Today we spent some time walking around the neighbourhood. We found the grocery store and a convenience store. We also went to Sengakuji Temple, where 47 ronin who avenged their lord’s death and then committed seppukku are buried. It was fascinating to see that piece of Japanese history in front of us.
Afterward, we went to eat -my group had a great experience, but it wasn’t true for everyone else. I’ll let them talk about that, though!
-Ruth
This morning, we woke up at 6 a.m.-and without an alarm! Then around 10:30, we went to the famous Sengakuji temple, where the 47 ronin, their master, and his wife are buried. It was amazing to watch history unfold in urban Tokyo. Afterwards, we split into two groups of four and four and set off on our own. After many restaurants were passed over-including American options like KFC-we finally decided on a restaurant on the 2nd floor of a building. We sat down and ordered our food by pointing at what we wanted. I ate gyouza, Jena ate a meat and vegetable dish, and the guys ate a pork-rice-egg dish. By the way, don’t eat what the guys did-the dish on the left.
After lunch we visited the Tokyo Tower and perused its many gift shops.
Unfortunately, one of our group members became ill as we walked out. We stopped by a park and waited until he was ready to depart. After many hours, we resolved to take a taxi back home. Then we laid down on our soft beds and waited for the evening reflection group. It was a very full and tiring day. Can’t wait for tomorrow!
じゃあまた (See you later),
Amanda Rice
Konban wa! Today was awesome! We stopped at the corner market this morning and picked up more onigiri (I have already consumed like 6 at this point) before heading out to tour Tokyo for the day. We visited Sengakuji Temple, where the 47 Ronin are buried. The temple was so beautiful and the graves were very well taken care of. After making an offering and a quick prayer, we went to Tamachi station before splitting up for lunch. Ruth, Kristen, Kami, and I were on the hunt for ramen, so we found a restaurant labeled “Chinese” (although it seemed Japanese to me). The hostess/waitress did not speak any English and we do not know hardly any Japanese, so it was very hard to convey our purpose. Once we were seated, we just pointed to what we wanted on the menu instead of saying anything at all. (Although I’m pretty sure we kept saying ‘sumimasen’ over and over.) The food came quickly and everyone’s food was flavorful and fantastic! After we finished eating, we came back to our house and Claire came with us to visit the French Bakery down the street so we could get pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast. When we got back to our house, we found out that someone in the other group was sick! We waited for Bryce, Amanda, Jena, and Ethan to return before we took a quick trip a department store so I could buy a coin purse. Now we are getting ready to eat more ramen and then stop at the corner market since we are going to Tokyo DisneySea tomorrow! So excited!!!!
-Paige
Today I got up before my alarm even went off. I used a Japanese style shower and toilet. They are quite different from those in America. The tatami mats we are staying on are very comfortable. We ended up going to a temple not far from where we are staying. The temple is called Sengakuji Temple. It was so nice to see a temple and quite interesting to see how quickly you can go from hustle and bustle to tranquil and peaceful. It is also really interesting to see how organized everything is with so many people. This is really showcased when using the trains. There are so many people hurrying to get different places. It is organized chaos. We ended up splitting up into smaller groups for lunch. My group ended up at a Chinese restaurant. It was really good but because we didn’t really speak Japanese we had to point to the photos to show the woman what we wanted. After we got back from eating, we ended up going out again to a department store and French bakery not far from where we are staying. All of the different food has been amazing and I am looking forward to going to the nursing school tomorrow and going to Tokyo Disney Sea.
-Kristen Milbrath
Even though our meeting time wasn’t until 10:30am, I found myself wide awake at 2am, and then again at 4am and 7am before I eventually gave up and got out of bed. After breakfast and showers we visited Sengakuji Temple and walked around the neighborhood. We split up into groups of four for lunch, and Ruth, Kristen, Paige and I managed to find a great little Chinese/Japanese restaurant. There was a bit of a wait to be seated, and we were embarrassed that we couldn’t understand the waitress, but the food was delicious and relatively cheap. After stopping back by the Friends Center, we went to a French bakery just a few blocks away. I think the thing that surprises me the most so far is the contrast between chaos and peace that you see in the city. A bustling subway station surrounded by shops and restaurants is only a block or two away from a beautiful historic temple, and even though the Friends Center is in the middle of the city, I never hear sirens or car horns or any of the other sounds I usually associate with a large urban area.
Before departure, we read something in the book “Living in Japan” that discussed how completing normal everyday tasks becomes exhausting in a new culture, and I can definitely relate to that today. Although all I really did was wander around, successfully order lunch, run by the grocery store, and even take a nap, I’m extremely tired. Tomorrow is our first healthcare site visit to Jyuntendo Nursing School, and I think we’re all excited to get some sleep before our early morning.
-Kami
Today was definitely interesting to say the least. I had woken up a few times throughout the night but really had a restful night’s sleep in general. The Japanese style shower was very interesting, mostly because there was no shower curtain and also because we showered on the tile! Breakfast was good; I was able to eat my apple tart I bought at the Peacock Store last night. We all met at the table and were told that there had been an earthquake in the night…..I let all my group members know that if there was to be another one; I needed to be checked on because I could sleep through anything!
We had the opportunity to visit a Temple close to the Friend’s Center. I’m a huge architect buff, so I was mesmerized. According to Kuriyama Sensei, this was the burial site of 46 Samurais, where they all had taken their own lives to show their dedication and loyalty to their Master, who had died years before. It was incredible to see how well-preserved the gravestones were, as they are probably centuries old.
