23/02/2016 - Shinjuku

Since we had already been to Shibuya and Harajuku, we wanted to go to Shinjuku - the other major ward in Tokyo. We had kind of high expectation because of Shibuya and Harajuku already, but we still tried to stay casual about going. Although, we discovered that Shinjuku was a really different experience than the other places. While Shibuya and Harajuku were lively and full of shopping, tourists and everything in that aspect; it took a really long time to get beyond grey buildings and pachinko parlours beyond the station. Meals being the most difficult option of our day, I think in the end we found a really traditional style soba restaurant which we went to first before venturing too far - there weren't very many options down the alleys we chose, though (still tasty!).

Once we went under a large bridge, it was suddenly big buildings, brights lights and lots of people. I saw a lifesize Godzilla peeping over a building and girl group music videos being played on massive television screens. We briefly looked around before trying to find the cat cafe - which is why we came to Shinjuku in the first place. We read that it had over 50 cats and was one of the best cat cafes in Tokyo.

We found it tucked in a little corner and we had to reserve a place, but eventually we could go inside. There were cats everywhere and it was honestly amazing. They all played over two floors and were really lazy. There were seating areas you could sit and read, and some people had cats sleeping on their legs. I was really jealous. But, I got to pet enough cats anyway. I've discovered that I really love animals who struggle breathing.

We were in Shinjuku until quite late and hadn't eaten dinner, so we decided to go home and eat somewhere on the food strip near our apartment. We walked past a ramen place and we all felt like ramen. But, to our surprise they were selling dumpling ramen (something we've never found in Osaka). We all got a bowl and it was so big and delicious. I thought I wouldn't finish it all even though I was so hungry. However, I managed to finish everything and I felt so good after. It was a really fun day.

22/06/16 - Birthday

We had already spent a day in Tokyo, exploring Shibuya. George arrived and we met up with Kazu because he was in Tokyo for a day. That night we celebrated the start of my birthday on the stroke of midnight. George and Rhiannon started to sing happy birthday and they got out some presents that they got me! I felt so happy. They got me really nice things and I feel like they know me so well. I also got to (finally) open the package from the family and that was so nice as well. I love birthdays!

We started the day in Harajuku. I had always wanted to go there, so my excitement was literally overwhelming me. Since we left kind of late, we just got a breakfast/lunch after doing a bit of shopping in Harajuku. We went to the most popular ramen place there, which I wanted to go to through some research beforehand. It was really nice food! I love any ramen place that gives you extra noodles.

After that, we continued looking around Harajuku. We went to the store that Kyary Pamyu Pamyu apparently likes to shop at. We even came across a million second hand stores. They were all surprisingly very expensive, though. I think the most exciting place in the whole area was Harajuku street. There were so many tiny shops all crammed next to each other and a million people trying to get into them. I really wanted to get some Calbee chips while being there - since I had heard a lot about them. They're normally sold in stores as potato sticks, like they're deep fried but dry. But, when you buy them in store they're hot and fresh! They were seriously good. When we were standing outside eating them, we actually somehow bumped into a friend of ours! It was so strange because the chance of running into someone in one of the largest cities in the world feels near impossible. But, it happened! We hung out for a little bit before they went off to do their own thing. Further down the street we saw probably the 50th crepe stall, and Rhiannon and said how badly she wanted a Harajuku crepe (because they're really famous). I didn't really want a very sweet one because what I have learned from Japan so far is that they love their cream, so I got a custard cinnamon apple crepe. I made such a good choice! It was super delicious. We left Harajuku around 5pm after George booked dinner for us in a phone booth. It started to rain a little bit but thankfully it stopped really quickly! Afterwards we took a train to Shibuya.

Shibuya at night is the best! It's super lively and there's always music playing. One thing I really wanted to do on my birthday was to go karaoke where Lost in Translation was filmed. We booked it to go after dinner - but, unfortunately we didn't realise how much time we had to kill until our booking.

