Marie's trip to Japan!
I'd like to thank everyone who supported me on my trip to Japan. Especially my family, friends, church members, and teachers. Thank you very much, you have helped me so much! I would not of been able to make the trip without everyone's kind and generous help. A big thanks to my teachers who are letting me make up my work and giving me extra time, you have helped me much.
May 17, 99- Allison and her family picked me up at eight thirty and I said me goodbye's to my mom. The ride there was very fun we stopped at Burger King. When we got to the airport everyone except me said by to there parents.
May 17/18, 99- Are plane ride there was a very long flight, ten hours! We watched two movie's, "Star Trek" and "Waking Ned Devine." I thought that they were both pretty stupid! And all the girls bought magazines so I spent a while reading many magazines. Even Mr. Edwards wanted to read them! I never got one minute of sleep on the plane because the person behind me kept kicking my seat. Finally we got off our long flight and checked in at the airport. They were very strict and wouldn't even let you take pictures in the airport. I thought that that was very interesting! Then to the baggage claim we went, I had a tough time getting my stuff because it was so heavy. After getting our baggage we went to our bus and boarded it. It was going to take us to the Takanawa Prince Hotel, once a hotel the royal family owned. It was a very nice hotel. It was also very big. After unpacking the clothes we needed we had to bring our big suitcase down and have them shipped to Mutsu. Then we went out to dinner, most of the kids ate at McDonalds because we were tired and wanted some good food after the airplane food! Then we got to see a little of Toyko, it was very big. There are many people who live in Toyko and it is very crowded at night and very easy to get lost. But thankfully none of us did. Then we got to go back to the hotel and go to sleep, everyone was very tired.
May 19, 99- It was Wednesday and I got up at 4:30AM and we left at 5:30AM for the worlds largest fish market. They sure are right when they say worlds largest. It's huge, they have so many fish and other sealife. They had tuna, octapus, eel, and lots of other gross things. After the fish market we went back to the hotel and had free time for about three hours. Most of us ate breakfast and then went and looked around the hotel, it was beatiful. There was a pond with huge fish in it. After having free time we went around Toyko sightseeing. We saw Asakusa Temple and then got to go shopping in the temple. The temple was very beatiful it had many paintings. Then for dinner we went to downtown Toyko and saw many neat things and ate dinner at a very popular resturant that a lot of young people ate at. It was very loud, but funny.
May 20, 99- On Thursday we got to sleep in and then at ten we had to catch a bullet train to Mutst City. The whole trip with buses and trains took us about five or six hours.When we got there I was reunited with my best friend Aki Sakamoto who I hosted in January. I got to meet her father and grandmother, but her mother was on a business trip until Friday. That was a long day so I went to bed after eating a Japanese feast. That was the biggest meal I've ever ate!
May 21, 99- On Friday I got the pleasure of going to Ominato Junior High School. It was a very nice school. Two girls named Sayaka and Yuko toured me through the school. Since Aki is in high school I had to go to a middle school and I got to meet new friends. All the boys except one were very shy. All the girls wanted to be my friends. I made a lot of new friends. The school day was not at all like our day, it was funner. It went from 8:00AM to 4:30PM it was a very long day. After school we went to a Japanese style barbecue. I liked the meat that they had, it was good. They also had a traditional music ceremony we got to hear, that I liked very much. We also got to go on stage and dance to a song we learned in January. When we got home to Aki's house I got to meet Aki's mother, she was very nice and very pretty. I gave them a couple gifts and they gave me a couple gifts for my family and I. Then we went to bed.
May 22, 99- The day started out by sightseeing around Mutsu, we went to two moutains and to a science muesum. The science muesum was neat they even put together a special presentation for us with liquid nitrogen. Then we went to a recreation center where we stayed the night. At the recreation center we played golf, volleyball, made keychains and bird calls. Then we ate dinner, all the food was delecious at the recreation center. That was where I got to know a lot of people. They gave us a snack before bed and the snack included orange juice, candy, chips, and pocky. Wow! That was the best snack that I'd ever had. I had lots of fun until we had to turn the lights out.
May 23, 99- On Sunday morning we cleaned up the room and our room had to clean the sinks. When we were done we got to go to our host familys house and have shopping time. I went to many stores including a huge department store. I bought many things for my friends and family. I also got a watch that I really like. For lunch I went to an Italian resturant. I had pizza, which was very thin and had a lot of cheese on it. I thought it was pretty good. After lunch we went shopping a little more. Then it was time for the farewell party. All the time I was there seemed like one day. They had lots of food at the party. They had shrimp, sushi, and many other Japanese treats. Then we had to say goodbye to a lot of people and most that I had just met. Everyone was crying by the time we had left.
May 24, 99- The next morning was the saddest, we had to say goodbye to everyone. I had to say goodbye to my best friend again, Aki. I miss her and her family very much and wish to see them again. Everyone who went on the trip was crying again on the bus, most of the way to the train station. At the train station we took a bullet train on our way to Narita. We got to stop and shop for a little bit and I bought some braclets and neclaces that look like tatoos. They are very popular. I got 15 total. After shopping we went on one more bullet train and one more bus. Then we got to our hotel. We took all of our luggage up to our rooms, which were very small. Then met in the lobby. We got one hour to shop in a department store connected to the hotel. I didn't buy anything. But a lot of people bought watches. After shopping we got to go to dinner at a Big Boy resturant. That was lots of fun, they had a lot of american food but some Japanese food, so I got some of their fish. I like it a lot more that our fish. After eating we got to go to sleep and sleep in.
May 25, 99- I slept in until 7:30AM and that felt good. Then we ate breakast and I had a lot to eat. Then it was time to visit downtown Narita. There were many shops and resturants. We even got to see Narita's Temple. Which was very beatiful and very big, there were many people there worshiping gods. I think that Japan's culture is very neat. There was even a gold shrine. When we walked back to the hotel we saw many grasshoppers that were fried in a sauce. Then a lady told me to try one, so I did and it wasn't the best. Adrienne also tried one. When we got to the hotel we packed and left by bus and went to the airport. When we took off lots of us started crying. When we reached Seattle it was 7:45AM, I thought that was very weird. It was because the time difference.
I had a great time on the trip, I miss Japan very much and hope to go back one day. I'm going to continue learining Japanes in the high school. Also I hope to host in my high school. I miss Japan very much.