First Impressions

Hello everyone!

We landed in Tokyo Thursday afternoon after a 13-hour flight from Chicago, and have been going nonstop ever since! Yesterday, our first full day, the group toured the sights of Tokyo with our extremely nice guide, Ms. Sachiko Ueda. Sachiko-san has visited the US many times, so she is a very skilled communicator. Then today (Saturday) we visited Kamakura, about one hours' train ride from Tokyo, to see some famous temples and shrines.

A more complete overview of those days is forthcoming. For now, here are some first impressions from each of our class members.

Meg-san says:
My first impression of Japan is that it is SO busy! Every hour of the day it seems the streets are packed with people. Also, the people here are so respectful. Even though walking through rail stations can get crazy, even the simplest of gestures are used in order to show respect for others. Even in the hustle and bustle of city life, there is a calmness and tranquility among the people, which is hard to find in large American cities. I look forward to seeing this calm and tranquility as we continue our travels outside of the big Tokyo!

Trey-san says:
My first impression of when we were flying in was kind of mixed because we flew over a rural area of Tokyo. There were tons of rice fields everywhere, and no big buildings at all. But we got to the airport, off the plane, and I was immediately noticing lots of things. I began to notice that everything was much smaller and scaled down. The steps I could tell were smaller, the ceilings were lower, and the rooms everywhere much smaller. Overall my first impression was pretty close in some ways to what I expected, and there were many things much different also.

Ben-san says:
In the airport when we landed, Trey and I received a few looks within the first five minutes we were here. I could do nothing but laugh. Once we got to the hotel I started noticing how small everything was, like the slippers, the showers were short, and just everyday things. So size has been the "biggest" factor so far.

Noel-san says:
Although I am no stranger to big cities, Tokyo's Shinjuku district is amazing. On the bus ride from Narita Airport, I felt like I was traveling to Boston, but once we got into Shinjuku, the neon lights and shouting street vendors made it clear that this was no East Coast city. I almost got lost among the sights and the smells, and I only went a few blocks from the hotel! The food here is fantastic! I had a ketsune udon for supper (the first real Japanese meal I have had), and I'm already in love with the local cuisine. The atmosphere is vibrant and energetic, yet I feel very at ease here. Hopefully I'll get used to the local area and explore some more today!

Katie-san says:
One of the first things I noticed while riding the bus to our hotel was how close some of the buildings are, especially the apartment-like buildings people live in. Another thing I noticed on our bus ride was how much vegetation (trees and such) there is throughout Tokyo. Today (Friday), while we were at the Sensoji Temple, I noticed many different behaviors among the Japanese people. #1: They love to give the peace sign while taking group pictures. I couldn't help but smile when I saw groups of all ages doing this while posing for the camera. I also noticed how helpful and selfless they are when someone dropped a folder and papers went flying everywhere. Everyone ran to help pick up the papers right away; something I wouldn't necessarily expect to see in the U.S. Throughout the day I noticed many other little details such as everyone has a phone charm and Hello Kitty & anime are very popular. However, I was most impressed with how everyone follows unwritten rules like staying to the left in a single file line while riding the escalator or walking up steps or in the street. The culture here is so different than the U.S. and so far I absolutely love it.

Raeann-san says:
Right away we noticed the green within the city; it is so much prettier than cities at home. It also makes the city seem more inviting. I was surprised by the number of people of different nationalities within Tokyo; I was expecting only Asian people. Also, I was surprised by how much info is given in English. I'm very glad for this because it makes getting around that much easier. Finally, I was surprised by the style of people here. It is very eclectic, and now two people wear the same thing (minus school uniforms). Also, almost every woman I saw was wearing HIGH heels, and the rest wore fashionable flats. It all looked very painful to me! But I envy them. I'd wear those heels if I could. :)

Christina-san says:
My first impressions of Japan are largely based on contrasts. We read about Japanese appreciation of darkness and shadow, but there are so many bright advertisements and neon lights. On the whole people are quiet, but shops have blaring music or shouting advertisers. I find it very interesting that people can be so intuned to a near-whisper but seem to tune out the sensory overload in the blaring pachinko arcade. I greatly appreciate the contrast of nature within the urban concrete with many more plants along streets. In most large cities in the U.S. there might be a few fenced-in trees along a block, but here they are much more prevalent (perhaps due to Shinto's respect for nature).

Logan-san says:
So far I've really enjoyed my time in Japan. Everything seems very modern and clean. I thought the Shinto shrine was cool and calming, and I feel like it had a cleansing effect on me. Last night I got the chance to meet up with my Japanese brother, Shohei. It was very nice to see him again as we went to a traditional izakaya. After much food and laughs, I've decided my time here has been well worth the long journey.

For now, Charlie-san gets the last word:
So I've been in Japan for about three days now, but it feels like I've been here a week. We have done so many things and seen so much! The Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples were amazing, and even though there were a lot of people there it was very quiet and peaceful. We also ate at a traditional Japanese restaurant where you take your sushi off of a conveyor belt! My favorite part of Japan by far has been the people. Everyone has been so nice to us! Last night me and Logan went out with seven locals to an izakaya which is a very traditional restaurant. We sat there for hours eating, talking, and telling jokes to each other. It reminded me of my group of friends back home. I am excited to see what the rest of the week will bring!