We stood around for a while outside 7/11, slowly realising we were in the love hotel district. Since we had a fair amount of time before our booking, we tried to see if we could get in earlier anyway. So, we went up the dodgiest looking elevator ever and got off on this floor where everything was basically pitch black. The place we were going to was called Alcatraz ER - a prison hospital themed restaurant. At first we were kind of scared that something would pop out at us, but thankfully nothing did. We were just lead to our 'table' which was in a prison cell - which was super cool. They locked us in and told us if we wanted to order anything we had to rattle the cage with a stick. The food was designed to look really gross, but it was actually pretty tasty! And I got to drink alcohol from a blood bag so that was interesting. Personally the service wasn't amazing, but we had a good time anyway.

I definitely think the highlight of the night was going to karaoke. We asked for the window room and
went up to the 9th floor. We could literally see so much from our view and I felt like I was living in the movie. We sang for an hour only because it cost so much money to go there, but it was so worth it. We got back to the apartment late and it was really got, but once we turned on the air con and started watching TV we all felt that we had a really good day. I'm really glad I got to spend my 21st in Japan with some close friends. So much fun.

20/02/16 - Tokyo

This year I turned 21 years old, and since I was going to spend it in Japan anyway, I thought I would spend it in Tokyo with two of my closest friends. Rhiannon and I left for Tokyo a day earlier than George (since he was still spending time with his parents), and I couldn't have been more excited. We decided to take the Shinkansen there - which was much better than our alternatives of 8 hour bus and plane ride. We took the slowest Shinkansen, so it was roughly 4 hours to get to Tokyo. The Shinkansen was amazing. We had so much space and it was great considering the amount of things we brought. We hoped to see Mt. Fuji on the way there, but it was too foggy so we couldn't see it! It was really disappointing, but I still had hope for the way back. 

Eventually we arrived at Shinagawa and it couldn't have been worse conditions. We had hoped that the weather had gotten better than the morning (which was grey at best), but unfortunately it was bucketing down with rain. Trying to navigate with no umbrellas in the rainiest weather possible was so difficult. But, it made us appreciate our apartment so much more. 

When we got inside, it was a really nice surprise. We were a little worried that it would be very different from the photos, but luckily for us it was so much better! There were two comfy looking beds for me and Rhiannon right under the heater. It seemed perfect. Since we were so hungry, we decided to find somewhere nearby to eat. 

Matsuya, which is one of my favourite chain restaurants, has a similar chain to it. It's called Sukiya, but I think I would describe it more as SukiYUCK. I think every time I have been to this restaurant it lets me down in some kind of way. But, my experience there on the first night in Tokyo was definitely the worst. We both ordered a hotpot for dinner,  and for a while I was enjoying it. However, I couldn't seem to enjoy it anymore after finding a large black hair in the broth. Of course I complained and got a new meal, but I couldn't really enjoy the second meal.

Rhiannon and I tried to find a karaoke place nearby, but it was kind of difficult! We found a few, but their prices were so steep. I couldn't believe it! Eventually we found a place on a side street that was cheaper, but still a bit pricey. We went for an hour and to be honest I always feel good after a good karaoke session. But, I think Rhiannon and I were just excited to go back to our rooms and sleep after the long day we had. I was excited for the rest of our time there. 

08/02/16 - Minō

I think in the beginning of my exchange, everyone was going on so many day trips to see different sides of Japan. However, somewhere along the line we stopped going on them, as we have totally adjusted to living here. So, a bunch of us decided to go on a trip to Minō.

Minō is a place where it's kind of empty. I would describe it as being quite traditional. But, we weren't there to see the town, we were there to go into the mountain area and see the waterfall. Walking there took at least 2 hours, but it was such an amazing walk. Nature in Japan is so different from Australia. It's peaceful, beautiful and everything looks a little different. Though, some of the walk was ruined by loud construction - but didn't put a hamper on our day at all.

