In 2015, I spent a semester abroad in Sydney, Australia, where I lived in student apartments. This is where I met my neighbor, Seika. She lived two doors down and was studying abroad from Japan. We had fun adventures together in Australia, and we kept in touch with plans to… READ MORE

Overall my travels to Japan were pretty easy. I flew from Cincinnati ➡️ Chicago ➡️ Tokyo ➡️ Osaka. The longest flight was 13 hours. We followed the sun west the entire trip. Luckily people had their windows down, so it was dark enough to sleep some. The meals came accompanied… READ MORE

A bunch of American snacks I brought a 65 liter backpack full of American snacks for Seika and her family. If I could do it again, I would have packed it in a hardshell suitcase or at least a rectangular suitcase. All the treats made it through, but the Reese’s… READ MORE

I love strawberries, and it is strawberry season here! Lucky me! Strawberry season is from December to May, and the strawberries here are so perfect and juicy and sweet. Seika treated us to a strawberry-themed fancy afternoon tea. It was everything I could have hoped for. So many different ways… READ MORE

Seika took me to a nearby bakery that she and her family enjoy. She bought a bunch of different breads and rolls for us. Some sweet, some savory, all delicious! Then we went to get massages! Japanese massage is so relaxing. You wear a t-shirt and athletic pants for the… READ MORE

I was nervous that a rainy day might not be worth visiting Nara, but Seika’s parents lent me an umbrella and a hand warmer and said that I would still enjoy it. They were right, of course. Nara is around an hour of train travel away from Osaka. I took… READ MORE

I really enjoyed the Japanese barbecue experience, yakiniku, with Seika, her grandpa, her parents, and her uncle. Grandpa treated us to dinner. Thank you! We had different parts of the cow. Tongue We began with tongue. It is seasoned with salt and sliced into manageable pieces. We each have a… READ MORE

Seika’s mom prepared a typical Japanese breakfast this morning. It was more family style because she wasn’t sure which foods I would like, which was very thoughtful. Typically, the foods are presented all together in individual portions. The breakfast food items included eggs cooked with soy sauce, salmon, another type… READ MORE

Although there are several areas in Japan that are well-known for their sake, Kobe produces the majority of sake in Japan. Naturally, during my day in Kobe, I wanted to visit some sake places. In the Nada district of Kobe, there are a whole bunch of sake breweries to visit.… READ MORE

Seika and I went to onsen after she finished her overnight shift at work. Onsen is a Japanese hot spring. I love hot springs and wanted to visit at least one onsen! We went to Solaniwa Onsen in Osaka Bay Tower, it was fancy. We changed into a yukata, a… READ MORE

Important words and phrases: ______ + kudasai = give me this please(Noun) Hito tsu (一つ) = one setHito tsu kudasai (一つ ください) = give me one set please Bīru kudasai (ビールください) = beer pleaseMizu kudasai (水 ください) = water pleaseO mizu kudasai (お 水 ください) = water please (polite) Onegaishimasu… READ MORE

My last full day in Japan, Seika and I went to Kyoto. She organized the perfect day! We took the train in the premiere car. It was very comfortable and felt fancy. When we arrived to Kyoto, we had an appointment at a kimono place, where they dressed us in… READ MORE

Seika and I are already trying to figure out our next time that we will see each other. Maybe we meet up somewhere in America, maybe I come back to Japan (there’s so much more to see and do), maybe we meet up in a different country together. I have… READ MORE