My Trip to Japan

This summer I’ve had the extraordinary privilege to travel along with my high school’s music program to Japan, as part of 2-week long tour and cultural exchange.

伏見稲荷大社, 京都 (Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyōto)

Although I had already been to Japan before this with my family, going along with my friends and with a different itinerary and plan really allowed me to experience a different side of the country, beyond just the most famous sights and locations. Let me break down some of the things that made these 2 weeks truly special.

Having to walk everywhere

浅草寺, 東京 (Sensōji Temple, Tōkyō)

When I previously went to Japan, we spent a lot more time in taxis and the metro just shuttling between the main sights, apart from when we specifically went walking. However, on my school’s tour, if we wanted to go anywhere in our free time we had to walk there due to our directors banning public transport for underage students.

Getting to walk to the convenience store, the mall, or even just aimlessly near the hotel with my friends was one of the most simultaneously fun and relaxing parts of the whole trip for me.

Additionally, walking everywhere allowed me to properly view parts of Japan that weren’t just the famous tourist attractions. Even seeing normal, everyday houses and streets helped immerse me in the culture and style of cities in Japan and realized its stark differences from back in the US.

One thing I noticed was that the social customs of Japan were a lot more considerate to those I was used to back home. Walking on the right side of the sidewalk and leaving room to walk on the escalator by standing on the left side were unspoken rules that were actually followed through. In my opinion, these customs made traversing the cities quite smooth, easy, and safe.

All in all, traveling on foot between locations improved my overall experience by introducing a new dimension to how I interacted with the people and locations around me.

2. Meeting Japanese students

広島国際会議場フェニックスホール (Phoenix Hall, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Through the tour, we performed at 4 different venues, Beethoven Hall at Musashino Academie Musicae in Tokyo, Stellar Theater in Fujikawaguchiko near Mt. Fuji, Akashi Civic Hall near Kobe, and Phoenix Hall at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. All of these concerts were exchange concerts, where we would perform alongside a band from a nearby school and afterwards would get to meet the Japanese students who were also performing.

Although there was a bit of of a language barrier, we all still had a lot of fun talking to the Japanese students, and its safe to say all of us left with a quite a few more Instagram friends than we entered with! The most fun part of the experience was being able to play a piece of music we both had learned separately at the same time as the concert’s finale, mainly “Takarajima“, an old anime theme song.

At the end of the day, getting the opportunity to interact with people similar to us from the other side of the world was a very unique experience that can really only be replicated on a cultural exchange tour like this one.

3. Meals on our own

浅草寺の近くにラーメン屋 (Ramen shop near Sensōji Temple)

Apart from group dinners and concert days, every other mealtime was given to the students to explore and around and find food on their own in. This time was the perfect opportunity not only immerse myself in Japan’s amazing prices, but also to connect more with my friends and even experience what it might be like to find meals around there as a local.

The best part among all of that, though, was that almost every restaurant we went to had great food, with the least satisfying meals of the trip being mid at worst.

Another amazing thing the trip introduced me to was the humble コンビニ (konbini), or convenience store, the big 3 being 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart. By far one of the most striking differences between Japan and America is that the convenience stores there are actually convenient, and the food they stock is genuinely very good.

In my opinion, I really like how the “food on your own policy” gave us a nice small window into adult life and managing meals on our own, all within the safety of a high school tour and vacation.

4. The weather

富士山, 富士河口湖町 (Mt. Fuji, Fujikawaguchiko)

The last time I went to Japan, it was also in the summer, but it was significantly hotter, requiring my family and I to buy several bottles of electrolyte drinks like Aquarius and Pocari Sweat from the vending machines located basically everywhere.

However, on the tour, we went a few weeks earlier and also got a little lucky, resulting in perfect temperature, skies just cloudy enough to moderate the sun, and insane views of Mt. Fuji during its worst viewing season to top it all off.

Apart from the magical experience of seeing the entirety of Mt. Fuji directly from our hotel room window (seen above) after an amazing concert, the weather really allowed me to focus on having fun and exploring the entire trip without being bogged down by outrageous heat and sun.

And thats about it! As I’m sure you could tell from the rest of this article, this trip to Japan was truly one of the most unique and special experiences of high school and my entire life as a whole. As I continue to grow up, I’ll continue to cherish the memories I made with friends, both old and new, on this tour, and who knows, maybe I’ll come back here some day for some more.

That’s all for now guys! Before I leave, I’ll send you off with a few more photos from the trip (honestly there are too many good ones to choose from). Thank you for reading and see you next time!