Beginning thoughts

I can hardly believe I am finally going to Japan! It hasn’t really hit me but it probably will once I’m there. There’s a lot of stuff I’m looking forward to on the itinerary and excited to see if I end up doing anything off schedule as well. Was able to hang out with my grandmother and best friend on different days before leaving and my older brother also messaged me safe travels

Day 1

I tried my best to sleep but couldn’t. After some final set up with my phone and packing, my body crashed and got an adequate amount of sleep before finishing the packing and going to the airport. Said goodbye to my younger brother and then to my parents after meeting up with the group.

Day 2

I ended up sitting next to Sydney on the flight from Florida to Colorado and we chatted for a bit before taking off. I watched Cruella and it was a pretty good movie. An alternate version of the character from The 101 Dalmatians but it was fun!

Hung out with Gavin and Nick at a Coney Island restaurant during the layover and we talked a lot about our favorite anime and which ones we enjoyed as well as stuff to probably keep in mind once we’re in Japan

On the flight from Colorado to Japan, I sat next to Logan but we didn’t really talk too much due to being tired. Gavin was practically asleep in a horrible fetal shrimp position

I watched Avatar: Fire and Ash as I wasn’t able to watch in theaters back in December. It wasn’t bad, I enjoyed a lot of what they did. It did kind of feel like an odd retelling of the first two films in a way. I don’t know, I just wish they spent more time on the Ash Na’vi and that fire was more Incorporated into their environment and nature instead of just a desert like how the first film they were connected to the forest and the second to water. Fire seemed a little more metaphorical than literal

Some of the food on the flight was ok. My neck got stiff so I tried to stretch it and my tailbone was killing me. Listened to music and played the new Yoshi game Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.

After landing, I was nervous about filling out the forms correctly but we’re done right. The train ride was fun looking at the buildings outside and seeing the familiar layouts I’ve only seen in media and video

The food from dinner was great! My favorite was the shrimp dumplings and salmon. As per usual I wasn’t much of a fan of the prepared mackerel. I just prefer raw fish. It was familiar but ok. In fact, a lot of the food tasted very similar to if I had gotten it back in the States. Given there were other foreigners passing through and eating, it makes me wonder if it was a location that changes the food to be more favorable to foreigners or if the food really was the same

We then got to the hotel and I got to room with Logan, who lost his wallet earlier. No jet lag so far.

Day 3

Breakfast was nice. The daifuku was yummy. Tried natto but I unfortunately didn’t like it. Maybe without the mustard next time

We walked to the Senoshi Shrine we past on our way to the hotel. I walked with Nick and Gavin. I got a fortune and it was normal, just saying thing will happen. Nick got a best fortune and Gavin got a bad fortune of which he tied up for the shrine to burn later. Also got Pocari Sweat which I am told is like an orange Gatorade with electrolytes which thankfully did not have the same consistency as Gatorade. It was nice 

We then tried on Kimono. We had to strip to our undergarments before putting it on, thankfully there was a nice breeze at the shine during that time. I wore a black one with a green belt. Before leaving we stopped by the 7-11 and got another Pocari Sweat as well as Japanese Pudding. It was delicious! It had a much soother texture, creamier taste, and more gelatinous than the Spanish Flan I am used to. Both being variations on the French crème caramel.

We then took the subway to get to the Ueno National Museum. There was a concert with vendors happening nearby. In the museum, I went through the exhibits with Ava. It was fun seeing the traditional paintings and seeing old artifacts with the patterns or engravings in them. When we met back when we finished, we realized the second floor were the actual exhibits and told to go back and experience. First water fountain I found next to the bathrooms in the basement of the museum.

