Osaka/Kyoto, A lot of Exploring, The End

Last few weeks have been the busiest yet. Visited my friend Alex in Osaka. Staying out till 7:30am, sleeping in till 3pm, watching autumn leaves, other random Japanese adventures. More importantly, had some greatly needed conversations about life. It was a awesome weekend, to say the least.

Last couple of weeks have been a peculiarly strange mixture of happiness and sadness. Things over here in Japan are better than ever. Been spending time with great people, especially Japanese buddies. They are so kind and considerate (what else is new right?). I've been checking things off my bucket list left and right. Visited Odaiba, went to Disney Sea (again) with a very fun group of people, Akihabara, daytime karaoking and drinking, Shinjuku, the best ALL YOU CAN EAT CHINESE food I've ever had, two Japanese apartment parties, delicious KBBQ, Harajuku, Kamakura, chilling with my friend Jasmin a lot, and countless other things (pictures below).

I am leaving out so much stuff. Cannot cram it all into one post, and am kind of too lazy to do so...haha sorry.

But things with family have been particularly tough. Need to be with them right now. Please keep us in your prayers. This will be my last post (maybe). I cannot wait to see you. This experience has been amazing and I've learned so much. But #1 lesson: I have the best family and friends ever. Can't wait to be with loved ones again. To crack jokes, be silly, be comfortable, be amongst good-spirited, kind, understanding, considerate people. Every single time I call or video chat, the longing just gets greater. Love you. Peace out.

Sayonara.

The Japanese have a way with words...

Best Chinese Food ever!

Our game center friend.

There are 91839283820283 Christmas trees everywhere you turn.

Our first Japanese apartment party. But not last...haha.

We're so asian.

Artsy.

Thanks for a good weekend, Em. :)

Back from Korea...One Month Left

Hello! Sorry for not posting in so long. It's been busy around here. Since I last updated, a lot has happened. Been really connecting with the Japanese students here. They are the kindest people I've ever met. It will definitely be sad to say good-bye to them in a month. Americans can definitely learn a thing or two from Japanese and how they treat people. Last week I visited Korea and I am so glad I did. I was really strapped for cash and so I was close to not going, but it was a worthwhile experience. It was similar to a cross between Vietnam and Japan. Vietnam in the rushed, sometimes rude way people treated you. But Japan in its urbanization and development. I had a lot of fun but wish I had experienced the night life more. I KNOW if I had gone there with Brandon, Cali, or any of my crazy friends from home, I may not have made it out alive. So I guess it's a good thing they didn't come with me? Haha.

We found a Hello Kitty Cafe, haha.




Another highlight was our night out on Halloween. Japan definitely parties it up on October 31st, saw some crazy costumes. It was cool celebrating a Western holiday in Japan.




Met them on the street, haha.

AND BY FAR, one of the best times of this trip was when my good friend Claire visited me. Aghhhh, I missed her so much. She was a great reminder of the amazing friends I have back home, who I can trust to always have my back and I can have a great time goofing around with. That hasn't always been the case here in Japan. Here are pictures of our adventures around Tokyo:






Jasmin, one of our co-workers from UCLA, visited too! Here are our pictures from DisneySea (Japan's version of California Adventures kind of):















Can't wait to see everyone in one month. Counting down the days...until then, I have a few awesome trips planned. Going to Osaka to visit Alex, a friend from UCLA. Going to Hot Springs + Mount Fuji a couple weeks after. Keep posted for more updates! Miss you all more than you can imagine, stay safe until I am home :).

Culture Day and Club Camelot!

Things are pretty exciting here in Japan. Getting the hang of classes, they are all very interesting. It is really awesome being the class with Japanese students and learning how much different the culture is over here. They are all very nice and welcoming, although sometimes timid.

We got to have a day filled with Japanese culture. We wore kimonos, learned how to do a traditional tea ceremony, learn calligraphy, and other awesome things. Here are some pictures:








My friend Victor visited yesterday and it's hard to explain, but it felt like being home a little bit. He was kind of like a reminder of home and UCLA, and Huntington Beach. We were clubbing; I got to say, the clubs here in Japan are insane. Cannot wait to do it again. We didn't get back until 7 am because the subways stop going at midnight. Here are some pictures:




Lastly, a couple more of my room so that you know what it looks like: