Hello! This is my 8th journal, only about 2 months before I return. I’ve been through many adventures these months and have traveled a lot. In Hakuba I spent three days skiing, meeting new friends, and having such a fun time! Skiing was hard at first but it got easier. I would love to go skiing more! Hakuba is beautiful, with very tall mountains covered with snow. I also gave a speech and played my guitar in front of everyone.
After that ski trip, I spent a lot of time with my host family. We rode bikes, went to a barbecue, and spent time with the grandparents. We also played lots of table tennis!
Another three-day trip, this time to Aichi. We went to the beach and the countryside where we fished! As it was spring, we saw the beautiful cherry blossoms. A nice Rotarian brought me with him to Nagoya City. We went to a Jazz concert, aquarium, and a famous shopping area called “Osu street.” The next day we took a scenic drive deep into the country by Shirakawa and Gero. After that, my host mother, brother and I went to a festival where they dance and throw mochi to the civilians! With the mochi we caught, we made delicious mochi pizza.
After switching host families again, I also had to switch school classes since It’s a new school year. I’m getting along well with my new class and have even made some new friends.
My new host family took me to Ghibli Park and we had so much fun! It’s a beautiful theme park. Then about a week later we went to Hiroshima, Himeji Castle, and Osaka. Hiroshima was very eye-opening and an important place. While there, we went to the Peace Museum and listened to the history and the stories that touched me deeply. After that, we went to the famous Grand Torii Gate. There were many deer there and we made friends with the tour guides! As Hiroshima is famous for its Okonomiyaki, we got to make Hiroshima’s Okonomiyaki! It was a delicious pan-fried dish that included various foods like cabbage, meat, and Hiroshima noodles. There are various toppings and sauces as well. The next day we went to Himeji Castle and the City of Osaka. It is a vibrant city full of people and historic sights! As for our final destination, we went to Universal Studios Japan! We spent a full day there. We went on so many roller coasters and went to all the shops. The Flying Dinosaur was my favorite ride!
Many of these places we traveled via bullet trains, sometimes going up to 300 mph! The last trip I just returned from was a camping trip with other foreign exchange students. It was at Nara Prefecture, very deep in the countryside with beautiful mountains and nature. There was tennis, hot springs, and golf. We even lit fireworks and road on a boat!
I’m so grateful for all of these experiences and I sure am making the best out of my last months here!
