Maybe it could be from all the great shopping districts to the gaming district; also the food options everywhere. Tokyo is the place to be. I know one thing their is never a boring moment in Japan their is much to see and experiences to be made. It is tons of people everywhere. The funny thing is most people walk everywhere and take the subway or train to everyday destinations. The city is booming in technology. Their are flat screen Tvs on the side of buildings and neon lights everywhere. It’s truly a beautiful place. It was just so much to see. I believe in Japan almost every one owns a cell phone opposed to a land line because everyone I encountered had one. Also in Japan they like to have charms on their phone male and female do it. To have the opportunity to see the difference in the way they do things in Japan opposed to the US  was a difference I will never forget. The culture is so rich I was just happy to be apart of it and around it.

Thursday May 20, 2010

Today was a more chill day. We are leaving Osaka at around 1:00 pm to head back to Tokyo. We boarded the JR line and took a few a different subways to get here. Once back we just decided to get some food and call it a day because we have to be up and out tomorrow at 7:30am. It’s crazy how fast and quick and easy it is to get place to place from the subway. I believe it’s much faster than trying to drive around or catch a cab. Plus you get places quicker from traveling underground. Catching the Subway on this trip is a first time for me. A new experience that I will always remember. It’s funny because I’m usually not good with directions but I find myself getting better and better due to this trip and having to find our way around the different towns.

Wednesday May 19, 2010

I’m learning that everything here is costly. It cost almost $7 or more a day to get around Japan. Their gas is so high I figure that is the reason why so many people don’t drive. Most people just get on the subway or take a cab. It cost money to do just about anything. I love Japan but I could only live here for a short amount of time because this country is to expensive. I find myself spending at least $30 a day on food alone. There is so much to see and do around here that you just want to spend a ton of money. But it would be money I don’t have. It’s cool how they dress here it is so different than the states. Most of the females dress like dolls and their fashion is out of this world.

I’m pretty sure to put together there outfits wasn’t cheap.

But overall I would not pass up the opportunity to be here because it is truly a experience of a lifetime.

Tuesday May 18,2010

For the first time ever in life I climbed a mountain. We took a wire train up to Mt. Shosha. It’s hard work I don’t know how people can do it all the time. But I must say although my body ached it was a great new experience especially since I got to experience a new culture along the way. The group I was in took the scenic route so we truly saw the beauty that Mt. Shosha has to offer. From our view we could almost see the whole town. Once we finally made it to the peak their was several different little exhibits mainly of different Buddha’s. At the end of the day I was proud of myself that I made it all the way up the mountain because believe me it was hard work. But it was a experience that can’t be replaced I mean cause who can really say they went to Japan and climbed a mountain not most Americans can say that. So yea today was thrilling.

Monday May 17,2010

Today is our first full day in Osaka. We had to wake up at 7:30am so we can catch a train to Hiroshima. Once we arrived in Hiroshima. We took a big boat to a small little island on Hiroshima. I had the opportunity to see lots and lots of deer they were all over the place. Hiroshima is their home and they just walk around with you. It was kind of gross to see poop everywhere. But luckily I dodged it so there wasn’t a problem. We walked all around to we finally made it to the temple which was high up the hill. It was real beautiful. Truly a eyeopener for me.

Later that day we went to Hiroshima Peace Museum and Memorial. I learned so much more about the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima August 6, 1945. I had no idea really all that took place during this tragedy. I got to see clothing items, hair, fingernails, lunch boxes, back packs that were all left behind and were due to the atomic bomb. So many people lost their lives that day. That is why we must fight for world peace and put a stop to nuclear weapons. R.I.P to all those who died on that tragic day.

Sunday May 16, 2010

Today was the MSU Alumni Annual Luncheon. It was real nice we got the opportunity to meet Alumni some who had the same major as us. We also meet up with the other study abroad group who is also in Tokyo the supply chain management group. So we all got to interact together. It was tons of food and open bar which was real cool. There was a short presentation that took place and we sang the fight song which was fun. We had the opportunity to show our school spirit. It was nice to have the chance to  mingle with our peers and Alumni. At the end we took pictures of the whole group.

My study abroad group after the luncheon was on our way to Osaka for a few days. So we had to carry some of our luggage with us to the luncheon so we could leave straight for Osaka. It took us about 2 hours to get to Osaka. We arrived to Osaka later that night. We stayed in a beautiful shopping district full of stores to explore.

Saturday May 15, 2010

Today was cool. We visited the temple. It was a cultural shock for me. I saw men in kimonos and diapers. The temple was very extravagant. There was so much stuff going on.  On the way to the temple there were several shops everywhere. The people participated in cultural rituals. I saw kids banging on drums giving thanks to their ancestors on their way to the temple. Also I saw a group of men and women carrying ritual things to the temple. They were all dressed in ceremonial outfits and special shoes for marching to the temple. On the way to the temple there were all sorts of vendors that sold everything you could imagine and more. I found lots of souvenirs for my friends and family. I was a little disappointed at the fact we couldn’t actually go inside the temple since we had done all that walking to get there. But it was cool the experience of it all and to say the new cultural experience.

Later that day we went to see the Sumo wrestlers. They weren’t as big as I expected them to be. It was cool that I got to see them in real life then just watching them on television or movies. There are a lot of rituals that go into to Sumo matches. They take a lot of breaks to read off and show these scrolls to the audience. The matches don’t really last long they are usually over in 15 seconds. If it’s a real intense match then it will be over in 30 seconds. At the match I tried this new to me flavor of ice cream which was cappuccino.  At the time I thought it was chocolate to I began to eat it.

May 14th 2010

Today we got the opportunity to visit Keio University. It was great to be able to interact with other college students from another country. They have a lovely campus they showed us around and invited us to lunch in their cafe. Keio has a beautiful campus there founder is a very important man he is featured on the yen. They had a presenter who presented on Twitter and how it is used differently in Japan than it is America. For their twitter they use nicknames that only people that know them will know them by. They don’t usually follow celebs they just use it to communicate it with friends and family.

Later that day we met with Q? Entertainment. They are a game publishing company and mobile gaming company. Q entertainment has published games for Sony Playstation, and Xbox360. Their horse game made number one in Japan for the mobile games. It was real neat you get to customize your horse and buy outfits and things for the horse.