This week was filled with a lot of realization and adjusting. Now that I’m into week 6 of my stay here, I’m past the honeymoon phase of living in Japan and into really settling here.
Although I’m past the honeymoon phase, I still find new places of Tokyo to explore. This week, my friends and I went to Chinatown in Yokohama. It’s pretty similar yet also still very different from the Chinatown in NYC which I’m familiar with, so it was still a fun experience!
This weekend, I went on yet another TUJ excursion to Chiba. We visited several places including a hike at Nokogiriyama, Ooyama Rice Fields, Seaworld, and Noumizu Waterfalls.
On the hike at Nihonji Temple we got to ride a cable car up into the clouds. It dropped us off near the cliff sides pictured above.
This giant Buddha statue was at the first stop on our trip and it was one of my favourite! I agree with a lot Buddhist ideas and this is actually one of the biggest statues of Buddha in the world!
On the way to Seaworld we also stopped at a rice field. These were really cool to see, especially for the students who had never seen a rice field before! The field was very expansive and took over a large portion of a hill side. After being stuck in a bus for a few hours, it was great being able to stretch out and run around a little bit.
The trip to Chiba took place at the end of an exhausting week for me. I’ve had to tackle a few uncomfortable instances this week at work and school but I think the experience has helped me grow. As I visited all these beautiful landscapes, such as the waterfall pictured above, I kept thinking about how lucky I am to be here, to be living in Japan and exploring the country outside of the cities. I’ve learned how and when to seek out help from other people. If something isn’t working, or going the way it should be, I’ve learned that it is way, way better to speak out to someone and confront things. Compromises can be made and solutions can be worked out to create a better experience for everyone involved. As I’m completely on my own here in Japan I’ve had to become even more independent than I am at home. No more going home to my sister and complaining about stuff. Working and going to school in Tokyo has really pushed me as an individual so far. I can feel myself getting closer to my goal of becoming a global citizen.