Kyoto and Nara

A few weekends ago I went with my host family to Kyoto and Nara: two cities that were both capitals of Japan (at different times). You could call Nara the birthplace of Japanese civilization as Buddhism took a firm hold during this era. The Japanese nobles at the time sponsored the building of magnificent temples along with beautiful works of arts to go along with it. The city has since retired its status of capital and is now a quiet city surrounded by tranquil forests and beautiful landscape. 

The most famous temple in Nara is the Todaiji (literally east big temple in Japanese). This temple is famous for its bronze daibutsu (big Buddha) which is found inside the temple. These Buddha statues are found all over Japan, but this one is the largest found inside of any other Japanese temple.Todaiji was even the world's biggest wooden structure until 1998. 

On top the amazing history and serenity of the place, Nara is filled with deer that you'll either love or hate. They're nice to you... as long as you're not holding any food. Be prepared to be attacked by a herd of angry Bambis if otherwise.  

(All these pictures were taken by me.)

They're everywhere.

Bad idea.

Todaiji is huge. I need a wider lens for my camera. This is all I could fit in the frame.

The Daibutsu

Tamonten (listener of many teachings) is one the four Deva Kings in Japanese folklore. He is said to be completely fluent is Buddha;s teachings and is the protector of holy places.

The gate that stands facing the temple

After Nara came Kyoto as the capital of Japan. Kyoto (only a 20 minute car ride from Nara) was Japan's imperial capital for more than 1000 years! Famous attractions in Kyoto include the Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), Gion (Kyoto's geisha district), and the Fushimi Inari shrine.

A cool building in Gion (actually just a restaurant).


Kinkakuji


Kyoto street

These kinds of shrines and temples are common throughout the whole country.

6/25/2014-6/30/2014

I'm sorry for the late update but ever since the plane touched down in Tokyo, I've been really busy. I've been in Japan for 5 days now, so I decided to give this little update on what I've been doing these past few days. We arrived in Tokyo at 3:00 on Wednesday after a surprisingly comfortable 11 hour flight.

Awesome experience with United Airlines.

After arriving at Narita International Airport, I was greeted by the AWESOME AFS Japan team and then taken to to the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center  right outside of Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Busy Shinjuku crosswalk.

Tokyo Tower

View of Tokyo from central building of NYC.

Vending machines are everywhere here. This one sells hot takoyaki, onigiri (rice balls), french fries, etc.

We had an awesome time. The AFS Japan team made it hard to leave.

Riding through a Japanese town on the bullet train

I'm out!

I made it. We made it. Through the love, compassion, and caring exhibited by all of my friends, family and neighbors, We were able to reach my goal, and for that, I want to give a big thanks. This dream has been 3 years in the making, and now it is all finally coming into realization. To everyone who supported my effort: if it were not for your kind and generous donations and encouraging words, I would not be where I am today. I would not be on the verge of delving into one of the most complex and fascinating cultures on the planet. And I would not be preparing for one of the greatest trips of my life. And for that, I could not be any more grateful than I am at this very moment.

I would also like to give a special thanks to AIFS and the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation for choosing me as one of their recipients of a scholarship in the amount of $2,500. A huge thanks also goes out to Mrs. Fraley, a friend that recommended that I apply for the scholarship. I remember sitting in the school cafeteria when I got that call from you guys, and words could not even begin to describe the immense joy that took over me after upon the arrival of that wonderful news. This scholarship has helped in too many ways to count, so once again, Thank you.

Now that everything is folded, packed, and accounted for, it's time to hit the road (or the runway in this case). I leave tomorrow! Here's what I'll be doing the next few days so y'all can keep up.

Monday (Tomorrow)- Depart from RDU (Raleigh/Durham Int. Airport) to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). 5 hour flight. Orientation after arrival.

Tuesday- Depart from LAX to NRT (Narita International Airport in Tokyo). 11 hours of staring out the window. Meet up with AFS students from around the world. 

Tuesday-Saturday- More orientations. Depart from hostel to meet host family on last day. The adventure really begins. Get ready Japan.

