Day/Weekend Trips

January 31, 2017

I’ve taken several day trips since I’ve arrived in Japan. As someone who’s not a huge fan of crowded places, I try to go to popular tourist spots on regular weekdays, when most people are either working or at school. I’ve visited trendy areas like Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara, and Asakusa. One of my favorite places to go to is Akihabara, which is renowned for its abundance of anime- and manga-related goods. I’ve been interested in anime and manga since I was a child, so Akihabara is like paradise. The streets are lined with dozens of stores, all filled to the brim with various themed goods, ranging from small things like figurines and standard school supplies to massive items like posters and plushies. The first time I went to Akihabara, I spent 12 hours there, exploring stores, buying tiny trinkets, and venturing into restaurants. It was a long day and my legs ached for two days after that, but the trip was definitely worth it.

My favorite weekend getaway, by far, was the Yamanaka Lake camping trip, which was sponsored by Oberlin’s Office of International Programs. The view of Yamanaka Lake was absolutely breathtaking, especially because of the amazing backdrop of Mount Fuji. The camp was also very beautiful, with the abundance of nature and old-style cabins. In addition, I had a lot of fun meeting people, learning Japanese, playing games, and bonding with my friends. To this day, I still fondly remember my time at Yamanaka Lake and hope that I can return to make more memories.

Written By

Yvette Ortiz

Hello! My name is Yvette, and I am a fifth-year student here at Northeastern. For my final semester as an undergrad, I decided to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan. One of the main reasons I chose to go abroad was my desire to push myself out of my comfort zone, and I figured traveling alone to a foreign country where my native language is rarely used would be a pretty effective way of doing that. Aside from improving my Japanese, my main study-abroad goal is to not be afraid of making mistakes. Since I will be immersed in a completely different culture, I will receive ample opportunities to initiate conversations with native Japanese speakers. I’ll probably make tons of mistakes, but that's okay, because that's what normally happens when you're learning a foreign language while living in a foreign country.