A few people went off for an interactive museum, which off schedule and we had to pay for, while Logan, Gavin, the professors, and myself went back to the hotel. Had a few snacks that were originally brought for the flight between Colorado and Japan

Gavin and I decided to explore and visit the Tokyo Skytree which took a bit to get to. It is a huge shopping mall. A lot of Blue Lock advertising. Not sure if it’s some collab with the area or just announcing season 2. My dad and younger brother had been watching it together. found the area where they do pop-up collab cafes and they were doing Hatsune Miku and had the 6 main Vocaloids. I saw the Kirby Cafe but I wasn’t able to a reservation in time for the trip unfortunately. However, if I enter from the inside of the building I could go to the store it has. Before making that discovery, Gavin headed off back to the hotel. I also saw the Pokémon Center and the Shoen Jump store. In the first store I went to, I saw a lot of merch that peaked my interest. Pokemon, Zelda, Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts. There were two Kingdom Hearts areas so I believe the one I bought stuff at may have been a limited pop-up perhaps. I got two bind boxes, one a pin badge of the stained glass Dive into Heart, which ended up being the Foretellers, and one of the game title cards as magnets, which ended being the one for Birth by Sleep. I got a deck of playing cards model after the cards you used in Chain of Memories as well as a necklace if a wayfinder from Birth by Sleep which was Ventus’. While trying to find my way out, I stopped by Family Mart for a snack and got a sandwich with whipped cream and blueberry jam as well as a bun with a filling. I thought was going to be Japanese pudding but ended up being maple syrup. Both good.

Since I had left an AirTag in my luggage, I was easily able to get the address of the hotel and make it back.

Day 4

Had breakfast and tried switching things a little bit. We then went to the Meiji shrine and they happened to be having a special prayer going on. We saw shrine maidens walk by and later priests

We then went to Harajuku. I went with Ava, Sydney, Lyn, Morgan, and Abby to McDonald’s and I got a teriyaki burger. Afterwards I primarily just did Gotchapon and got four orbs, one of One Piece and Madoka Magica and two miscellaneous.

We then went to Shibuya Crossing. It was funny seeing the locations as I could recognize them from the game The World Ends With You. Saw the Hachiko statue and walked through Scramble Crossing. Saw the 109 building above. I then went with Nick, Gavin, Karolina, and others to one of the buildings. On the fourth floor found the Pokémon Center as well as the SEGA, Nintendo, Capcom, and Shonen Jump stores. I only got stuff at Nintendo being a salmon egg keychain from Splatoon and a Navi cup from Zelda.

The boys, myself included, left with the instructors to see the government building and then head back to the hotel.

Day 6

Woke up early and had a quick breakfast and headed downstairs as we were headed to Kyoto. Hopped on a bullet train for about two hours to get there.

After getting to the hotel we went to a place that was made to resemble and traditional area. In it, there was an Evangelion photo op I went with Gavin. We went to watch a ninja show in a building that had so many activities that unknown to us beforehand. The ninja show was primarily comedic. After I took photos of the Super Sentai and Kamen Rider stuff they had on display. (Power Rangers)

We then did a casual tea ceremony where they demonstrated how they work and made some ourselves. I like matcha but only if there’s a little bit. I drank all the tea in my cup to be polite.

We then went to a shrine area on a hill which had a pretty garden area with a pond. I had an ice cream and took a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 7

I had a brief breakfast and we headed out in the rain to the Golden Pavilion. It’s very different seeing it in person.

Carolina, Lyn, Nick and I decided to Uber back to the hotel as we were wet and tired.

I then went to Aeon Mall and got a handful of gochapon, got two figurines from claw machines, and two plushies. I ate some delicious sushi and udon along with dango and orange cream float. I also did the arcade Mario Kart. Additionally ran into Carolina, Lyn, and Nick twice. I then headed back to the hotel.

