It has officially been two months since I arrived in Japan, and I was supposed to write this within the first week of my arrival. So, as you can see, I might’ve been a bit busy and just a tad bit late with this journal entry. I arrived in Japan on the 16th of August, and it has been fantastic so far. My school also has a fantastic exchange program, which provides me with tons of benefits. Like this past Wednesday (the 15th of October) I attended Kabuki. Kabuki is a form of classical theatre and is quite a privilege to watch it, to my knowledge, and I was given tickets for free from my school. I have also been given tours of different factories and exclusive areas due to my school’s program.

On the topic of school, school is so much more enjoyable than American schools. It might be because I am extremely popular in school and my school is a little different than the average one, but it is very enjoyable, and I look forward to it every day. The school day starts at 8:40 and ends at 15:50 unless you have a cleaning duty. There are 6 periods a day that last 50 minutes with a 10-minute break between classes. Lunch is also 50 minutes long, but with the breaks, it is an hour and 10 minutes long, which is heavenly. I am a part of my school’s badminton and wrestling club, and they practice every day for up to 3 hours each, which is quite difficult. My average day consist of: waking up at 6:40, leave for the train at 7:30, arrive to school at 8:20-8:30ish, first period starts at 8:40, go to my classes until school ends at 3:50, go to wrestling practice until 5:45ish, then go to badminton practice until 7:15ish, catch the bus to the train station, take the train home, have dinner and then go to bed hopefully around 11-12ish. On the weekends when I am not at sports practice or a Rotary event, I try my best to do something new. So far, I have traveled to several Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, climbed one mountain, gone to karaoke, etc. This upcoming week I am going to be spending it hiking around and on Mt. Fuji to my knowledge. I have been loving every side quest I have gone on and plan on continuing to do them.

Japan has been treating me wonderfully, and I have no complaints other than the gaijins (which is kind of hypocritical because I am one as well). The people are extremely nice and welcoming to me when they realize I am an exchange student and not a tourist. The food is great and of a completely different palate than what I am used to. Overall, my exchange has been fantastic so far, and I don’t have any actual complaints. The language is quite challenging but extremely enjoyable to learn. I am slightly homesick (not for my home, just for my friends and dogs), but not enough to actually impact me at all. I am really looking forward to the rest of my exchange and am very grateful for this experience.