Everyday We’re Shuffling

It’s the beginning of week 3 and I have already been to so many places! From Akihabara to Shinjuku to Nagano! The first weekend the Northeastern students and the Meiji supporters stayed at Lake Yamanaka where there was a beautiful view of the lake and Mount Fuji. We even took a bus up on Mount Fuji! The second weekend we took the bullet train to Nagano where there was a plethora of mountains and greenery. On the weekdays, we have daily site visits to different areas in Tokyo. The most memorable being Akihabara (a place filled with anime and arcades) and Harajuku (where there were many stores and a huge shrine, the Meiji Jingu, located nearby). It is difficult to choose but if I had to, my favorite landmark in Tokyo would be the Shinjuku letters. Some might wonder, if it’s Shinjuku then why not the Love sculpture (a sculpture of the words spelling out “Love”) or the Godzilla statue (pretty self explanatory…yes…a giant Godzilla statue)? The Shinjuku letters are just giant block letters that spell out Shinjuku; they’re classy, simple, and cute. The reason this is my favorite landmark is because of how I came about it. At night, an impromptu exploration of Tokyo was initiated by a fellow Meiji supporter and friend, Yoon. Together with other Northeastern students, we took to the streets of Shinjuku and wandered around in awe of the beautiful lights and views. Yoon ran from shop owner to shop owner, asking for tips on the best sites to see and directions on how to get there. He showed us the night view from the top of the government building and lastly, to the Shinjuku block letters. That place is my favorite because that was when it actually hit me..that I was in Japan and that there are so many memories to be made in the upcoming weeks.