Planning a Trip to Japan

You could go the easy route and pay a travel agent to plan your trip but that'll cost you a lot of money, money that you may not even have. It's a lot of work, but planning your own trip to Japan is fun and affordable. I've been to Japan twice already and have announced my third trip on social media already. I'm not going until November, but I have a few friends who are going in the spring and summer so I thought I'd push this article up on my to do list. So here are the steps you need to take to plan a trip to Japan.

Step 1: Book Your Flight

I already did a blog post about the flight. You can check it out here. I discuss the cost, the length, and the food to expect. But I'll mention a few things again. Normally you'd book your flight as soon as your prospective date is available. I knew I wanted to go in November, around the Thanksgiving holiday. I checked the United Airlines website every month to see when November was available. I just booked my flight a few days ago, so you should be able to book your flight 8-9 month before hand. The flight can range in price. I find it ranges from $1,200-$1,500 for a two-way flight. This may be expensive to so people, and it is. The airfare can be the most expensive part of your Japan trip. There are ways to get cheaper tickets though. The first is to get a miles credit card. You know how some credit cards gives you point towards every purchase? Well, some airlines have credit cards that gives you miles. This is how I got my plane tickets to Japan. In two years my husband and I accumulated enough miles for free flights. Another way to get cheaper tickets is by following websites who have special offers. Websites I've heard of for this is Orbitz and Groupon. Now you would have to look for yourself every so often in order to catch these deals. The best way to be notified about these deals is by following bloggers who specialize in Japan airfare deals. They're out there and ready to use. If you use these tickets they will most likely come with a set date to be used. This may make your trip a little rushed so all these other steps I'm mentioning would need to be done as soon as possible.

Step 2: Planning Your Itinerary

What does this involve? Well, when you go to Japan where do you want to go? Do you just want to stay in Tokyo the whole time? (I'll be doing that in 2020). Do you want to see the main three cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka? Or do you want to see as many places as possible during your stay? Planning an itinerary will help with two other steps: buying a train pass and booking hotels. So plan out where you want to go. For example, my husband and I already have a game plan on what cities we want to visit: Nagoya, Nagano, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Matsue, and Tokyo. Since we plan to go to more than three cities and they aren't too close to each other it is beneficial to buy train passes. If we were only going to the three main cities we wouldn't need a train pass. Next is to plan how long you'd like to stay in each city. I haven't planned the exact days yet but I know what cities I'll be needing a hotel for. Finally, add detail to your itinerary by making a list of things you want to see and do in each city. If you're not sure where to visit or what to do visit a Japan guide website. I actually work as a freelance writer for a guide site called Japanistas. I liked their past work and decided they were a good fit for me than all the other websites. If you visit their website they have a ton of guides and articles on things to do in many of the cities in Japan.

(Optional) Step 3: Purchase a Train Pass

This is optional because, like I mentioned in the Itinerary section, if you're not planning to do much traveling in Japan it's not worth getting. But for those who will be doing a lot of traveling, like myself, it is in your best interest to purchase a train pass. By the time you use the pass three times you would probably already have used its worth. This train pass is called the Japan Rail Pass and it is good for all Japan Railway systems. This pass needs to be purchased before you leave for Japan. A voucher will be mailed to you and you'll have to present it to a major Japan Railway station once you've arrived in Japan. Once you obtain your pass, you'll have to use the manned gates for officials to look at your pass (some may ask for your passport as identification). Visit http://www.japanrailpass.net/en/ to see what pass will work for your trip.

