And so we come to the end of my adventures in Japan. This visual diary meant a lot to me. I had always meant to document my stay there while I was actually there, but I never did get around to it. I wish I had done it then, but it's better late than never. In that time, I made many friends and came to know the beautiful country of Japan. Those four months flew by so fast. I still wanted to see my newfound friends and be weird and silly with them. I still wanted to visit my favorite ramen and sushi restaurants. I still wanted to travel. I could have easily stayed a year. It was not enough.

 Inside this beautiful multi-story mall with its lovely white Christmas tree was a most delicious restaurant that serves a very interesting dish called ochazuke, which quickly became my favorite dish to eat. To this day I still crave it but there is nothing like it here in So Cal - at least as far as I know.

 Ochazuke is typically a meal consisting of a bowl of rice with whatever toppings that are part of that set and a hot pot of tea which you pour over the rice. It's almost like a soup and quite filling. And it's so yummy! I could eat it all day and never tire of it. It was especially nice during the cold winter season. My buddies took me here because they knew how much I love to eat it. They were always so sweet and thoughtful.

 After all this time, I forgot to mention that each of us EAP students were assigned to a group of buddies based on compatibility. We all loved this buddy system because it helped integrate us into the Japanese society. We became good friends with our buddies, who would take us to places we wanted to visit or eat. Pretty much they were like friends we would have back at home with whom we would simply hang out with. Understandably, most were juggling part-time jobs while attending college, and could not always join us on all our excursions. Here you see me with two of my buddies at Nogeyama Zoo.

 Thanksgiving is not a traditional holiday for the Japanese, but they are aware that we Americans celebrate it. Many of us during our stay experienced bouts of homesickness as the holiday season drew near. We began to miss our family and friends back home and the special foods that are cooked and served during that time. My Japanese language sensei invited us over to her house to bring a piece of home to us. I thought that was such a nice gesture. As you can see, there was even an oven roasted turkey!

 Last week's #tbt post featured Miyajima Island, which we all dubbed the "deer island". This week, I'll be talking about our visit to Okunoshima, which we accordingly dubbed the "bunny island". It houses a large population of bunny rabbits, who also do not shy away from people and will approach you. We toured the island in the midst of a sweltering summer day. It was quite grueling to listen for long periods of time with the sun shining ruthlessly down on us. We learned that during WWII, poison gas was produced in a factory built on the island, which had been chosen because it was so isolated and was not even on the map. The poison gas were tested on the bunnies that populated the island. So sad!

 We were given the choice of attending a baseball game and I, along with a majority of our study abroad group, opted to attend. I had always heard the Japanese were very enthusiastic about it. I never cared too much for baseball (and I still don't), but I wanted to experience it anyway. Unfortunately, I did not understand the game itself. The crowd, however, was what made it really enjoyable. The Japanese were so coordinated in their chanting and dancing that I couldn't help but get carried along with the fever of their excitement. And in the end, everyone threw up these pink balloons. This was probably the best part. I had to wonder where they got them because I had not seen a stand that sold balloons.

 As touristy as we could be decked out with cameras of all types, here we were on our walk to the ferry boat that would take us to Miyajima Island, renown for the deer populating the island. This was part of our trip to Hiroshima, which I had somehow forgotten to include. Oops!

 On our last day at the ryokan in Hakone, we hauled ourselves up early out of bed to enjoy one last bath in the onsen. The first time we went into the onsen, we giggled like little girls out of nervousness because as you already know, one must go in butt-naked! I remember it being unbearably hot at first. It's so relaxing. It's too bad that we're not supposed to stay in longer than 10-15 minutes at a time or else we'd faint. But it feels so nice that you don't want to leave. I'd bathe in one every day if I could. Anyway, we strolled through this beautiful garden. The maple trees had already shed their lustrous green and blessed us with their vibrant crimson leaves. I think maple trees are so beautiful and elegant.

 Our visit to Hakone felt like a relaxing vacation. We stayed two nights at a beautiful ryoken (unfortunately, I can't recall the name anymore) with a traditional tatami flooring and onsen, which is a hot spring. Bathing in an onsen had always been my dream when I was younger. I knew it was hot but I didn't realize it was that hot until I stepped foot in it. I'm not sure why we decided on Hakone but I'm glad we did. We ventured out to Owakudani, Hakone known for being a volcanic mountain and its sulfuric pools.