During that time, I will do my best to let you guys know what's going on and take as much photos and videos as possible. Please stayed tuned, and post any comments or questions below in the comments section. I would really love to hear from everyone and write about things in Japan that interest you!

Well, it's getting late, and my flight leaves at 7 in the morning, so I think I'm gonna wrap it up for now. To all my friends and family in the states, I love y'all, and I'll see you in August! to all the AFSers that might chance to read this post... WE MADE IT! HERE WE COME JAPAN! ARE YOU READY?!

I'm out, guys.

Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, and Toukai- My Host Community

Finally. Finally I have an idea of where I'll be staying and what I'll be doing in Japan! I got the an email from AFS Tuesday morning while I was (quite desperately) refreshing my inbox, hoping something other than spam would pop up. Unfortunately, I find myself doing this way more than I should, but that morning I prevailed and finally received the long awaited information about my host family and host school. It was hard for me to concentrate on the rest of the school day after that, but as soon as I got home, I did all the finding out I could. Here's everything I know so far about where I'll be for seven weeks in Japan! 

Aichi-ken (Aichi Prefecture)

In Japan, They do not have states, per se, instead, they have a system of prefectures denoted by the suffixes "ken", "fu", "to", or "dou". In total, there are 47 prefectures in the country. Aichi, also referred to as Toukai (East Sea), is located near the center of Japan's main island, Honshu. Aichi Prefecture faces the Ise and Mikawa Bays to the south and borders Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, Nagano Prefecture to the northeast, Gifu Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture to the west. The capital city is located in Nagoya, Japan's fourth largest city! Summers are usually very hot and humid. The population of  Aichi consists of approximately 7.43 million people. Recently, Aichi has become an economic powerhouse. Own a Toyota? Their headquarters are based in Aichi prefecture along with Suzuki and Mitsubishi factories. 

Nagoya-shi (Nagoya City)

Nagoya is located in the eastern part of Aichi and is the prefecture's largest city. The city is mainly industrial which is the reason why it's mostly over looked by tourists (yay! no gaijin!). Despite the city being the economic powerhouse that it is, the city does have a wealth of cool museums, an aquarium, department stores, and parks. lots of parks.

I will not be living in Nagoya, but my language school is within walking distance from train station which I will more than likely be taking every morning and afternoon. I will be attending I.C. Nagoya, a language school that accepts students from all around the world. My school days will last from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

I.C. Nagoya

The walk from the station to my school

I.C. Nagoya Building

Toukai-shi (Toukai City)

I will be living with my host family in Toukai, a small city that borders Nagoya just to the south. The city is fairly new being founded in 1969 and having a population of only 109,253 as of 2011 (Wikipedia). My family consists of a Mom, Dad, little brother (8), and little sister (11). Other than that, I don't know too much about Toukai. On the upside, my host family emailed me back and said that they would be sure to fix me takoyaki when I arrive in Japan. Only three more weeks! Awesome! 

Toukai in relation to the rest of Aichi. Toukai (hot pink) Nagoya (purple)

A picture of what my neighborhood might look like.

Takoyaki- Fried balls of dough stuffed with octopus and covered in all sorts of yummy toppings. Looks amazing.  I know.

My Program

My program is still a mystery to a lot of people, so today I will give a brief overview of the AFS Japanese Summer Language Study Program (try saying that five times fast). Note that this is all the information I have as of now; as I receive more specific info, it will definitely be posted. 

Basically, I will be leaving for Japan during the summer in order to attend a language school and stay with a host family. I will fly from Greensboro, North Carolina to Los Angeles, California some time around June 20th where I will meet other "AFSers" that will be going to Japan as well. We will attend a pre-departure orientation and leave for Tokyo the next day. Upon arrival in Tokyo, we will attend even more orientations. These are intended to help me maximize my AFS experience, prevent culture shock and gain knowledge, skills and a global understanding. Topics covered will include Japanese society, culture, family, school, religion, festivals, safety and health issues. Good stuff. From there we will finally catch a bus, shinkansen (bullet train),  or even a taxi to our host community. AFSers in this program will be staying in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, or Sapporo, four major cities in Japan. Destinations are determined by language proficiency. From there, my adventure really begins!

