Purikura

Not a fan of taking pictures? Worried about that pimple on your chin or those dark circles under your eyes? Fear no more! Purikura is here!

Yes, in Japan there's a photo booth that can make you look as perfect as you want to be. Purikura is Japanese for print club. The reason why these photo booths are called purikura is because after you're done taking your pictures you can decorate them and print them out. There are many purikura booths to choose from that'll have different decorative themes. Many of these booths are found in game centers, or as some of you may refer to them as arcades. Purikura will have its own designated area in the game centers, so it's really easy to find. These booths can cost from 500 to 800 yen (about $5.00 to $8.00 USD). 

The inside of a purikura booth.

The first thing you need to do to start your purikura experience is to feed the machine your money. It'll collect your money and you can start using the screen inside the booth to set up your picture format and settings. It's easy to use even if you don't know Japanese so don't worry about that. Once you have settled that, you're ready to take your picture. It'll give you a few seconds to just adjust into a pose of your liking in between each shot. After all the pictures are taken you can step outside the booth to the screen outside to decorate your pictures. Decorating is probably one of the greatest things about purikura. There are digital stickers to use and a wand to write on the pictures themselves. Many people usually write their names, their relationship with the people in the picture, or an adjective to describe the moment or the picture. The options are limitless!

A friend and I decorating our pictures.

Another feature for the purikura machines are the makeup settings. You can alter your facial features however you'd like. An example is that if you don't like how small your eyes are you can make them bigger. This and many other features are great for people who are camera shy because of their looks. Now you confidently take pictures with your friends without worrying about how you look (I know I always hate the way I look in pictures). Once you're done decorating you can print the pictures out. They'll come out of the machine on a long strip of paper. You can leave the pictures as they are or you can peel the pictures and stick them onto things such as phones or notebooks.

Purikura are great to do with friends. It's something that I recommend everyone to try if they go to Japan. It's an experience you don't want to miss.

I hope you liked this post. I just love purikura booths, and Japan in general. Check out my other posts on Japan. Thank you for the support.

Follow me on social media to keep up with everything I do! Freelance writing, pictures, and trips.

Facebook: facebook.com/japantherapynola

Instagram: instagram.com/japantherapy

#jaoantherapy   #japantherapyblog

Google+: google.com/+JenniferTorresjapantherapy

My Study Abroad Experience- Part 5

My Study Abroad Experience

Part 5: Leaving Japan

Start from the beginning with Part 1: japantherapyneworleans.blogspot.com/2015/08/my-japan-study-abroad-experience-part-1.html

Program:

UNO-Japan: Study at Doshisha University

Studying in Kyoto, Japan

To learn more go to inst.uno.edu/japan or contact them at UNOJapan@uno.edu or (504)280-6388.

Five weeks may seem like a long time, but it goes by so fast. When it was nearing the time to leave Japan I felt like I had only just arrived. I was just getting settled in. I felt myself rushing to do as many things as I could before I left. That last week was like the end of a roller coaster. You see the end coming so you really focus on enjoying the ride while it's still moving. That was how I felt. After classes I was always trying to fill my time with sightseeing and activities I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy back in America. I remember going to see Kinkakuji and Fushimi Inari my last week because I never got the chance to go before. I was so glad I got to fit those two sights in at the last week.

Kinkakuji and Fushimi Inari, both found in different parts of Kyoto.

Then our final exams came. For classes such as Literature and History we had to type a paper. For Japanese classes we had to complete an online exam in a certain amount of time. Many of us waited until the last night of classes to write our papers. I still laugh about it today. I had about five people in my room trying to type papers. We all were typing on our laptops, trying to get these papers done. I was having so much trouble completing the paper because I was still freaking out about leaving Japan. A friend of mine who was not worried about papers came into my room inviting us to karaoke with his Japanese friends. The people in my room declined the offer. Another friend and myself decided to join the karaoke party. It was my first karaoke experience so I'm glad I went. I had a blast that night. When karaoke was done I knew I had to get to work on my paper. I finished it that night and turned it in the next day. It felt like I was able to finish the paper because I knew I had done everything I could possibly do in Japan. I felt accomplished.

Friends finishing their papers and me in a karaoke room with another friend.

One of the things a group of us did was have dinner for the last time in the tatami room. This tatami room was a place for the student to eat together. You would sit on a pillow seat, at a low table. There were no shoes allowed in this room because of the tatami floors that were made out of bamboo straw. It was a pretty room, and we used about two other times besides our last dinner. The dinner consisted of food our parents sent us in the mail. It was a nice spread and we had lots of food. We had about seven of us in the tatami room, having dinner. It was a great last moment to have at our dorms.

After classes, on the last night in Japan, was the closing ceremony. The teachers tallied our grades and granted us our certificates. All the faculty and staff involved in the program was present at the closing ceremony. It was a different atmosphere than the opening ceremony. We were all friends by this time. Even the Japanese students who were our partners felt closer. It was a sad but good time we all had together.

All the faculty and students of the 2010 UNO Japan study abroad program.

Studying abroad is probably one of the greatest adventures anybody can ever have. It's filled with new people, new places, and new opportunities waiting to be experienced. I was very sad to leave, not knowing if I would ever get the chance to visit Japan again. I'm lucky enough to have that chance, but I can honestly say going on this studying abroad program has changed my life. 

Thanks for following my study abroad adventure! I hope this helps some of you take the plunge.

Follow me on social media to keep up with my blog.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/japantherapynola

Instagram: Instagram.com/japantherapy
#japantherapy #japantherapyblog

Google+: google.com/+JenniferTorresjapantherapy