Final Thoughts

Our time in Japan ended earlier this week and I already miss being there. It was an amazing week filled with many adventures and new friends. Thank you to all of our hosts in Kobe and Osaka for a wonderful trip! The most rewarding part of the trip was being able to explore a new country. We were able to see some of the cultural and historical sites throughout the Kansai region and it was amazing. One of the most surprising things about the trip was learning about the differences in pharmacy practice between Japan and the United States. I look forward to returning to Japan one day to see more of the country!

See you again soon, Japan!

The summer is concluding and so has our incredible experience in Japan! The ten days I spent there will forever be a special place in my memories, and I definitely look forward to visiting again soon. I’d like to thank Dr. Katz, Tomomi, and Akiko for watching our backs and keeping everything organized as well as the faculty and students from the university who showed us some incredible hospitality. Every place we visited was stunningly beautiful and the other students on the trip were a delight to be around making the entire experience that much more enjoyable. The free time we had at the end of each day, and the free day we were given, also made the trip so much more unique because running around the city and finding new places has always been the highlight of any trip for me. One night, Cindy and I scouted our an arcade and aimlessly wandered the city for a few hours. Doing something like that provides the opportunity to see things you normally wouldn’t expect to see having a point A to point B schedule. Also, this trip has an additional special meaning to me because I was able to spread my mom’s ashes and take pictures of all the places I did so to honor her memory. It’s something that is very important for me and my sisters to do for her, so to have that opportunity... I couldn’t be more thankful. If I could have spent more time there, I definitely would have. For now I’ll just have to enjoy my beach time in Rocky Point until school starts!

A Trip to Remember - Final Thoughts

We have made it back to Arizona and after being home for a few days now, I already miss Japan. This trip was amazing in so many ways, from going to all temples and shrines and learning about the Japanese culture to being so welcomed by the students and faculties of Kobe Gakuin University (KGU) as well as the students and faculties of Osaka University.

The most rewarding aspect of the trip was in getting to meet and form new friendships with the students from KGU, the students from the Phoenix campus, and the third year students in the Tucson campus. During our many adventures together, I had the chance to form a close relationship with and make many memories with several of the students and I believe that this trip has allowed us to grow a stronger relationship with one another between the two campuses, which is important as we are one College of Pharmacy. In addition, the students and faculty of KGU were also so kind and welcoming to all of us and made us feel at home. I know that we all truly appreciate each and every one of them for taking the time out of their day to take us around their country, go sightseeing with us, and in teaching us about their culture. They were undoubtedly the ones that made our time in Japan so enjoyable and special. Furthermore, I am grateful for this opportunity to not only be able to explore and experience the beauty of this country and its culture, but also to learn about the Japanese traditional medicine, known as Kampo medicine, as well as how their pharmacy system and education differs from the states.

Lastly, we were informed beforehand about the heat and humidity during this time of year, but it was still a bit surprising how humid it really was. However, we all found ways to keep ourselves cool and although each day was long and the humidity had worn us all out by the end of the day, we still made the most of our time in Japan and explored and did as much as we could.

Overall, I wanted to take this time to say thank you to the University of Arizona (UA) faculty, KGU students and faculty, and Osaka University students and faculty for making this an unforgettable trip and for all their hard work to make this trip as wonderful as it was. It was definitely a trip to remember and I cannot wait to come back and visit!

-- Fiona Luc

I'll be back!

We have had such awesome time in Japan. In the last few days of the trip, we visited several temples and shrines. We got to see the Golden Pavilion-one of the most popular sightseeing in Kyoto. We went to Miyajima island where is famous for its ancient temples and giant Tori gate. We also visited Hiroshima and was honored to meet and hear the story from a Hiroshima bombing survivor.

Besides sightseeing, the most rewarding aspect of the trip was the friendship we have developed with KGU students. Despite language barrier, we got along with others very well. I have made friends with many students. In the farewell party, we gave hugs and promised to keep in touch. In addition, I also became closer friends with other UA students after the trip

Before the trip, Dr. Katz has told us that KGU and Osaka university students and faculty would be very nice to us. However, I did not expect that we would be taken care of such nicely. I am very thankful to all the students and faculty for accommodating us and giving us such a warm welcome and farewell party. I want to give special thanks to Dr. Katz, Tomomi san, Akiko san, Dr. Nakagawa, Dr. Shirakawa (Dr. Sho), Dr. Takano, and Dr. Kamiya for helping us during the trip. The trip would not have been successful without your help.