Host Family

By spending time with my family in the evenings and on weekends, I'll have the opportunity to further improve my language learning. This immersion offers a unique way to skyrocket my learning by placing it in immediate context. Along with improving my speaking ability, I hope to create a life-long friendship with my host family. We will have a mutually beneficial relationship as they introduce me to Japanese, and I represent my country as an ambassador. Host families in Japan, like all AFS host families worldwide, are volunteers and are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.

Language Lessons

Shoudo
kisaragichiyo.deviantart.com

My program includes 80 hours of Japanese language classes, host family immersion experience, participation in cultural activities, and travel opportunities to historic and cultural sites. I will attend language class with fellow AFSers from several countries. Classes will be offered at a professional language school and will have 5-12 students per class. They will take place 4 hours per day, 5 days per week, for four weeks. For the remainder of the program, I will be able to put my new language skills to immediate use by immersing myself in the culture of Japan. I will also take part in many cultural activities. Examples of activities include: ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), shodo (Japanese calligraphy), sightseeing trips, and visits to nearby places of historic interest.

After our six weeks are up, the AFSers in Japan will meet back up in Tokyo for our flight back to the States. We share our experiences with everyone we know and hopefully inspire more people to travel and become more culturally aware. The program will eventually come to a close, but the impact it has on me will be life-long. 





Don't forget to follow my blog and visit periodically, as I will be updating info constantly! I want to make my experience interactive with all that are interested, so if you have any questions, requests, or comments, make sure to post it on my blog! I want to hear from you!!!

It's Official! What Now?

Hey, guys! It's official: I've been accepted by AFS Japan! This means that AFS Japan is committed to finding a suitable family to host me on my exchange. So what happens now? A lot of information will be headed my way before I depart in June. Now is the time to prepare for my journey, but I can't do it alone. While I have studied the Japanese language for the better part of three years, I consider myself quite ignorant when it comes to aspects of culture in Japan. Let's face it, reading about the culture of a place out of a dated textbook isn't entertaining... at all. So, in order to make this process a little less boring, I need you guys to help me brainstorm some research topics: post comments below, ask questions, or request certain topics that you would like discussed or clarified. For example, If you want to read my thoughts on the political climate of Japan, leave a comment! I'll be more than happy to provide concise information on the topic. I will also be posting information that pertains to my trip in particular. Once more information arrives from AFS, you can be sure that it will be posted on the blog. Until then, I want this blog to grow into a place of inquiry and discussion. Let's do it!

Don't forget to follow my blog and visit periodically, as I will be updating info constantly! I want to make my experience interactive with all that are interested, so if you have any questions, requests, or comments, make sure to post it on my blog! I want to hear from you!!!

Problem Solved!

First off, I want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who has donated to my program thus far. You guys are really making this dream become a reality. Secondly, I want to set the record straight and address some confusion you might have. I noticed recently (probably along with many of you) that if you click the "DONATE NOW!" button in the "SPONSOR AN AFSER" box to the right, you receive a dialogue that looks like...

or

 This is known as an SSL error and simply means that the browser can't link its certificate to a trusted root certificate. This, however, does not mean that donating through Sponsor An AFSER is unsafe; it just means that link has an expired certificate because the Sponsor An AFSER program has been in use for many years now. With that being said, I understand if you're still a bit apprehensive about donating through Sponsor An AFSER: totally understandable. That's why I created another donation button (above Sponsor An AFSER) that lets you make a 100% secure donation through PayPal. 100% of all proceeds earned from donations through PayPal go towards my tuition payments. So just to recap, both methods of donation are safe, and you can use either one! Problem Solved!

Don't forget to follow my blog and visit periodically, as I will be updating info constantly! I want to make my experience interactive with all that are interested, so if you have any questions, requests, or comments, make sure to post it on my blog! I want to hear from you!!!