The Land of The Rising Sun.

Well, I decided to just share places I've been in hopes that I remember them forever (haha) and maybe help some gain some insight about the places I've been to.

I've been to Japan on two separate occasions. Once with my friends and the other with my family. I guess I should separate this to a 2-part post.The first time I went there it was a school trip-ish kind of trip since we travelled with 2 of our teachers. We gathered early in the morning at KLIA2 airport on 8th of December 2014. There were groups of parents accompanying their children while my mum just dropped me off. I guess it's not a big deal to me since I'm quite accustomed with the procedures of getting on an airplane. Checked in our bags, took a group photo, waved goodbye and we boarded our plane to Japan.

And since my mum was the one who booked my flight ticket, I got 3 empty seats in the quiet zone while my schoolmates were huddled together at the back :p

When we landed, we were greeted by this petite Japanese lady, she was our guide and we continued our journey out of the airport and to where we will be staying for the week, OISCA  Japan centre. (Click on it and it'll explain what OISCA in more detail.) So basically it's a centre where students from other countries come to stay. Since it was winter, they provided us with a small gasoline heater (which I stayed close to all the time).

Meet my new bff

On our second day there, I was wide awake at 6 a.m and freezing. There were no other heaters in the building except the ones provided in our rooms. We visited the OISCA school for local and international students. They converse and study in Japanese so that means international students has to learn the language. We met the principal and some of the student representatives there. We had a tour of the school where the boarding students lived. They even have a green patch where they plant vegetables and fruits!

Making new friends along the way!

Next, we visited UNAGI Pie factory. Unagi is a biscuit mixed with eel powder (which tastes better than it sounds). We toured the factory and watched how the process of making these delicious treats were made behind glass walls. At the end of the tour, we bought a few packets and heading back since it was around 5 p.m and it was getting dark out.

Our next day, we went to visit a TOYOTA factory where we saw man and machine working together to mass produce Toyota cars. The tour of the factory started from the moment a sheet of aluminium is bended and molded into simple shapes until the car is inspected by a personnel for quality inspection. Their motto is "Good Thinking, Good Products" which can be seen plastered almost everywhere throughout the factory walls. We visited the Toyota museum and saw cars from different years and eras. Making our way to our next visit, we reached one of Japan's recycling plant. This is where all the rubbish is collected, sorted and recycled. In the building, there is a huge container that collected all the rubbish and is sorted out by a giant magnet that pulls out metallic objects. In Japan, consumers are advised to sort their rubbish in 2 parts - recyclable and non-recyclable from their homes. This makes it easier to recycle later in the processing plant.To end our tour, we visited a historical site, Nagoya Castle and later that night we had a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Making green tea, the traditional way.

Buzzing through activities like shopping, learning how to write Japanese and going on walks, we started our foster family programme. Our foster family came visited us at the OICSA centre and we headed back to their homes. One foster family would take care of 2 students. My friend and I were adopted by a couple who lived somewhat near the town. They were lively and lovable. One of Japanese culture is to sleep on mats on the floor and I find it very comfy.

Our foster parent's home

Mr and Mrs Suzuki were a couple who were outgoing and so we went to Mt Fuji! We drove there and the view was breath-taking. Icy cold wind blew around us and large crowds swarmed around us. We went on a nearby mountain to get a closer look on Mt.Fuji. Luckily, the weather was on our side so we got a picturesque view of the Mt. Fuji.

On the road to Mt. Fuji 

Breath-taking view with beautiful weather 

Our foster family were very into eating together so we would sit at the dinner table and have talks about our day at the end of the day. I just love how cozy and warm it feels to be surrounded by family :)

Having dinner with the whole family

By the end of our trip, we came back to the OISCA centre we went on a shopping spree! I bought a kimono and a few key-chains. Splurged on Japanese ice-cream which were heavenly and sushi. Then, off we go on our roughly 6 hour flight back home.

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Cheers,

Faez Najmuddin.

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