Living in the Land of the Rising Sun.

So last week I arrived in Japan. It was my first time to ever fly in a commercial airline! I liked the flight quite a bit. Because of the time difference I tried to get as much sleep as I could on the way to Japan. When I arrived in Japan I went through customs with no problems. When I got into the lobby most of the buddies were there to welcome us. The buddies are all so nice! I'm really glad that this program has the buddies, it makes it so much easier to get acclimated to Japan. I think I would have had a hard time without them. My classes started on Monday this week. So far I have really liked them. My Japanese teachers are both really nice and have a good sense of humor which makes everything better! Japan is such a beautiful country. It really creates a sense of awe.  A couple days ago we went to a matsuri or festival. It was incredibly fun. We walked to the shrine that the matsuri was being held and watched the parades go out into Hayama, where we are staying.

 Inside the gate there were tons of little shops and stands that sold various things from food and candy to posters and trading cards. After we bought some delicious matsuri food we sat on a retaining wall on the beach and watched the sun set behind Mt. Fuji.

The best part of Japan is that everything is an adventure, you just can't get around it haha. I go to the super market quite a bit and everyday I go in there I see some new interesting food. I think the thing that surprised me the most about Japan so far is the lack of water that they drink. When you go into a restaurant they serve you water in these tiny glasses, about kiddie cup size. First time I really noticed how small the glasses were was when we had been walking around outside for quite a while. I was expecting a huge, tall U.S. size glass of ice water and when they gave me that small kiddie cup my heart kinda sank haha. Another thing that is amazing is the humidity and the heat. I had always heard that Japan was hot, but I don't think you can understand how hot until you've been here. It is amazing. When you walk you sweat but unlike Arkansas where it will eventually go away, it seems like the sweat just builds up and stays. Gross, I know. But the walks and sweat are all totally worth it to be able to see the sights. There are so many new,strange and interesting things to see it would be a shame to miss them!

Isaac Morgan