First Post in Japan

I have finally made it to Japan. The last few days have been pretty busy so I was unable to post anything. The university is pretty nice, and I am happy to be here. I like how this university is smaller compared to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In addition, both the Japanese and international students are friendly, and I have learned a lot of interesting facts about the other states in the United States, Japan, and other countries.

WAON the school mascot

 I was disappointed that I could not stay in the dormitory this semester, but the apartments are not that bad. Thankfully my roommate is pretty cool and because he is from Taiwan he has already given me a few Chinese lessons. I am not looking forward for having to pay for using electricity and water. In addition, I am hoping my electricity bill does not become too expensive when I have to pay for using the heater during the winter when it starts snowing.

When I first got here my apartment unit seemed really empty, but after decorating it it seems a lot nicer. I was surprised that the apartment unit did not have a shower curtain when I first got here but thanks to Daiso I was able to get supplies such as towels, slippers, toilet paper, and a shower curtain for around 100 yen each.

My new room

Everything is so empty

I am not used to seeing a lot of insects in Akita but based on what I have learned from the locals it seems that the insects here are not poisonous. I guess this means that I just need to watch out for bears and Japanese wasp for now.

There are a lot of spiders at my apartment

So far the University has had a lot of social gatherings for the international and full-time students. They seem pretty fun and it helps breaking the social barrier. I have been to the Omagari festival and I have been to the AEON mall. I was unable to find anything about the items sold at the AEON mall before coming here but it seems like the AEON mall has most of the supplies I need.

Daiso is like the Walmart of Japan

There are still a lot of things I need to figure out, but after coming here I am slowly starting to appreciate life in Hawaii. I try not to think about it but I guess even though I want to move from Hawaii, there may always be things I will miss about that place.