I have had such a great experience in Japan. I am going to keep my ICOCA card and definitely will return to Japan.

Thank you and see you all again!

Loi D.

Trip of a Lifetime…

Our Japan trip is over, but the wonderful memories that I experienced will be cherished forever. I enjoyed every minute of it and will remember it always.

Besides seeing the beauty of Japan (shrines, temples, castles, etc.) and experiencing their culture, I am also grateful for the opportunity to learn about Japanese herbal medicine, Kampo (herbal) pharmacy, and their healthcare system. 

This trip has also given me the chance to bond with Phoenix and Tucson students and make new Japanese friends. 

With this being said, I would like to take this moment to personally thank Dr. Katz, Tomomi-san, Akiko-san, Dr. Nakagawa, Dr. Sho, the rest of KGU faculty, Osaka University faculty and the students for organizing, coordinating, and making this trip an unforgettable journey. Thank you all very much.

Mata ne Japan... 

- Princess L.

Final Thoughts - Japan 2018

I've been back in U.S. for just a few days now and I already miss Japan. I feel so fortunate to have been hosted by the gracious faculty and students from Kobe Gakuin University (KGU) and Osaka University. Everyone I encountered was so welcoming and eager to help us foreigners experience Japanese culture and enjoy our time in Japan. One of the professors from KGU and clinical pharmacist, Dr. Nakagawa spent entire days with us making sure we were able to get the most out of out time in Japan. We were also accompanied by amazing guides. This experience allowed me to better learn about serving others and selflessness, which are both character traits I hope to display as a person and future pharmacist.

I have returned extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to go on this trip. To UofA faculty, KGU faculty and students, and Osaka University faculty and students, thank you. I cannot wait to one day return to Japan!


Sincerely,

David Perez

Final Thoughts

We have been home from Japan for a couple of days now, but the memories and experiences continue to resonate in my mind. This was my first international trip, and it honestly could not have gone any more smoothly. To spend ten days surrounded by friendly faces, beautiful scenery, and incredible architecture was truly an experience for the books.

Yes, it is true that the days were long and tiring. The heat and humidity was quite unlike any that I have experienced before; however, at the end of each day I was overwhelmed with a rewarding sense of having conquered the weather, the crowds, the miles, and what felt like hundreds of stairs. I was left with tired feet, but an even happier heart. 

The closest thing to which I could relate the city and transit system in my mind was New York City, where I lived for a couple of years. What surprised me though, was how much more efficient, clean, and friendly every step of traveling was. The trains were never late...not even by one minute. The trains, terminals, and entire cities were very clean and free of litter. And finally, everyone we encountered was extremely kind and helpful. It was definitely apparent and a bit of a culture shock when we landed back stateside to a filthy airport and shouting TSA agents.

It was really interesting to learn about the Japanese health care system and see how various pharmacies worked. It seems their pharmacy system is more efficient than our own as well. It seemed less business-based and more patient care-focused, which I can definitely get behind.

I can truly say that I fell in love with the Japanese culture and will definitely be returning. This experience has been invaluable, and I am so appreciative of all the faculty and students that worked  hard to make sure we had the wonderful trip we did.

Until next time, sayonara!

An Amazing Trip

My time in Japan has come to an end and I am so grateful for the memories and friendships I have made.  The most rewarding aspect of this trip was the presence of the faculty and students on our sightseeing excursions.  It was so kind of them to join us and they truly made us feel at home.  I enjoyed getting to know the students and have made some amazing friends.  The sightseeing was very rewarding as well because I liked getting to immerse myself in another culture and experience their beautiful country.  I was most surprised by the climate in Japan.  I was told beforehand that it would be hot and humid, but I didn't fully grasp this idea until we were there.  I expected it to be hot, but it was far worse than I would have thought.  Luckily, I was able to find methods to help cool off throughout the day and packed enough lightweight clothes for sightseeing days.  Overall, this was a memorable trip that I will cherish forever!