Step 4: Book Your Hotel

Unless you're planning to travel to Japan in the next month or two, booking a hotel should be done about 4 months in advance or when the reservation is available. Now, there are two ways to book a hotel for Japan. You can either use a travel site such as Travelocity and Hotels or you can book a reservation with the hotel of choice directly. I won't go into detail on using the travel sites because those are pretty easy since many of you have probably already used those sites before. To book a room directly is a bit harder, especially for those who may not know the hotels in Japan. I will tell you all how I do it. First, I go to the city's website I'll be visiting. I'll use Kyoto as an example since it's my favorite city in Japan. So I would google search Kyoto, and their website should appear in the first four selections (http://kyoto.travel/en/). I'd go to their website and select the "plan your visit" section and choose accommodations since I'm trying to book a hotel. Japan has many kinds of hotels, but the ones that book reservations in advance are ryokans and and western style hotels. A ryokan which are traditional Japanese hotels will most likely be cheaper than western style hotels. If you're going for a cheaper route booking a ryokan would be in your best interest but research about ryokans before booking one because they are very unique hotels. For my trip, I'll be looking for a hotel. Once I click the hotel option it gives me names of all the hotels. Pick any hotel and it'll give you a link to that hotel's website. Tada! You can now book a room directly with the hotel of your choosing.

Step 5: Plan Your Arrangements

Do you have children or pets? You'll need a babysitter. Start asking friends or family members about house sitting or babysitting. House hitting usually requires someone who can stop by your house to make sure everything is okay, like no one has broken in, and to get your mail. Have a car? If you're leaving for two weeks or longer you might want to give your car keys to someone you trust. Let them have the responsibility of starting up your car every few days just so your car will work when you get back home from Japan. Have a job? Start giving your vacation notice to your manager. Pretty much get done whatever needs to be done before you leave for Japan.

Step 6: Make a Packing Check List

Start packing the week before the trip to decrease your stress levels. Trust me, if you wait until the day or night before you will be a very angry and stressed out person which will put a damper on your trip. If you need assistance in thinking of things to bring you can refer to my post on items to bring. 

Step 7: Double Check

I don't care if you made a list and already check stuff off, double check! Make sure you have everything, especially your passport and boarding pass for your flight.

And lastly, enjoy your trip! You'll have so much fun no matter if you are taking a solo trip or going with a friend or significant other. Take a ton of pictures to have as keepsakes and value your time in Japan.

Thank you for reading. I hope this helps many of you who are starting to plan a trip to Japan and for those who will plan a trip in the future. If you liked this post, please check out my other posts about Japan. Also follow me on social media for more things Japan related.

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What to Bring to Japan

Will be be planning your trip to Japan soon? I know I will be! I'll be writing another post soon on how to plan a trip to Japan, but first I'd like to mention some things you should take to Japan. These are items that are obvious and then items that I learned I needed from experience.

Yen, Debit Card, Passport

These are your obvious items to bring. Just in case it's not obvious to some I'll explain in detail and give tips. Yen is the currency of Japan. I recommend getting $500 dollars worth of Japanese yen to go over with. Here's where the debit card comes into play. When you finally get to Japan, to go a convenience store like a 7/11 and take out more yen with your debit card as you see fit. Remember to also call your bank and let them know you'll be going out the country so they won't stop your card. If you can't get cash out then you'll have a big problem on your hands because Japan is still a cash based country even though some places do take credit cards now. And finally your passport. If you have an existing passport make sure in advance that it is not expiring soon. If you don't even have a passport you will be needing one. You can obtain a passport through the post office. Once you have filled out all the paperwork they'll mail you your passport in about 6 to 8 weeks, so don't wait last minute for this!

I've only got coin yen (1, 10, and 50 yen) on me.

Your Own Pillow

This sounds silly but it's really good advice. especially for those who are sensitive sleepers. Not all, but many hotels I stayed at in Japan had pillows with beans inside them. I don't know about everyone else but I can't sleep on bean pillows. They're just not comfortable in my opinion and it makes me lose sleep. I suggest bringing your own pillow so you won't have to worry about losing sleep. We want to make sure you have enough energy to explore Japan!

