#studyabroadtokyo

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Day 63 - Study and Sweets

After class I was supposed to meet with Yuji. I hit the gym and then got some pizza from a food truck for a decent price and headed to Bldg 2 cafeteria, where he arrived when I already tempted myself to 2 slices of my pizza. After that, we just headed to the library and did some studying. I also printed my Conflicts paper as I was done with it already. Although for me it was mostly watching Slay the Spire and looking for where to bring my parents during their stay here. At around 3-4 PM Yuji left and I was still continuing to study. I got bored at 5 PM and at the thought that I finished studying, I headed to look for food at Nakano. I didn’t have any restaurant in mind but I wanted to finish my exploration there. I ate cheap katsudon outside Nakano Broadway but it was very salty, especially the miso soup. After that, I wandered some alleys a bit and then I entered Nakano broadway.

Inside, I went downstairs to eat Hokkaido melon ice cream which was pretty dense and yummy. Then I explored the four floors before the closing time. There I saw anime figures, camera shops, headphone shops, posters and stickers that I was so close on buying, and even a torii gate leading to a Mandarake. I also saw some interesting personalities inside, aka weebs with an eccentric fashion sense. After that, I looked at some vintage coca-cola shop, an arcade, and then eventually headed out as the place was closing at 8pm. Then I got two pieces of bread at a bakery that had something sweet and meaty.Then i went to a Lotteria where i got matcha milk tea, which I realized was too much sweets for me and I couldn’t finish it. My purpose for buying that was to study inside the cafe but my body was too uncomfortable doing so so I just went home and tried to study there instead, but I really didn’t. That will be tomorrow Joshua’s problem.

Aside from that, I also had orals so Mariana and I planned to meet up early in the morning to practice. June 4 will be one heck of a day.

#ryuugakusei #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadinjapan #japan #studyabroadjapan #japanlife #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo #tokyo #sophiauniversity

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Day 56 - 1 km from Donald Trump

Today was my last day of simultaneous plans, which was a day trip around Ryogoku with Rhea. The weather was approaching scorching hot (32°C) as we went to the Edo Museum, paying for the base entry. There were two massive floors we checked out, which portrayed Edo tokyo, the livelihood of the everyday people, and also replicas of rooms and inventions used during particular time periods. We borrowed a Y1000 audio guide which was really slow talking in English sadly.

During 11:30 we saw a Shamisen performance, and the singer started to do a gutteral voice change so I suggested we check the rest of the place out. It took me until 2 PM to get as much things done - from Edo to modern Tokyo. It was interesting and definitely informative, but now we were hungry for some food so we checked where to eat. On our way out we saw a bunch of sumo wrestlers entering the stadium nearby. Rhea recommended a sumo wrestler's specialty restaurant, but it was really expensive (Y2200 per) so we were totally cool with a ramen and rice bowl the floor below for less than Y800. There I also brought out the rice drink we bought in Niigata to share, which was nice. The food arrived and it was pretty filling. We headed out afterwards and looked for a sake vending machine place near the station.

When we arrived there, the prices of a cup plus the individual sake turned us off so we headed out. We tried to see things to do and I saw a Hokusai museum nearby and decided that was a good place to go to, so we went there. Before that we ate at Bobson's ice cream and I got a thicc NY Cheesecake flavor which was good. We had a good talk too so that was nice.

Uppn entering the Hokusai museum, the lady staff remarked that I was wearing a Hokusai shirt which made me blush... but it worked cause it led me to choose the most expensive exhibition. It was really worth it though. I saw many of Hokusai's print pieces and even skimmed through 15 sketchbook representation of Hokusai's art which was absolutely marvelous. It was a nice place and made me feel inspired. I bought some posters as souvenirs and we went towards Ryogoku Sta after.

Before entering it we decided to buy some bread at a bakery and stroll the Yokocho across the station. There we entered a cafe that was closed and an anime karaoke club that was already pretty wild at 5 PM. We went home and separated afterwards.

I ate at the pork rice bowl at Premier alley with my last remaining cash. After that, I went home and just chilled pretty much. I also found out that Donald Trump was watching the grand finals of sumo at that time. In Ryogoku. That explained the multiple cameramen and busy areas of Ryogoku that didnt seem too natural.

#exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #studyabroad #ryuugakusei #japanexchangestudent #studyabroadjapan #studyabroadtokyo #tokyo #abroadinjapan #japan #abroadintokyo #sophiauniversity #lifeabroad #japanlife #study #abroad

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Day 32 - Yasukuni Izakaya

Arrived at Ikebukuro terminal and skeddadled home, where I took a long quick nap until late morning. I had plans with Yuji and Javier to go to a Museum so I grabbed quick conbini meal and headed out at around 1:30.

