This belongs to the travel article “Fun and Games with Maiko/Geiko”, but unfortunately you cannot attach video to travel articles
Youkoso (Welcome)
For those of you who have not read my profile, my name is Shonda Witherspoon, and I’m a computer IT major with a minor in Japanese Language and Literature. This Monday I, along with my identical twin sister, Shalisha, will be studying abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, where I will study advanced Japanese II. After months of preparing for this trip of a lifetime, I finally landed in the “land of the rising sun” yesterday afternoon! Although I was supposed to begin my blog before my arrival in Japan, time did not permit this. However, because my study abroad program does not begin until Monday, I can still talk about my expectations of what’s to come.
Before my arrival in Japan on Friday, my expectations of what Japan had to offer were really high. After all, I had fantasized about traveling to Japan since childhood, and I couldn’t contain my excitement at the chance to see famous landmarks such as Tokyo Tower, Tokyo SkyTree, Rainbow Bridge, etc., upon my arrival from Narita airport. After spending most of my first 24 hours in Tokyo, not only have I seen said landmarks with my own eyes, but I have been on an adventure to get to Kyoto from Tokyo that has me excited for what’s to come!
For example, I have been lost more times that one can count, but this has allowed me to see many locations of both Tokyo and Kyoto that I might have otherwise missed; I have liked what I have seen so far. Tokyo and Kyoto were both bigger than I imagined, and so lively. Not only that, but whenever I did get lost, locals were more than willing to help me and my twin out, even if we both didn’t always understand them. This now has me excited to get to Ritsumeikan, so that I can improve my Japanese, and speak more confidently. If my first 24 hours are an indication of what to expect, then I am looking forward to one amazing adventure for 5 weeks!