japan

On this post, I feature my first ever trip without my family. On this ten-day travel, I explore the treasures of Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo along with my peers at NCSSM Morganton and Durham through J-Term. Immersing myself in this new culture has taught me a newfound sense of serenity through the appreciation of nature, as taught in the religion of Shinto. I thank my sponsors, EF tour guide, and NCSSM for this experience.

the way there

We embarked from NCSSM Durham then to the RDU airport at 2:15 AM! We departed from RDU to DFW, DFW to NRT, and then finally after 23 hours, to Osaka. We were greeted by Maki, our tour guide, and made it to the Osaka Tokyu REI Hotel. Within our tour groups, we explored the nearby restaurants before we ended the night.

osaka+ nara

My day began at 6:30am today (or should I say 5:50am due to jetlag). I enjoyed the complimentary breakfast before heading to the Subway with my tour group to visit the Osaka Castle. Not only were there beautiful views and heights showing the city, but there were also many artifacts sharing a glimpse of Japans' history.

We then visited the Kasuga Grand Shrine, Todaji Temple, and Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine.

kyoto

My day was to begin later today, yet my eyes were only closed until 5:30am, once again. We began by visiting the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, then the Golden Pavilion-a Zen Buddist Temple, and later took a tour of the Kiyomizu Temple where a LOT of souvenirs were bought. We also enjoyed a treat- green tea ice cream!

bullet train, mount fuji + caves+lakes!