The museum captured my focus intently with all the details regarding the war in a Japanese perspective. There were many letters there as well from the soldiers which tugged my strings quite a bit. I hadn't cried before going to a museum, but now I did and needless to say it was quite an experience for me. It made me hate war and hate that millions of lives were not documented like this. We passed by kamikaze jets, war helmets and containers, and other depictions of the war before heading out to the controversial Yasukuni shrine that celebrated prisoners who raped, tortured, and plundered innocent civilians.

We exited and saw the Yasukuni shrine somewhat close. It was a controversial shrine since it celebrated war criminals who raped, tortured, plundered and killed innocent victims of war. After that, we decided to look for food before Javier went to the station. Me and Yuji got McDo and had a decent talk, and we just walked around afterwards until we headed to the station where we returned home.

Izakaya came afterwards with James, Minh, Lorinc and a new bald dude Ben. They were interesting personalities and I had a good share of beer and kaarage at the place. We also walked around Shinkoiwa until 2am looking at a nearby shrine and park with a stream flowing inside it. After that, we returned to our rooms where I thought about the next day, which will be a day trip to Kawagoe.

#exchangestudent #ryuugakusei #exchangestudentlife #studyabroad #studyabroadjapan #studyabroadtokyo #japanexchangestudent #tokyo #japan #abroadintokyo #abroadinjapan #study

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Day 31 - Niigata Go Home

4:30 AM - I woke up and woke Rhea up as well. We were left behind by Alexis, whose bedsheets were unkempt and exposed. We walked out and managed to find her vlogging though, so we stuck together and climbed up a torii gate staircase to see some hidden temples. The sunrise was beautiful, but from atop the mountain it was covered densely in groves of trees. We continued walking farther along the path until we hit the river, where we stayed for a few minutes before pressing back towards the hostel. We tried to look for trails that lead upwards to the mountains, but it was to no success. The sunrise was already above the mountains by the horizon, its hues changing from golden orange to bright yellow in a span of minutes. We walked a bit farther out to see a wooden temple. It was empty and I would’ve taken it for abandoned hadn’t it been beside a house with a car up front. I rated the temple in Google Maps and we went back to our hostel. We checked the china and wares for sale in the front of the store. It would’ve been easily stolen if it was my home country, but the safety of the Japanese countryside makes it regretful even just thinking about the possibility. I returned to the room and slept once more.

9:30 AM - Woke up for good. We had to check out of the hostel and catch the bus by 10:48, and since everybody took a shower in the onsen, we took it slow. I cleaned up parts of the room and had a plan in my head already. Gave the keys, walked to the bus stop, and arrived at the station. I found out though that the train was going to arrive an hour late for the direction to Yahiko Park - so I decided to change the direction to go to Hakusan, which was towards Niigata.

When we arrived at that station, I adjusted my fare and we walked at the barren streets of Hakusan. It was very quiet there because of the golden week celebrations. We tried to look for a restaurant and conbini but it was closed or a hassle to find. Eventually we found a ramen restaurant which served mediocre ramen but it was better than nothing, I guess. After that, we walked towards Hakusan park where we could see a big shrine and an even bigger queue of people waiting to say their blessings at the shrine. It was the crowning of a new emperor, after all. The four of us just walked around the park until we stumbled upon a mansion that looked like it had Western inspirations. It was the Niigata Prefectural Government Museum. We entered there for free and browsed around, admiring the cool architecture and furniture found within its walls. I took a shit at the smallest space I’ve ever been to as well, which was amusing.

After that, we walked towards Niigata Saitou Villa. There we purchased a ticket that also allows us to go to Northern Cultural Museum’s Niigata branch just across the street. When we entered there we saw the beautiful garden from inside the traditional home. It was really lush and green - but the garden’s colors change together with the season. An old, sweet lady provided us with information on the things regarding the house. We went to a second floor as well and saw some samurai slash toys at the back of the room. It was for boys, said the old lady who appeared once more. We explored the rest of the villa then checked the other museum despite not having checked the gardens here yet because it will close earlier. It was pretty much the same experience; we checked the garden, second floor, and most of the place. It was pretty small. When we returned to Saitou Villa, the garden entrance was closed because of rain, so, unfortunately, one of the things I was looking forward to to go to was not able to be reached. But hey, better than no plan.

We decided to head towards the bus station already at around 6 pm and just look for a place to chill. There was a park nearby that also housed a former jail but I did not find that jail. There was also a restaurant that had a really cool looking garden. The hour after the museum stops was mostly spent on walking and checking conbinis for food and for withdrawing cash. Eventually, though we arrived near Bandai City mall and found a pricy but eye-catching katsudon. I spent Y1280 on it but it was worth the price! We still had 4 hours to kill though, but since the shops were closing we decided to head towards the terminal at this time.