A trip to remember- Japan 2018

Japan has a special place of my heart. As soon as I got home, no matter how tired I was,  I was thinking about how much I already missed Japan. It was an amazing adventure going to all the temples, the shrines, trying new foods, and learning about the Japanese culture. The best part of the trip was seeing how amazing the Japanese culture is, and how welcoming the people are.

The most rewarding part of the trip was getting to make some amazing friends. I got to know not only some of the Phoenix classmates more, but also get to hang out with the Tucson group which was nice because we don't really have the chance to do that during school. I also made amazing friends in Japan. One of my penpals went out of her way and canceled an appointment she already had, to take me and a few other girls yukata shopping. I remember just saying in a normal conversation that I wanted to get yukata for my niece and my nephew, and possibly myself. Within days, Sari sensei contacted me and told me one of my penpals wanted to take me shopping. I was amazed of how sacrificing and nice the Japanese culture is.

The most unexpected part of the trip was the weather to be honest. I knew from previous posts that it was going to be humid and hot, but I underestimated the extent of the word humidity. I brought an umbrella incase if it rained, and it didn't rain once, and yet I still used the umbrella everyday to protect myself from the sun. I wasn't prepared clothing wise. I brought too many pants/jeans, which is a horrible idea because of the humidity. I think the best choice I made regarding the clothing is my shoes choice. I brought along a pair of shoes that had good support considering how much walking we did.

Overall, I plan on going back to Japan and exploring more beautiful cities. From the deers in Nara, to the beautiful castles and shrines, to the extensive history in Hiroshima, I fell in love with Japan. <3

--Sandra Savaya--

Miss it Already

After being home for a few days, and catching up on some much-needed sleep, I can definitively say that I horribly miss being in Japan. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, and I’ve already started planning on where I want to go the next time I visit (I’m looking at you Tokyo!) This trip brought me so much joy, from all the sight seeing to visiting KGU and all the stops in between, and I cannot thank either universities enough! I had no clue what I was getting into before going on this trip, and every single moment was better than I expected! Any pictures do not do it justice. This is a country that must be experienced in person, and I have been telling anyone who will listen that they NEED to go at some point in their lives.

Surprisingly, the best part for me wasn’t the food (but the food was a close second!) It was meeting and interacting with all the students -both the Japanese students from KGU and the students I didn’t know before from the Phoenix campus- at the different sites we went to. During our time together, I have made so many more memories with them. Even though I didn’t know any of them beforehand, I feel like we really bonded at every shrine and temple we visited. It’s the memories and fun times that I had with all of those amazing people that made this trip so special.

In my first blog post, I said that I was most afraid of the language barrier, but what shocked me the most was how little of a barrier it actually was. This should not be something that stops people from going to Japan! Most places have English translations of things, or pictures if they do not. I mean, it didn’t hurt that we had people there to help us translate, but even so, the people there usually know enough English to help you out.

Overall, I will be back at the next available opportunity. I loved the country, the culture, the people, and the food so much. Thank you to the University of Arizona and Kobe Gakuin University for giving me this opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life! I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about this trip!

--- Jenn Wrona

Home again, home again

Our trip to Japan was INCREDIBLE! I had a blast and already plan to return someday to do some of the things I wasn't able to this time (like eat Kobe beef and visit Tokyo). I am so grateful to have had this experience, learning about Japanese culture and healthcare first hand. 

From beginning to end, everyone I met was so friendly and helpful. Our new friends were eager to share their culture with us and took us to many unique places, showing us how best to enjoy things the "Japanese way". We visited vividly beautiful places steeped in history, tried new and unusual foods (very brave for me!), and walked A LOT. Over the course of the trip I walked 173,336 steps and climbed 147 flights of stairs, totaling 79 miles! Our hosts made us feel like part of their family and I know I have friends for life in the people I met on the trip.

The most rewarding part of the trip for me was having the opportunity to visit many historically significant locations, some of which I was familiar with (like Hiroshima) and some that were new to me. I loved walking through the preserved wooden temples, sans shoes, and feeling the texture of the wood beneath my feet. Feeling the history in such a tangible was was very moving and powerful. 

