Japan Blog Post: A Journey to Remember
By: Y. Ferhat, D. Cruz, and K. Rodriguez
This unforgettable school trip to Japan was filled with adventure, culture, and meaningful experiences shared with friends. This school trip to Japan was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From exploring historic temples and bustling cities to riding the bullet train and tasting new foods, every moment was unforgettable. We hope you enjoy seeing our different perspectives of this trip!
Day 1:
D.Cruz-
The first day was the first 2 plane flights from Orlando to Dallas and then to Tokyo. The plane flights were fun as we were all excited to finally go to Japan and wasn’t a horrible experience even though the flight was 14 hours. When we finally got to Japan, we were all very tired and ended up going to sleep to get prepared for the next day.
Y. Ferhat-
Our adventure began with two flights, from Orlando to Dallas and then to Tokyo. Despite the long hours, the excitement of traveling with friends made the experience somewhat enjoyable. Once we arrived in Japan, exhaustion took over, and we went straight to dinner and headed to our hotel to sleep and prepare for the days ahead.
A little side note for those who may be going while fasting for Ramadan: I was given money and I visited a convenience store every night to pick out food for suhoor. It was fun discovering new snacks and drinks to try!
Day 2: Temples, Shibuya, and Harajuku
D. Cruz-
The second day was where it all began! The first things we did is go to two temples to learn about Japan’s religious culture which was cool, especially after seeing all the buildings! After we ended up going to Shibuya, which was so cool! We ended up getting free time and finding a giant mall (Parco), which had the Pokémon Center and a lot of cool things for all of us to check out, such as manga stores, video game stores, and Japanese clothing stores!
Y. Ferhat-
Our first full day in Japan was incredible. We visited two different temples and learned about Japan’s culture. Later, we explored Shibuya and had free time to visit PARCO, where we found the famous Pokémon Center, anime stores, video game shops, and Japanese clothing stores.
Highlight of the Day: Harajuku’s vibrant shopping area, a lively alley packed with unique stores and delicious food stands. The atmosphere was colorful and full of energy.
K. Rodriguez-
The first full day in Japan was probably the most memorable for me. I started off by going to the Asakusa Temple and indulging myself in the new environment. Afterwards I went on to the Meiji Jingu shrine, where I learned the process and how to do the prayers there. Buying some of the Japanese hair pins were a very fun part because of all the cute designs they had! In the afternoon I made my way to Tokyo and got so much free time to explore with my friends. We went to the famous Shibuya crossing and went to a lot of these cool anime stores. To wind down for the first day, we ended up having a cool sumo-style hot pot dinner. The highlight of this day was buying a whole bunch of figures and finally realizing that this wasn’t a dream and that I really am in Japan!
Day 3: Chinatown, Ramen, and Gundam
Gundham Statue
Odaiba City
D. Cruz-
On the third day, we ended up going to Chinatown, which was cool, and after that ended up going to the Ramen museum, where Travis and I had the best Ramen I’ve ever had in my life. After, we got free time and Yassmeen, Kailia, and I found this mall with a lot of discounted anime figures where we all ended up splurging at. We then ended up seeing the massive Gundam statue move, which I thought was really cool!
Y. Ferhat-
We began the day in Chinatown before heading to the Ramen Museum, but since I was fasting I couldn’t actually try the ramen. Fortunately they had a build your own instant ramen bowl area which I did and later made it when I broke my fast. I still really enjoyed it. Later, during our free time, we went to the Gundam Mall, filled with discounted anime figures and trendy clothing stores.
Highlight of the Day:The Gundam Mall, where we found insane deals on figures and saw the massive Gundam statue come to life.