Once we did, we checked the terminal and nearby shops. It was near Niigata station but all the shops were closing at this time already so we couldn’t go anywhere interesting. With the free time I calculated my budget for the whole trip which summed up to Y40.000, which was still less than the other two girls who I also compared budgets to. They all went to a nearby Book-Off as well while I shopped at the adjacent store that sold thrift store clothes. I also took a shit at a family mart beside it (I don’t know why I’m telling you this...). When I went out, they were all joyful with their purchases: manga they could not read. LOL.

So yeah, mostly just chilled at the area before the bus arrived. I walked to a nearby park to sit alone in the dark listening to Radiohead and sad music. I returned and chilled at the station where a lounge was found. Rhea texted us on LINE though, so I returned back and just chilled there for the remainder of the time. I showed her some OPM songs as well out of boredom and for her to connect to Filipino roots; the song was Tagpuan by Moira Dela Torre and it seemed to catch her fancy. At 11:40, the night bus finally arrived. We entered and it was very quiet, plus there were curtains covering us from people beside each other. I used it right away (bye Taylor) and just chilled until 1 am browsing YouTube videos. It was overall really relaxing, save for one moment in the trip where the bus wasn’t moving and I had to reposition my body a couple of times, but aside from that I woke up at the right time the following morning at Ikebukuro terminal.

This ends the Niigata Arc.

#ryuugakusei #studyabroad #exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #studyabroadtokyo #studyabroadjapan

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Day 27 - Kamakura

After a long night, I napped and awoke at around 9:50 to prepare for a Kamakura trip with Brian and Minh. Minh withdrew some cash and took a shit, delaying us a train but it's all good, then we arrived at the Kamakura station at around 1 PM. We took another local train to hit the edge of the station. There i bought a good fried potato meal got Y200 and saw a clock tower. It was also a few steps away where we scouted a street chock full of cafe stuff and even Ghibli merchandise. It was raining afterwards quite heavily but despite that we walked passed moderate puddles and arrived at a temple atop a staircase. At the bottom of the staircase there was a ceremonial celebration with music and everything. It was playing traditional music while I was walking up the temple, which doubled the immersion for me lmao. After that, we walked back to the direction of the station while stopping by Tully's Coffee (where I got many free samples). Once we arrived at the station, we went to the station with the Big Buddha.

On the way there, we ate dried fish takoyaki which was bomb af 👌 We arrived at the Big Buddha which was kind of small actually but still worth the visit. After that, we tried to go yo another temple nearby but it was expensive so we failed to enter. We decided to head to the next and final station at Enoshima.

When we arrived there, the mood just picked up and we were all excited to see the sunset and island connected by a bridge waiting for us. I took so many nice pictures and also had a swell time looking at all the bazaars, fat cats, temples, and hiking up the island to a magnificent view of Mt Fuji and the sea. It was also very fun hanging with those two, but I had to watch Avengers that midnight so they teased me by warning me with spoiler threats for it. Also, we found a racoon tanuki creature randomly in a garden, which was funny.

We returned to the main Kamakura station, then Shinjuku station where we scouted for food to eat as we hadn't ate much that day. I was so cold walking around for lacking any food and water but we managed to find a cheap restaurant worth the value. After eating, we all went to Shinjuku station to separate. I had to go to Okubo where the Pinoys are. The train to Roppongi wasn't arriving so Okubo was the meeting place.

When i went there, I felt that the place was really sketchy with dimly lit alleys and few people. Police cars were also patrolling the main road. I searched for some merch but they messaged me saying that the KBBQ session ended and they were going to the cinema at Roppongi without me... I decided to follow. After a couple transfers, I arrived. Walking around the area, it felt pretty high-end and nice. I even saw a huge spider figure and the facade of Mori Museum. I arrived first at Toho Cinema and then waited until midnight for the Filipinos to arrive.

Next day blog is midnight afterwards.

#exchangestudent #ryuugakusei #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #tokyo #japan #studyabroadtokyo #abroadintokyo #studyabroadjapan #abroadinjapan #japanexchangestudent

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Day 18 - Arubaito Hunting

Today was a pretty uneventful  day. I did talk with Larasati (Indonesian classmate who moved to advanced class after me) about finding part time work. She said she was contacted by an English Cafe and could work there. I also wanted to do some English teaching job so I scouted around for them in the department for extracurricular activities. I found some that I was interested in and they gave me the contact information for those in search for tutors. After that, we parted ways and I went back home relatively early to rest. I also made lunch, which was the Vietnamese Pork with Fish Sauce. When I tried it it was very salty but ... edible. I also had some spare rice so I kept that in the fridge for safe keeping and future use. I spent the afternoon looking for part time work, keeping up with this blog, and just lazing around really. I hadn’t done that in a while so it was a good sort of rest from all the activity. Dinner time, I cooked a decent fried rice and bought konbini chicken as well. It was pretty good to be honest, would cook it again. I also watched something required from my classes and pretty much just chilled the rest of the night. Yeah, not all days have action-packed adventures.