Medication

Another obvious item but it needs to be mentioned. If you are on any medication prescribed by your doctor please bring it with you. A hospital visit in a different country with a different language doesn't sound ideal. Not only prescribed medicines, but bring everyday medicines just in case. What happens if you get heartburn, a fever, sore throat, or an allergic reaction? You need to consider bringing other medicines for these circumstances. And if you think that you'll be able to get medicine from a store in Japan you may be facing a bigger problem. If your Japanese isn't good to where you don't know Kanji, then you won't be able to buy medicine because you won't be able to understand what the containers are saying. Make it easier on yourself by bringing your own medicine. But make sure the medicine is allowed in Japan because Japan has strict laws in drugs.

English to Japanese Dictionary

This item is for those unfamiliar with Japanese. Now, you can always just speak English the whole time and it might work out for you depending on what parts of Japan you'll be visiting. But for those actually wanting to make the effort should have a dictionary on hand. You will most likely want to say something to someone. You'll know what you want to say but not the Japanese word for it. An English to Japanese dictionary will help you. You'll look up what you want to say and it'll have it's Japanese meaning. Even if you don't know how to speak in full sentences just saying a word will get your point across.

Maps

Now when I say maps, I'm not talking about those boring maps you see of the country that just has a bunch a lines and arrows. I mean maps that are detailed and have pictures of landmarks. I don't know about you but I'm the kind of person that gets around by using landmarks, not street names. Using a map that shows where all the landmarks are in the city is very helpful. I usually use the city's bus map to do this and then I get double use out of it. Bus maps are super easy to read than those maps in guide books.

Comfortable Shoes

I can't stress this one enough. Bring comfortable shoes to walk in! You will be walking a lot while in Japan. Yes, you can use public transportation but you will still be doing a lot of walking if you plan to do some shopping, visit temples, or climbing mountains. As cute as boots, heels, and flats are they are not reliable. Tennis shoes are the way to go. You'll thank me later.

Clothes

This also seems obvious but you may think because you're going in the summer you won't need sweaters but I'm here to tell you that you will, and here's why. Some parts of Japan has crazy weather. The sun could be blazing one minute and in the next it could be raining. Not only that, but if it's hot outside stores may blast their air conditioning, making it freezing cold. The key to dressing in Japan is to dress in layers.

Toiletries

Bring your own toiletries that you love and are used to because they most likely won't be in Japan. That means pack your shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and anything else you can think of. Definitely bring deodorant because Japan is a big fan of the spray and roll on types. 

Nintendo 3DS

This is for my fellow geeks out there. Bring your Nintendo 3DS with you! If you bring it to Japan you'll be getting a ton of regions in Japan completed for your streetpass maps. It's super fun to see all the people you'll pass on the streets with your 3DS. My friends and I call them "green people." This is because when you have people at your streetpass plaza waiting for you your 3DS lights up green. So have fun collecting your green people!

And that's everything I recommend you bring for your trip to Japan. I hope I helped in making your trip easier for you. You'll be hear from me soon on here but until then you can check me out on my social media pages.

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Thank for the support! 

What to Buy at the Asian Market

A few posts ago I wrote about Japanese Markets in America. It got a ton of attention and was received well with all of you. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is: http://japantherapyneworleans.blogspot.com/2015/11/japanese-market-in-america.html.

After this post I got a few messages about what to buy at these Japanese Asian Markets. My first thought was you can just buy whatever it is that you like, but then I realized that the people who asked were people unfamiliar with Japanese food and never went to an Asian Market before. Now, I'm here to give you my personal shopping list when I go to the Asian Market. Keep in mind that I am not the cook in the household, my husband is. So a lot of my stuff are snacks and easy fixes.

Here we go!

Snacks and Candy

So I'm going to be generalizing this one. There are so many snacks and candies to choose from and they're all really good. You really can't go wrong with any of them. In the picture is Pocky and Pretz. Pretty much anything made by Glico and Meiji will be delicious. My favorite Japanese candy is Apollo Chocolate. It's a mix of chocolate and strawberry flavor. 

