I was fortunate enough to be able to take 2 weeks off from work and travel with my aunt and uncle to Japan at the beginning of July. When my aunt was in high school, she became friend with a Japanese exchange student named Kaori. Fast forward 34 years, and they are still friends, which means that along with finally traveling to one of the countries on my bucket list, we had a guide on our vacation to Japan.

Our first stop: Tokyo. We stayed at a Disney resort and spent the next day at Disneyland. Actually, I had never been to a Disneyland before. When I was about 5 years old, my family went to Disney World in Florida, which I hardly remember. Needless to say, this stop was a must and one to remember. I mean, who doesn’t like Disney?

Day 2: Studio Ghibli Museum. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved Studio Ghibli films, and it’s been my dream to go to this museum. I was grateful that our group took the time out of our busy schedule to do something only I was interested in. I would definitely say that this one was a highlight on the trip and re-sparked my love for the animation company.

Day 3 was spent traveling to Mt. Fuji and staying at a traditional Japanese resort. What is a traditional Japanese resort, you might ask? Well, that means that in the rooms, you sit on the floor and you sleep on futons instead of a bed. In Japan, having public baths are pretty common in most hotels as well. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see Mt. Fuji because of the cloudy weather, but it was still nice to relax. We even got massages in our rooms before bed. The following day before we took the bullet train to Osaka, we stopped to see the Shiraito falls.

Day 4 and 5 we travelled Osaka, meeting up with Kaori’s friends, eating dinner and breakfast together and then sightseeing Osaka castle with them. Kaori’s friends met my aunt 30 years ago when she was in Japan, so it was really interesting to meet up with them and share what has happened over the years.

We parted ways with two friends and met up with Kaori’s husband before journeying to Kobe, which is known for its hot springs. Unfortunately, because of my tattoos I was not permitted to enter the public bath, but the area was extremely nice. The hotel was on the side of the mountain, so we were able to look down on the city below.

 

Day 6 we returned to Osaka to visit Kaori’s parents. We spent our evening eating and singing karaoke with them, starting the following morning with a family breakfast  before heading to our last stop of the trip, Kyoto.

The last week in Japan, we stayed in Kyoto, which is where Kaori and her family live. We dressed in summer kimonos, walked around for the Gion festival, went bowling and played some arcade games, and ate many delicious meals. We visited many temples and shrines and were able to go to a bamboo forest after a romantic train ride.

Throughout this trip I became really close with all of the new people I met. I now have many new friends and a group of people I feel as if are my family. It was extremely sad to leave everyone at the end of the trip, but I will definitely come back to visit Japan, hopefully in the near future and I know I will always have a home away from home.

Thanks for reading! 읽어줘서 감사합니다. See you next time. 다음에 봐요. Stay safe and stay happy. 안전하고 행복하게 지내라요.