#ryuugakusei #studyabroad #exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #studyabroadtokyo #studyabroadjapan

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Day 17- Odaiba Boys

There were 5 of us in a LINE Group Chat bound for Odaiba, which was where my hotel was located during my early teen years when I vacationed in Tokyo. I had one class before and hanged with Daniel for a bit afterwards, then I met some of our classmates in a 7/11, then some DLSU girls, then lastly Minh and Brian arrived at campus. James said he couldn’t make it unfortunately, and Daniel said he’d catch up but he didn’t really make it in the end as well. Four of us had lunch on campus though and then me, Brian, and Minh rode the Marunochi line then a Yurikamome line which overlooked the manmade city of Odaiba. It felt cool seeing different types of architecture in each station stop, even seeing the facade of Mori Art Museum, but we were there because Minh wanted to see the Gundam Statue change shape. We arrived early at Daiba Station, and as such, we walked around near the Statue of Liberty, took some pictures, and admired the view.

We went to a mall afterwards called Aqua City. In there, we saw some Hypebeast clothes and a Ramen district at the 5th floor that had specialty stores that sold ramen from different prefectures. There was also a shrine at the rooftop and an overlooking view of the Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo beyond the Odaiba bay. We were about to leave but then we found a Shonen Jump poster outside saying there’s a shop in the mall. I didn’t really care at first, but after a little trip to a Disney store, I felt a spark of childhood burst inside me when I saw popular anime merchandise inside the store. I ended up buying BnHA poster packs for Y500 and left pretty satisfied.

We went to the next mall, Diver City, where the giant Gundam statue towers in front. It was said to transform and change its lights at 5 PM, so we took that time to check inside the mall. There we stayed at the Gundam Base Store for quite a while, then me and Brian chilled at the Game station a floor below. Afterwards, all three of us reunited and rushed to see the transformation of the Gundam. The process took 1m30sec and was quite a spectacle I took in video. Afterwards, Brian recommended to walk to Steps which was a few minute walk. I played pokemon go, found a water/air cooling area that evaporated water, and we found our way inside  the mall. I found many hats and there was even a Japanese-style bazaar where I bought a Y420 coin case and found many cool shops that featured calligraphy, sewing machines, mystery boxes, figures, Japanese headband, a fortune teller, and even a horror house. There was also a Takoyaki “museum” further inside. 

After window shopping, we decided to head back to the ramen museum where we wanted to try out the food. Took us a while as we browsed more shops (like Gong Cha) and passed by a cozy, rustic indoor alleyway. Finally arriving at the place, the place served decent ramen, but I kind of regret skimping on the more expensive one as the one I ordered wasn’t filling nor particularly remarkable. After that though, we chatted by the rooftop and talked about cool things with the Rainbow bridge slightly lit up. We had a short bathroom break, walked around a bit in a BIC Camera, and finally headed back to the station. Then we arrived home, exhausted and fulfilled by the day trip. Here’s to hoping that on Wednesdays, there will be more to come!

#ryuugakkusei #studyabroad #studyabroadjapan #studyabroadtokyo #exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #japan #tokyo

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Day 70: Koiwa and Harajuks Bro

It was a rainy day and I went to meet with Yuji again to eat. This time we didn’t really have a restaurant in mind, but he needed to go to Harajuku to buy souvenir for his girlfriend so I decided to accompany him. When we went there we decided to eat at a burger shop not far from the station and we got a black-bun burger. It was Y950 and not as filling as Shake-Shack. After that, we checked the neighboring dense ice cream shop where Aimee and Chlarise went to the day before and we decided to walk around more. We passed by Takeshita street to go to Line Friends where he bought specific souvenirs. After that, we headed back and I was bored so I decided to explore by myself in Koiwa especially since there’s a cool lily garden that Google Map recommended was nearby.

When I arrived in Koiwa, it was raining very heavily. I had to walk 22 minutes to the gardens under the strong breeze and raging rain which was very uncomfortable. There was not a minute that went by that made me regret going there as my shoes were soaked to the ground. I managed to go to the garden and saw a bus that had many old Japanese people sprawling around the gardens and hurriedly returning. I was the lone person there with another old dude and a bunch of workers. I took some pictures to remember this experience and walked to the nearest station. The next stop was apparently Koiwa station but when I exited it was a farther station further north called Keisei-Koiwa. Walking back to Koiwa station was 17 minutes which was pain - I basically paid for nothing and the rain was still storming. I walked a straight path down, bought some food in a grocery, and finally arrived at Koiwa Sta. Then I arrived at Shinkoiwa, bought some food at Seiyu as my reward, and gone home. I stayed home and had to meet with Minh to finalize some Hokkaido stuff then settled everything. After that, I just watched Terrace House and had a much needed rest for this exhausting day.