Swiss Roll Cakes

These cakes are so good! I love them. I remember finding them in Japan when I studied abroad so when I found them here in America I was ecstatic. These little cakes are great in the mornings with a cup of milk. They come in various flavors but my favorites are the creme and strawberry flavor.

(If you couldn't tell already, I love strawberry flavor).

Dorayaki

This is for those who are more adventurous. Dorayaki are traditional Japanese snacks. It's a pastry with red bean paste inside. Think of it as red bean paste in between two small pancakes. If you're into traditional sweets and are okay with red bean paste then you should like these.

Ramen

I know many of you are familiar with cup noodle or other variations of it that is referred to as ramen, but this is a better quality of ramen. Think of it as a ramen kit. In this bag you get broth and noodles, everything else you'll have to buy separately. My husband buys these when we want to have a ramen night for dinner. This packet serves both of us. We love the Tonkotsu flavor which is pork. We add in pork tenderloin, green onion, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. It taste great. I hope you give this a try because it definitely beats those cup ramen brands.

Drinks

Another one I'm generalizing for is drinks. You really can't go wrong here either because they're all great drinks. I personally love the melon soda the best. Ramune is always fun to have on occasion though. There will always be green tea available if you are a green tea fan and not into the carbonated drinks. And then there's Calpis (Calpico). I'm still not sure of this drink. It has a milky texture and kind of like a yogurt flavor. I don't think it's something I would buy for myself but I'd drink it if someone bought it for me.

Mochi Ice Cream

Mochi Ice Cream is amazing! They come in many flavors and are a great bedtime snack. Everyone should already know what ice cream is but for those of you who may not know what mochi is it's like a gummy rice. It's really good, but if you don't like gummy texture you might want to try this with caution. My personal favorites are the strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate chip flavors. Other flavors are coffee, mango, red bean, and chocolate.

Rice

Now I'm getting more into the cooking aspect of shopping. This is the brand of rice we like to buy. It's called Nishiki. It's really good. We use this rice when we have teriyaki burgers, curry, or gyudon (beef bowl) for dinner. We cook the rice with our Japanese rice cooker that we also bought from our local Asian market. This rice is like candy, that's how good it is.

Curry

There are many brands for curry but we buy the Golden Curry brand ( you can get this brand at a grocery store). It's great and easy to make. Curry is a fast and easy dinner in Japan. It is one of the most common dinners to make. When in Japan, I like to go to Kokoichi but this does the job when I'm not in Japan. Here's the YouTube video by Japan vlogger Micaela, that my husband uses, on how to make curry.

Miso Soup

I love a really good miso soup. I'm still kind of on the search for a really good one. So far I can only get really good ones at two local restaurants. There are two kinds of miso: red and white. I prefer the taste of the white miso over the red because the white isn't as fishy tasting, if that makes sense. The brands in the picture are pretty good though. Some brands may require you to buy your own seaweed and tofu so check the bag.

And that's what I buy when I go to a Japanese Asian Market. I hope this helps in your ventures at your local Asian market. Like I said, I'm not the cook in the house so there weren't many cooking related items on this list. If you could tell, I'm more of a snacking kind of person. Let me know what you like to buy from the market or what you think I should try.

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How to Make Japanese Potato Salad

Japanese Potato Salad

Looking for a side dish to make for a party or would just like to learn how to cook Japanese food? I'm releasing my recipe for Japanese potato salad! I had potato salad a lot when I was in Japan and always miss it. I would get it mostly at convenience stores or in bento boxes. Now I can have it whenever I want, and so can you! This is super easy.

Total cooking and preparation time: about 2 hours

Servings: about 15 to 20 people (depending on portion size)

Ingredients

-5 lb sack of potatoes (~13 potatoes)

            *Don't not use red potatoes. The consistency and taste will differ.

-1 cucumber

-3 oz bag of baby carrots

-1 white onion

-30 fl oz jar of mayonnaise

-salt

-pepper

-chicken flavor granules 

Directions 

-Wash off all the potatoes in warm water.