Day 8

After breakfast we hopped on a 2-hour bullet train to Hiroshima. We got to the Itsukushima Shrine after a nice ferry ride which reminded me of Disney. There were a lot of deer roaming around. I walked around with Ava, Sydney, and Bri. I bought a charm and a ceramic bowl. I had more takoyaki and got grilled squid. A deer came by to harass Ava while she was on the phone and then stared at my food. Also had a pancake-like treat with custard inside

After the ferry and bus, we went to the Atomic Bomb Dome & Peace Memorial Museum. It showcased how the bomb hit and detailed the aftermath with photos, illustrations, videos, and artifacts. It was difficult to go through. About halfway in I just wanted it to end. It was devastating. I hope and pray that something of that nature, or even worse, would never come to pass again. It’s good that I experienced the museum, I just don’t want to revisit it.

Thankfully that was the last thing of the day and we took taxis back to the station for our 2 hour bullet train back to Kyoto. I got a cone shaped like a maple leaf that had caramel ice cream in it before getting on the train. Ava let me have one of her sushi rolls and both were great, Maiyuko, our tour guide, got us treats as a way to celebrate our trip. Funnily enough they just so happened to be the pancake-like treat I had earlier. We then got back to the hotel.

Day 9

Woke up and got ready for the 2 hour bulletin train from our hotel in Kyoto to the one we originally stayed at Tokyo. After getting my luggage from the lobby, I dropped it off in the lobby as it wasn’t time to check in before heading back to Shibuya. Using the train alone was  not bad. I just keep assuming that is how it worked be if I were to use public transportation in New York. Upon arriving I stopped at the Starbucks above Scramble Crossing and got a hot chocolate, sausage in bread, and a strawberry custard cake. While in the building, I took a brief look at the other floors which consisted of a Pokémon Card Lounge where you could battle others in the trading card game (TCG) and have food, a manga floor where you can just read from the available options, and a few merch stores. There was also a pop-up store in the basement but was not interested as it was Star Wars. I walked into the Disney store I had passed the last time and it had three floors. No Kingdom Hearts though.

I finally reached the mall and got stuff from the Nintendo and Capcom stores and the Pokemon Center. I also got a gotcha from the Jojo store though I didn’t get any food. Also didn’t get anything from the Jump Store. I then headed back to the hotel.

By this time, I was able to check into my hotel room. After resting for a bit and dropping off my stuff I headed to the Tokyo Skytree. I got a few more Kingdom Hearts stuff from the pop-up they had and also got some other stuff from other stores such as this Jump Shop. I wanted to get one last thing but my card did not want me to. I had a feeling it would happen on the last day. I then headed past the Skytree aquarium to a cookout area where we had dinner. Because it started nearing when the stores closed, I called my mom to check the card and rushed back into the store one last time. I then headed back to the hotel by bus with Mayuko and Logan.

With all the stuff I had, I had to visit Don Quixote to get a suitcase which ended up being a yellow Pikachu one. The line literally took an hour. After getting back and resting a bit with a snack, I then was able to successfully Tetris my stuff within by bags. I finished at 4am and forgot that is when the sun came up in Japan.

Day 10

I skipped breakfast as I wanted to prioritize rest as I knew I was not going to be able to on either plane ride. Ava gave me her seaweed flavored chips as she wasn’t the biggest fan of them but at least I had “breakfast”. They were really good! We then hopped on the shuttle bus to the airport 

Got through security and got some sushi. Also got two Pokemon items and a Pokemon themed snack.

The plane rides back did not take as long as the ones to Japan which was surprising. Watched Shrek 4 and Goat on the way back.

Closing thoughts

This trip was amazing. I felt great the entire time despite my legs hurting by the time I finished each day. I’m glad I was able to do something with each classmate at some point during the trip including the instructors. Looking at vlogs or photos of the areas I’ve been during the trip even if I already saw them feel so different now that I’ve actually been there in person. I already want to go back!

I would encourage anyone to do a study abroad if given the chance and opportunity. Since SPC’s trips are just a week, it can help dip your toes into the country to help prepare if you were hoping to stay an entire semester in the future. Thank you SPC for letting achieve my goal of visiting Japan!

– Gabriel, SPC Japan Study Abroad Program, May 2026