#ryuugakusei #studyAbroad #exchangestudent #japanexchangestudent #ExchangeProgram #ExchangeStudentLife #exchangetstudentlife #Tokyo #studyabroadtokyo #abroadintokyo #studyabroadjapan #japan #SophiaUniversity

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Day 68 - Impulsive Yokohoma

Woke up by a tap on my feet. It was 9 o’clock and Aimee and Chlarise had a thing to do at teamLAB so we had to leave soon. Me and Yuji walked to Shinjuku and it was there where I decided whether I should go somewhere or not, since I was already at the station.

I decided to say screw it and just go to Yokohoma, although my slight hesitancy left me waste 30 or so minutes in Shibuya waiting again for another Yokohoma train to pass by. When I arrived there, I ate Y400 ramen at the station which was a good first meal of the day, albeit gave me a bit of the poops a bit after. I explored the station a bit, which was huge in its own right being one of the busiest stations in the world, and also bought a Y55 croissant. Despite my heavy af backpack, I walked 30 minutes to my next stop which was the Cup Ramen Museum. This was right across the big ferris wheel that’s iconic to Yokohama. It was Y500 to enter and there I ate a Kazakhstan noodly-dish for Y300 and also curry ice cream in cup noodles for Y300 as well. I saw a history movie on how the noodles came to be and also a collection of cup noodles from 1953 to present days. I also saw a mostly-Japanese history of Cup noodles in text as well as a visual illusion which was cool. I left afterwards and walked towards a nearby park.

Yamashita Park was pretty festive inside and even a dragon boat competition by the bay. It was cool watching the energetic culture around me. There was also a fountain with flowers surrounding it which was very nice to view. I walked to a Doll Museum and entered it, although I didn’t really enjoy it because i don’t enjoy Dolls at all. At least I saw one from the Philippines though with a girl wearing a baro’t saya. After that, I walked towards the bustling and water-spewing Chinatown where I got a really good dumpling that had a xiao long bao feel to it, it was so good i wanted to get a second. I also got pricy milk tea which was way too sweet. I got a spring roll as well for Y200 which capped off my food adventure. Lastly, I visited Masobyo Temple to pay my final respects and headed to the staiton. At the train, I actually was able to take a dump in the traditional Japanese style toilet seats and slept for a bit and woke up right when I heard Shinkoiwa. I think I cooked fried rice this time and bought chicken from 7/11 and also sardines that i still had. After that, me and Minh were planning for Hokkaido trip for a couple of hours and I realized I was slightly sick. Oh well, probably cause of the food I ate. Now I could rest though.

#ryuugakusei #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadinjapan #studyabroadjapan #japanlife #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo #tokyo #sophiauniversity

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Day 66: Interview Night

It was a training day, both physically and for my interview later tonight. After an easy set of midterms for Japanese class, I headed to the gym to work out. I then ate a good chicken roast set at the Halal cafe at Hoffman hall for my source of protein, then I headed to the library to prepare for my dance number. Yuji asked me to eat with him too, so I did again an hour ago with Tatsuya and we talked a bit about Fuji Q and my interview, while also seeing Minh and James eating at the area. After that, I stayed for a bit in the library with Yuji and searched for things to do during my interview, and there I saw the ESC interview was supposed to be conducted in my native language. I was slightly worried because I am not that good at Tagalog, but I persisted and made a script on how to dance the steps. I also thought I’d have a language tutorial class at Period 4, but when I went to the Global commons I realized it was supposed to be on Wednesdays, so I just cancelled it because I got too embarrassed and uncertain whether I could make it to the next ones. After that, I stayed for a bit in the library to wait for Yuji to return my headphones, and when he did at the 7/11, I went straight to the station towards Oji where I can find a place to look around and practice my unpracticed dance.

I ate at a nearby bakery once I exited the station and it had good bread that was pretty filling. I also walked past a clothing thrift store and eventually a quiet park where I practiced my spiel in Tagalog and did some dances. There were quite a bunch of mosquitos and also some pretty flowers. I stayed at a secluded area and did different steps before finally choosing to perform a specific step. It was so unprepared though. Once I did that, I ran to the restroom and looked for a place to eat and just look around. There I ate curry rice near the station and saw a nearby temple called Oji Inari Shrine. It was dark at night though so I didn’t get to see much so I walked towards the building where I had my interview.

I was early by an hour and waited at the interview spot. I fit my shirt and read the ruleset the lady gave me. I saw Daniel’s ID and there were some Mexicans and French people around. Some other nationalities arrived like Malaysian and American and I had to wait like an hour or so for my turn. When it was my turn, the interviewers did some small talk about my name and also asked me to perform. I was so unprepared since I asked them to hold my phone and they ended up looking at the music video instead of me dancing in front of them, which was quite unfortunate. I finished though and walked back to the station and went home afterward.

#ryuugakusei #sophiauniversity #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadinjapan #japan #studyabroadjapan #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo

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Day 65: Settlin’ at Omotesando

Early in the morning I woke up again, this time I grabbed a sandwich and coffee at Subway and chat up with Rika the German girl in my class. On our way back she talked about how she’s active in the music band in school which was nice as she got to interact with Japanese people. I also talked to Daniel and Mariana on the way to class, as if I didn’t have a care in the world that we had a test that day.

