Until We Meet Again, Japan (PS Version)
- Lyss Ku
- Jan 31, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: Feb 26, 2024
Welcome back to my study abroad blog series where I have been republishing my old study abroad blogs with added content. Now you may be wondering, how come I didn’t finish this series last month? Well, things got busy over the holiday season with work, and I got COVID during the first week with this month. Apologies for the delay, but I present to you the final re-published study abroad post. I hope you have enjoyed reading these if you did. If not, then go back and check out my previous posts before coming to this one!
Konnichiwa! On our last week in Japan, we got another week off so we explored what we could before our departure. However, the weekend before we had to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam or JLPT for short. The JLPT was a standardized exam that measures Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers. It was almost like the Japanese version of the College Board SAT. After the JLPT, there were no more classes, studying, final papers, presentations, or homework! So here is what I did during my final week in Japan. For the last time, 始めましょう !
I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts when I was talking about my classes. The JLPT exam had different sections such as grammar, reading, kanji, and listening. Throughout the semester, we have been taking practice sections of the exam in our Japanese classes. There were also different levels of the exam that we chose to take ranging from N5-N1. The weird thing about it was that N5 was the easiest to N1 being the most difficult, and you probably thought it was vice versa. Half of us ended up taking N4, while the other half took N3. I didn’t do too bad on the exam, but overall, the JLPT doesn’t mean much unless you plan to work in Japan, or take a job that involves speaking a lot of Japanese. I will say that the exam had some strange protocols we all had to take like we had to put our phones on silent mode, and put it in a little Ziploc bag that was provided to us. We also couldn’t have any labels on our erasers. The exam also didn’t take place at our exchange university, so we had to go to different places. At least I didn’t have to be up at 8am in the morning to take the exam like the SAT.
Saturday 12/01- The day before the JLPT exam, my KGU buddies and I got together one last time by having dinner at a shabu-shabu (hotpot) restaurant. We had such a great time together. I also gave them a small box of Hawaiian chocolate-covered macadamia nuts as my way of saying thanks. Overall, my KGU buddies have been really helpful and kind during my time in Japan. In the beginning, it was a rocky start getting to know them because my Japanese wasn’t that great but now, I can happily say we have become great friends for life!
Monday 12/03- My final week off started by going to Harajuku and Shibuya for some shopping and a little sightseeing. First, I went to see the famous Hachiko statue in front of Shibuya station. For those of who don’t know Hachiko’s story, Hachiko was a famous Japanese Akita dog known for always waiting for his owner in front of the station even after his death. I remember seeing the movie, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale back in 7th grade in my Japanese class and asking if the statue still existed. I never knew that 9 years later, I would actually see that same statue. After that, I went to the Mocha Cat Café in Shibuya. Now, I am not a fan of cats, but they seem to be pretty popular in Japan. The admission price was 200 yen for every ten minutes. There were two floors of cats and they were all over the place! After playing with cats, it was time for me to do some shopping. I shopped at the famous Shibuya 109, known for its many stores filled with cute Japanese products and mainly fashion. After that I shopped at H&M and UNIQLO, and that concludes round 2 of my Harajuku/Shibuya trip!
Tuesday 12/04- I stayed in the Yokohama area by going to the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum which was about all things ramen. The first floor is all about the history of ramen in Japan, but the two basement floors are the most fun. It is a replica of an old town of Japan and there are nine different restaurants serving different types of ramen. You can even request to have a mini sample if you want to try multiple bowls which is exactly what I did. I had three mini bowls from three different restaurants and they were all so good! I wish I could have tried more, but I was so full. Maybe instead of having a wine studies major, how about a ramen studies major with ramen tasting?! After that, I worked off all that ramen by doing some shopping at World Porters shopping mall in Minato-Mirai. While I was shopping, I came across this unique section called Hawaiian Town. It was a section of all things Hawaiian including restaurants, cafes, and shops. There were even signs that had names of Hawaiian towns such as Waikiki, Ala Moana Blvd., etc. I wished I had found this place earlier because the atmosphere has a nice taste of home.
I highly recommend the Yokohama ramen museum if you are a big fan of ramen! I would suggest getting the mini samples if you want to try more than one bowl. I also happened to come across of Marvel pop-up shop somewhere in the area because I wanted to buy myself a T-shirt with the Marvel Studios logo after seeing a lot of guys wearing a similar shirt. I got one for my brother as well, but I haven’t told him I brought the same shirt for myself.