Once we reached the waterfall, it was suddenly so much colder. We felt a sense of achievement for reaching it, but also we felt that it was totally worth the uphill battle. And, while I thought the waterfall was so peaceful and beautiful, my highlight of the day was seeing my first monkey! It was just sitting on the branches above us - I was obsessed with it. Then, walking back we saw even more monkeys just jumping around in the trees. It was such a fun day, and I think one of the first days in a while where the weather was really nice.

I'd love to go back!

06/02/16 - Kaiyukan Aquarium

George, Kazu, Rhiannon and I finally went on a trip to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. It's one of the biggest Aquariums in Japan. There are 8 floors - you start at the top and then walk in a spiral down seeing every angle of each tank. There was a really enormous tank in the middle which had whale sharks and the biggest fish I have ever seen! And, I probably could have watched the seal's swim forever. I can't remember how long we were there for, but it was dark by the time we went out. I'd actually forgotten that there were Winter Illuminations on at the time, but it was a nice surprise! They were really beautiful (much like every light display in Japan so far). I didn't get very good photos though, unfortunately. Afterwards, we decided to go on the massive ferris wheel that was close by. We could see pretty much all of Umeda and USJ from the top. All around, it was a really fun day and I really want to go back there.

03/02/16 - Jūso

For the lack of adventure, George and myself decided to do some exploring. We've realised we don't really see different places so much anymore. I think it's because we have gotten used to living here so - maybe it's lost some buzz? Either way, we weren't going to let settling in take such a negative effect on us. Before going out, we had decided a time and that we were going to do something. However, we didn't really know what we would do. Ideas were thrown around while we waited for the train and eventually we just decided to get off at Juso and explore the neighbourhood.

We had literally no knowledge of anything in Juso so it was kind of exciting to see what it's about. However, upon arriving we realised there wasn't much there. We walked around for maybe 5 hours? Found some really weird stores and had strange interactions with shop owners. One of the strangest was walking into what looked like a second hand store, and then no one greeted us - this was a first in Japan. Instead we heard babies crying and felt we needed to leave very quickly. In the end our adventure lead us back to Umeda where we ate omurice for dinner. I liked seeing new neighbourhoods, but I think mostly what we got out of our day at Juso was that there wasn't much there.

27/01/16 - Grimes

I spend a lot of off time in my room, and lately I've really enjoyed just listening to music and relaxing. I'm the type who would usually rather watch TV by myself, but I think I've felt so energetic lately that music feels better. So, my friends one day mentioned that Grimes was doing a concert in Osaka sometime in January ages ago. While I hadn't really listened to her before, I really wanted to go to the concert. So, I started listening to her and I found out that I love her! Her new album is literally so fun to listen to. So, I started getting really pumped for the concert. 

On the day of the concert, I got ready at home and headed over to Kazu's house to "prepare." Obviously, what I mean is, to pre-drink and watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians before the concert. Since it was Kazu's birthday, we ate some cake and sang Happy Birthday too. About a week or so beforehand, all of us going (Rhiannon, George, Kazu and Misaki) decided that we would spray paint our hair weird colours on the night! I went with pink and the others decided to do multiple colours. Spray painting your hair in a tiny enclosed bathroom with no air filters is not something I would recommend in the future. It's like the oxygen left the room and spray paint replaced it! 

We finally left and we were so pumped. On the way, me, George and Kazu met up with Misaki and Rhi. I think we sang Grimes the whole way there. Just before heading to the concert (which was all the way in Shinsaibashi), we went to the park so Rhi and Misaki could spray more colour into their hair. Our main priority was finding a locker before going in, knowing that there aren't many. But, while trying to find a locker we bumped into a seriously rude Irish person. She apologised, but we still gave her looks whenever we walked past her. It didn't matter in the end because there were lockers inside, but we honestly were put off by her comments.

The venue was quite small, but still there were way more people than I expected to be there. We had to buy a drink while entering, but Kazu and George decided to buy out the entire shop. They probably had like 15 Smirnoff Ice's with them - some were stashed in their pockets because they couldn't hold them all! Regardless of how much they were holding, we all managed to get near the front. 

