Nihongo Ninja

２０１９年７月５・６・７日 旅行の ７ 日・８日・９日 こんにちは皆さん、 (Konnichiwa minasan,) Japanese elementary schools are a lot different than American elementary schools. I learned that firsthand today when I volunteered at 都南小学校 (Tonan Elementary School). First of all, not many American elementary schools would have three stories + roof access! We didn’t go on the roof (and I don’t think people are allowed up there often), but that that is an option. As we walked in, elementary school kids hung out of every window waving and yelling “hello” at us. I haven’t had much experience with elementary school besides being in one, but I think the atmosphere was a bit different here. The kids were very talkative and energetic, moreso than America, but also good at listening to direction- pushing tables to the side quickly so we could teach them “duck duck goose” and being fully in charge of serving each other lunch. They were learning about metamorphosis and had boxes of tens of silkworms. They really liked us holdin...

２０１９年７月 3 ・ 4 日 旅行の 5 日・ 6 日 こんにちは皆さん、 (Konnichiwa minasan,) These past two days, I’ve done a lot of shopping! First, we went to 秋葉原 (Akihabara), a very busy electric-and-geek culture shopping Mecca for anime-lovers and technology-fanatics alike. Wherever you are in Akihabara, you’re likely to be able to see some kind of anime girl staring down at you from a poster, sign, or shop window trying to get you to buy their products. I spent my 3 hours of free time shopping with a friend at various stores- looking for any merchandise of my favorite characters and shows or anything else that might be nice to have. Some of these stores include Mandarake (a secondhand-yet-high-quality merchandise shop), amiami (a big anime/manga merchandise shop within Radio Kaikan, a huge 10 floor mall) and Gachapon Kaikan (a shop dedicated to capsule-toy vending machines). I found a couple things I liked but ended up getting less than I expected. I also got to try some made-on-the-spot Takoyaki, which ...

1 日 7 月２０１９年・２日７月２０１９年 旅行の 3 日・ 4 日 こんにちは皆さん、 (Konnichiwa minasan,) It’s been a bit busy going to new places every day! I’ve been busy from when I wake up to around 9-10PM going places, speaking Japanese with friends, or just working on homework together. One of the assignments is actually to keep a diary in Japanese, so I’ll end up having a log of my travels in both Japanese and English! Because I was very tired last night, I am going to record my travels for yesterday and today in one post. Yesterday, it truly hit me that I was in Japan. Walking to 参宮橋駅 (Sangubashi-eki), I looked around and really felt like I was in Japan. This feeling intensified more as we waited on the platform for our train to arrive and started our way towards Shibuya. I never thought walking through a train station could be so exciting, but it almost felt like I was in an underground city. Once we resurfaced, a canopy of tropical-looking trees and suspended roads sheltered us from the non-existent s...

30日６月２０１９年 旅行の 2 日 こんにちは皆さん、 (Konnichiwa minasan,) It’s funny waking up early, getting on a nine-hour flight  at 11:30AM , and then arriving  at 1:30PM  the next day! It’s like I went 26 hours into the future. The moment I stepped off the plane, Florida-like humidity slapped me in the face. I could already feel my hair complaining, threatening to puff into a black cloud of ugly, but who cares- I had made my first step in Japan. Lots of escalators later (one welcoming me to Japan with Mario characters!) I got my baggage and went through customs and immigration. Afterwards, it was a bit of a maze to find the post office and get my WiFi hotspot, but after I discovered their map kiosks it got a lot easier- they’ve got touchscreen maps that support a multitude of languages which show you the exact path to take to get to your destination, and can even print mini customized maps! Once I found those, it became a lot easier to get my hotspot and then exchange my USD for ...

I am traveling to Japan with Intrax Ayusa these next three weeks! I'll be documenting my travels and experiences here, so everyone can see what it's like to be in Japan from my perspective. Feel free to ask any questions! 29日６月２０１９年 旅行の１日 こんにちは皆さん、 (Konnichiwa minasan,) Today, I’m flying to Narita International Airport in Japan! It’s my first time travelling internationally by myself, but having a direct flight and not needing to worry about connections makes it a lot less stressful than it could’ve been. I got through security without a hitch- I don’t like SEA-TAC’s new TSA conveyor system but having been through it a week prior going to California for college tours, I knew how it worked. There are three lines, but everyone lines up in the last one- so I got to practically skip the line by just knowing which to go to. That was pretty sweet! I had a lot of time to catch the tram to S gates, and there was an open seat at the electronics table right next to my gate- ...