-Steam potatoes until a fork can stick into it without getting stuck.

-While potatoes are steaming, peal the cucumber’s skin.

-Cut the cucumber in half, long ways.

-Scoop out the seeded middle of the cucumber halves with a spoon.

-Cut the cucumber halves into ¼ inch crescent moons, and then cut those crescent moons in half.

-Chop up half of the onion into small pieces.

-Once the potatoes are done steaming, place less than half the bag of baby carrots into the pot or steamer to steam (this will take less time than the potatoes).

-Peel potatoes and place them into a big mixing bowl.

-Cut up potatoes into cubes with a big, sharp chef knife.

-Once carrots are done steaming, cut them into ½ centimeter circles.

-Pour the whole jar of mayonnaise into the mixing bowl and fold the potatoes into the mayo with a big mixing spoon.

-Pour in the chopped cucumber, onion, and carrots into the mixing bowl and fold them into the potato/mayo mixture.

-Sprinkle 2 tsps (or to your taste) of chicken flavor granules into the mixing bowl and fold it in.

-Sprinkle salt and pepper into the mixture to your liking (I sprinkled both in twice after folding it in the first time).

-Let the potato salad sit in the frig for an hour to get cold, and then it’s ready to eat.

Made Japanese potato salad for my Japanese culture club in college.
Fed a classroom of students. And some even got seconds. It's a club favorite.

Super simple, and it's healthier than a lot of other potato salads I know. If you have any specific questions about the directions or about the recipe leave a comment below.

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Taking a Tour in Japan

My first time in Japan I was a study abroad student living there for 6 weeks. I was going to school, blending with society, and taking in the culture. It was an experience I will never forget. Jump four years. I was going to Japan with my husband for our honeymoon. It was my second time in Japan and his first. The closest my husband ever came to experiencing Japan were from stories I've told him and things I've taught him about the culture. My husband's parents wanted to gift our honeymoon to us and the easiest way to do that was for them to pay for an all expense paid tour in Japan. I wanted to just roam around myself, but I decided to go with the tour for the first week and stay after for another week on our own. Best decision I've ever made.

I will be talking about the pros and cons of going on a tour in Japan. It had it's good and bad times but I still enjoyed it. And it may seem like it's super expensive but for everything you pay for it's not that bad, so you should give it a try or at least look into.

The Pros

1. No worries. With a guided tour there are literally no worries. Yes, they can get expensive, but everything is practically taken care of for you. These tour packages include meals, hotel costs, entrance fees to attractions, and possibly train fare. The only things you will need to worry about are the plane flights and shopping expenses.

2. Important sights. You are guaranteed a chance to go to the big name places such as Tokyo Tower and Osaka Castle in a guided tour. Depending on the package you get, you'll go to different cities in Japan and you'll go to all the well known sights for that area. The tour guide will even give you hints at what to take pictures of and will let you know what's important.

Tokyo Tower. We went in but I took more video than pictures.

3. Won't feel lost. Going to a different country can be a bit scary, especially if it has its own language and it's your first time there. With unfamiliar settings it can be easy to get lost. In a tour, you will have a guide who is native to that country to pretty much take care of you. The guide will make sure you're on the bus to go to the next city, make sure you eat, and will always make sure you're following. I personally loved my tour guide from Japan Tours. Her name was Mire. If I ever took another tour from that same company I would ask for Mire again. She was so funny and sweet.

4. Meeting people from around the world. One of the things that worried me was being so young and going on a tour. I always pictured tours to be for older adults, no one my age. I was totally wrong. There were quite a few people my age on the exact same tour. One young man was by himself, just wanted to see Japan. There were two young adults who were with their families on this tour for a family vacation to Japan.  There was a girl and guy on the tour that was my husband and I's age who were just on the tour because they both wanted to see Japan. My husband and I ended up hanging with them here and there during the tour. We'd go browse stores or go get food together. Even the older people that were on the tour were super friendly! There was a couple from Australia that I had fun talking to and was always nice. So not only did I get the relax while traveling in Japan but I got to meet so many amazing people at the same time.