Most surprising was that unlike my fellow travelers, I did not perceive the city as particularly congested. Having traveled to other very populated cities before, I expected trains and streets to be much more packed than they were and expected to see everyone in a rush. Compared to Mexico City trains where most trips you literally had multiple people pressed up against you (unnerving for American sense of personal space), most of our train rides had a least a few open seats. We only had to stand the whole time for a few rides, and I only recall once where I felt other passengers were uncomfortably close. I also noticed that Japanese culture takes a bit more time and care with everything. Business men were definitely in a hurry all the time, however those not wearing suits seemed to take everything from walking to eating and a more relaxed pace. 

I am looking forward to the next trip - planning for Thailand already! I grew very close to my fellow students from both Phoenix and Tucson and would travel with them again in a heartbeat. 

~Kris Shelledy

Until next time

My adventure in Japan was put on hold August 13th. The last full day we were there we went to see the city of Hiroshima. It was amazing to see a city rebuilt and flowing forward after experiencing the first atomic bomb 73 years ago on August 6th.

This trip to Japan was something I will never forget. The students and faculty at KGU went above and beyond on their hospitality. There really isn't a way to express how kind and generous they were unless you go see it for yourself.

If you are thinking about travelling to Japan in the summer time, I have some tips for you:

- Wear breathable clothes. I lived in dresses and it was the best decision of my life. You don't want too restricting or absorbable clothing.

- Buy a fan. Now some of us just bought the hand fans as we came across them, but I do recommend investing in a hand-held, electronic fan that is rechargeable. That being said, also buy a portable charger!

- Sunscreen. Ok, now this one might seem silly but I wore sunscreen everyday except the last day. Guess which day I got bit by mosquitos? Yep. The last day. Not sure if there's any correlation, but it worked for me! Or you can just buy bug spray. Not only did it help me with the bugs, but some people on the trip actually got slight sun burns from the trip and I didn't.

- An umbrella! To protect you from the sun. Maybe the rain. It didn't rain on us while we were there.

There's so much I'd change in my preparation for this trip, but there's not a thing I'd change about the trip itself. (Ok, ok... maybe I would've liked to visit Tokyo but that just means I'm going to have to come back!)

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Thailand is next, right?

Yana

The Ending of a Fantastic Experience

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!

A Universal Good Time

Hi again everyone! It’s Cory. When I mentioned that things would slow down, I was wrong. The past few days have been busy, busy, busy. On Wednesday we had a lecture on Japanese healthcare and their Pharmacy School system, which was not that much different from the US. Like I mentioned before, the key differences are their focus on Kampo medicine and the fact they go to school for 6 years instead of 4. The healthcare in Japan is a lot different than the US, however. It’s a complicated universal healthcare system that I really do not want to try and explain, for fear of explaining it wrong. Let’s just say it sounds like a great system and it seems to work for them, but like they say, “There are no free lunches.” What I know I can say about it is that as their population ages, they will start to run into some issues surrounding funding. They already have incentives in place to lower their medical costs, like and increased effort to use generic medications over brand, and tax refunds for treating with over-the-counter medications. After the lectures we went to a Kampo, a retail and a hospital Pharmacy in Kobe, just to get a feel for their system. My favorite place was the retail pharmacy we went to, since working in retail back home, it was fun to see the differences. The main difference was the waiting room in the Pharmacy. They had free tea, water and coffee for the patients, two massage chairs, an actual WORKING blood pressure cuff and a lot of help. There are no technicians in Japan, only Pharmacists and Clerks, so to see that many people working in the Pharmacy was amazing. It is probably because of all the powders and compounds that they do in Japan instead of capsules and tablets. Still, it was very cool to see. I was skeptical of the Kampo Pharmacy. It was very nice, with fancy decor, jazz music and expensive price tags for the herbs. Apparently it works for people, but I’ll stick with tried and true medications over herbs you boil and drink like tea. 

The next day was our open day, where we could go anywhere we wanted to (within reason). I decided to go to Universal Studios with a couple other people. It was fun, but a little disappointing. Because of summer break, it was extremely busy. The wait times for the good rides were over 2 hours long! Harry Potter world was almost inaccessible with all the people! They had a pass you could buy to send you to the front of the line, but it was only a one time use, and the passes that included the roller coasters and Harry Potter rides were over $200! Still, we saw what we could and made something out of nothing. The roller coaster there was exhilarating (they don’t have that at the Hollywood Park), and the butterbeer and Hog’s Head brew in Harry Potter world were tasty. If I could do the Open Day over again, I would have gone to Kyoto like some other students did, especially after experiencing Kyoto myself the next day. Still, I get to say I went to Universal Studios in Japan!