Wednesday 12/05- I returned to Tokyo by doing some omiyage shopping. First, I went to Nakamise shopping street in Asakusa which is the best place to get local souvenirs from Japan. Then, it was round 3 of my Harajuku/Shibuya trip. It started by having lunch at Harajuku Gyoza-ro, then shopping at places such as Kiddyland and the Takeshita shopping street which wasn’t too crowded compared to the last time I came. The main highlight of my trip was going to a conveyor belt-dessert café called the Maison Albe Café Ron Ron. It costs $18 USD for an all-you-can-eat dessert experience. There were a variety of desserts to choose from, and I ate about nine plates! At night, I hung out with my former International students/Tokyo friends. We first went to Tokyo Tower, the world’s tallest, self-supported steel tower (not to be confused with the Tokyo Skytree that I went to during fall break). The view was really pretty especially since we went at night. After that, we had dinner at a restaurant where we ate monjyaki. Monjyaki is similar to okonomiyaki, but the batter is softer and you cook the ingredients first and then pour the batter in the center. Plus, it is often eaten when partially cooked. There was also okonomiyaki served at the restaurant and I actually helped cook it on the grill. I had a fun time hanging out with my Tokyo friends for the last time because I may not ever see them again for a while.
For the two places I ate at during the day, the gyoza restaurant was okay but it was a bit dirty considering that Japan is mainly a clean place. As for the dessert conveyor belt one, the desserts weren’t that bad but I don’t know if want to go there again. I mean it is a lot of sweets you have to eat for like 45 minutes.
More about Tokyo Tower, it is slightly more expensive than Tokyo Skytree if you want to go to the top deck. It is pretty at night when it is lit up, but if you want a clearer view then it is better to go in the daytime. While I was spending the night with my Tokyo friends, I was in a bit of crunch because I had to get back to the dorm before midnight. Luckily, I was able to get on a train fast and rush home with a few minutes left to spare. And I had no Fairy Godmother or magic carriage to help me, so what do you have to say to that?!
Thursday 12/06- The next day I headed out to the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum aka Doraemon Museum in Kawasaki. Fujiko F. Fujio was a manga artist known for creating many manga including the popular Doraemon. For those of you who are not familiar with Doraemon, he is a cat that comes from the future to help a boy named Nobita by using many tools that I wish existed in our world. The museum also included works from Fujio’s other manga including one called Kiteretsu Encyclopedia that looks similar to Doraemon in plot lines and characters.
I was familiar with Doraemon when I saw a few episodes on Disney XD (Disney Channel sister station) which is why I was interested in going to the museum. To be honest though, I thought it was a bit meh for a few reasons. It was a bit far from Tokyo and Yokohama, you have to reserve a time slot when paying for admission and be there on time. There wasn’t much to do at the museum except listen to a guided audio tour. The only cool thing was seeing a short film which was a crossover of the artists’ manga characters (but it was nowhere near Avengers Endgame level). I also had issues getting there and back because the main cell towers in Japan had technical issues which also impacted the train schedules, and cell phone reception. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend this place.
In the evening, I reunited with my host family before I left Japan. When I met them in front of my dorm, I was very happy to see them again. We had dinner at a restaurant that served Japanese-style spaghetti (sorry I forgot the name) because it was eaten with chopsticks. During dinner we exchanged gifts with each other. I gave my host family a box of Hawaiian chocolate-covered macadamia nuts along with 3 bags of Kona coffee. In addition, I also gave individual gifts to each of the family members including a toy for the dogs. For my gifts, they gave me a pair of beautiful chopsticks and a hand towel plus, they also had a gift for my real family back home! And they gave me a decorated card with messages including a video made by my host sister. My host family has done so much for me during my homestay, that words cannot express how thankful I am to meet them. I still (and hope to continue to) keep in touch with them even long after my homestay ended. No matter how many International students they “adopted,” and if they get a new one next year, I hope that they will always remember me. As soon as we returned to my dorm, I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. Right before my host family left, we took a family selfie and I gave my host mother a tight hug before we parted ways. I will say this once again, I WILL HAVE SERIOUS WITHDRAWALS from my host family when I leave Japan.
Once again, I hardly kept in touch with them ever since, but I do follow them on IG which counts for something.
