Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto...

…That song couldn’t have possibly been in my head more than it was while I was in Japan…and the funny thing is that I don’t even know the rest of the song! Oh Japan…great times haha…We actually had two ports in Japan…our first stop was sin Kobe, which I sadly didn’t get to see much of because I did a home stay which took place in Osaka. My host mom picked me up at the port terminal with a little sign with my name on it…it was so cute…she barely and I mean barely spoke English which made it a little difficult but it was fun…all of the other host families were there to pick up students as well and we did some songs and games to get to know each other…luckily, my mom was friends with a bunch of other moms so we all kind of stuck together…Another girl named Emily and her host family came with me in the car to drive to Osaka….she had a little sister named Ruri and she was adorable! Ok now for the weird part haha…there was this really weird English CD they were listening to in the car for what we assumed was to practice their English…but it was soooo weird! The voices were like little kid ghost voices…creepy…haha…Once we got to my house 4 other students and their families joined us for a little party type lunch which was nice because then I wasn’t the only English speaking person in the house haha…I met my 6 year old brother Yuta and his best friend Takara….they were adorable and Takara was the spitting image of my cousin Nikolai..it was scary! Their mannerisms were insanely identitcal…we spent all afternoon playing with the kids and then it was time for dinner…we had a great mixture of sushi, pizza, and some random soup with really weird things but it was actually good haha...On top of listening to the weird little children English voices in the car they played it 24/7 in the house haha…I almost had it memorized by the time I left…its all they listened to! I felt like they were being brainwashed haha…we then went to the grocery store to pick out some food for our picnic the next day…and then we had a get together with all of the families in Osaka to get to know each other some more…more brainwasahing time haha…we sat in a circle after playing more games and singing the 12 days of Christmas haha and they all even the three year olds) recited the damn recording in 5 different languages…it was amazing the first 3 times but after about 20 people did it we were exhausted and just wanted them to stop haha…well they finally did and we go to go to our respective homes…When I got back to my house…which was adorable…my dad was home from work but the poor thing couldn’t speak a word of English…the cool thing about the internet is that he could sit there with his computer and talk to me through the translator deal which helped a great deal…I presented them with a gift of Cambodian spices and they gave me two gorgeous silk pouches (one for jewelry and one for tissues made by my Japanese grandmother) …I then had to attempt to take a shower in the most advanced bathroom I have ever seen, but all in Japanese haha….Once I figured that out…which definitely took awhile, I got some sleep...

The next morning I woke up to a breakfast of more pizza (all I wanted was Japanese food but they kept serving what they thought I would like haha…) my mom made a fresh loaf of bread like she did the day before and it was amazing! We took a walk through our little suburb outside of Osaka and took all the kids to the park…which was the coolest park physically possible! The slides were like attractions at a theme park! It was a gorgeous day after playing with my brother that I always wanted we had a lovely picnic with massive sushi platter in hand…finally some Japanese food! After more playing with the kids and successfully teaching Yuta how to say “what’s up dude” we had to go back and get our stuff before going to another get together of the families…I had to say goodbye to my dad and we were all off to the party location…they had snacks and drinks and yet again everyone had to recite the story in 5 different languages haha…its just got to the point where it was really funny now…and then we had a talent show of the American students…my friend Todd and I sang the national anthem and then they all begged for Disney songs so we did a medley of the Disney songs they wanted together haha…after laughing and talking for the remainder of the afternoon it was time to get back to the ship…My mom, Yuta, and gang were all there to bid us farewell and once I had to leave they all started crying…which of course made me cry haha…I got on the ship and they stood at the port waving and crying for a good half an hour before we had to leave…it was such an amazing experience and a wonderful way to feel the culture...I will always remember my little Japanese family and hope they can come see us in America one day…it was so much fun and a wonderful learning experience…

The next day was spent on the ship and it was so nice because we didn’t have any classes since we were only on it for a day…they played movies and we played games all around the ship…we had a ball…we also had a formal dinner that night which was a lovely change of pace since all we get is pasta and potatoes everyday haha…a group of us played sardines which was hysterical on the entire upper half of the ship…and then they played Princess Bride in the union…

The next we arrived in Yokohama…I didn’t really have any plans since my trip got cancelled but luckily my roommate had an extra ticket to the Ramen Museum so I decided to on that trip…which I am so glad I did! Haha I had so much fun! It was like a mini indoor amusement park dedicated to Ramen Noodles! If you didn’t know…there are 8 different kinds…we got to try 2 because the portions were gigantic and we were so full by the end of the 2nd...it was modeled after a Japanese town in the 50’s and everything was adorable... we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find our way back to the ship through the Japanese subway system which was a riot….they are very nice however! It was a very enjoyable experience…we got back to the ship and took naps before what turned out to be a very long evening haha…it was one of my friends birthdays and she wanted Mexican food and karaoke…so we ventured off the ship to find this famous Mexican restaurant (in of all places Japan haha) and of course it was a Monday and apparently closed so we found an Italian restaurant instead (apparently Japan doesn’t like its own food haha) Luckily, there was karaoke right next door because we had walked everywhere around that city to find the restaurant…they do Karaoke a little differently in Asia then we do at home…You buy a room for the group of you and do karaoke in there…not in front of random people all together…we spent all night there and had a grand old time…everyone took a taxi back to the ship but Josh and I were still awake so we decided to go on an adventure and walk back…haha that was funny…because we both were stubborn and thought we knew where we were and we were both wrong haha…but we had fun…we finally found the port and of course it was closed and we didn’t know the way to go if it was closed…so that took another 45 minutes haha…it was fun and we talked about life and how this trip had gone so fast and what we could possibly be doing with our lives in 10 years…it was nice but it was wonderful to finally my bed around 5 in the morning…

The next day we walked around a little bit…I got some of my final postcards done…and then I made a few phone calls home and it was time to go through customs and back on the ship! As we watched the sunset over Yokohama as we pulled away it was hard to swallow that this would be my last port (in my mind since I have been to Hawaii and Costa Rica)….and a lot of us thought of it that way haha…and now I have a million things to get done before Hawaii (which is where we will be in a week on Thanksgiving Day) and then we have finals in between Hawaii and Costa Rica…and then I will be home in less than a month! Really crazy…well…I am going to try and attempt some work before my next class…miss everyone to pieces and can’t wait to show all of you pictures! Would still love some emails since all I see is ocean and class everyday J….Have a great day!!