Kyoto was next, and instead of taking the tram we took a bus, which was very interesting. It let us experience both the good (Japan’s rest stops!) and the bad (TRAFFIC) of driving in Japan. First, the traffic was terrible! It took two and a half hours to get to Kyoto, which was only about 45 minutes away in reality. Their highways are only two lanes each direction, so it’s impossible to get anywhere! No HOV lane either. But the rest stops are amazing! They have mini restaurants in each rest stop, with fresh food, water and other things at the stop. Way better than some Arizona rest stops, which your lucky if the vending machine actually gives you what you selected. Also on the trip, I got to really examine their cars in Japan, which are a lot different than the US. Cars in Japan are all shaped like squares, and there are virtually no trucks. I was surprised to see that there are very little Hondas and a LOT of Priuses. They also have a lot of scooters and motorcycles, which was really cool. I saw one that almost looked like a rocket in the front and was completely decked out with all the comforts (padded seating, radio, speakers, GPS, cup holders). Anyway, while in Kyoto we got to go see Mt. Inari, which was home to over 10,000 torri gates. Torri gates are traditional Japanese gates that are usually at the entrance of a shrine. These gates lined the hiking path up to the summit of the mountain, and each of them were donated by people who had a good business dealing or action. This was probably the best part of the day, although it was the shortest stop. I hiked as far as I could up the mountain before having to turn back due to time constraints. The hike I did go on was amazing because of how dark and cool it got as I was walking through the gates. It was awesome to see just gate after gate after gate. The sheer density of the gates made the pathway dark and cooler than outside. All around the path was forest, so the gates coupled with the animal and insect noises made it a really cool experience.

Finally, we went to Hiroshima on the last day, and it was very bittersweet. It was sad because of the memorial they had there for the nuclear bombs that were dropped during WWII. What made it more sobering was that I’m an American, so it was almost like returning to the scene of the crime. I took my pictures, but I had to really force a smile during our group photo. It just didn’t seem like a place where we should be smiley and cheery. It was a place of remembrance. I certainly do not feel guilty and I’m not going to apologize for our actions at the time, but it is still sad that innocent people had to lose their lives because their government wouldn’t surrender, and our government was so afraid of communism. It was a very complicated and tense time back then, with the war dragging on and on, the threat of communism and the animosity we must have felt for them after their attack on Pearl Harbor. I am just so thankful that Japan and the US are on good terms with each other, given everything that happened. We were welcomed into Japan with open arms by both the KGU and the Osaka University students. We had a cookout, watched fireworks together, exchanged gifts! The people in Japan were all so friendly to us foreigners. Our relationship is a perfect example of what we should be striving for in this world, and I think that’s what the memorial was saying to us. History happened, now the only thing we can do is learn from it. 

After the Peace Park we visited Miyajima, the home to Mt Misen and the partially underwater Torri gate. The gate is partially underwater during high tide, and on dry land during low tide. We arrived during low tide, so we got to walk underneath it. I took my pictures there, but the real highlight was Mt Misen. That was the highest peak on the island and I climbed all the way to the top. Since we were in a time crunch, I cut the hike in half by taking the cable car, which was well worth it. I got to see the whole slew of islands around that area taking the cable car, and all of Hiroshima. It was probably one of the best views I have ever seen. The best view I’ve ever seen though was at the summit of the mountain. It was exhilarating, hiking up to the top. The mountain was almost all jungle and trees going up, which greatly cooled the place down. It was almost 100 that day, but it only felt like the low 80s while hiking. During the hike, I logged 150 flights of stairs on my Fitbit and was virtually out of breath by the end, but again it was worth it. The pictures I have of that view are breathtaking. After climbing back down, we took the ferry back to the “mainland” and got on Japan’s new bullet train, or the Shinkansen. That is a contraption the US definitely needs as soon as possible. It was so comfortable, which three times the leg room as an airplane, and drink and food service available. It travels like over 150 mph, making the trip between Hiroshima and Kobe only an hour and a half instead of about 4 hours by car. After an arduous hike, it was nice to reward myself with a relaxing seat and a beer on the train. While the day started off very sad, it ended up being probably the best day in Japan. Save the best for last, I guess.

