The Adventures of a Lifetime: Cherry Blossoms

Japan in late March/early April is amazing. I just returned from a long weekend in Tokyo with the other exchange students from my district here in Korea, along with a few future outbounds that will be going to the US and Taiwan next year. Japan is such a beautiful country, especially during the spring. Everything was already green and blooming where as back here in korean things are still pretty brown. I have seen a few flowers blossoming along the roadside here but not like it was in Japan. I was taken aback by the sheer number of Cherry Blossoms that are covering Japan. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE.

Mt. Fuji with cherry blossoms

Our first stop in Japan was Mt. Fuji. It was a little cloudy that day but we still got a glimpse of the snow peaked mountain in the distance. It would have been amazing to see Mt. Fuji on a clear day. We did some more touristy things around Tokyo like going to the top of the City Hall building that over looks Tokyo and went to a few shopping areas. Again, it was still cloudy so visibility was poor, but we didn't get rain until the third day.

Shibuya Crossing

Saturday was a free day to wander around Tokyo, so about half of us ended up at Shibuya and Harajuku for a good part of the day. Shibuya is known for the HUGE crosswalks that allow for all sides to cross at the same time, creating a mass of people trying to get across the road in every direction. The best place to watch the crossing is from the second story Starbucks that faces the entire intersection. Good luck trying to find a seat though. It is a very popular place to stop and get coffee. Shibuya and Harajuku are also huge shopping areas with malls and stores lining the streets. Fashion in Japan ranges from very stylish to quite unique. It is very different from Korean. There is a lot more variety in fashion in Japan. Also, cosplay is a big trend in Japan where people dress up as anime/tv/game characters. It would be quite strange to see a cosplay walking around Minneapolis or even New York but it seemed so normal and acceptable in Japan. With shopping comes food and coffee, so of course restaurants and coffee shops are everywhere as well. One of our exchange students has a few Japanese friends that we met up with to have dinner and go to purikara (sticker sajin in Korean). It is a photo booth that can fit like 10 people (uncomfortably) and then you get to edit the pictures, make your eyes HUGE and put silly sayings all over. They are a great way to make memories that can stick anywhere like your phone or computer.

The next few days were filled with more touristy things like visiting a temple and going to a traditional Japanese garden. I really wish we could have visited more palaces and temples in Tokyo but time was limited. When I go back to Japan in the future I will definitely be staying there longer than 3 1/2 days.

Time has passed so quickly here. I have exactly 8 weeks left from today. It feels far away yet so close at the same time. Other than my Japan trip, life has been pretty uneventful and easygoing with going to school and going to Seoul occasionally on the weekends. I have been able to make chocolate chip cookies and a few brownie treats that tend to be eaten only by me. Partly because they are so good and partly because many adults here are not used to eating such sweet food. More left for me and my classmates!! (:

I am switching to my third family on Saturday, which I am excited about because I will have a host sister about the same age as me. I am so grateful to my current host family for their generosity and love. They have been so wonderful.

As for things with North Korea, I really never hear anything about what is going on. My host family and classmates don't worry too much about it. I hear most of what is going on from family and friends back home. So for those of you that are worrying about what might happen, I want you to know that I feel safe here and please don't worry too much. If anything happens they will get me out of here and back home. (: See you all in 2 short months!! Happy spring time!!