I visited Hakone for a day with some friends. Hakone is a town located in Kanagawa prefecture, known for its beautiful nature, hot springs, and a clear view of Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, when I visited, the weather was terrible and extremely foggy. The downside of the poor weather was that I did not have a clear view of Mt. Fuji, but I felt that the fogginess of Hakone made the experience so surreal. My friends and I took a special train that was designed specifically for the Hakone area from Shinjuku station in Tokyo. I walked the beautiful streets of Hakone and ate while strolling (tabe-aruki). I then took a bus to the Hakone Venetian Glass Museum (Glass Forest), where I was met with beautiful glass sculptures along with educational historical exhibits. The highlight of the trip was Hakone Shrine. This is a world-famous shrine, sacred to the history of Shinto religion. There was even a Torii gate partly submersed in a lake. Finally after tons of walking, we ended the trip with a visit to an onsen (hot spring). There was a indoor and outdoor bath, perfectly wrapping up the day.
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I went to watch a Yoasobi concert in Yokohama's Pia Arena. Yoasobi is a group of musicians with the lead vocal Ikuta Rira. Ikuta is a phenomenal singer and is now one of my favorite artists.
I visited Tokyo Disneyland with a few friends. I have not visited the park in over 10 years so when my friends and I decided to go to Disneyland, I was ecstatic. Luckily for me, my friends were well-versed in the park's attractions and preparation so I was able to enjoy everything with no stress. The food was amazing and surprisingly affordable. The rides were so exhilarating and I especially loved the Beauty and the Beast ride, which is based on the movie, "Beauty and the Beast". My favorite aspect of the experience was the fact that my friends and I matched outfits (Disney-themed [planners' idea]". I would definitely do it all over again with the same group if I could. The week after golden week in the second weekend of May, I visited Osaka for a couple nights. I took the bullet train out with my friends that took about 2.5 hours and landed in the central-west region of Japan. I visited the Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan, and walked the streets of Osaka. In Japan, there is a vacation week scheduled from students and corporate employees every year in the month of may. My friends and I decided to visit Izu, in the prefecture of Shizuoka. Here, we rented a car and I drove us around for the one night and two days we spent there. I was able to rent the car with an American international lisence and (Japanese) passport. We first visited a strawberry picking field where we had 30 minutes to pick and eat as many strawberries as we could. Japanese strawberries are beautiful and so sweet and the folks running it all provided condensed milk for us to dunk the strawberries. We then visited Izu Panorama Park, where we took a gondola that stretched up to the top of a mountain. On the peak of this mountain, there are foot baths, amazing eateries, ziplines, parks, and gorgeous scenery. We then drove over to our ryokan, a traditional Japanese-style inn. The room was huge and the course-meal dinner was unreal. The hot springs there were actually located outdoors, with a view of Mt. Fuji. The next morning we returned the rental car and made our way to Atami in the same prefecture and spent the entire day at a day spa. This was the best couple of days of my entire life. One the day before the start of my golden week trip, my friends and I decided to visit Enoshima. This area is located near Mt. Fuji with beautiful scenery. My friends have planned an entire itinerary for us to have a perfect day trip. There is a beautiful shrine, beautiful scenic points, and my personal favorite, amazing food. To wrap up the day, we even spend a few hours at the day spa where there were hot springs and warm water pools with a view of Mt. Fuji. There is so much to do in the Tokyo. I usually spend many hours of the week in Ikebukuro, an arcade paradise. I do karaoke, darts, billiards, drumming games, and most often, CLAW MACHINE GAMES. I have been going to Shibuya, the epicenter of Japanese fashion, fun, and pop culture. I have been taken out by some friends to enjoy traditional Japanese cuisine. The food in Japan is alarmingly delicious, and bring back nostalgic memories of dishes cooked by my grandmother. I of course had to take a picture at the famous Shibuya crossing, the busiest crosswalk in the world. I also had the opportunity to see my favorite rapper perform in Roppongi. The club who hosted, "One Oak", famous for their special guests, posted on Instagram that Lil Uzi Vert (rapper) will be performing on the night of the show. As soon as I heard of this news, I bolted to the venue, where I was met with a line of 200+ people. I waited in line for over three hours, paid 8,000 yen to enter the club, and luckily made it in time for his show that started around 3AM. This was the best night yet in Japan. I made the most out of my time before school, especially in the last week. I decided to go out almost everyday of the week, going out with old friends from back home and new friends I made through my exchange. I went to an onsen ryokan (hot spring resort), Tokyo Disneyland Sea, and lot and LOTS of clubbing in Shibuya and Roppongi. I will admit, it took a toll on my body physically, but the fun was all worth it. I will include photos below respectively. The onsen ryokan was located in Yokohama, by the Cosmo World Amusement Park. My friend from back home, Daisuke, invited me to tag along with his family and friends to stay at the resort. We experienced traditional Japanese hot springs, the ritual post-bath coffee milk, all-you-can-eat breakfast, game center arcade, and too much drinking. I have been to the hot springs with family a countless amount of times, but going with a friend was a new experienced that I enjoyed very much. I was also also lucky enough to wake up at the hot springs resort to a call of an invitation to Disneyland. Someone in my friends' group felt under the weather and could not attend Disney Sea, and they offered me a free ticket to the theme park. This was my first time at Tokyo Disney Sea, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life. I made sure to purchase a souvenir, rode as many rides as I could, and eat as much food as I could. If I have the opportunity to visit again, I would not think twice to visit the park. Lastly, I have been clubbing A LOT. The locations of my favorite clubs are located in Shibuya and Roppongi, including a club that I visited for the first time fo a Waseda University (rival school) welcome party. Clubbing as much as I have is definitely not healthy and I plan on slowing my roll when it comes to partying. Also, there is always the factor of last train/first train in Japan, where the last train comes around midnight, and first train departs around 4-5am. This was a big shock to me, due to the fact that I have not had to worry about time constraints for when to head home back in the States; the fun nights are still 100% worth it for someone like me, who loves to go out and STAY out. School is right around the corner, and I am now finally ready to settle. |