Well that’s it for me! I’ll have one more post when I get back to wrap it all up. Thanks for reading!!!!

Post-Trip Reflection

After a very long and bittersweet couple of flights, we are back in the States.  The time I spent in Japan was amazing and I will treasure the memories and friendships that I made while overseas.  Again, I cannot express my thanks enough to our friends at KGU and Osaka University; without them, this trip would not have been nearly as fun as it was, and I am honored that they went to such lengths to make our trip a special one.

Because of this, I would say the most rewarding part of this trip, besides getting to experience a great new culture, was getting to know and form friendships with our pen pals.  This also feeds into the most surprising aspect of the trip for me as well.  I knew that Japanese culture was very focused on respect and that the people were very nice relative to a lot of us here in the States.  However I did not expect it to be on the level that I experienced.  I was happily surprised and humbled by how much work our hosts put in to make this trip so great as well how nice the people in the area were too.

To wrap up my thoughts, I would heavily recommend people visit Japan at some point, whether they be future students at U of A debating whether they should go on this trip or not, or just anyone with even a modicum of curiosity about the country and its culture.  I almost didn't go on this trip, and after getting back the thought of not coming and experiencing the culture and getting to know the people I met is really sad to me.  Japan is a wonderful place and will definitely be returning in the future!

why travel?

I would consider myself rather knowledgeable in regards to world history, culture, philosophy & theology. But prior to coming to Japan I had no real idea of what to expect, I knew a minimal amount of information regarding the Japanese Empire, Zen Buddhism & Shinto beliefs but beyond this I knew very little. Growing up I had never ate sushi because my family didn't eat raw meat, I never ate ramen because virtually all ramen restaurants include pork, I had/have no interest in manga and often when people would ask me "so why are you visiting Japan?",  it would be hard for me to come up with an exact answer like I often heard "to eat lots of sushi!". Often my answers were like "well I have a deep interest in world history & Japan is a land of deep rooted culture, tradition & history". But as I stated earlier, my knowledge with regards to Ideology & history in Japan was very minimal.

This all changed once I visited my first Shinto shrine and observed the reverence which people had for this shrine, this tradition and the silence, calmness and serenity I felt there compared to the beautiful chaos of the nearby city. I believe it was at that moment that my interest & intent for travel was sparked. 

Often when I travel, I travel to regions which I already am quite passionate about or have a lot of knowledge on. I typically travel for the sole purpose of learning & attaining knowledge, not to relax or be comfortable. Also, another personal characteristic trait I have is that when others know something which I don't know, it becomes rather quite upsetting for me and I feel ignorant and it gives me a huge and passionate incentive to learn. As I stated earlier, that moment when I visited the Shinto Shrine & observed the practices there, I felt a large degree of confusion because I knew virtually nothing about the practices and I came to the sudden realization of my purpose to travel to Japan in the first place. 

Perhaps travel doesn't always have to be to places you know a whole lot about, perhaps the purpose of travel is to go where you know nothing and attain a profound something. I realized that was my purpose all along of going to Japan, to visit a nation and a people which I'm not knowledgeable about and to become knowledgeable through first hand experience - one of the best teachers, better than reading any textbook or wikipedia page. 

& I have a learned quite a lot. 

to be continued...

But why think about that when all the golden land's ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see? - Jack Kerouac, On The Road (1957)

Ja Matane, Japan!

It is hard to believe that our trip is already coming to a close.  We have been here in Kobe, Japan for about 10 days now and have done so much within that relatively small time.  I feel like I have learned a lot on this trip; it has also reaffirmed to me how much I still have to learn. 

We had a great time in Hiroshima yesterday.  Going to the museum and seeing what has become known as the "A-Bomb Dome" was a very somber and evocative experience.  It was particularly powerful when we stopped to listen to one of the survivors that was volunteering there yesterday.

Today is going to be a very bittersweet end to our trip as we have our farewell party with our friends at KGU.  I am definitely planning to come back to Japan and visit (and hopefully get some karate training in Okinawa) in the future.

I wish our fellow students at KGU luck with the rest of their schooling, their rotations, their license exams, and their future careers.  I hope to meet again in the future.  Until then, ja matane!