Departing for lunch, Amanda, Jena, Ethan and I took a long walk towards the Tokyo Tower to find a restaurant. We found what we thought would be a great restaurant and ate there. The food was really good…we later found out something had gone terribly.
After visiting a mall under the Tokyo Tower (which was amazing by the way), we started our trek home. And that’s when I started feeling strange. I won’t give all the details, but to expand on my friends’ posts, yes…I was the one who got sick right there in the middle of Downtown Tokyo in the middle of a very beautiful park. AND…..in the process of getting sick, I was called at from the street by a young Japanese man and he asked if I was okay. I really didn’t have to say anything because I honestly looked like a wreck…probably like I had been hit by a car, and then he asked …..thinking about it now it was hilarious. But at that moment I didn’t even know how to respond to a question like that.
Taking a taxi halfway to the Friends Center, we walked the other half as I was feeling a little better and was actually able to walk five feet without dying. We got back and I crashed for two hours. Going to reflection group later this evening, I felt that ‘dying’ feeling coming on again, but found out that Ethan had also gotten sick from the food, since we both had the same thing. Bell Sensei sent me to my room so I could sleep more.
Knowing that I am in a different country, I want to learn a lot of new things and get the full international experience. I can now check off getting food poisoning in a foreign land. Trying to keep my good humor and happy attitude about it all, I quickly thought: ‘Well, I know I wanted to lose a little weight in Japan, but I wish I didn’t have to pay 850 Yen to have a calorie deficit!
Okay, so I know this post is super long….but I also have to say that being around this group of students has already been so amazing. Seeing how concerned all of them were about me was really touching, especially because a lot of us have only known each other for roughly one month. I have been blessed by having a great travel group!
-Bryce
I slept straight until 9am and felt pretty good, I felt like I had adapted to the Tokyo time zone pretty quickly! Walking to the temple was very cool and the temple itself was amazing. We had walked by a few earlier but had not entered any. I got some nice pictures that I can hopefully post later. Seeing the traditional prayer was also cool.
After that we walked back to the nearby station so we would all know how to get there. After that Bryce, Jena, Amanda and I walked to the Tokyo Tower and had lunch along the way. Tokyo Tower was phenomenal as well as the surrounding parks. I have some great pictures I will also post later. After that Bryce got sick and I felt okay for the most part but I started feeling pretty bad myself as time went on. Long story short I got sick after arriving at the Friends Center and I slept through the evening reflection. Don’t eat the meal pictured above.
-Ethan
Around 5:50AM I decided to move, thereby starting my day. Rain fell softly outside of the Friends Center. It was a very calm and peaceful morning.
After meeting up with everyone downstairs at 10:30AM, we journeyed to Sengakuji Temple. This temple is where the 47 ronin were buried along with Lord Asano and his wife. The 47 ronin is a story about loyalty and revenge. I remember watching Chushingura (a Japanese movie about the 47 ronin) in my high school Japanese class. I found it amazing that all those people were willing to exact revenge on behalf of their past lord while knowing the consequences. Therefore, when we visited the Sengakuji Temple, it really hit me how much they were willing to sacrifice.
The temple also provided an aspect of Tokyo and Japan in general. It is an island that is rich in history amidst an ocean of modernization. As I previously stated, Japan is a place of extremes. You could literally turn around in the temple and see houses and apartments towering over you. It seemed a little odd but good to know that little jewels of history exist in such a futuristic society.
After that, we split up in two groups of four to find lunch in the small restaurant areas. Amanda, Bryce, Ethan and I went searching for food. We eventually decided upon a little restaurant on the second floor of a building. It was our first adventure in trying to figure out how to properly communicate with the Japanese people without assistance. Therefore, it took us a little while to figure out that the waitresses would not come over unless you got there attention (by raising your hand or saying “Sumimasen”). We all ordered by pointing at the menu and eventually got our food. I’m not sure what I ordered, but it was very delicious.
After conquering the language barrier and paying for our food, we all decided to go explore the Tokyo Tower. Standing next to the tower made me feel fairly miniscule, but seeing how tall it was in person was breathtaking. We even explored the little shops under the Tokyo Tower and the small restaurants inside of it.
We started heading back in order to meet the other group going to the department store. But soon, Bryce got sick. We all stood by feeling helpless and unsure of what to do. We eventually settled into a park to relax. Bryce was still getting sick, so we decided to try to take a taxi back to the Friends Center. However, since we were afraid of Bryce getting sick in the taxi, I volunteered to get a bag from the convenience store. After what seemed like an eternity, we eventually got everything in place to come back to the Friends Center.
After coming back to the Friends Center about two hours past the original meet-up time, the other group was waiting for us to come back. Since the events of the day had been so hectic, I decided to stay behind and relax. Then Amanda and I went to the Peacock down the street to buy dinner and some miscellaneous items for tomorrow. Then we had an evening reflection with everyone and went to bed.
Today I learned that even though I knew I was out of place, I never really felt out of place. The Japanese people really keep to themselves, and I am just another person in the flow of things. I never felt uncomfortable due to being the minority. It just never seemed like it was a big deal to them. So even though I was out of place, I was never really out of place (unless I disrupted the flow of traffic).
-Jena
Japan Health Care Professions 2015 IUPUI 