We made friends on the trip from California!

The Cons

1. Not enough free time. Going on a tour in Japan can be good but then when you're actually on the tour you realize it's not all perfect. Yes, the itinerary is great and you get to see so many amazing things but while you're on the tour you find other things you want to do but there's no time for. A good example is when my tour was in Tokyo. You were literally touring all day, from 8 A.M. to about 6 P.M. During the tour we were at a mall for lunch. Our tour guide said we had only 30 minutes to look around before lunch. That was the fastest 30 minutes. My husband and I were having fun at an arcade in the mall and just looking at all the stores they had. We nearly missed lunch. Not only that! At the mall there was this Sega Vocaloid amusement park that looked like so much fun. We never got to check it out because we only stayed at the mall for lunch, then left. We had the rest of the day to go back if we wanted or to just check out more of the city but by the time you were done the tour for the day and got back to the hotel you were so tired. There was no way I could have made it some nights out after the tour without collapsing.

2. Having to eat what's on the itinerary. When I'm in Japan, I'm usually more adventurous and will try about anything I feel I can stomach. I say this because I'm really picky when it comes to food and here at my home of New Orleans, Louisiana I will have no problem saying I'm not eating something if I don't like it. I try not to be this way in Japan because it's an experience you can't get anywhere else and it's rude not to eat what's served to you. I did really good during the tour and at every meal except for one. I remember one of our hotel stops was at a Ryokan which is a traditional Japanese Inn. I knew what came with staying here: sleeping on a futon, going to take an onsen or hot spring bath, and eating Kaiseki (traditional Japanese cuisine). The only thing optional about the Ryokan was the bath. I had to go into the dinning hall with all the other people on my tour and eat a kaiseki dinner. I really thought I could do it but once the meal was in front of me I didn't have it in me to eat it all. I think I only ate two or three things and then I pawned the rest of my food for to a fellow tour member in secret. My husband and I didn't even eat breakfast there since we knew we'd be getting the same thing so we just went to the 7/11 at the corner for breakfast.

3. Being on a schedule. If you are someone who is laid back and doesn't like to have things planned then you will not like tours. With tours, everything is planned: meals, activities, and where to go. Everything is done in a timely manner and on a schedule. If you also like to wake up late a tour is also not for you. During tours, you wake up early. Not only because they include breakfast in the tour but to also start the tour early so you can fit in as much as possible during the day. You must be a punctual person to like tours. If the tour guide says meet here in 30 minutes you better be there in 30 minutes. If she says wake up and be on the bus for 8 A. M. you better be down there at 8 A.M. This can make the trip stressful at times but they mean well.

Well, those are my thoughts on taking a tour in Japan. In all, I had a great time when I went. It felt very different from when I was a student in Japan because I was living in Japan whereas with a tour I really felt like a tourist and enjoyed being there as a tourist. Thanks for reading about my experience! I hope this helps in making your decision on how you will enjoy Japan.

If you'd like more information on the tour I went on, here's the link: http://www.alljapantours.com/go-tour.php?tp=GTP0721986

I really recommend this company because they take good care of you.

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Start Learning Japanese

I have a ton of ideas for blog posts in my head but I haven't done one on learning Japanese in a while. I know there are people who are trying to learn Japanese like myself. We're all doing what we can to learn in our own way whether it's taking formal classes, watching anime and dramas, or studying with friends. Each of these sadly has a flaw. Taking formal classes cost money and you learn in the order of the textbook being used. Watching anime doesn't get you far in your studies and you only pick up small words and phrases. Studying with friends can be a good idea, but at the same time you all are either distracting each other from actually studying or you all look to each other for guidance and get stuck. I did all of these things and still do some of them. Japanese is a hard language to learn and it will take years if you are not fully dedicated everyday, like myself.