K. Rodriguez-
For much of this day, we went to Ms. Favis' hometown, Yamashita Park, which was such a calm and serene experience. We were able to see what the docks look like and see the China town of Japan. I got to try this amazing cold matcha latte boba drink, and seeing all the different kinds of foods and shops was so fun. Later we went to a ramen museum at Shin-Yokohama. There was a lot of information that I never knew about when it came to the history of ramen which was nice to learn about, but what amazed me was how there was a downstairs that had multiple ramen restaurants that you could eat at! At a separate little store, you could build your own ramen to take with you that they package there. As the day continued, my group made its way to the Diver City Tokyo Plaza. I would honestly say that this was the highlight of my day because of the amount of shopping that I did. All the figures, anime merch, and Japanese beauty supply I got was honestly unreal. The mall that we were at was colossal, I had never seen anything like it. Seeing the Gundam statue move was cool as well. For dinner this night we were able to choose, so Mc Donalds was the obvious choice, which had a different taste than it does back in America with other menu options that are only available in Japan.
Day 4: Culture and Tokyo Tower
D. Cruz-
On the fourth day, our group ended up going to a museum with a lot of culturally significant things to look at, such as statues and paintings. After, we all went to Tokyo tower, where we all went up and I got to get over my fear of heights! The views were beautiful and we got to see all of Tokyo from above which was mesmerizing to see.
Y. Ferhat-
This day was filled with history and breathtaking views. My favorites view of all was the cherry blossom trees, they were insanely beautiful. We then visited a museum showcasing historically meaningful items. Viewing and learning more about the land’s history was super cool and interesting. Later, we went to Tokyo Tower, with breathtaking views of the city bellow. We ended the day with a delicious meal that we got to cook ourselves in a buffet style restaurant.
Highlight of the Day:Tokyo Tower, the views of Tokyo were absolutely beautiful. A group of us also decided to go down using the stairs and stumbled upon a “secret” photo spot!
K. Rodriguez-
I got to see cherry blossoms! Though they weren’t in full bloom, it was still exciting to see them in person, especially since they’re my favorite tree. Visiting the cool museum at Ueno Park let me learn a lot of things about samurai and the different kinds of kimonos. We got to see Tokyo again, while visiting the Parco Pokémon Center, which I found to be very entertaining. Exploring the gift shop was interesting as well. The highlight and last main activity for day three was stopping at the Tokyo Tower. To be fully honest, as scared as I was of heights, the view was breathtaking and such a surreal thing to experience. The cook-your-own dinner we had in the evening was probably my favorite dinner of them all! All the meat, sushi, and rice that I could get was the best part. The last activity that we had planned for the night was taking a train back to the hotel, which was quite the experience. It was much more crowded than I had expected it to be, but also very quiet, since an unspoken rule in Japan is to not speak or be on any phone calls while on almost any form of transportation.
Day 5: Bullet Train, ice/wind caves, and Mount Fuji
D. Cruz-
On day five, we ended up leaving Tokyo and going on to Osaka. On the way there we ended up stopping by an ice cave which was really beautiful to see. We also got to see Mt. Fuji, which was way bigger than I thought it was going to be! I also went on a bullet train for the first time, which was an amazing experience!
Y. Ferhat-
We left Tokyo and traveled to Osaka, Riding the bullet train for the first time was an incredible experience. Stopping at an ice cave and catching a glimpse of Mount Fuji, which was even better than I imagined.
Highlight of the Day: It’s hard to choose just one! The bullet train was thrilling, the ice cave was a pleasant surprise, and the mountain area was beautiful. Something I really enjoyed was learning that the town area we were in was muslim friendly. They had a small prayer room as well as a halal store with a lot of snacks I didn’t think I would be able to try!
K. Rodriguez-
Day five was hands down one of my favorite days. We sadly were moving to hotels, but it was so worth it when we arrived that night. During the day we visited Fujikawaguchiko – Saiko, a small village that was not far from Mt. Fuji, which we were able to see on the way to the village. Seeing that mountain in person was the coolest thing out of everything we did, and I say this because of the fact that you can only see Mt. Fuji for only so many days a year. In the village, I got to see the inside of what older Japanese houses were like and how villages used to function during the older periods of time. We went on to visit the ice cave and wind tunnel which was sick to see. Crawling in those caves though made a little claustrophobic to be honest, but it was definitely worth it! As we were headed out, I bought a matcha ice cream from a vending machine which I had thought was pretty neat. Adding on to all the fun things we did during this day, I got to go on a bullet train! It took us to Suita- Toyotsucho where our new hotel was for the remainder of the trip. The room I had with my roommates was what I believe to be the best out of any room the other people could have. It had 4 separate beds, a huge bathroom, 2 Tv’s, and the craziest view of the city.
