What an absolutely crazy experience this trip was, prior to this trip I had never even been outside the united states, and now I was going all the way to the other side of the world! And something even crazier: Despite me going into this not knowing my other classmates very well, most others being graduating seniors whereas I was still a sophomore, I still somehow managed to make some absolutely incredible friends.
June 13th
June 13th was hands down one of the most memorable days in the trip for me, it honestly felt like a week cram packed into only 24 hours. It started with Teamlabs, an amazing art experience that we only got thanks to Yuko vouching for it to be added to the trip (Thanks Yuko!). It involved multiple walk-through rooms with water, lights, and mirrors, one room had us running around in water with fish projected on its surface, and another had us laying in a room with a dome screen and a mirrored floor. Words cannot describe how breathtaking the scenery was within these exhibits, so below is a picture that I hope captured at least a portion of that magic.
After Teamlabs we visited the Tokyo fish market, and oh. my. god. I have never had such mind-meltingly good sushi in my life, and I don’t know if I ever will again. To think we almost settled for a cafeteria that was nearby is crazy, I shudder at the thought of the possibility that I almost missed out on it.
During The latter half of the day, the group all traveled to Shibuya and split off for a free rest of the day, Brooke, Lily, Joe and I went shopping around some of the streets. Shibuya definitely was one of the coolest places I visited in Tokyo, from all the incredible shopping, and the streets being so incredibly interesting to look at, I could’ve spent hours having my eyes trace over all the little details and buildings in the area.
Later that night, Joe, Lily, and I continued to explore Shibuya, and eventually, we stumbled into a mall/park, called Miyashita Park. It ended up being a really cool mall that had multiple floors finished by a giant park/rooftop complete with statues of Doraemon, a rugby field, a rock climbing area, and of course, a Starbucks.
June 19th
June 19th might just have been my favorite day of the entire trip, just because of how goddamn good we looked that day. June 19th was the day Joe, Lily, Brooke, and I got dressed up in kimonos (yukata) and wandered the streets of Higashiyama, Kyoto. The day started off with us getting dressed and heading off to a tea ceremony that Joe was really excited about. It ended up being the first time I had had real matcha and it was an awesome experience.
After some more incredible exploration, a really cool lunch, and 14 bajillion photo’s later, we returned the kimonos and went on our way to find dinner. We settled on a kaiseki place, which originally turned us away because it was “reservation only” but then allowed us to eat there when we went back to ask about reservations. It was my first time eating Kaiseki for me and it was one of the most interesting, well-presented, and delicious meals I have EVER eaten.
June 22nd
June 22nd was another one of my favorite days, it started off with the group meeting up with Yuko’s Uncle’s Kimono Company, which was already an insane connection she had, we additionally also got to meet one of Japan’s oldest and best Kimono designers, and see his workshop and process through making these kimono’s.
After that, Yuko, Brooke, Lily, and I walked the philosopher’s path, a beautiful trail following a small stream with carp, stunning vegetation, and really cool shops spread around. One of these shops was an older gentleman who sold varying clothing items as a sort of unique thrift shop. We stayed in his shop for a while and he spoke to us about the location and his story/job, he shared and even let us keep some photos he had taken of the path throughout the year. HE WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING.
The day ended with us four getting dinner at another place we lucked out with in terms of reservations, this time another group of 4 failed to show up for their reservation so we got to slide in and take their spot :). I ended up getting Wagyu beef (for only $30!) and it was incredible, melt-on-your-tongue incredible! And it was an incredible meal to cap off an incredible day.
Final
Those were probably my three favorite days during the entire trip, but god damn was it hard narrowing it down to only three. Every single day was unforgettable, and that is completely thanks to 4 wonderful people, Yuko, Joe, Brooke, and Lily. Major credit to Yuko, who had set up and successfully pulled off one of the most amazing trips I think anyone could possibly go on, every single thing she recommended, offered, and brought us to was incredible and felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I do not believe there is a single better person fit for leading this trip than Yuko. Additionally, the people I traveled with, Joe, Brooke, and Lily, who I barely knew prior to going on this trip, ended up being some of the most interesting and coolest people I have ever met. Traveling with them, and hearing their stories, interests, opinions, and idea’s made this trip worth so much more. Thank you guys!