Before Grimes, her supporting act played. She's from Taiwan I think? Since she's featured in the song Scream by Grimes, it seemed appropriate that she was playing with her. I think her music is... Interesting. But, we could get down to it, anyway! 

When Grimes arrived, I swear we all lost our minds! She came on so strong, and we were just so excited. All of us talked about what songs we wanted her to play. We all wanted her to sing Kill V Maim, but I really wanted her to sing California. Since Kazu and George were very drunk - they didn't seem to realise how loud they were. During one of her speaking breaks, they started singing California. It was so embarrassing! Appreciate the effort to get the song played anyway. It didn't, but not a big loss. She played so many off her new album and they were all good! But, hands down the best song was the encore, Kill V Maim. I've not danced so hard, and sang so loud in a really long time. I'd give a lot to be able to see her sing that set live again. 

On the way out, we got dinner at a place nearby. It was really yummy but I definitely ordered too much food! Lots of regret, but at least it was good food. All in all, the night was amazing. Made us all really want to see more concerts, and have more nights like that. Perhaps next time we will get something a little easier to wash out of our hair, though! 

26/01/2016 - Australia Day

Since coming to Japan, I have really missed classic Australian things. So, since I am friends with another Australian here, we decided to celebrate Australia Day! For all of our European friends, it wasn't a very interesting celebration. They didn't really know/understand what it was, but they came to celebrate with us anyway.

Georgia (my other Australian friend) had decorated her entire apartment in Australian flags. She gave us all tiny flags which we put on our clothes and it was cute. The food tried to be Australian. However, in Japan there are literally no normal sausages - at least, none like Australia. I think people just don't eat them here, so there's no need for them. But, we made them work for our fake sausage sizzle. We also had fairy bread and vegemite, so it was basically like being in Australia. The whole day was spent watching Summer Heights High and listening to the greatest Aussie hits - it was really fun!

23/01/16 - Gay Club

My friend George really wanted to show us the gay club he went to with Kazu previously. So, since it was our last weekend with Misaki before she went to Europe, we decided to check it out. Personally, I was excited to see the drag queens that perform there. I didn't know what to expect from a gay bar in Japan. This is mostly because of how silent the Japanese tend to stay on the topic. As in, they don't really mind but would prefer not to talk about it. I think that's the biggest difference between Australia and Japan - I feel that most Australian's would speak up if they have an issue, but here they do not.

When we arrived, I found out that the club was actually underground. We walked downstairs and almost instantly after entering I could only breathe cigarette smoke. The door man gave us glow in the dark stamps and we handed our belongings to the cloakroom attendant.

The club wasn't exactly my style. It was seriously crowded and there were tonnes of rude white people there. I think the highlight was the drag queens, definitely. However, they were not very stylish if I'm being honest. Overall, it was fun to dance with my friends, but I don't know if I want to go back. Afterwards we went to sushi at around 5am, sincerely hoping for the first train to arrive because it was beyond freezing.

22/01/16 - 24/01/16 - Saying Goodbye

Since 5 months have passed, the exchange students who are only here for one semester are leaving. On the 22nd we had a formal going away ceremony, where students read speeches and we got dinner together afterwards. It was a nice ceremony, and I hope that mine is like that in the future! However, while I was upset at this ceremony, nothing had prepared me for the going away party the following Sunday. 

At first, I wasn't looking forward to the party because I was hungover. But, I wanted to go just in case it was the last time I could see everyone who was leaving. Going downstairs, everyone was running around trying to still set up the remaining chairs. But, they ended up getting moved aside for the food anyway. I'd already eaten pasta, so I wasn't very hungry. However, I personally couldn't resist nutella balls. 

