Yokohama: Chinatown and Yamashita Park

On Thursday I went to the Chinatown in Yokohama, which is the largest Chinatown in Asia! There was also a really nice park nearby, where I went after lunch.

Hiking at Takamizu-sanzan

Last Sunday I went hiking at Takamizu-sanzan, which means "The Three Mountains of Takamizu." I went with a club called Yama no Kai (山の会). Apparently this hike was "easy" to "moderate," because according to the leader of the club, "hard" hikes are ones where you die if you fall. 

Hiking Mount Takao

My dorm's RA organized a trip to hike Mount Takao last Sunday. Mount Takao is well-known as an easy hike for beginners because almost the entire thing is paved. On clear days, you are supposed to be able to see Mount Fuji from the top. Spoiler alert: I didn't see Mount Fuji.

Day Trip to Nikko: Part Three

After we were done at Toshugu Shrine, we took a bus up the mountain to Chuzenji, which is famous for it's lake and waterfall.

Day Trip to Nikko: Part Two

I spent the first part of Thursday walking around the shrines of Nikko!

Day Trip to Nikko: Part One

I went on a day trip this week to Nikko, a little town about a 2 hour train ride away from Tokyo. It's a popular tourist destination because there are a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Toshogu Shrine, nearby. I'm going to split my pictures from this trip into three blog posts, so look out for the other two in the next few days.

Dinner with Sensei

Sensei was in Tokyo a few days ago with her high school Japanese students, so we met up for dinner in Shinagawa.

Kabuki-cho and Golden Gai at Night

I went out to Shinjuku tonight after class to eat dinner with some friends and to get into some trouble in Kabuki-cho, the red-light district. Keep reading if you like pop culture and boob-robots.

Class Schedule and Announcement

A reminder that I actually do have to do some work while I'm here.

iHerb.com

Yesterday I received a package from iherb.com, an online natural foods store.

Kanamara Matsuri

Today we went to Kawasaki for Kanamara Matsuri, or the "Festival of the Steel Phallus." So don't continue reading this post if you are offended by giant penis statues.

Ohanami in Yoyogi Park and Meiji Jingu Shrine

After the opening ceremony, a big group of us went to Yoyogi Park to do ohanami (花見) the proper way. The proper way involves picnics and hanging out and day drinking.

Cherry Blossoms in Ueno Park

Today the weather was really nice (though ridiculously windy at times), so we decided to go to Ueno Park (上野恩賜公園), the most popular site in Tokyo for cherry blossom viewing (花見).

Dorm Tour

So this is where I'm staying. It's called Waseda University Exchange Student Dorm, or Soudairyou (早大寮), and this is the view from the street, down a set of stairs, and to the front door. My dorm is actually the South Wing, and the smaller North Wing is to the right of the picture.

From Virginia to Tokyo

I arrived in Tokyo the day before yesterday and have been pretty busy since I got here. I finally figured out how to connect to wifi in my dorm, so here are a few pictures I took before leaving Charlottesville and right after arriving in Tokyo.

New Camera

                    

I took a few pictures with my new camera (Canon Rebel T3i) to test it out and to practice my photography skills.