To a Japanese person my level of Japanese is at the lower intermediate level. I can read and write hiragana and katakana and make basic sentences. A beginner is not knowing anything, a total beginner. The upper intermediate level is when you know the grammar but you can't understand conversations in Japanese. And finally, advanced is when you know how to converse in Japanese and can understand Japanese television and newspapers. I really hope one day I can get to the advanced level but I'll be lucky enough to just get to upper intermediate. The obvious way to learn fluent Japanese is to live there for a few years but me and most other people don't have that opportunity to do so (it's just not in our cards we've drawn). I'm in no way qualified to teach Japanese to others, but I don't mind helping out with giving tips and stuff like that.

Grammar/ Sentence structure

There is one thing that we should all focus on studying though and that's what we NEED to study. Open up a Japanese textbook, go ahead. The first introductory chapter is useful because of the hiragana, katakana, and helpful phrases but then the chapters start to teach you vocabulary you don't need to know. I find that a textbook doesn't challenge you enough like an actual person does. The one thing a textbook is good for is all the sentence structure and grammar rules in it. Collect all of those into one spot and study those each day to keep yourself refreshed. Even form the sentence, leaving out nouns, subject, time, adjective/adverbs, and verbs so you can practice making your own sentences.

Understanding the particles is a critical part of learning the sentence structure.

Vocabulary

In order to form sentences you need to know some vocabulary. Don't just learn random words. Be smart about what you learn. Ask yourself, "What am I going to Japan for? A job? A vacation?" If it's for school or a specific job learn the vocabulary related to those occupations. If it's for a vacation learn words for everyday conversation or what you think you would use like directions and asking questions. To study these vocabulary I suggest going back to the basics of studying and writing some flashcards. Learn 10 words at a time, adding 10 more everyday. Don't stop studying the flashcards for that day until you make no mistakes. If you miss a few days of studying you will have to start from the beginning because you won't remember anything, so make sure you study those flashcards everyday (it shouldn't take you any longer than a hour). 

Good old flashcards. They really do work.

Writing Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji

Learning how to write Japanese is important so you can read signs and other important information. With hiragana and katakana you just need to practice once a day, tallying how many you've got wrong. The goal is to keep practicing until you can write each one without any mistakes. Kanji is a little more work. Each day study 5 kanji, adding the previous 5 to the mix. Make sure that the 5 you are studying that day you have memorized it's English and Japanese meaning and are able to write the kanji. The next day, your goal is to be able to regenerate the previous kanji and it's meaning. If it can;t be done you need to study those thoroughly again with the next additional kanji. This method has worked for me previous, letting me comprehend 80 kanji at once.

You will keep getting better with each day!

I hope these study tips help you reach closer to your goal of learning Japanese. If you have any tips to help others please leave a comment below on your methods.

Like always, thanks for reading. I appreciate it all the time.

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Japanese Market in America

I personally love to go to Asian Markets around my hometown. We have many to choose from due to the Asian population in New Orleans. Since New Orleans is a port city it is common to encounter many different people and cultures. New Orleans is truly a "Gumbo City," a city made up of different cultures. The Asian Markets I have encountered so far have a bit a everything from different countries. The differences of the markets are who may own them. If a Chinese man owns a market it will have more Chinese products than anything else. There's another market around the city owned by a Korean family, so they sell more Korean products. My favorite Asian Market to go to is owned by a Japanese man and they sell the most Japanese products. It is truly heaven, walking into that store.

For the sake of being a blog about Japan I will be talking about what you can find at a Japanese Market in America. Now the store I'm referring to will be different from other ones around the country but they will have similarities and you should totally check them out.

Spices and Sauces

There are so many different spices and sauces to choose from. Many people don't think of spices when they think of Japanese food, but they have there own spices that are great for their food. One if the most popular Japanese spices is called Nanami Togarashi. This is a type of chili pepper that is used in a lot of Japanese cooking. As for sauces, they have every sauce you can think of. There's sauces for Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, and Yakisoba. If it's a cooked Japanese food there is most likely a sauce for it.