Day 6: Temples and Bamboo Forest
D. Cruz-
Day six started strong as we went to two temples, which were amazing, and I learned a lot of history about Japan! After, we went to the bamboo forest, which was mesmerizing.
Y. Ferhat-
We started the day by visiting two temples and learning more about Japan’s rich history. Afterward, we explored the bamboo forest.
Highlight of the Day: Walking through the bamboo forest felt peaceful and surreal. The towering stalks swayed gently, creating an unforgettable atmosphere.
K. Rodriguez-
Today I got to see the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrines at Kyoto! As packed as it was, it was still amazing to see. The scenery was beautiful and the peaceful aura is something that I miss everyday. Recording my friends and I walking down the smaller shrines was exciting. Then we got to see the Golden Pavillion. I felt very relaxed here because of all the Zen gardens, meditative environment, and the “Mirror-pond” they have there. Seeing an entire building made from gold was so cool and it felt like something that you would only see in movies. We then moved to the notorious bamboo forest at the Tenryu – ji Temple. The small-town area at this bamboo forest was so cute and had a lot of matcha flavored things for me to try! I also got to buy some chopsticks with very intriguing designs. For dinner, I got to try Japanese curry for the first time, which was delicious!
Day 7: Nara, Osaka Castle, and Takoyaki
D. Cruz-
On day seven, our first stop was Nara Park, where the deer bowed down to you for a treat, which was so cool to see in person after seeing it so many times online. After, we went to the city center of Osaka and roamed around freely. Then we went to Osaka Castle, which was so beautiful and one of the best castles I’ve ever seen.
Y. Ferhat-
Our day began with matcha frappes at Starbucks. I enjoyed trying something new and it was a lot of fun to go with my friends! We then made our way to Nara Park, where we saw the famous bowing deer. To be completely honest I was excited but became a little hesitant to feed them. We then explored Osaka’s city center before visiting the magnificent Osaka Castle.
Highlight of the Day: Osaka Castle, with its stunning architecture and rich history. Another unforgettable experience was making our own takoyaki for dinner, it was fun and something I truly enjoyed.
K. Rodriguez-
The final day is always going to be my favorite day when thinking back on this trip. I started the day with matcha frappes from the Starbucks that we had next to our hotel with my friends. I then made my way to Nara Park where my group and I got the feed all the deer there and saw them bow! It was funny to see them bite onto some of the other people and chase them around. We then saw these huge Budha statues that were as big as the building that they were inside of. I got to buy a good luck charm from there which was nice. The best part of this day was going to Osaka – Dotonbori and going shopping again for one last time in Japan. I got to buy shoes from the famous brand Onitsuka Tiger, which you can only buy there in Japan. For the final part of the day, we saw Osaka Castle, seeing street performers and stamping these papers we had before going to before trying matcha ice cream all together as a group. The last dinner we had for the trip was make-your-own Takoyaki, which is much harder than it seems. Trying to flip the balls into their shape was challenging but fun with my friends and we got to make so many memories, not only from the dinner, but from the entire trip. Taking in the last bits of this trip made me a bit emotional because of how much I enjoyed it. At the hotel I took some time to really absorb what my past week was like and realized how grateful I am to have been able to go on a trip like this.
Day 8: Goodbye Japan 🤕
D. Cruz-
Sadly, day eight was the last day of the trip. We woke up in the morning and got ready to leave, and we made our way to the airport. We went from Osaka to Tokyo, from Tokyo to Los Angeles, and from there back to Orlando.
Y. Ferhat-
Our final day arrived too soon. Saying goodbye to Japan was emotional, as the trip had been filled with incredible memories, cultural discoveries, and unforgettable moments with friends and those who I became familiar with along the way. It’s definitely something you need to experience for yourself.
