Hey everyone, its Cory! So the trip has finally come to an end. It was exhausting traveling back, but it is sure good to be home. I slept about 14 hours last night, which means I must have been tired from the traveling and the trip. It was a good tired, because we accomplished so much on our 10 day trip to Japan. As I was talking to my parents, my roommate, and my coworkers about the trip I realized that every time I talk about it, I mention different things. We did so much stuff that its difficult to explain everything that we did. The common theme that I talk about when describing the trip is the overall differences between Japanese culture and American culture. Japan is for sure a modernized country, it was just so surprising to see how different our cultures are. I always mention the portion sizes, and how the largest size for things in Japan are the smallest sizes in the US, and they are usually the same price as the large size in the US. So that quirk alone costed me a little more money than it really should, because as an American, I eat and drink a little more than people in Japan. They really like their sweets in Japan as well, which was surprising given how healthy they are. Everything was sweet, even the water. While at Universal Studios I had such a difficult time just finding PLAIN water. They have so much candy, sugary drinks and desserts. There are ice cream vending machines almost everywhere we went. What is even more quirky about the sweetness of the food was the amount of rice and noodles they eat as well. Those too are carbs, and it just blows me away that they are so skinny there with all the carbs they eat. Must be the portion sizes... I guess it is also because they are so physically active as well. Every morning during my runs I noticed the parks were so full of people running, walking or exercising as well. Its a sharp contrast to Phoenix, where the park is always empty.
I also talk about the people, and just the sheer amount of people in that country. I knew going into the trip that the population density and the amount of people would be a bit of a shock, but I was blown away by how many people live there. The United States has more people (about twice as many), but our population density is A LOT smaller than Japan. Phoenix has about the same amount of people as Kobe, but with about twice the area. The population density of Kobe is about 7200 people per square mile! 7200 people!! Compare that to Phoenix, which has about 2800 people per square mile. No wonder we were so squished together during this trip. This doesn't even compare to Osaka, which has over 31,000 people per square mile! I did the math multiple times just to make sure I was not miscalculating. There are a lot of people in Japan, and by the end of the trip, I was exhausted from it.
Other than that, the other thing I talk about the most are the mountains we visited. This was probably the most rewarding experience I had in Japan, because it made me realize I love hiking. Maybe I just like hiking in Japan, but after experiencing such an increase in population density, I loved hiking up the mountains and feeling the peacefulness and the calmness. Mt. Inari and Mt. Misen were so peaceful, so relaxing. They boasted the best views and photos of the trip, and always gave me the best nights of sleep afterwards. I loved how when we started walking up the paths how cool and dark it would get. I loved the sounds of the nature around me, and the peaceful shrines that were scattered along the pathways. I loved pushing my tired body up the mountains, and feeling rewarded once I got to the top. The only rival the mountains for most rewarding experience was the Todai-ji Temple in Nara. The sight of that temple, with its massive size, elaborate architecture and beauty brought tears to my eyes. I felt so small when looking at that temple, so impressed and so humbled. Pictures of that structure do not do it justice, and I am extremely glad we visited it.
Overall, this was such a rewarding and amazing experience! I am so glad that I chose to go on this trip, because it has shown me so much. It has given me even more of a travel itch, and I am ready to go again. I want to visit Tokyo plus Mt. Fuji, and I want to revisit Mt. Inari and Mt. Misen. The only thing I disliked was the plane rides, but it is a small price to pay for the experience I just had. I want to send my thanks out to my professor Dr. Katz and his wife Tomomi for making this trip possible. I also want to thank our hosts in Japan, Kobe Gakuin University and Dr. Sari Nakagawa-sensei. The students and faculty there made us feel so welcome and truly made it an experience to remember. I also want to thank my classmates in both Phoenix and Tucson for being there through it all. We became such a tight-knit group during this trip, and they were all so friendly the entire time. Finally, thank you for reading all of our posts! It was a trip to remember!
I also talk about the people, and just the sheer amount of people in that country. I knew going into the trip that the population density and the amount of people would be a bit of a shock, but I was blown away by how many people live there. The United States has more people (about twice as many), but our population density is A LOT smaller than Japan. Phoenix has about the same amount of people as Kobe, but with about twice the area. The population density of Kobe is about 7200 people per square mile! 7200 people!! Compare that to Phoenix, which has about 2800 people per square mile. No wonder we were so squished together during this trip. This doesn't even compare to Osaka, which has over 31,000 people per square mile! I did the math multiple times just to make sure I was not miscalculating. There are a lot of people in Japan, and by the end of the trip, I was exhausted from it.
Other than that, the other thing I talk about the most are the mountains we visited. This was probably the most rewarding experience I had in Japan, because it made me realize I love hiking. Maybe I just like hiking in Japan, but after experiencing such an increase in population density, I loved hiking up the mountains and feeling the peacefulness and the calmness. Mt. Inari and Mt. Misen were so peaceful, so relaxing. They boasted the best views and photos of the trip, and always gave me the best nights of sleep afterwards. I loved how when we started walking up the paths how cool and dark it would get. I loved the sounds of the nature around me, and the peaceful shrines that were scattered along the pathways. I loved pushing my tired body up the mountains, and feeling rewarded once I got to the top. The only rival the mountains for most rewarding experience was the Todai-ji Temple in Nara. The sight of that temple, with its massive size, elaborate architecture and beauty brought tears to my eyes. I felt so small when looking at that temple, so impressed and so humbled. Pictures of that structure do not do it justice, and I am extremely glad we visited it.
Overall, this was such a rewarding and amazing experience! I am so glad that I chose to go on this trip, because it has shown me so much. It has given me even more of a travel itch, and I am ready to go again. I want to visit Tokyo plus Mt. Fuji, and I want to revisit Mt. Inari and Mt. Misen. The only thing I disliked was the plane rides, but it is a small price to pay for the experience I just had. I want to send my thanks out to my professor Dr. Katz and his wife Tomomi for making this trip possible. I also want to thank our hosts in Japan, Kobe Gakuin University and Dr. Sari Nakagawa-sensei. The students and faculty there made us feel so welcome and truly made it an experience to remember. I also want to thank my classmates in both Phoenix and Tucson for being there through it all. We became such a tight-knit group during this trip, and they were all so friendly the entire time. Finally, thank you for reading all of our posts! It was a trip to remember!
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