 We awoke before the sun showed its face this prospective day. Yes, we were tired and bleary eyed during the ride to the amusement park, but as we drew near our destination, an excitement built up in all of us and spread like an infectious disease. Suddenly, we were babbling and fidgeting in our seats as children do when they can barely contain themselves. And at last, we were there, eyes glittering and bright and smiles stretched across our faces. At last, we had arrived at Tokyo DisneySea.

 Here at last we come to the final leg of the three-part Kyoto post. Our destination this time was Arashiyama. There was much to see here and we were short on time. And, oh, it was so overwhelmingly beautiful. Historical buildings in preserved architecture line the streets of one way. Oi River stretches gently across the landscape where riverboats hug the edges of civilization. With the sun already past noon, we grew increasingly aware of the passage of time. How I ached to spend a little longer here.

 With Kinkaku-ji Temple being one of the most popular among tourists, it was no surprise that I would dedicate an entire post to it. This one left a deep and lasting impression on me. It was enormous with various paths one can traverse, but all equally beautiful. I recall I would have loved to visit Ginkaku-ji Temple as well but we were short on time.

 Hello, and welcome to the second installment of my stay in Kyoto. First up is the Heian Shrine, home to Japan's largest torii gate. Look, you can even see it all way from a distance in the street. I love the stark contrast between the gate and contemporary society with its sea of cars and clean pavement. Upon crossing the gate, one is thrust back into another era, with the shrines architecture kept in tact by preservation. While everyone else seemed to be in motion or their body language suggested a more relaxed mood, I noticed this little boy, who had a profound effect on me. You hardly notice him at first but then suddenly, you see him there standing so poised and regal in his hakama, bearing a kind of maturity a child his age rarely possesses.

 Having now completed the recap on South Korea, I now take you on another three-part series. This time to the refined city of Kyoto with its beautiful shrines and temples. Of course, it would not be complete without pictures of the delectable fare interspersed throughout our visit. I believe we stayed in Kyoto for one weekend, but it's all very fuzzy now so I can't be sure. It was definitely not long enough to all the wonders Kyoto had to offer. We managed a few and they were all so very enchanting. I would dearly love to come back again.

 And so begins another weekly installment about my adventures in Japan. It was inevitable that we would visit one of Japan's greatest landmarks: Tokyo Tower. I personally love this shot of the tower. The matrix of steels from the base appears sharp and dramatic and the top floor looks as if it is being consumed by flames. Of course, it doesn't show you what it looks like from a distance, but you'll see for yourself in a bit. A blurry photo of the view from up top can be seen below.

 I still don't know what to make of this bedazzled monument of love. It's actually kind of cute in a way. I can see why this tower might be popular with couples. It's dim and quiet inside and has a lovely view of the city all lit up in the darkness of night. Quite romantic, no? Who wouldn't want to take their date here?

 After touring the tower, our next stop was the famous Tsukiji fish market. As it was still night, and the market did not open until 4 or 5 in the morning, we had many, many, hours to kill. We resorted to silly antics to amuse ourselves. It was going to be a long night, after all. I'm not sure if we even slept at all. I think we might have gone to an internet cafe for a little while. With a couple of hours left til opening, we trudged groggily toward Tsukiji only to realize with utter devastation that there was already a long line in front of the entrance.

  And finally at long last we entered the world of Tsuji. Oh, Tsukiji! This is a fish lover's paradise. It is the largest fish market in the world and many sushi/sashimi (and seafood) restaurant owners come here to get the best pick of freshly caught fish/seafood. I absolutely love sushi (nigiri/sashimi) so this was a dream come true. Watching the auction was an unforgettable experience. Slivers of the tuna were sliced off and presented in a row for the bidders to examine. And one by one, each tuna was sold off to the highest bid.

 Real wasabi is hard to come by in the States so when I saw this, I was ecstatic. It's expensive so I can see why restaurants often use horseradish "wasabi". Anyway, we were eager to eat after the auction. It was difficult to choose which restaurant to eat at because 1) they all served really fresh fish and 2) they all had really long lines.

 I don't know what possessed us to visit a museum (I think) after Tsukiji. We'd had no sleep the night before. I remember being so tired we were saying nonsensical things and the word, delirious, often popped up in our conversations. As you can see, some of us were knocked out cold on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, I could not summon the will to capture more photos of our time there. It was very beautiful, but it was all I could do to keep walking.