Departure to Japan
February 2016, my first trip to Japan!! I was so excited to finally go to this country, but what made me decide to go to this country is something I haven’t told many people about yet. I was actually planning on going with a friend, but those plans got canceled soon after I bought my plane ticket. Kind of disappointed but as I’m no stranger to solo traveling I decided to still go instead of canceling my plane ticket.
My parents were kind enough to drive me to the airport in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, all the way from the French border of Belgium. The weather wasn’t looking good, I had to wake up very early because of my OCD. Every time when going on a trip I need to check everything in my backpack again.
Something I didn’t notice nor checked was my coat, I still had my key-chain on my key which was a tiny sword. Obviously the guy at security was kind of second-guessing to let me through or not. So yep, I basically brought a knife-shaped object into an airport. Luckily at that time, the terrorist stuff hadn’t happened yet, else they would have probably questioned me as that key-chain was also in an inside pocket of my coat, kind of well hidden. XD
My arrival
Nostalgic feelings go through me as I look back at this video as I had one of the most wonderful experiences here in Japan. We are 4 years further now and Japan began feeling like my home and is my home as well now since I moved here recently. But Kyoto still has a special place in my heart, even though tourism got a lot worse in Kyoto.
Something I don’t remember saying in the video is that I stayed in Kyoto for around 10 days in total. I basically didn’t have any plans, nor did I do any research before coming here. It truly was a great adventure and I’ve met so many great people along the way.
Talking about great people
My first day traveling with someone I met in Japan can be seen in this video, Fushimi Inari with a British guy. It was a very fun day and as English is not my native tongue, it was surprising to know that he thought I could speak English quite well. I still have contact with him sometimes, he’s living in Japan now and has started a relationship. He came here to become an English teacher in Tokyo.
But this was also one of the first actual shrines which I visited in Japan. I remembered reading online that there was a “secret path”, which ended up being quite noticeable so we took that path, saw some Japanese monks praying by a waterfall and we got blessed with power from the monks and the waterfall. Once in a lifetime opportunity, I think, a good case of being at the right place at the right time.
Walking in Kyoto
It is one of the things I really recommend which you do when visiting Japan, don’t bother paying for those temples. There are a lot of free things to see and do in Kyoto, hence the reason why I like Kyoto that much. There are also free volunteer student guides, the Kyoto greeters, and the Good Samaritan Club. Really recommended if you want to know more about the culture and history, and also if you just want to see Japan through the eyes of a Japanese person.
It is difficult to start a conversation with Japanese people as their English is limited most of the time and they are also very preserved. The best way to start a conversation is by walking in a park in the morning and I can guarantee you, look friendly and say “Ohayou” to everybody you pass by, and somebody will start talking to you, even though it’s just to practice their English. xD
Nara
This really is my most favorite place in Japan, a lot of good memories come from there. My first Sento (which wasn’t just part of the hotel), I met some very friendly foreigners in the hostel as well, and met some other great people and many fun adventures. Nara is a really good place to go to if you want to see the nature side of Japan on your first trip.
The perfect triangle for first-timers is Kyoto, for history, Nara, for Nature, and Osaka, for the city life.
It really is a great place with also a lot of free things to do all around the city. I’m planning on making more videos of what you can do in and around Nara but I haven’t had the time yet to properly film there.
Last stop, Osaka
I’m not a big city person and I easily get overwhelmed when being in big cities. But this was the first time that I felt at ease being in such a major city. A lot of parks around, I didn’t get a feeling like I would get randomly killed, … Basically I had a safe and at ease feeling, something I’ve never had in a city before. Nature is what interests me the most after all.
All by all, I really recommend what I said before, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka. That’s the golden triangle in my opinion for people wanting to experience as much of Japan as possible in a short amount of time.
Last days
I felt so sad when I finally had to leave Japan, never had that feeling that much before like that time. I remember getting back to the airport, seeing my parents, and feeling so down that I didn’t even hug them when I saw them again. That’s still something I regret not having done as they came all the way from Belgium again to pick me up in Amsterdam. ^^”
It actually only took 2 weeks after I got back before I bought my next plane ticket to Japan. There were certain things I still wanted to do there, but at that time my plan B was to start backpacking through all of Asia at that time, however, that quickly came to a stop once I was back in Japan as I wanted to spend as much time as possible there.