After about an hour and a half, we sat down in chairs in front of a projector. The RA's had prepared a video for us to watch of the past couple months. It was honestly so funny but at the same time really sad. It hit me so hard that all the people in the video were going to be leaving soon, and I probably won't see them again. I, and everyone else, cried a lot. I think no one was quite ready for that kind of video. After that, we stood up with the people in our floors and took photos. Some people spoke and lots more cried. Saying goodbye is so hard, and I didn't want to say goodbye to the really good friends I had made here. I think it's going to be even worse when I and all my friends have to go back to our own countries. I'm definitely not looking forward to it. 

08/01/16 - オレンジ

My friends and I had seen posters for the film Orange (オレンジ) for a few months. Since it was almost about time for it to leave cinemas, we decided to go see it. The film is based off a manga (like many Japanese films) and I think it was pretty popular. I didn't know anything about the movie, but I said to myself that even though it's in Japanese, I'll be fine as long as there is nothing to do with time travel. However, since I am a terribly unlucky person, it turned out the entire movie was about time travel. I managed to work out most of the things happening in the movie, but had to get some clarification on the time stuff. It was a really emotional movie, and all of us cried. I definitely would see another Japanese movie.

31/12/15 - New Year's Countdown Party

Finally, it came to the last day of 2015. Most of my friends were in Tokyo, so the few of us that remained talked about what we could possibly do for New Year's. In the end, we decided to go to Universal Studios and go to the countdown party. The countdown party involves DJ's and performances, and gives people the opportunity to stay in the park overnight!

Before entering the park at around 4pm, we stocked up on food and heat packs. However, when we got to the entrance we found out that we had to buy a special pass for the countdown party, and couldn't use our year pass. It was really frustrating, but we weren't going to let it ruin our day. So, we bought the tickets and waited until 6:30pm to be let in (after eating a hearty meal at Saizeriya).

The countdown DJ set didn't start until 9pm, so we used this opportunity to go on as many rides as possible. We started the day strong and it was so much fun. I felt a little sick on some of the rides at first, probably because we had just eaten, but I enjoyed them anyway. The highlight rides of the whole night were definitely Jaws, Harry Potter and Spiderman! Despite it being absolutely freezing when we went on the water rides, they were some of the coolest (especially because it was night time).

The DJ set started and so we decided to head over around 10pm. We had seen a bit of it while trying to get to different rides, but didn't really stay for very long. We (me and Kazu) really wanted to see Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's producer perform. We really hoped that she would come out as a surprise guest! But, unfortunately it was just the lead singer of the producer's band. For a good 10 minutes, though, we swore it was actually Kyary and got really excited, but she just looked super similar. It was kind of disappointing! When the countdown started, the projections on all the buildings went crazy and everyone was dancing. It counted down and while we were all shouting along with the numbers, I barely felt like I was in reality.


The past year has been so stressful and it hasn't been all that amazing. But, coming to Japan has given me such a new perspective on how I live my life. I can see that in Adelaide, I don't live enough. But, once I start trying to do things everyday, I am so much happier. I don't think I could stay in Adelaide merely for the lack of adventure. I want to travel and see the world, and I want to live in an exciting way. I'm so thankful that I overcame the stress of applying for exchange so that I could make it here. I have no regrets when it comes to this exchange - even if it hasn't been perfect the whole time. I've made some of the best friends and I was so lucky to spend the first minutes of 2016 with them.

After the countdown, people were in a frenzy. Some people went home, others just scattered around the park. We, however, ran for more rides. By 2am, it started raining and we decided to get pizza at the New York style pizza place in the park. We were feeling kind of horrible, but I think we all perked up after eating. Since we couldn't get back home until first train anyway, we planned to stick it out in the park for as long as our bodies could handle. By 4am I was the coldest I had ever been in my life. I had stuck heat packs to my stomach, put them in my shoes and my pockets. Nothing seemed to help with the cold burn. Once the sun had risen, it was funny to see all the people sleeping in the park. One major thing I have noticed in Japan is that people will leave their belongings in the open, and never expect it to be stolen. In fact, it doesn't get stolen. We joked about how easy it would be to just take a suitcase of a sleeping person on the ground. It's a luxury to leave things wherever and not have to worry about it.

