Adventures in Inuyama

After a very long layover and equally long flight from Honolulu, I finally landed at Chubu Centrair International Airport! Although the flight itself was unbearably long, I would fly with Japan Airlines again (10/10 service; would recommend) and I even was able to meet up with another person studying abroad at Nagoya who was also from Hawaii!! (Shout out to Tayler) I wanted to write this blog to give those who are thinking of studying abroad with IES Abroad in Nagoya my perspective of my first few days in Japan, from going through IES Abroad's orientation to exploring the cultural city of Inuyama.

After landing in Chubu and going through a very nerve wracking and confusing immigration and customs, we finally were able to head to the airport's hotel where we met our IES Nagoya contacts who helped us check in and ship our luggage to our dorm/homestay. It was pretty easy to navigate, as Google Maps was and currently is my best friend, and we quickly were able to head up to our hotel rooms (which were single rooms, yay!) and rest. Well, after a well needed FamilyMart run. The next morning, we were able to get breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet and ate with some new people we met who are also part of the program! After that, we finally met everyone and checked out before heading to Inuyama. 

The bus ride to Inuyama was about an hour long but I personally took a nap and woke up at our destination. Once we departed from our bus, we immediately dropped off our luggage and headed to the city center to begin our orientation. We then had a lunch break where Tayler and I found this little cafe that served "American" waffles, sandwiches and coffee. Once we were done, we headed back to the center where we had our first Japanese class! It was nice to go over some Japanese (especially since most of us are nervous about the placement exam) but there was a certain page we went over that was all kanji we had to translate. Safe to say we didn't complete that page in one day but once classes were over, we got to explore the Inuyama Castle Town!

We walked down the main street that led to Inuyama castle and met up with the sweetest tour guide who gave us tours in the castle museum, the karakuri (Japanese mechanical dolls) exhibition museum and of course, Inuyama castle. At the last location we met up with three other tour guides who gave us a tour of the castle itself. We got to go inside the massive castle and climbed all the way to the top (which was a lot, and I mean A LOT, of steep stairs). From the top you could see all of the castle town and the Kiso river which, fun fact, is what separates the Gifu and Aichi prefectures. It truly was a gorgeous castle and the views were amazing, very much worth the cold feet because we had to take off our shoes before entering. Once the tour was done, we headed back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Day 2 was more orientation and class heavy, with orientation starting our day (after breakfast of course) before having a lunch break and then three hours of Japanese class. For lunch, a group of us decided to go and find an unagi (freshwater eel, usually grilled and glazed with a sweet-soy sauce) restaurant. The one we found we thought was closed until one of the workers inside saw us and welcomed us in. It was surprising that the small restaurant was able to fit all eight of us but they managed and sat us in a section of the room with tatami flooring and low tables, meaning we had to sit on our knees (which didn't last long). We all ordered our unagi bowls and for trying it for the first time, I will say it has easily become a favorite. After heading back and having class, we again headed back to the hotel and had dinner together in the same restaurant. I felt like every time we had dinner, I got to know everyone more and more. This time after dinner, four of us decided to walk to a nearby Lawsons to get some snacks despite the cold before heading to sleep for the final day.

The final day started with Japanese class, this time only two hours where we got to write poems as our final "assignment." Mine wasn't the best so it's definitely going in my folder and won't be shown to anyone but it was a fun experience. After class, we had one last free lunch time where Tayler and I decided to head back to the castle town to buy souvenirs and buy something to eat. We found this little glass jewelry shop where I bought a bracelet and key chain. Once we headed back, we were off by bus again, this time to Nanzan University where I finally met my host family! 

Overall, I felt as if my time in Inuyama was amazing. I got to meet a ton of new people and explore a city I probably would've never visited. I feel like this orientation was a lot of help, especially with meeting everyone and making a ton of new friends. By the end of the trip, we made a giant groupchat with everyone and have decided that one day, we will go to karaoke together. I can't wait to see how this semester will unfold!