Japan has always been at the top of my bucket list to visit, so when one of my friends told me they were going for our student break, I had to take the opportunity to go! In total, I spent ten days exploring such a beautiful and fascinating country, and while I had my friends with me, there were plenty of moments when we were all clueless and needed help. In these moments, so many kind people came to our rescue, and befriending these people changed our entire trip!
Our Struggle in Mt. Fuji
Our biggest moment of struggle was at Mt. Fuji. The trip itself was beautiful, and the long journey was definitely worth the views and adventure, but we were a long way from our hostel. It had gotten dark when we were trying to get home. My phone service wasn’t working because it had become unreliable while in a new country and we couldn’t find any trains running. It looked like we had to take the bus. While waiting at the bus stop, this woman started talking to us asking if we knew how the buses worked. Turns out she and her fiancé were visiting from China and were also unfamiliar with Japan, so we instantly clicked and started sharing our experiences and cultural differences in Japan. After waiting for the bus for over 30 minutes, it finally showed up, but when we tried to get on, we were told we needed a reservation! “I hate Japan!” Our new friend joked. “They need reservations for everything!”
We tried to get a reservation for the next bus, but the website was extremely hard to navigate, and in the end, it turned out that there were no more reservations available. Now we felt stranded, and as a last hope, my friend looked up an Uber–but there were none available! With no trains, no buses, and no Ubers, how were we going to get back home?
Our new friend’s fiancé came to our rescue! We all walked back to the train station together in hopes of finding one available or at least asking how to get home. He managed to find a train going back to Tokyo that we had not been able to find before, and together we all went back on the train. Being able to rely on someone felt so refreshing and comforting after so much time to ourselves in Japan. It’s safe to say that without them, we would have probably been left at Mt. Fuji with no idea how to get home! I’m so thankful we ran into such kind people who were willing to help us that day.
A beautiful view of the Chureito Pagoda and Mt. Fuji in the background.
Me enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms in the Arakurayama Sengen Park!A Fifteen-Year Reunion
Before going to Japan, my mom told me, “You should meet up with your friend from pre-school! She lives in Tokyo, it would be perfect!” I thought about it and while I’m very introverted and part of me thought it might be awkward, the day before I left I messaged her. As expected, I got no response, and I thought that would be it and we would continue to go our separate ways. However, my mom was not satisfied when she heard the news. As moms do, she made sure my friend would hear the news that I was in Tokyo. She made a group chat with her, my friend, her mom, and me, and set up a meeting for me! While it was a little embarrassing at the time, it was a sign that moms know best, because I’m so thankful I got to meet up with my friend after no contact for fifteen years!
When I met up with my childhood friend, Kasumi, I will admit it felt like we were basically strangers. She had moved to Japan so long ago that we knew nothing about each other’s lives. Still, it was exciting to see what she was up to and see how time had gone by!
Kasumi took us to a cherry blossom festival full of life, street food, and of course, cherry blossoms! It was cool to have someone with us that knew the area, and it felt like we could all relax and enjoy the festival. We got some delicious food at a Hawaiian restaurant and I remember her asking, “Is it weird for you guys to eat raw egg?” We all laughed and I remember thinking, while it was new and different from what I was used to, it never felt weird at all! I was honestly excited to be able to try so many new foods I wouldn’t get to back at home. Her question sparked a conversation about the differences between where we grew up and what we liked and didn’t like about our countries. It put into perspective how we can all be amazed at new things and yet see the unpleasant things in what we’re used to.
After the festival was over, she took us to this cool rooftop park where there were so many cool things to do! There was a beach volleyball court, skate ramps, and of course, my American eyes saw the Starbucks instantly. I’m so glad we tried it though because it’s completely different from American Starbucks! There were so many different flavors and drinks, and the coffee tasted entirely different. While we sat on the rooftop park and drank our coffee, I was so thankful I had been able to meet up with Kasumi because I know I would have never been to such a cool spot if she hadn’t taken us there.
After we had finished our drinks, she took us to Shibuya, which is known for its nightlife, flashing digital billboards, and constant crowds of people. Kasumi laughed while we were freaking out about walking on the Shibuya crossing, the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing! We also got to see the famous statue of the Akita dog, Hachikō, who would wait for his owner every day after work, even after his owner passed. To end the night, we went to a claw machine arcade, where we all tried desperately to win our favorite characters and stuffed animals. She also got us to take some pictures in a photo booth that photoshopped your face so extreme that it was funny! By the end of the night, I felt like we had all been such close friends for a long time, and I didn’t want the night to end.
Me, Kasumi, and my friend Julianna at the cherry blossom festival!
The silly and adorable photoshopped picture of us from the photo booth!The Best Curry in All of Osaka
After a long ride on the bullet train, we finally arrived in Osaka! Our hotel was right next to a string of restaurants, and we decided to go find some food. After staring at one restaurant’s menu for an extra long time wondering if they had vegetarian options, a customer from the restaurant convinced us to go inside. We were starving and the food looked good, so why not?
After we were inside and ordered our food, I saw they had a little QR code for their Instagram (@indy_uchihonmachi). I decided to give it a look and saw how cute the restaurant events were! They had food challenges with YouTubers attempting them, magic nights, and live concerts. I instantly fell in love with the place and gave them a follow. When we got our food, a staff member saw us taking pictures of it and offered to take our picture. I found it so nice how he had taken our picture and decided to post it on my story and tag them! After we had taken our pictures, we could finally eat our first authentic Japanese curry, and it was absolutely delicious!
After we had paid and we were about to leave, I showed the same staff member the post. He was overjoyed and offered us free juice before we left! While we drank our juice, he chatted with us and asked us about our trip. While there was quite a language barrier, he wasn’t shy about using Google Translate to ask us questions, and that made connecting with him and the restaurant so much easier! Before we left, he told us that we were right next to one of the most famous landmarks in Osaka, the Osaka Castle, and that the park surrounding it is beautiful at night. He gave us directions and after we had finished our drinks, we were on our way! He was right; the park was absolutely beautiful at night. With the Palace lit up, surrounded by cherry blossoms and friends having late-night picnics, it reminded me of how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful area and to have met so many kind people. On our way back from the park, I was overjoyed when I saw the restaurant had followed me back on Instagram!
Before we left Osaka, we made sure to go back to the restaurant one last time. The staff was so happy to see us and asked how our visit had been and if we wanted to come back again. I told them of course! I know one day I will have to go back to that curry restaurant and see them again.
I’m so thankful we got to connect with the small staff of the restaurant; they were so nice and friendly and were genuinely interested in what we thought of Japan! That restaurant will forever have a place in my heart, and in my opinion, has the best Japanese curry in all of Osaka!
The photo taken by the friendliest staff at the best curry restaurant! (If you’re ever in Osaka, you should definitely visit!)
The Osaka Castle during the day, minutes away from our hostel and the curry restaurant.While my trip to Japan was life-changing, I know so much of my experience was affected by the friends I made throughout the trip. This trip showed me how going out of my comfort zone and making unexpected friendships can add so much excitement to life. Now I have so many more emotional connections to Japan and still so much of the country to see that I know I will have to go back!
Lexi Witherspoon, University of Central Florida, is studying abroad in Australia with TEAN.