The final ride of the day, wasn't meant to be the final ride. We thought to ourselves that we could get a nap in the Terminator 4D experience, before continuing on with our USJ adventures. But, what we didn't realise, was that the seats rise at some point, and when the finale comes they all suddenly drop. It was one of the rudest awakenings of my life. After that, we were completely done for the day. We wanted sleep more than anything. Unfortunately, whenever we have a full night out, we are always too far away from the dorm to feel good about the journey home. I'm pretty certain that if I was in Australia, I would have just caught a cab (I wish).

27/12/15 - Sky Building

Something that was on my bucket list from the moment I entered Japan, was to look at Umeda from the top of the Sky Building. Since my friends had already been, they didn't plan on going again so soon. But, then one day Rhiannon suggested it - because she knew I had wanted to go. She said she loved it there so didn't mind going again. So, we finally went to climb one of the tallest buildings in Osaka.

We had planned to get there before sundown, but unfortunately we were running a little later than expected. I'd heard many things about the view, and how it's most amazing at night - so it didn't bother me a lot that we were late. I think seeing the sun go down would have been nice, but I can always go again. Despite it being a good time to go, there wasn't a line when we got there. It was lucky, too, because we discovered as we were leaving that the line builds fast. I think there were people waiting all the way down the stairs.

But, since there weren't many people there while when we went, we could see the sky view so easily. First, we looked from the inside. We could sit on benches and stay warm, but Rhiannon assured me that the view from the top was the most impressive. She was definitely right. We walked onto the viewing deck and the only lights were from the city and blue lights near the glass wall. The blue lights made everything glow, but didn't distract from the view.

The view itself was beyond amazing. Even though I was freezing, I really felt how incredible everything was. Seeing Osaka from such a view reminded me of how lucky I am to be on exchange. I could see all the tiny details of the city, even though they were so far away. I'll never forget that. Occasionally I am hit with moments of "wow, I'm really in Japan!" But, I think it hit the hardest when i was up the building. Sometimes I miss things about Australia, but I didn't at that moment. Japan suddenly felt like my place, my home. I was really happy.

26/12/15 - Ramen Expo + Lucky Bags

While I have been to Expo City many times, I've never actually been to the Expo park which is directly next to it. It's famous in Osaka for it's "sun" statue, although me and most of my friends think it's really scary. Mostly because at night it looks like it has glowing death eyes that will kill you at a moments notice. But, because it was the last weekend of the Ramen Expo, me and George decided to go before it was over.

The expo itself wasn't very big. They had lots of food stalls that didn't sell ramen, but we really only looked out for the ramen. The ramen stalls were lined up and they had some really interesting types. They were from all over Japan and so how they were made were quite different. We ended up buying one from Osaka - it was so yummy! I think Osaka really does have the best food. 

When we were leaving, a stray cat was walking around the footpath. It was so cute I really wanted to take it home. It fell asleep on my feet after walking around my legs for a bit. I miss it!

After the expo we didn't really want to go home yet, so we went to Expo City and did some shopping. To my surprise they were already selling Lucky Bags! Lucky Bags are released once a year around New Years. They have random items inside a sealed bag and sometimes you can get really expensive products! I had always wanted to get one and I was lucky enough to find them so early. I ended up overloading on makeup lucky bags, and I have no regrets!

5/12/15-25/12/15 - Christmas in Japan

I celebrated Christmas throughout the month of December and every celebration was just as great as the last. My first celebration was at my part-time job. A job that I have grown to really enjoy. Me and my coworkers were invited to a Christmas party on the 5th of December. We were told to wear something red for the occasion. The night consisted of eating, playing games and talking with guests. The games we played earned our team points, and whoever got the most points was allowed to choose their presents first from under the tree. My team won! So, we were able to choose first. I managed to get a really cute cup. I was so happy! It was a really great start to the month.