Friday 12/07- My last full day in Japan was spent at one of the greatest places in Japan! Can you guess what it was? Here is a hint: It is the happiest place on Earth. That’s right! I went to Tokyo Disneyland! Here are some differences between Disneyland in America and the one in Tokyo. First, the ticket price in Tokyo is cheaper than America’s for a one day pass. Second, Tokyo Disneyland is known for their popcorn. There are many popcorn vendors around the park and they come in many different flavors including a curry-flavored popcorn. Plus, they sell popcorn containers that are shaped like Disney characters that you can use to carry the popcorn in. Plus at Tokyo Disneyland, they have many rides and attractions that are similar to the ones in America such as It’s a Small World and Haunted Mansion. I only stayed a little while because the park closed early that day, and I wasn’t feeling too good in the afternoon. But, I had fun because the park was in their Christmas season which is the most magical time of the year for Disney. Plus, I got to see a parade and got myself a pair of rose-gold Mickey Mouse ears. If I ever decide to go back to Japan, I will definitely go to Tokyo Disneyland again!
The way I purchased tickets for the park was through a kiosk one of the convenience stores. The way I commuted to Tokyo Disneyland was taking a shuttle bus to the theme park from one of the stations in Yokohama. At the time, they were celebrating the 35th anniversary and ironically five years later, they are now celebrating their 40th anniversary. To be more coincidental, when I went to Disneyland in California for the first time, it was during there 60th anniversary celebration. Therefore, if I had a nickel for every time I went to one of the Disney parks during their anniversary celebration, I would have two nickels; which isn’t a lot but it is weird that it happened twice. The other thing I wanted to mention was that while I was at park, I was nearly attacked by a bird that ended up eating part of my pizza. Don’t worry, I was able to eat somewhere else after that incident. Again, I did wish I stayed longer if the park stayed open, and if I wasn’t feeling under the weather that day. I would recommend staying somewhere in close proximity to the park because it was far from the main city area. There is also another Disney theme park in Japan called DisneySea, but I didn’t end up going there because it didn’t feel Disney.
Saturday 12/08- This was the day I departed from Japan. Hours before I left my dorm, it was a bit hectic as I had to get everything out of my room, and fit all the souvenirs that I had bought in both of my suitcases. As soon as that was over, we met most of our buddies in the dorm cafeteria. After turning in our insurance cards, room keys, and student IDs, it was a two-hour bus ride to Narita Airport. When we arrived at the airport to check my bags, I found out that one of them was overweight by 11 lbs. Luckily, my buddies helped me make my bag less overweight. I had to end up carrying some of my stuff in a bag, though. Before I proceeded to TSA, we all had dinner together, and took last-minute selfies and goodbyes. Then before I knew it, I was heading back home. Even though it was a 7 hour flight, I slept most of the time and when I woke up, it was already 1 hour before arriving back in the US. As the time was counting down, I thought to myself, “Man, it is going to be so hard going back to reality, and it will feel like c***!” The moment the plane landed in Honolulu, the weather was cloudy with showers.
Let me just say this once: DO NOT WAIT TO MOVE OUT OF YOUR DORM TILL THE LAST MINUTE! Especially if you have to fly overseas back home. Luckily, I woke up early enough to pack up, throw out anything useless, and I had to pack up my bedding! Yeah, it was a strange procedure, and the dorm manager and his wife were giving me a hard time. They probably cleaning out my room after I left. At least I don’t have to deal with them anymore. The TSA at Narita airport wasn’t as hectic compared to the US except I had to wear these slippers that were provided when going through the line. Also you might want to consider buying small and flat souvenirs instead of bulky ones so it doesn’t take up a lot of room in your luggage.
Well, that is it for this blog, and the last of the blogs. Looking back at my study abroad experience, I can say I have no regrets. Even though there were some setbacks and challenges, it didn’t stop me from doing things I wouldn’t imagine myself doing. I traveled by myself during fall break to Kyoto and Hiroshima, I tried windsurfing even though I failed, I got used to riding the rail system even though it can get crowded at times, and made some awesome friends and family in Japan. Yes, I manage to do everything I can possibly do in a short time. If there was song that could describe my experience, it would be “I Lived” by One Republic.
In this version, it would be “Long Live” (Taylor’s version). Looking back on these blogs five years later, I learned that it didn’t matter if I had the same experience as everyone. Sure, I had my struggles and there were times where I felt I wasn’t progressing. Heck I even felt like an anomaly as if some people felt that I didn’t belong. However, I have to remember that this is my journey, and I decide how I want to pursue it. Some of the things that I liked in Japan were: the food, convenient public transportation, the cleanliness, and safeness. There were also some things I didn’t like such as, the language barrier, getting lost, the breakfast served at the dorm, and some of the strict guidelines. Yeah, I studied abroad in Japan, so deal with it! I worked hard like everyone else to get there.
I want to thank you all for following along on this series; I always wanted to revisit my old blogs and put a new spin on it. Keep an eye out for a post-study abroad post, and if I ever decide to travel again, I might do a travel blog series similar to this one.
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