring part of our trip to Japan with the rest of our Clements students. I've learned so much about Japan all thanks to Asuka because she was kind enough to show me around Toyota and tell me so much about her own life and what a day is like in her life. Asuka takes part in the Drama club at her school, Minami High, so staying after school and watching what all the Japanese students do once school ends was interesting. Asuka's mother was a very lovely person. She helped me understand how they lived and shared her own experience visiting the states when she was younger with me. She said her daughter, Asuka, was very interested in English so I was excited to think that someday she would have the opportunity to come to the states! Asuka's grandparents, who lived on the bottom floor of their home, were also very humble people. Before I left, Asuka's grandmother gave me a photo album filled with pictures of their family and I. It made me happy in the end to know that they enjoyed my company and that I was able to create a bond with them. To this day, I still email Asuka and we keep in touch very often. Soon, she will be visiting the states in August 2013. I'm glad to have been with them during my trip to Japan.

私は長い一週間明日香と彼女の家族と一緒に住んでいた。私は日本についてそんなに学んだ。私は私の世話をするための明日香と明日香の家族の感謝しています。飛鳥は ドラマクラブにある。彼女が若い頃飛鳥のお母さんは ユナイトアメリカに行きました。彼女は社交的と甘いです。明日香のおばあちゃんは私のフォトアルバムを与えた。今私は明日香を電子メールで送信します。

Asuka's Japanese Koto instrument.
明日香の楽器。

Flowers I arranged in Toyota Minami High School.
私は花をまとめる。

Shopping in Nagoya!
名古屋で買い物。

Asuka and I with her instrument.
日本の楽器と明日香と私。

Mizutani family and I.
水谷の家族と私

Asuka and I in our kimonos.
飛鳥と私は着物を着て。

Meet my Host Family !

13日 6月

My futon in the room my family gave me.
私の布団。

Meeting my host family was interesting and nerve wrecking. Asuka and her mother came to pick me up once we were dropped off by a bus at spot in Toyota. Immediately we went to go eat at a restaurant with a friend of mine and her own host family. We went on home afterwards and I was given my own room. It was very traditional Japanese style which I loved. I was even given my own futon as well. I was shown around the house and went ahead to shower and get ready to go off to school with Asuka the next day.

ホストファミリーに会うことは面白かった。ホストファミリーとレストランに行きました。私は日本の伝統的なお部屋で寝る。私は布団を持っていた。明日は学校がありました。

Japanese items in my room
日本のアイテム。

Japanese paper doors leading to an outside view from my room.
和紙のドア。

Our arrival in Japan at last !

12日 6月

Our very simple, yet nice room.
私たちの部屋。

View outside of our hotel window.
ホテルビュー。

Today we finally arrived to Narita Airport after a long flight that lasted 10 or more hours. This was the first time I had ever been in a plane for so long and I was glad to have finally step foot on to land. It was very exciting to say that I was in Japan. All of the students, including myself, were very tired but happy none the less. Unfortunately, we were not able to make the next flight to Nagoya. We waited for a while to see if we could have a chance to make the next flight to Nagoya but we were already too late. Rey sensei informed the principal from our sister school and then we were off to find a hotel to stay for the night. We roomed with partners, so my partner was a girl named Riley. I didn't know her very well at the time, but we talked a bit in our room about how excited we were to be here and soon we got to be better friends as the day went on. 
It was already late when we arrived so sleep was already on our next agenda. It was an interesting, yet exciting day.

私たちは成田でやっとです。飛行は長かった。私たちはとても興奮して疲れている。私たちは名古屋行きの飛行機を逃した。ライリーという名前の女の子と友達になりました。面白い日です。