It's been long enough since the end to my trip to Japan, and time to get this post on up. I can't believe it's over. I was looking forward the the two weeks in Japan since the beginning of this year, since before I knew for sure that I could in fact go. But everything worked out much, much better than I could have imagined!
Since the trip, I have more confidence now, after traveling by myself and making it (smoothly) through both Japanese and American immigration and customs. Plus, pretty much the entire trip I was speaking Japanese except for the few times when I needed help from my friend who is now my boyfriend. Things changed from this trip. I had doubt about my ability to handle naturopathic medical school (a little ways in the future I know, but still), faith in myself to handle whatever comes. And for many reasons this trip helped me find all that I needed.
And the fact that it was one of the most fun and exciting things that I have ever had the opportunity to do!

The day after arrival in Tokyo, we visited Rikugien, a park near his apartment. Amazingly, the air inside the park was much cooler than that outside. And since it was quite warm that day, the drop in temperature was welcomed.

 After the park, we walked to his university, Tokyo University. And once we had seen some of Ueno (where the university is located) we took the train to Shinjuku to get a start on the hunt for souvenirs; CDs and comics for my little brother.

The next day, we went back to Ueno, though a different area of Ueno, and visited a museum to escape the sun's rays and then after nearly making it through the entire collection of the museum we walked to this pond/lake. 

That night, we met with a few of his friends and went to a festival just a 30 minute train ride away. It was awesome, one of the first times I thought a festival was fun, I was with a friend and could understand more of what was going on around me.

The next day, we met another of his friends at Akihabara station with really no plan in mind for our time there. We wondered around the streets some and ducking into a few places and taking refuge from the heat at a couple cafés. Even though we didn't do anything in particular, it was a lot of fun! So much so that I forgot to take pictures.

That night, his friend spent the night and the following morning the three of us headed towards Asakusa. 

We walked for a while around the temple and through the streets until eventually finding a place for lunch. And after a leisurely meal over conversation, we parted ways with his friend and the two of us continued on to Tokyo Tower.

I remembered for a moment to take pictures as we walked toward the Eiffel Tower-esque Tokyo Tower. The two of us took a break in a café that was intermixed between many shops many devoted to souvenirs until we were ready to go up to the observatories. After taking in the city below from the main observatory, we circled the platform waiting until the number on our tickets flashed across the tv screens to alert those waiting for their turn on the elevator bound for the special observatory.
The next morning, having finally gotten over jetlag, we woke up at about nine and when we both had finished taking showers and everything, we arrived at Tsukiji Market around lunch time. After walking around the perimeter of the market and then taking a few streets that run through the middle of Tsukiji, we settled (with a little help from a man who offered advice) on a place for the midday meal. Once we had eaten our fill, we returned a little earlier than usual to the apartment in preparation for the next day's early rise.
The seventh day of my trip we rose at 5 am to catch the Shinkansen bound for Osaka to meet two beloved people who are like parents to me. I looked very much forward to seeing them again, it had been over a year since the last time we had met. And after wondering the Shin-Osaka station from end to end  a few times, we were finally reunited.
When I get to see these people who are closer and more important to me than most of my blood relatives, it's like we haven't been separated at all; it's as if it's only been a few weeks since the last time we met. It's a incredible feeling, but when I comes time to part, it's all the more difficult.

From Osaka, we drove into the prefecture of Wakayama. The first stop, Adventure World with the objective of seeing the pandas. But first, aquatic life.

And from here, the panda bears.

Once the four of us had found our satisfaction with the monochromatic creatures, we embarked on a three hour journey around and through mountains to an onsen where we spent the night and enjoyed the much desired time in the bathes.

Arriving later in the evening. 

The dining area. We ate at the table in the far back of the picture. 

And the view from our rooms. 

Inside one of the rooms. 

After breakfast at the onsen, packing the car and continuing on the trip through the mountains of Japan, we took a short stop. And to be honest, I don't know the name of where we stopped and I liked it that way. Usually, I'll help navigate or am the one navigating whoever happenes to be driving at the time. But this time, I could just sit back and while looking out the window or engaging in conversation, enjoy the ride.

But the place we stopped we were directed to a guide and because of the rain that previous night and morning, were advised that it was not the best idea to hike around the trails. So, instead, the four of us piled into the car of our guide (who turned out to be more famous than we were aware of at the time) who then preceeded to drive us around to various sites, explaining the history and importance of the area we were in and then ended with a beautiful hike through woods that eventually wound its way back to where we had parked our car.

The next stop in our itinerary was the Kouya-san, a Buddhist temple at which you could lodge and experience the Buddhist monk's life, or at least a little bit of it. When we arrived we had about a couple hours before dinner was to be served, and we had tea in our rooms and walked around the premises a bit.

The population of visitors to the temple surprisingly had many foreigners (though I myself was also a foreigner); people from France, Spain, England and Singapore and Romania. 

As we ate our evening meal, we were told the history or Kouya, from the founder of that particular sect of Buddhism up until the present time. The woman who gave the talk was, if memory serves, ninety years old and the widow of the former chief priest of Kouya. And she spoke in fluent English. 

Inside the gates of the temple.

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