Max Wallace

Day Zero: I'm Going On An Adventure! - November 4th/5th

The fourteen hour plane right couldn't stifle my excitement for this trip. Japan greeted me in a way much unlike the other students. Near the currency exchange counter, I was approached by a man with a microphone, a man with a notebook, and a man who pointed a big camera in my face. They worked for a show called, "Why Are You In Japan?" and they asked me why I came here, what I did to get here, and what was I going to do. My Japanese was already being put to the test even before leaving the airport! On this night we also experienced our first Onsen, a well deserved remedy for our stiff and cramped flight. It was an experience unlike any other, a cultural immersion I so desperately desire more of. We were told we would want to get in a big hot public bath everyday, and I figured it was overhyped. It is a custom here to relax on A daily basis, and I can safely say I would've came here just for it.

Day One: Monkey Mountain - November 6th

Starting off bright and early, we boarded a Shinkansen headed for Kyoto. I had already gotten a bit of attention in the airport due to the presence I omit with my choice of hairstyle, but today it was particularly evident. Mountain climbing was on the schedule for today, an I didn't wear the right shoes for it. Nonetheless, the mountain was gorgeous and the path was lined with several Japanese quizzes regarding the monkeys that reside atop the mountain. While there were some in English further down the path, they were in Japanese first and we read and answered them in small groups. I was almost amazed at my recognition of certain kanji, and those that I didn't know were fairly easy to contextualize. One quiz in particular was important that we understood, because it instructed us on how to behave towards the monkeys. Within this quiz I believe the gap between 3rd and 4th years was evident. I didn't understand, but my classmates helped me out. 

This trip creates a sort of unification between students that a classroom lacks. You really can't develop cliques when you're across the world with 17 other people, and I think that's what I've enjoyed about this trip most so far. Not only am I learning a lot about the language but I'm learning a lot about the people I see everyday, yet know nothing about. Learning a language is a lot easier amongst friends who are willing to help you without sounding like a dweebus. On the notion of class unity, our dinner that night was Shoujin Ryouri. An elegantly displayed meal, which did not match it's taste. Many struggled to complete the meal, I failed to digest it altogether, but I feel we gained something more than a sickly feeling from it. It brought us a little closer together, and I believe that's something unique to this trip. Not only am I learning another language, but learning about people I may have known since 1st grade or met this year.

Day Two: I Hope There's No Water Temple - November 7th

Day two of Kyoto served to be a day of first times. We went to a total of 4 temples in the day, my favorite by far being the first we went to. The silence was almost astonishing, I'd never encountered such a serene location. You could look up hundreds of images of any location and probably see pictures from perspectives better than you could imagine, but nothing matches being there yourself and experiencing every minute detail. The view was breathtaking, the silence was astounding, the air had never seemed so pure.

At a later temple I inquired a stranger in regards to a tall post in front of a large temple shrine. I couldn't read the kanji, and he explained it to me thoroughly after asking if I spoke Japanese. These kind of experiences were the ones I so desired from this trip, engaging with a total stranger and I was surprised by his willingness to help a foreigner. In America you'd most likely be ridiculed if you didn't speak English well, but it's obvious that I'm a foreigner yet they still assist me with a smile. The ratio of people smiling to those who aren't makes the country appear brighter. Just people watching for a day could teach you new aspects of this culture.

Day Three: Your Princess Is In Another Castle - November 8th

The Shinkansen ride to Kumamoto has topped my Onsen experience as the best thing I've encountered in Japan yet. I sat down next to a little old lady by the name of Youko. She was extremely kind, talking to me for hours about everything and anything. Understanding most of what she was saying was amazing, I didn't even realize how much I knew and that it was applicable. What I didn't understand, she helped me with. I gave her our itinerary and she marked down locations to visit and food to try. This event alone was better than an entire month of any class. I pulled out some of my Japanese homework and she helped me with it. I began to truly understand what kind of country this is, and I like it.

Kumamoto castle was beautiful as to be expected, and the people there were almost as kind as Youko. We explored the entirety of the grounds, and although the main square was a bit crowded (There was some sort of samurai dance demonstration going on, spectacular by the way) there were still parts of the castle absent of other people. I expected to further my knowledge of the Japanese language with this trip, but I thought of the phrase "cultural immersion" as something just tossed around. Being in another country and experiencing such a populous attraction throws you into their way of life head first.

Day Four: Paparazzi - November 9th

Trains, trains, and more trains, I've only taken maybe 5 trains in my lifetime before this trip and I can safely say in America, I'd never be able to do it everyday. In Japan however, trains are waaaaaaaay nicer, arriving on the dot and being much cleaner and more pleasant. I could get use to this kind of travel. The National Museum was gorgeous, this trip is making it difficult to find synonyms for pretty. It was very dark, and the displays were organized in a neat mannerism so that they could all be seen in a few go arounds. What caught me off guard was the gigantic sword displayed in the center of the exhibit. 2.8 meters in length, the strength of three men would be needed to carry it, and another three to swing it. A weapon of such mass would be to big to inflict suffering and death, demonstrating a kind of oxymoronic piece. What I identified with was the crude bronze sword located a few steps away from the glorious craft previously mentioned. It's blade was dull, a heavy-looking long sword most likely used for hacking and bludgeoning as opposed to slicing. It's brutish and ferocious nature resonated with me, the reality of the capability of such a small object. Japan most certainly hasn't been excluded from the cruelty of war.

On a much brighter note I got my pictures taken with strangers a dozen and a half times today. On the bridges to the Dazaifu-Jinja, tons of strangers came up to me, wanting to take pictures and touch my hair. I didn't expect to be a tourist attraction in a foreign country, it's almost as if we were being praised for breaking the norm. This shrine was also a sort of coming of age passage for 5 year old boys, and 3 and 7 year old girls. They wear very fancy, traditional clothing, and I honestly had no idea that it was even a thing people did. Japan is chocked full of traditions and customs and we were taught a few, but there are so many more that we've never even heard of.

Day Five: World Peace

Today was a very emotional day, not of excitement and joy, but of intrigue and reality. Our first site was the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, and it held a certain aura of power behind it. The air within the museum was intense, and you could feel the weight of many hearts within the area. I couldn't really put into perspective the devastation of the fatman until entering this museum. 

After the museum, nearby was the Peace Park. I did my site report on the area, and in my presentation I said the statue was 10 meters tall. I really wish we used the metric system because I hadn't grasped how large the statue actually was. It was towering, imposing almost. The raised hand signified the threat of the atomic bomb. The horizontal arm was raised to signify peace, the theme of the entire park. This was merely another demonstration that hearing about and seeing pictures of a location can never do it justice. Actually being there is gripping, the same goes with the atomic bomb museum. No matter how much you read up on a subject, just being there in the museum made it that much more of a reality.

Day Six: Bathtime

If there's any part of the Japanese culture I want to experience more of for the rest of my life it would be the events of today. We traveled to Kurokawa to get a complete Onsen experience. One might question the educational properties of some hot water with minerals in it and to that I say the following; this is the lifestyle of Japan. Their daily life is highly strenuous, so much that it seems like a necessity. At the end of our days we typically unwind on a couch and watch hours of TV. They simply don't have time for that, so instead they soak for maybe 15 minutes at the end of everyday and it rejuvenates them. After walking roughly 70-some-odd miles in the span of 5 days it was splendid. I can't understand why we don't have them in every American town.

Day Seven: 

Day Eight: Ever Tried Trigonometry In Japanese?

Day Nine: