Having fun on day one!

Today began nice and early with a walk to Starbucks for breakfast. Wandered around Shiba, visiting the Zojoji temple again, this time during the day. Though, there wasn’t anyone around as it may have been too early in the morning. Having some time to kill before meeting with the others from NAN3NST, we decided to walk down some streets and explore Shimbashi. This area is very close to Shiba, but offers more shops to explore and a variety in products.

Arriving back at the hotel, had an informal meeting with the others and Paul explained the week outline for the study tour. Proceeded towards the Harajuku area in Tokyo, for shopping and cultural experiences. The Meiji Jingu shrine was a spectacle, as it is one of the major shrines around Tokyo and the atmosphere at the shrine was full of devotion, appreciation and honor for the culture of Japan. The feeling was fantastic and I am one step closer to understanding Japanese culture.

Travelling down Takeshita street in Harajuku was difficult, as the street was lined with people from one side to the other getting to different destinations. As travelling in a group, we almost lost each other in the sea of people. The amount of shops that offer different products was astounding, as there definitely was something for everyone in that street. The group signed off at this point and Harajuku was further explored. Tokyu Plaza and Omotesando street in Harajuku were places of interest and were fantastic sights, showing the shopping strip that Tokyo has on offer.

The First Day

Today was the first day of the study tour. I arrived in the Shiba district a bit early, so I had a look around Shiba Park and ran into Daniel. We met up with the rest of the group at the hotel at 12, where Paul discussed the arrangements and guidelines for the rest of the week. Afterwards, we all went as a group to the district of Harajuku. There we visited the Meiji shrine, followed by a walk through the busy Takeshita Street. It was the most crowded area I’ve seen so far, but there were some fun shops to see. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel.

It was an enjoyable first day, getting to meet up with the rest of the group and explore another area of Tokyo. Tomorrow, the real work begins.

Hooray for a Day… 1

Today I left Hamamatsu. That was definitely a sad moment. But, it also marked the start of a new journey.

After a few hours on the Shinkansen I made it to Tokyo and then found my way to Shiba Park Hotel for our initial tour meeting. I was greeted there by my old Japanese friend Natsumi which after 7 years it was good to catch up again.

Today consisted of a trip down to Harajuku shopping district and the Meiji Shrine. Both of these in direct contrast to each other. The insane pace and bustle of the shops compared the slow and tranquil walk through the temple grounds was such an intriguing moment.

It was nice to visit Meiji again. After 5 years it is still exactly how I remember it.

Harajuku’s shopping district was incredibly busy. We happened to get caught up in the middle of a protest (what they were protesting about is still unknown) which definitely gave some loud excitement to the area.

Now it is is time to just relax and get rested up before an incredibly busy week begins

Happy Australia Day 🙂

Day 1

Arrived early in the morning and spent the day wandering around Shiba Park and Harijuku.

Tokyo reminds me of Melbourne in many ways; similar architecture, similar layout and in other respects too. However, it is very quiet.

Not much else happened today.

Initial Experience

I was fortunate enough to have a few free days before the study tour starts, so I tried to make the most of it.

First I visited Ueno Park, which contains a number of museums. The Western Art Museum had a special exhibition on Monet, which I found enjoyable even though I don’t know much about art. I also went to the Tokyo National museum and the National Science Museum, which were also interesting. Next I had a look around Akihabara, the famous electronic district. I was particularly impressed by the retro game stores and the extremely large Yodabashi Camera shop.

The next day, I went to the Edo Tokyo Museum in the morning, and the Asakusa district in the afternoon. The Edo museum contained some fascinating artifacts from Tokyo’s last 500 years, while Asukasa had a very busy marketplace leading up to a large shrine. It was a good experience being able to learn some of the history of Tokyo.

Today, I visited the Tokyo Skytree in the morning, then in the afternoon went on a free walking tour from central Tokyo to the East Garden of the Imperial Palace.  The Skytree was fun, although there was a big line to get in. I enjoyed the walking tour a lot, the guides were volunteers but they were very knowledgeable and told some great stories.

A few general points:

• I had heard that people were friendly in Japan, but they definitely exceeded my expectations. There was always someone happy to help with any problem I had.

• The public transport system in Japan is as good as it gets. Every station was very orderly, and had signs in both Japanese and English so it was easy to navigate. The trains themselves were also kept clean and in excellent condition. Take note Melbourne!

• The food here is delicious! Though it was a bit intimidating at first trying to order without knowing much Japanese.

Overall, had a great few days in Tokyo sightseeing and learning about the local history and culture. Looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the group tomorrow to begin the study tour proper, and to experience the science and business worlds of Japan.

 

And so it begins… Tomorrow

Tonight is my last night in Hamamatsu 😦

It has been so good that after 5 years I can come back and hhave just as much fun as the first time I was here. The Makino family have been extraordinary. Doing a homestay is still by far the best way to experience a true Japanese culture. Don’t get me wrong, it is hard. Everything is so different. But, I still did my best at trying to speak Japanese every day.

Had some awesome experiences here in Hamamatsu. All finished off today with a trip down to Nagoya Castle. Nowadays it is such a combination of old and new school. The castle grounds are all currently being remade just as they were before the air raids during WW2.

We watched a cool little stage show with the Samurai Generals from 450 years ago.looking great for their age by the way 😉

And also, came across the cutest little dog… I mean… horse.

The “Dog”s name was Nano because of how adorabley little it is. I thought that was a rather good omen for the beginnings of our trip.

But anyway. Tomorrow I hop back on the Shinkansen bound for Tokyo and shall be arriving nice and early to Shiba Park Hotel. Can’t wait to see all the guys and start being all nerdy and sciencey. This tour will be one I don’t think I will soon forget

Toodles

What Up Tokyo

First day in Tokyo, and i cannot believe how easy it to get around using public transport! Managed to get from the airport to the hotel soo easily, which surprised me, with the only hiccup being finding out if i needed a ticket to get on the JR Yamanato line train or not. Totally forgot to get a PASMO card at the airport!

This city is spotless, not a piece of trash anywhere, even before they let us onto the NEX train it was cleaned and it still managed to leave right on time. Something that would never happen in Melbourne.

The trains arrive at the stations at the times they say they will, and so often you don’t even have to worry about planning much, except for the stations you get off at and transfer too, especially if you don’t have a time schedule, and its so easy to navigate and get around!

After refreshing at the hotel, went to the temple and market district of Asakusa with the room mate (good bloke), after our plans to visit the Tokyo Sky Tower failed due to a long wait time. It was a good district to visit for our first taste of Japan i think, showing a lil bit of everything, and really got me excited to visit some of the other districts. Walking around is also great fun, especially if you manage to navigate thru some of the side street.

Tomorrow starts the study tour, which will defiantly be different experience to being a tourist, and we will get to see somethings you usually wouldn’t get to visit. Today however gets me excited to the 2 days after the tour i get to myself to explore the city!

Catch ya on the flipside

Out!

Arrival in Japan/Pre-tour Experience

After arriving in Japan at night time of the 24th January, I was extremely tired as I had no sleep on the plane and had an overnight flight to Singapore from Melbourne. Struggling after a very turbulent flight, I got lost in Tokyo, not even 1 hour in the country. As expected, Tokyo is a massive city with such rich cultural attributes, diverse business aspects and great sights to be explored throughout the city. Travelling alone was a little daunting, as this would be the 2nd time overseas but the Japanese are very respectful, friendly and know how to help a foreigner in need.

My experience has been great, after arriving at Shiba Park hotel, I decided to explore the local district of Shiba. The Shiba district contains a massive temple, Shiba park, Tokyo tower and various shops present across the streets. The 2nd day in Tokyo consisted of visiting the Pokemon Centre Tokyo, World Trade Centre Building (observatory floor) and visiting the local temple for some quick photos. In the afternoon,I met up with Ben Roda, and we decided to visit the Tokyo Skytree. Unfortunately going on the weekend and without planning, there would have been a 1 hour wait to get to the observation deck.

Deciding that we could go another day, we walked to the Asukasa district, to visit some of the famous shopping streets, which contained many shops with a vast variety of products on sale. We also visited the local shrine, which was colourful, rich in culture and very busy. This temple displayed aspects of Japan’s rich culture and heritage. It was fantastic to observe how Japanese culture differs from Australia culture. Overall, this was an eye-openin experience to what has to come on this tour.

Excitement for Japan

It has been a hectic 2 weeks coming up to the Japan Nanotechnology Study Tour and preparations  have been finalized. All that’s left to do is board the plane and let the study tour begin.

This will be my second time overseas, as I went to Phuket, Thailand about 1 month ago and can’t believe I’m going overseas again within such a short amount of time.  Though both countries are in Asia, comparing the two countries shows that they are vastly different. Japan will be a fantastic journey and I cannot wait to get there!

This trip will provide me with insight into the nanotechnology world that exists all around the world and show me the required skills to succeed. Overall, this experience is one in a lifetime, showcasing the business etiquette, cultural standards and vast sights of Japan.

Will be arriving in 2 days. Japan, here i come!

Pre-tour Thoughts

It is with a strange feeling of both nervousness and excitement that I sit on this plane to Japan, typing up this blog entry.

The nervousness comes from this being my first overseas trip, and not knowing quite what to expect. I’m going by myself, a few days early, which amplifies this feeling. Fortunately, the group meetings, as well as  friends and family who have gone to Japan before, have been able provide some useful information so hopefully I won’t be totally lost! While I understand the most important basic aspects of Japanese culture that a visitor must know, there is much more to learn. The expectation I have from this is that Japanese culture is much more formal than what we would be used to in Australia, but also very friendly.

The excitement comes from the opportunity to experience a new country, especially one as interesting as Japan. Since I’ll be arriving early, I’m planning to do some sightseeing first, such as visiting the Tokyo Skytree and the museums in Ueno Park.

For the study tour portion, I’m looking forward to the nanotechnology exhibition in particular. This is because it seems like it will provide valuable information about the current state of  nanotechnology, as well as international business interactions. It will also allow us to experience the more formal business culture of Japan first hand.

Looking forward to the challenges and fun times ahead!