This past week, I gave an informal presentation about my adventure to Japan. I went through my copious amount of photos that I took to mold a PowerPoint presentation. It was actually a bit emotional reminiscing about this incredible, inspiring, and rich tour that we took. Currently, there is hatred among societies; the Indian/Pakistani border conflict, Israeli/Palestinian conflict, North Korean nuclear enrichment/Iranian nuclear enrichment; our world is very interconnected and what one society or independent government does, affects its counterparts. Right now, the world as a whole is bein [View Full Entry]

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Today was kind of a cool interesting day as Alex Pawling, Alex Finnegan, Chris Cepero, and I went to Uji city with Takenaka sensei. Noda sensei wanted to do a day trip here one day but couldn't find the time so Professor Takenaka took the few of us that wanted to go. Uji is still part of the Kyoto perfecture and is the hometown of Savas sensei, my Japanese professor in the fall. Our destination was to Byodoin Temple, the famous temple that appears on the reverse side of the 10 ¥ coin. Like many of the other places we have [View Full Entry]

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Today, 4 days before we would be heading home, was a long day of sightseeing. Today we would be visiting several key sites that have played a major role in Japan's history. Around 9 am, we boarded the luxurious bus to head to our first destination. As part of the Study Tour, we were given a tour guide to describe all of the places that we were to see. Her name was Keiko, a popular name in Japanese culture. As we made our way down busy streets and clogged intersections, we all got to see a large portion of Japan's shopping [View Full Entry]

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Following our adventure in Hiroshima, we made our way west to the ancient city of Nara, Japan's first capital. This, as I said is a very ancient city, home to the world's oldest wooden standing structure. The city is home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites, many including the temples and shrines. The first day in Nara was a free day for us to explore and wreak havoc (just kidding, lol). Anyways, we all split up and made our way through the city, taking in the amazing and historically rich sites that Japan is known for. Joe and I headed towards [View Full Entry]

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Today was our first full day here in Hiroshima. After going to such an exciting game (the Hiroshima Carp) I have to say that I love this city. Compared with Osaka, it is not as big and does not have as many shopping centers. However, the city itself is a very popular tourist spot in Japan. As part of the Study Tour, our itinerary included visiting the Mazda Car Factory right here in Hiroshima. This is the headquarters for all Mazda operations and sales and is the primary location of where the cars are made. To begin the tour, we were [View Full Entry]

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Following Himeji Castle, we were on our way to Hiroshima City, the famous city where an Atomic Bomb was dropped in 1945 by the United States to subdue the Japanese Empire and end the war with the Axises of Evil. In Himeji, we boarded the Shinkansen, Japan's fastest speed train, otherwise known as "The Bullet Train". When we first boarded the platform at the station, we waited for our train to arrive. Unfortunately I was not quick enough to record this, but, a Bullet Train sped by on the opposite tracks easily exceeding 130 mph!! You should have heard all of [View Full Entry]

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On Day 5, we went to Himeji Castle. This actually isn't the largest castle in Japan, but it is HUGE!! It was built I believe in the 15th century. The craftfulness and engineering seen from touring the complex is beyond belief. The way the architects built the castle and its perfectures marks excellent craftsmanship and meticulous building techniques. The castle exhibits special and hidden areas where samurai could hide and ambush their enemies during battle. First of all, the castle is surrounded by a moat. A moat is a man-made canal surrounding something such as a castle. This was the first [View Full Entry]

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If I had to pick the solemnest day of this trip, this would be the day. For a majority of the day, we explored the Atomic Bomb Museum and grounds where, at World War II's breaking edge, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan; one in Nagasaki and the other in Hiroshima. The tour begins in the museum where numerous stories are told and pictures are hung out to paint a clear image of the atrocity and horror that a bomb can cause. At the start of the museum is a large room with descriptions of different areas of [View Full Entry]

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Day 4 was an interesting part of our trip. Our Study Tour shys away a bit from very touristy sites and focuses on every day Japanese life from a first- hand perspective. The highlight of the day, by far, was Noda sensei's sister's concert at a peace rally in Akashi. Japan has a clause in their Constitution stating that there should be no armed forces. However, the tides are starting to change and the government wants to create a defensive force in the case of an attack (probably from North Korea). This rally was to speak out against this amendment and [View Full Entry]

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Today was day three of our adventures. As part of our Study Tour topic (chemistry), we visited The Cup Noodle Factory. This was a very interesting and intriguing place to visit. Japan is famous for its oodles of noodles. The Cup Noodle Company is a major supplier of the noodle enterprise in Japan. The inside of the museum began with a large room full of noodle memorbilia. On the walls and ceiling were displays of noodle packages; each kind that has been produced since the business began. I don't know much about how the company began but from what I've heard [View Full Entry]

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