My friends and I decided to have a Christmas party between ourselves, since most people were going away in December. We had it at Georgia's apartment, and it was a secret santa! So, we all had to buy gifts in secret (which ended up being really difficult!). I bought a Japanese Christmas cake for the party which was around 35 dollars. It was quite small, but it was a seriously delicious cake! Plus, we couldn't have a Japanese Christmas without one. We listened to Christmas music, ate and opened presents. It was really fun. I got Rhiannon for my secret santa, and she couldn't guess it was me! Actually, pretty much no one could guess who had who, because literally anyone could've gotten us the presents we got. I got a really cute Gudetama toy from Sophie - it's literally the cutest. One of the best Christmas' I have had.

For our dorms Christmas party, it was a big celebration like always. We ate together and played little games in a group. In order to go to the party, we had to bring a 200 yen gift. I bought some chocolate from the supermarket. When it came to receiving gifts, we did a pass the parcel and whatever we had last was our present. I got a really cute santa candle, but unfortunately I cannot light candles in the dorm so I'll have to wait until I get home.

Finally, real Christmas arrived. Pretty much everyone was in Tokyo, so just me, Georgie and Rhiannon were left. I had saved the Christmas presents Dad and Jo until Christmas and got to open them under the tree in the multipurpose room. I felt really happy because I could open them with friends around listening to Christmas music, which is how I like it. Then, while I prepared the room, Rhiannon and George bought some groceries so we could make a semi-roast. It wasn't anything magnificent but it felt so good to be eating a roast on Christmas. We all felt a little homesick, I think. Watching Christmas movies until midnight, it was a really good way to spend the day. I didn't know what to expect of Christmas in Japan, but I was so happy with how I spent it.

16/12/15 - Universal Studios Japan pt 2

My second visit to Universal Studios Japan was with all of my friends this time. I always look forward to going there, but it was nice to go with more and more people. Since it was December, it was completely Christmas themed now. With visual displays everywhere (including a wreath around the Jaws shark's neck).We rode rides all day together. The highlight was literally as we entered the park, our friend Kazu almost got kicked out for filming us on the ride. But, he secretly sent it to our group chat before being told to delete it. It's really funny to watch!

Later in the evening, we separated so it was just me, Georgie, Misaki and Kazu. I think we had so much fun staying behind as everyone else went home. Since we stayed so late, no one was riding any rides so we ended up riding Space Fantasy three times in a row. By the time it was closing, we were lucky enough to see the closing parade. It somewhat felt like a rip off of Disneyland but, we forgave them because it was really fun to watch.

11/12/15 - Kobe Illuminations

Kobe is a really beautiful place. When I first went there, the Western looking buildings really reminded me of Australia. We visited the harbour and ate hot chips - it made me really homesick, I think because of the salty smell in the air.

On the 12th of December, I went to Kobe for the second time to see the Kobe Illumination display. It's famous in Osaka and attracts thousands and thousands of people. I was late in meeting my friends so, in my rush to meet them, I somehow missed half the illuminations. But, what I did see was amazing. The display was really beautiful and more impressive than I thought it would be. Although, I didn't really expect anything less from Japan. I got to eat Taiyaki from the food stalls and it's quickly becoming one of my favourite foods.

 

13/12/15-14/12/15 - Lindzi

I was really happy to hear that Lindzi was visiting Japan briefly for a holiday. I hadn't seen her in over a year, or maybe more? I had planned to meet her on the 14th, but since I was alone in Umeda I messaged her and found out that she was in Shinsaibashi! So, I took the trip and found her and Thali.
They were just doing some shopping (which I am always happy to do). She showed me some stores I had never even seen before, and so now I feel like I'll go to Shinsaibashi more often.

For dinner we went to Sweets Paradise. It is essentially an all you can eat buffet with sweets, curry, pasta and salads. There is so much food to eat and you can eat as much as you want for 70 minutes! If I'm being honest, it wasn't the best food ever but I didn't have a bad meal.