To be fair, it was very easy. I finished and after a quick chat outside with some of my classmates, and seeing Alex who I still continuously send gifts to in Pokemon GO, I headed downstairs and saw Filipino girls sans Aya and Aaron. There we talked about random things including our adventure with Aaron last night. He showed them the video of our misadventure. I excused myself to go to the gym, and they followed me to check the place out. After they left I did my workout and decided to get lunch at Omotesando.

I passed by Tutuk the Turkish girl from my class playing Pokemon Go and made my way to the station. Once I arrived at Omotesando I looked at the surrounding area to see high-end shops scattered around the area and cool facades. I stopped by a Zara and some Japanese clothing brands. I also sneakily entered Aoyama Gakuin University and saw an iconic tree in the middle. I headed out and walked towards some of the places I highlighted in Google Maps. For some of them though, like Louis Vuitton 3F or a high end mall I couldn’t find myself gaining anything from entering so i just ignored those places. I went to Oriental Baazar but didn’t buy anything there because it was mostly touristy stuff. I did go to Gyre too which had a cool design exhibition featuring Museum of Modern Art winners. There were clocks, sound equipment, and cool merchandise there. I also saw CDG shirt designs being sold outside with queues and a David Lynch exhibition at the same floor. I went out afterwards and headed to Cat Street in Harajuku. I stumbled upon the Gyozalou place people were raving about in Google Maps and I had a meal for Y500, which was honestly not even that amazing. After that, I grabbed some pie cookie at a Flipper’s for Y500 which was just alright., not as fluffy of a pancake as I was expecting.

I walked around more and heard two families of Filipinos, one Tagalog and one Bisaya. I browsed some vintage and secondhand shops but it seemed like we were going the same general direction as I keep on hearing them as I browsed the area. I then found myself in a part of Shibuya I haven’t been in where I looked at more areas since I don’t normally go this far. I bought milk tea at a place called “Nineteen tea″ which was just average and then I went back home. I practiced for my spiel at the ESC English camp and then heard angry shouting from Minh to Daniel because he was hungry for some conveyer belt sushi.

I waited for dinner time at 7 PM and went to a conveyer belt place in the Premier alley with Brian, Daniel and Minh. We ate good sushi, I ate 6 plates and spent around Y1100. We went back home and that was that. I got put in Brian’s story and we made Minh make an IG account but he just reused his old one. I practiced slightly more and rested for the remainder of the day.

#ryuugakusei #japan #abroadinjapan #japanexchangestudent #studyabroadjapan #japanlife #abroadintokyo #tokyo #studyabroadtokyo #sophiauniversity #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife

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Day 60 - Lunch in the Philippines

After class I went to gym again at Sophia for my triceps and back. I also went to reserve seats in the Halal cafe but I bought a beef bento in a food truck. I stayed for a bit and then got approached by Aimee and Chlarise then later the rest of the Filipinos started showing up, it was my first time meeting Jeanne and Francis (formally). We ended up eating at the outside where it was a bit sunny. There they talked in Tagalog and we had fun. We then went to the library afterwards where I separated from them to study IB.

After that, I was bored so I went to Kinshicho to look for food. There I walked around looking for new places but I knew in my heart I wanted to try the soba noodle place that I saw in my previous visit there in the mall at the south of Kinshicho. There I enjoyed a Y960 meal which was very filling I couldn’t even finish it. After that I went to a Dotour Coffee shop to do more reading for IB. Here after, I left to go back home and just chilled for the day after.  

#ryuugakusei #sophiauniversity #abroadinjapan #japanexchangestudent #studyabroadjapan #japanlife #abroadintokyo #tokyo #studyabroadtokyo #exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #exchangetstudentlife

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Day 57 - Shake Shack Idol Smack

After eating the pan I bought yesterday, I rushed to school. I did my Japanese homework at the fourth floor and invited people to eat with me and Yuji but in the end it was just the two of us. I got a Double Shack Burger and Black Sesame Shake for Y1600 which I couldnt finish cause it was too big. After that I went to Yotsuya to meet my groupmates at 5 pm. One of them was Julie who I met at the orientstion, and they all talked smack about idol and idol culture. I went out the quickest time I could and ate dinner at the cafeteria. I returned home and made a script for my part and just chilled around afterwards. It was an actual day like I was a college student.

#exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #studyabroad #ryuugakusei #studyabroadjapan #japanexchangestudent #japan #abroadinjapan #tokyo #studyabroadtokyo #abroadintokyo #sophiauniversity #japanlife #abroad #study #lifeabroad

[jamabroad]

Day 55 - Knock knock, it’s Mexico

Woke up at 8:40 and prepared breakfast since I haven’t done that in a while. I made gyoza and fried rice from my leftover rice with the help of DK House resident oba-chan and also Minh. It was a pretty filling meal. I had some time to kill before the Mexican party started too so I used that time to clean my room which I hadn’t done for weeks. I scrubbed the floor and sprayed the room until I the dense humidity left the air of my room. I also took a shower and saw Brian at the restroom for a bit. After I took a shower I went out wearing short pants since it reached 32 degrees outside. I was bound for Harajuku. In the train I also did my assignment for Japanese Pop Culture so I didn’t have to worry about that anymore. Finished right as I had to switch stations and when I entered Harajuku, I realized I didn’t eat lunch yet. I ate at a nearby Yoshinoya and headed to Yoyogi Park.

I seated beside the cowboy Finnish guy at first but I saw Daniel so I sat in his group. Everyone was playing Lotteria but since I arrived pretty late I just watched. I was also in the same group as Chlarise which was nice, aside from the earthquake which I felt very clearly. Eventually everyone finished and got a Mexican coin as a price, including me despite not playing the game. After that, we played a fun balloon stomping game which our group won! Me, Becka, Rich, Camu and two Japanese girls. We won by sticking together, but my balloon broke down because of my own negligence. We got to choose a pinata as a prize and we got Sophia’s gorgeous red bird mascot.

Me, Aimee, Chlarise, and Becka sat together and Naoki joined in as well. We just talked and had guacamole and salsa snacks with chips. After that we had to do a Mexican dance competition which I lost really quickly. After that, we had chili eating contest which was pretty scary and amusing. Lastly, there was a pinata breaking contest which was fun as I got to smash the brains out of Sophia the bird.

After watching Josue and a Latina girl dance really good salsa, me and DLSU girls went to the Laos Festival around the area. I ate Y300 bento which was Thai themed but hella cheap, while listening to music in the stage. I also bought Y500 milk tea which was super sweet but pretty good. Going towards Shibuya we saw the Jamaican festival and Reggae music CD shops nearby. There was also a live DJ performance which was very surreal and I enjoyed. After that, me and DLSU girls talked about our abroad lives and walked to Shibuya. We stopped by a CD shop and the Starbucks and overlooked the Shibuya crossing. After that, we decided to go to Shinjuku for some drinks.

Passing by Golden Gai and not finding anything that interested us was quite unfortunate, but going to Omoide Yokocho and being seated beside Bisaya speaking Filipinos made me feel pretty chill. I drank a heavy sake which made it hard for me to stand up afterwards. I also ordered one chicken skin, two bacon asparagus, and ate udamame which costed me Y1500. I went to the station afterwards and went home, resting for the day and realizing I still have to meet at Ryogoku tomorrow for the Edo Museum.

#ryuugakusei #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo #tokyo #sophiauniversity #abroadinjapan #studyabroadjapan #japan

[jamabroad]

Day 54 - Detective Pikachu

Wearing my bright orange shirt from Koenji, I prepared myself for the day. For lunch I had to separate with Yuji and Aya since I had a gym orientation that starts like 10 minutes after the lunch bell. I ate good kaarage and rushed to Hoffman Hall’s 1st floor where the orientation was being held. The gym instructor was talking in full Japanese and a majority of the students there were Japanese. It was actually interesting to me because I’ve never been lectured in Japanese before, and as such, I didn’t understand much at all. I did receive an English guide though, and I also got the gym card in the end which was useful. The gym in Sophia has more equipment than back at DK House so I am sure I’ll end up spending some time in that area.

IB class we discussed our plans to travel over anything else with relevant people. IR class had a quiz and I felt slightly more prepared than last time, but still not as good. I was beside Ludovic (Ludobitch) and Hiroshi. When it was over Kohei asked me why i didn’t join SRSG and I just skedaddled outta there since I didn’t have an actual response lmao. I saw Yuji there too and he returned my headphones that he borrowed earlier that day. I went down with Hiroshi and talked about his arubaito in Shinjuku that I may or may not visit. I also had to give money back to Tatsuya from last Monday in Building 6, which I did quickly enough.

After that, it was time to meet Larasati. I met with her at North gate and we took the train to Shinjuku. She took my picture with my Pokemon GO Buddy at the station and we did a raid as well, which we won together with 8 others. We walked around, played a 10-sec button masher outside an arcade, and just talked a bit while approaching Shinjuku Wald 9. We ate at Yoshinoya, I heard some Bisaya speakers too, and later snuck in some drinks/snacks we got from the 7/11. We arrived on time and checked some trailers, then the movie started.

The movie started promisingly. Loved looking at all the Pokemon in CG form, weirdly enough. The story was a bit bumpy at first, and I didn’t like the forced romance happening in the movie. The climax and reveal gave me goosebumps though, so props to the team for that. I’d give it a 7/10.

