Max

JUNE 15

I am very much looking forward to this trip. I am hoping that I will take a lot away from this trip. In all of my personal traveling, I have never been to Asia. I have heard that the continent is beautiful and culturally rich. I think that the experience will be unique and eye opening. I feel that the trip will be an opportunity to not only learn a lot about a culture and a society, but also a chance to get to know a fantastic group of people. I think that from the moment we met for the first time, many months ago, we have become closer, and we will continue to become close friends.

As in most cases, this sense of anticipation comes with an equal sense of fear. The unknown can be a terrifying thing, and this experience is one of the most unknown I have ever experienced. I will be with almost exclusively other kids, living with a new family, all in a new country. There is a constant and impending fear that I will get lost, or make a mistake that will lead to the entire derailment of the trip. When these feelings possess me, I simply remember the complete majesty of the next two weeks, and I realize how fortunate I am.

Finally, I would like to thank anyone who has supported me throughout the last year. My family, friends, anyone who attended the banquet, bought a shirt, or placed a bid, I thank you for making this trip possible for all of us.

JUNE 18


Today has been a surreal experience. Along with most of the group, I am having a hard time believing that this is finally happening. We had a fantastic breakfast and dinner provided by the hostel. Both meals were wonderfully prepared, and covered a variety of various foods. The group ate lunch at harajuku (a Street famous for its shopping). A few of us visited a crepe stand for lunch. My crepe had whipped cream, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate syrup. I also had a small bowl of miso soup at a small restaurant.

We visited a few historical areas, and did a lot of shopping. I saw many beautiful areas and old structures, and took lots of pictures. We visited an old shrine, and saw some fantastic water lillies (I think they were). We then went shopping in harajuku, and saw another old shrine. Behind the shrine, there was a sprawling market, filled with old traditional products and souvenirs. We ended the day by going up in a huge skyscraper with a fantastic view of the city.

I don't think I will ever forget this day. I was completely immersed in the experience. Everything from the beautiful walk to the Meiji shrine, having conversations with complete strangers, and trying fantastic new foods from a completely new culture really set a high bar for the rest of the trip. I know that I will continue to look forward to every new day and each new experience.

-Max Dong

JUNE 21

Japan has blown my mind. (Its funny, because I cracked my head open.) I'm sure that my little slip is the story that people want to hear, but I implore that you read the rest of this entry, and that of the rest of the group. I took a much needed bath Wendsday morning. Japanese baths are notiriously hot, and I take notoriously long showers. After fifteen minutes, I felt a bit dizzy and left. As I walked to the changing area, I succumbed to the heat and fainted. On my wat down, I cut my head open, and crushed my finger. Accompanied by Yokota sensei, I walked to the Tokyo hospital. There I met a kind man named, Noguchi sensei, who put six staples in my head. I then learned that my, while very much injured, my finger is most likely not broken, and required not additional attention. A few days later, I feel great, and am looking forward to the ret of the trip.

Now that the excitment is out of the way, I can relate the rest of our trip. On Wendsday, I met the rest of the group after the museum. We were let loose to find lunch, and Chase and I found a much sought-after arcade. After a "quick" game of Time Crisis, we found lunch, and went to the zoo. The zoowasnearly deserted, and the exibits were unlike anything I had seen anywhere else. If I wanted, I could have climbed the various fences into their respective cages. The animals were unlike any I had seen in America. We saw a sea-eagle,  giant panda, and something called an Aye-aye, which was doing backflips, just to show off. After the zoo, we returned to the hostel, and ate a quick dinner, before heading out to the Tokyo Skytree. The skytree was a terrifying experience, on par with the six metal staples holding my together. My natural fear of heights kicked in, and I spent the next hour gripping the railing as if my life depended on it. We returned home, and relaxed for our last night in Tokyo.

The next morning was uneventful. We took the train from Tokyo to Nikko. On the train, we met a few very nice couples, who we engaged with in broken Japanese. The train pulled into the small town of Nikko, and we caught our first look at the beautiful town. The town, and thesurrounding area was breath-taking. I find difficulty discribing the view with words, but I will try my best. The town is small and has lots of personality. The durrounding mountains are covered in tall trees, and there is a constant veil of mist rising from the ground. I have learned of a local delicacy, Yuba. Its a tofu based treat that the town is known for. After a quick lunch, we headed out to the Nikko World Heritage sites. They were in the mountains, higher than the previously mentioned Skytree. We visited a series of temples and shrines, that despite their age and beauty, were mostly kept outside and open to the harsh conditions. Once again, I have trouble describing the area with words, but they were literally breath-taking and jaw-dropping. At one point, we saw a type of good luck ritual. A monk took a special wish from a young couple, and used it in a 45 minute display of culture. The monk rang perfectly made bells and lit a fire, burning other wishes on pieces of wood, all while chanting. It was a truly fantastic sight. After the ladt temple, we returned to Nikko for a late dinner.

Japan is different from America in a plethora of ways. The first partains to the general neatness of the country. It is one of the cleanest places I have ever seen. The subways, parks, and streets are spotless, despite the apparent lack ofpublic trash cans. The country as a whole is very honest and honorable. I have seen numerous places, most notebly in temples, to simply drop 300 yen ($3) and take a small item or charm. Products line the streets, simply trusting the patrons to pay for what they take. At dinner last night, one would order a fountain drink, and then pick out a cup from a pile near the drinks. These types of actions would never work in America. We are preparing to leave for the day, so here seems to be a good place as any to leave off. The wifi is a bit iffy, so I hope this will be posted soon, but I still thank you reading, and anyone who showed concern during my injury.

JUNE 26

Here mom, I'm blogging! We have done so much in the last few days, so I'll just cover my personal highlights. The second day in Nikko, we went to Edomura. Sorry Disney World, this place has you beat. First the surrounds were beautiful. We were surrounded by lush mountains and tall trees. All of the buildings had a super cool old timey feel about them, and the atmosphere was completed with the actors. As we walked down the street, we saw ninjas, merchants, and law enforcers shouting greetings in rapid Japanese. The first thing that many of us did was to find the ninja maze. This maze began in a dark, creepy cave, with numerous exits into the actual maze. After wandering the maze for fifteen minutes, I realized that there were fake walls. Not only was I now tasked with finding the exit, but I also had to go pushing on walls and sliding dividers into place. I startled quite a few children who were much more clever and solved the maze with relative ease. After that I browsed the numerous shops, purchasing a few small gifts and trinkets, most notably a small wooden flute. I then tried my hand at the throwing darts, and ate a Dango and some meat on a stick. We then moved to the ninja house. This house was built on a hill, as if it was on flare ground. With the exeption of the stairs, the entire house was slanted. It naturally threw off our balance, as our group was once again shown up by a group of Japanese children. We reconvined to decide how long we should stay, (my vote was the next two days,) and decided to see a show. We entered a crowded house, and after a few quick announcements, the lights began to flash mimicking a raging thunderstorm. Suddenly, a flash of lightening revealed a lone figure standing in the center of the room. Using the ninja techniques of disappearing, deception, and raw skilled combat, the figure fought off two attackers. The show climaxed when the protagonist was trapped against a wall, and managed to gut his attacker before being inpaled on a katana. As the ninja assailant fell to the ground in a pool of blood, the protagonist stood up, after faking his death, to copious amounts of applause and shouts of joy from the me and the group of children. After the show, I was dragged away from Edomura, much to my dismay.

Later that day, we visited an onsen, a Japanese bath house. The boys made their way to the outdoor bath, and sat down for an hour of leisure (and terror). The bath was a great bonding experience and was a fantastic way to end the day. I was, of course, subjected to many jokes at my expense. At one point I heard from the girl's side of the divider,"I'm gonna get out, I don't want I pull a Max." The bath as a whole was relaxing, and the ramen afterword made the evening one to remember.

The next day almost rivaled Edomura in my metaphorical book. Our group took a bus up to a terrifyingly tall mountain. Then we traveled up an even more terrifying rail car, that moved with the slightest provocation. The view was worth it. We could see the town of Nikko to one side, a waterfall on the other, and mountains as far as one could see. After a good half hour of looking, and an outrageous picture, we were off to continue exploring. We took another bus to the aforementioned waterfall, and rode an elevator down one hundred meters to the base. We looked on in awe as water crashed down in a solid line. After looking around, we found lunch. I chose to get a few fried treats from a small congregation of vendors. After lunch we went on a hike. We walked, soaking in the prospect of possibly seeing a bear or a monkey. As we walked, we spread out, enjoying the wildlife, until we came across a majestic waterfall. While nowhere near the previous in size, this fall was wide, water fanning out in every direction. We saw a fisherman catch, trap, photograph, and release a fish at the falls base. There I had a chance to try green tea ice cream, and it was fantastic. I don't know what in going to do in America, when I can't buy tea from a vending machine. That night we packed, and prepared to head to Hiraizumi, our last destination. 

In Hiraizumi, we stayed at a very traditional bath house. We instantly headed out, to visit and old temple. This temple contained a many small gardens, where Sensei encouraged us to find somewhere quiet to reflect. During this reflection I wandered and did just that, reflected. It was the calm before the storm. Upon returning home, we bathed and prepared for dinner. That night we were treated to a very traditional Japanese meal. Some highlights was the sashimi (raw fish), pickled everything, straight tofu, and numerous things I had never heard of. I know this will come as a shock to anyone who knows me, but I ate it. All of it. And I loved it. While most of the group frowned at the fish and tofu, I jumped into each new dish as an opportunity to learn and discover a new delicacy. Each meal became a new stepping stone to foods I had never even considered to etible.

The next day, to my extreme pleasure, we went on another hike. We turned off of a deserted highway, and found a small path. This path lead us up and down a series of winding hills, until we arrived at another temple. This temple housed over three thousand national treasures, including a gold plated shrine that was preserved from the 800's. As a whole we saw a vast amount of beautiful building, temples, and gardens. Most of the buildings were a few hundred years old, and fantastically restored. We explored for a few hours, marveling at the preservation of the buildings, despite exposure to the elements. Then we took a bus to a traditional boat ride. We all sat on a long boat, with a guide paddling while describing the surroundings. The boat glided through the water, as we fed fish, and listened to the guide with a loose understanding of the language. After the tour, we stopped for ice cream, and watched Sensei race Victoria. (He won too) The we made our way back to the onsen for a bath and another traditional meal. This dinner was fantastic, including squid and some form of white potato soup. The squid was unanimously tasteless and chewy, but pleasurable. We also had a plate of tenpura, most notably a leaf dipped in batter. After tearing through the dinner we retreated to our rooms in preparation of the next day. 

The next day was a pretty close contender for the best activity (after Edomura). We took a two hour Shinkansen out to an ancient samurai  village. Many of the old architectures were open for pubic viewing. We toured the houses, even eating lunch in one. My favorite section by far was the ancient armory. We saw suits of armor, blades, bows, and rifles. The craftsmanship was fantastic, many of the blades and hilts being personally inscribed with a family crest or name. After I was dragged away from the weapons, we saw many works of art and antiques that had been taken from the houses. Many houses were closed off due to the fact that people still resided in them. On the train we met a few Japanese girls and had a reasonable conversation before their stop. It was a short day, after riding the Shinkansen back, we didn't even have time for a bath before dinner. That dinner was the m