The next day, we met up and had Kushikatsu for lunch! It was my first time going to Kushikatsu (because I was in Australia when my friends went last time), and I was so excited. It took a while to get into the restaurant because it is so popular, but it was well worth it. The food inside is deep fried vegetables, meat and other foods (my favourite the mozzarella) served on sticks. It was so tasty! Afterwards we did more shopping in Umeda.

It's really nice seeing friends who you haven't seen in a while, especially while you're overseas. I wish more friends could visit.

27/11/15 - Golden Temple

A week after visiting the Silver Temple, we finally made our way to the Golden Temple (Kinkakuji). Personally, I was the most excited to see this temple. I've heard that it's most beautiful when the sun is setting and so we timed our trip to arrive just a little before it closes.

Seeing the temple was everything I had imagined and more. I think pictures can't really do it justice, because it's really just magnificent. When the sun sets, the light hits the temple in such a way that makes it look like it's glowing. I'd recommend anyone to go see this temple at least once.

The garden here, for others, wasn't as beautiful as the Silver Temple. However, I really felt that everything was just perfect. I felt that what people enjoyed most about the Silver Temple was the sand garden. But, I personally preferred the simplicity of the garden at Kinkakuji.


Afterwards, we walked around Kyoto and while it was really enjoyable, we experienced Japanese people saying "foreigner" at us every 1 minute walking through the busy streets. We were getting really mad and confused so we ended up going home. We get called foreigners a lot by strangers and while we know that it's obvious, it's still pretty annoying after a while.

22/11/15 - Silver Temple

Early in the morning, we set out to see the Silver Temple (Ginkakuji) in Kyoto. It took almost 3 hours to get there by train and bus. It was really a terrible experience. Buses in Japan are really small, and everyone is tightly crammed into it. You enter through the back and get off at the front, so when you have been shoved to the back it's a challenge to get off. I started to feel sick on the bus because there didn't feel like much oxygen was flowing through there. After that we made a group decision to find a different way home.

When we got off the bus, we had to walk up a long street of food vendors. They sold ice cream and souvenirs and different kinds of common snack food. It was really nice and it made me seriously hungry. But, we carried on towards the temple.

There was a huge line to get inside, and I was getting so excited to go inside. But, after paying my 500 yen and walking inside, I found that the temple that I thought would be covered in silver was actually just wood. It was kind of disappointing, but nonetheless. Apparently, it was meant to be silver (like the golden temple is gold), but it was unfinished because the man who was making it died before it could be painted.

While the temple isn't that impressive, most people find beauty in the garden that surrounds it. Because we went there in autumn, the leaves in the garden were red. We had hoped that they would be more red when we went, before falling, but apparently due to weather it wasn't going to happen.

We wanted to go to the Golden Temple that day, however it took unexpectedly long to get there. Since the temples close at 5, it was impossible to get to the other temple in time (since they are quite a distance). But, it was a really nice day anyway.

22/11/2015 - Christmas Markets

It’s really fun seeing how different countries celebrate Christmas. Before coming to Japan, I knew Christmas was big and that they decorated the cities, but I also knew of it being only a couple’s holiday. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect of Christmas. Since it was only November when my friends decided to take me to the Japanese Christmas markets, I was suddenly so excited.

My friends from Europe told me all about their Christmas and how amazing it is, with light displays and markets. With it being cold, it also has a different atmosphere. I was jealous, because I think in Australia, it’s not as spectacular. I’m not sure what I expected from the markets – probably just some stalls with the theme of Christmas, but it ended up being so much more than that!

When arriving, I think my German friends felt especially at home. The market was set up with stalls like I thought, but they looked like little houses instead of regular stalls. They were all snow topped and sold lots of German desserts – including green apple popcorn! But, it was the tree in the middle of the markets that really made me so happy. It was large and important and beautiful and I loved it. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a little, but I think I was just overwhelmed since it was my first Christmas away from home. I didn’t want to leave.