After that, we waited in the elevator to go down. Once we did, we separated as Larasati went to Shinjuku-sanchome station. I walked going back to the station of Shinjuku and went back home. I checked Summit the grocery for some food but didn’t get anything. I went back home and just chilled before I slept. It was a good day. 

#ryuugakusei #exchangestudent #studyabroad #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadinjapan #japan #studyabroadjapan #japanlife #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo #tokyo #sophiauniversity

[jamabroad]

Day 53 - PUBG, Igit, Fishing, and Nichome

So I felt that a lot of things happened today. 

First, I went to the 4th floor of the library to find my Intro to Human Security book which i couldn’t find unfortunately. I stayed there and took a dump and did my homework while waiting for Yuji and Sapphire cause I had an interview to do. I ate a quick lunch also at Bldg 11 and went to meet them at B1 of the library, including Naam. There I had an interview regarding vegetarianism and dashi where I feel like I messed up a bit but it’s all good. I separated with them outside the library (Yuji went to get Shake Shack again), and I messaged Rhea if we could meet earlier. She replied and we met outside the library, though I spotted Daniel first.

There we talked about random stuff. Like Filipino culture and similarities, mano and all that. We met with Rhea too and the discussion elevated. We walked towards building 6 as well and continued our conversation. There Aaron jumped in once again and we had a pretty interesting conversation, like about Saturday’s activities and ... wet diarrhea. I mistook the mispronounciation of Daniel’s “Ingat” to be “Inggat” which I thought was wet diarrhea in Bisaya. Turns out it was “Igit” that was what it meant, so I was off but you can’t blame me for not knowing it after years of not hearing the word lol. That was a funny moment, and after a while we separated and just on time Taylor arrived at the north gate.

We were going to go fishing in Ichigaya moat that day which I was excited for. After a bit of a hiccup and buying at the wrong store we had a refund and paid cheaper at the moat that I expected to get. For an hour it was around Y850. It was very relaxing and I caught 3 or 4 fish, and unhooking them was quite troublesome and scary. For what it’s worth though I had a lot of fun here, and the day didn’t end there yet.

We went to Shinjuku and looked for a dessert place. We chose a dessert buffet called Sweets Paradise and I was very shocked that it had a PUBG theme? Like the music was the PUBG introduction and there was merch and random decoration that was PUBG inspired. I paid Y1500 for 80 minutes in there and ate some good food, and surprisingly I took advantage of that time span and had the stomach for it all despite not being hungry when I went there. The food was pasta with multiple sauces, normal and mango curry, a heckton of cakes and ice creams (black sesame ice cream is love), and also mediocre drinks. For Y1500 it was a pretty wide selection and there weren’t many people that time yet (4:20- 5:40 PM) so it was a nice quiet experience. After that, we decided to walk around and explore more hidden alleys of Shinjuku.

Omoide Yokocho was at the top of my list. When we arrived there, I was very impressed with the side-street vibe and how it was the closest thing that resembled Philippine streets - the crowded alleys, the bustling restaurants, the skewered meats, and the lack of fresh air. We just walked passed the area and looked around for more stuff. We saw an advertising stunt by some actors for a high school movie. Me and Rhea also played PONG in an arcade nearby, which lasted less than 2 minutes. We walked further along the road, which was near Kabukicho. There were some love hotels and I had some banter with the two of just checking the lobby out. After that we walked further out, saw a batting center, the Robot restaurant, a sketchy alley that I was super close just passing through, more arcades (and played the 10-second tap game), and a really cool violin performance by Ayasa. We were walking towards the station but it felt really early, and so me and Rhea went to get drinks at a Don Quixote.

I saw a wide selection and I couldn’t pick just one. So I got a Green Apple sour (9%) and an Original Mule. I drank the Green Apple sour and talked to the two of them about LGBT rights and I knew Taylor had shit political views but it just went out that time LOL. I just brought up the idea of bringing them to Shinjuku-Nichome. We were walking towards there but checked out a cinema first where we urinated. After a bit of walking, we stumbled across a temple that was still open. We just passed by it nonchalantly bringing our beer cans. After a few more minutes we passed by a bit of the area, saw some gay couples and open bars, but it was pretty silent for the most part. And that was it - I asked them whether they’d be down walking with me to Yotsuya or go back to Shinjuku, and they both wanted Shinjuku so yeah. I walk the lonely road bla bla.

During the walk i listened to a bunch of sad music and just got in the mood. It was a nice walk actually, especially since I didn’t finish my beer can yet. I passed by the Yokocho across Sophia as well, and arrived at the station shortly after. I went home, exhausted of the amount of things I’ve done that day, and with the prospect that I’ll be back there the day after to watch Detective Pikachu with Larasati.

#ryuugakkusei #japan #studyabroad #study #exchangestudent #exchangestudentlife #japanexchangestudent #abroadinjapan #studyabroadjapan #sophiauniversity #abroadintokyo #studyabroadtokyo