Tag Archives: CIEE Tokyo

Sayonara

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And so, we come to my final blog post, and the realization that it was time to go home and finish things up. Towards the end of the semester, I must admit that I didn’t have too much time to write- if I wasn’t focusing on final exams or assignments, I was hanging out with friends before my trip back and getting as much out of my stay as I could. I ended up spending my final day with two of my close friends, visiting a shrine and getting Thai food before wishing each other luck and going our separate ways. Continue reading →

Snack Time

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This has been a big request for a while now. One of the most popular aspects of Japanese culture is the food, and I knew that a blog post composed of the types of things I’d eaten would be inevitable. When I told people that I would be studying in Japan, one of the most common responses- and questions- would revolve around Japanese food. Either about how they loved it or wanted to know if I liked it. I do love Japanese food, but now that I’ve been living here for so many months, I see it in a different light. It’s no longer “exotic” or “specialty” to me, because it has become a staple in my everyday diet. Not to mention the fact that there are so many types of dishes- some that I had never even heard of until arriving here- that I’ve only started to try. As there are many great things to eat, I realize that one blog post will probably not be enough. Perhaps I’ll add more in the coming days, but for now, enjoy some of my favorite dishes that are common in Tokyo. Continue reading →

Just Traditional Things

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It’s time to focus on some of the more “traditional” Japanese events that I’ve been attending. Seeing that my past couple of posts have had a bigger emphasis on cartoon characters and plastic fish, I think that it’s important to stray away from those topics for a while and touch on the older, more time-honored aspects of Japan. Continue reading →

Cartooning and Cartoonists

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I’ve found that it’s difficult to write blog posts, despite having so many things to talk about. Usually, I don’t have enough free time to do it. When I do, I get writer’s block. I’ll partly blame the busy schedule to midterms, which are right around the corner for us, but there has been another, more recent factor also bogging me down with deadlines and due dates: cartooning. Continue reading →

Game Boy

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On the rare occasion that I’m free from classes and don’t have any assignments that bog me down, it’s fun to get out of the dorm and explore with friends all the areas in Japan that aren’t on my route to school. Whether it’s window shopping in Harajuku, a Virtual Reality event in Shibuya, or conveyer belt sushi in Ikebukuro, every district of Tokyo seems to offer something fun. One of the most popular destinations, however, are the arcade stations in areas like Nakano and Akihabara. Now, I’ve brought up the arcades, taken some photos, and briefly described them in previous articles, but the scope of these places is so much bigger that simply “mentioning” them isn’t going to cut it. There’s enough about these places to fill an entire blog post, so that’s exactly what I intend to do. Continue reading →

Thought-Provoking

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That’s the only word I could think of to describe my trip to Hiroshima. Thought-provoking. The study group that I came to Japan with is privileged in the fact that there are specially planned events for us to sign up for. These vary from small occasions such as shows or bus tours, and “day trips” to various museums and cities. The biggest and most anticipated trip of the semester, however, is the weekend trip to Hiroshima. Continue reading →

Back to Work

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I’ve finally gotten a free hour to write. Things have already gotten pretty hectic around here now that classes have begun. There’s really no “settling in” at Japanese university; you’re just kind of expected to understand the way things work, and adapt to them. Continue reading →

New in Nippon

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I landed in Narita on a Wednesday. We stayed in a hotel near the airport, shuttled into Tokyo  the  next  morning,  and  got  situated  into  our  dorms  and  homestays.  For some people, adapting seems to come easily. You might have been in the country before, studied kanji, or have a little bit of the language under your belt to hold a conversation. The other demographic are the students  who  have  never  been  out of  the  United  States, and  speak  absolutely  no  Japanese whatsoever. Take a wild guess which group fall under. Continue reading →