Day 13: Narita and Final Comments

Day 13: Narita
and Final
Comments
We left Japan today and headed home to Switzerland. The trip had it's ups and downs, but overall it was a good trip. This trip was very different from any other I had been on, just because of the place we were in. For once I felt like a really tall person, when I'm not really that tall. I didn't even like shopping for clothes that much, which is shocking, because I was too big for all of them. I thought that I was going to have problems with the language barrier, but it turns out that people were very helpful and I never really had a problem with the language. Two things that I think made me have culture shock were: One that I was actually tall in the country and I am only 5'7'', Two was as Sivi always said it seemd like we were in some kind of cartoon land because there were noises playing everywhere. Songs played for cross walks, or a beeping sound played, and songs played when the train was coming and when it was leaving. In Kyoto the cross walks near our hotel played a really somber music, and we then realized why Japan had a high suicide rate. The only time I really like the music playing was when we went to Disneyland because it was a Disney song which I thought was really cool. There is an episode on The Simpsons where they go to Japan and all I could think about when I was there was that episode. I think it really summed up parts of my trip and somewhat how I felt about Japan. If you have ever been to Japan and haven't seen The Simpsons episode I recomend you check it out.
The Simsons:http://www.thesimpsons.com/index.html

Day 12: Narita

Day 12: Narita
After taking a very long train ride from Hiroshima to Narita we finally made it there. Once we found the hotel we decided since there was nothing to do in the hotel to go to Disneyland because it was only 1 hour away. When we got there the music that was playing at the train station was Disney music, it was really cool. Right as soon as you got off the stop you were right there at Disneyland. When we got to the line to buy tickets there were a lot of people, and it was almost 6pm. I couldn't believe how many people were going so late at night. I was really happy that we got to go, I think it was the best part of my trip. We only got to ride 3 rides, but that was fine with me because I finally got to ride Space Mountain after trying to ride it at 4 different Disney parks and not being able to because I either didn't have time or the ride was closed for renovations. So I was really happy that I finally got to ride it. It was really funny to see the differences in the Disney parks because I have been to all of them except the one in Hong Kong. The whole park was geared a lot towards the Jpanese population, but it is understandable because we were pretty much the only non-Asian people in the park. Even the food was different, they had ramen and other Jpanese style foods. Also the products they sold in the stores were completly different than what they sell in other Disney parks. They didn't have products that had things saying Disneyland Tokyo, or any other kind of souvenir. They sold a lot of food products. I had a great time at the park, and I do believe that DISNEYLAND IS THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON THE EARTH!

Disneyland Tokyo:http://www.tokyodisneyresort.co.jp/index_e.html
The Disneyland Report: http://www.disneylandreport.com/

Day 11: Hiroshima

Day 11: Hiroshima
Today we left for Hiroshima. It was a long train ride, but worth it to go see Hiroshima, and what the U.S. did to it in World War 2. Once we got there we had lunch while people were folding cranes to place at the peace park. After we had lunch we helped out folding cranes too. I couldn't really fold the cranes so I strung them on strings to hang them at a memorial once we got there. We were trying to make 1,000 and we didn't get that many made, but we did get very close. When we were somewhat finished we went to the Hiroshima Peace Park and walked around and hung the cranes on one of the mermorials. The park had a very eery feeling. We saw a group of students giving a ceremony around the statue for the little girl who died from cancer from the after effects from the Atomic bomb. The museum was very sad, seeing all of the facts from the war. It was also really sad to see the after effects that we had caused on Japan. The destruction, and the physical effects that happend to the people was very horrific. It was very hard to see what the U.S. did to Japan.
Hiroshima peace museum: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/peacesite/English/Stage0/S0-5E.html
Offical Hiroshima Peace museum: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/top_e.html

Day 10: Osaka

Day 10: Osaka
Today Katie and I went to the Osaka Castle with Prof. Schuchardt. While walking through the park around the castle we noticed a lot of blue tent looking things. These blue tent things were the homeless's houses. It was kind of weird that the Japanese allowed them to live outside the castle. It was very odd. The castle was pretty cool, but I like the one in Nagoya better. After we went to the peace muesum in Osaka. It had facts about World War 2, and it gave the story from all different sides. It was a different museum because unlike most it didn't show just one side of the story, but all sides of it.

After I met up with Christine and we went shopping. She took me to the Disney store that she had gone to earlier. It was so different from any that I had ever been to. The products were completly different from the ones in the U.S. I had never seen any of the items in the store. I got what looks like a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal, but it is actually speakers for like a computer or MP3 player.
Osaka Castle: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4000.html
Osaka Peace Museum:http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4005.html
Disney store: http://disneyshopping.go.com/

Day 9: Kyoto & Osaka

Day 9: Kyoto & Osaka
In the morning we went to the Imperial Palace. There was a group of about 40 people in the tour group, which we didn't know. The girl that was giving the English tour couldn't speak English that well so we had no idea what she was saying the whole time. So I know nothing about the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. After we finished there we got on the train and went to Osaka. When we got to Osaka we wondered around the town for a while at night trying to find somewhere to eat. I finally felt like I was in Japan because of all of the bright lights and big signs and crowded streets.
Kyoto Imperial Palace: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3917.html
Osaka:http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html

Day 8: Kyoto

Day 8: Kyoto
Today we met up with one of the friends again today and went on the skywalk above the train station. I wish it had been clearer out because we would have been able to see more of the city and the mountain skyline. After we went to the Toji temple, which has the tallest pagoda in Japan, and it is five stories high. We went inside and went into a couple of the buildings and saw a couple of big Buddhas which have been there since about 796. The Buddhas were placed there in order to protect the city. After we went to the Toei Uzumasa Movieland and saw some of the backlots where they film movies, and T.V. shows. We went to the haunted house in the park, which I thought wasn't that scary, but Sivi was very scared by it. Then we went and saw a special effects show which was not very impressive it was just things coming out. But Godzilla did find his mommy at the park and they were reunited. Christine, Terence, and I decided that we wanted to dress up like Geishas and Samuri and get our pictures taken. It was a very interesting experience because they put the stuff on and position you, which standing on the shoes was not that easy because they were small and very high and unporportioned. When the picture was taken they take the clothes off you very fast, and you are done. I was amazed at how quickly it all happened.
Toji temple:http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3919.html
Geishas: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2102.html
Toei Uzumasa:http://www.frommers.com/destinations/kyoto/A23819.html

Day 7: Kyoto

Day 7: Kyoto
Today Susan's old study abroad friend took us to the Ryoanji stone garden and the golden temple, Kinkakuji. The stone garden wasn't that exciting it was just a zen garden, with not much to see. They had a display with 15 rocks set up and you could only see all of them from one point of the display. After we went to the Golden temple, which was really pretty. It had a really nice pond around which the temple reflected into and gave it a nice setting. The only disappointing thing was that you weren't able to go close to the temple and go inside. After we finished there we went and saw the Jidai Matsuri parade. We got to see all different types of Japanese history. There was an ox carring a large cart and it stoped right in front of us because they had to stop for traffic. It was really funny because the ox was not happy so it was making noises that were really funny. After we got bored of the parade we went to the handicrafts store. It was a large store with all different types of Japanese crafts. The prices were rather high on the first floor, but on the other floors they were more reasionable.
Kinkakuji temple: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3908.html
Festivals in Japan: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2063.html