Fruits and Vegetables

Japan has many fruits and vegetables that are only native to their country.  A Japanese market may have these fruits and vegetables to purchase. Japanese fruit are very interesting. An apple in America is usually small but Japanese apples are huge. Many fruits that are well known in America are either bigger in size or smaller than usual in Japan. The vegetable selection is wide with the usual carrots, cabbage, and potatoes to the Japanese vegetables such as daikon (radish), taro, renkon (lotus root), and goya (bitter melon). These types of vegetables are not common in regular grocery stores but may be food at a Japanese market. Experimenting with Japanese vegetables is a great way to introduce yourself to Japanese food as it is used in many Japanese dishes.

Drinks and Snacks

One of the most popular reasons to go to a Japanese market is for the various flavored drinks and snacks. There are obviously different brands of green tea and other teas such as Jasmine tea. Famous Japanese drinks you can find at a Japanese market are Ramune, Calpis, and Pocari Sweat. There are also Japanese beers and sake to choose from for persons of age. The snacks are the best part of the market. This is the section that gets me the most excited. There's so many different kinds of snacks such as chips, candy, and ice cream. The popular candies are Pocky, Milkita, Hi-Chew, and Koala March. These candies come in popular flavors such as strawberry, chocolate, and green tea. Lately, there have been special flavors out such as chocolate banana and cookies n' cream. Chips are another great snack to purchase. A popular chip snack is Pretz, biscuit sticks that come in various flavors you would find in chips. And then there's the ice cream section. It's so beautiful, all the ice cream that's available. There's mochi ice cream in almost any flavor you can think of, frozen taiyaki, cream puffs, and Japanese ice cream sandwiches.

Tableware and Trinkets

If you're looking for some really nice Japanese tea sets or bowls then you need to visit a Japanese market. Not only is it reasonably priced but there are really nice quality ones along with the more cheaper kinds. Ever wanted a ramen bowl and a soup spoon you always see at Japanese restaurants? Well you can find all of that at the Japanese market. There's also some bento cutters to shape vegetables and nori (seaweed). Need a cool set of chopsticks? They got that. Want to learn oragami? They have paper for that. You can get a bunch of cool stuff at a Japanese market.

I hope this helps many of you venture off to an Asian market. It can be intimidating at first but once you go into the store you'll feel right at home when you see all the items available. Happy shopping!

If you liked this you should check out some of my other posts. I talk about various topics related to Japan such as anime, culture, food, and lifestyle. Enjoy!

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Restaurant Etiquette in Japan

Japan is a county set on manners. I've mentioned this before in a few of my other posts. This is extremely important, especially out in public. One of the places you should be mindful of your actions is at restaurants. Eating out is a great way to socialize and try new things, but there are some etiquette rules that should be followed.

1. Chopstick Etiquette

This is probably one of the most talked about rules on all the Japanese blogging sites. Many people have heard of these rules. It's talked about so much because it's that important. There are many things you don't want to do with your chopsticks. All of these are considered rude in Japan.

Don't Stick Your Chopsticks Straight Up in Rice- This is considered very rude. Sticking chopsticks straight up resembles burning incense at a grave or memorial of someone who has passed away. You don't want to mimic this at a dinner table. Instead either place your chopsticks at the edge of your bowl or plate or you can place them on the table (sometimes there will even be chopstick holders on the table for you to use).
Don't Pass Food With Your Chopsticks- This is also considered rude in Japan. You don't want to pass food to someone with chopsticks since that is also recognized as a gesture from a funeral. At Japanese funerals it is a traditional gesture to pass remains with chopsticks. Doing this at a dinner table can be very offensive. Instead either use the other side of the chopsticks to pick up food from a shared dish or bring the shared plate closer to your plate to receive the food.
Don't Play With Chopsticks- That's just childish.
Don't Shave Your Chopsticks- Not sure about other countries, but in America it is a common occurrence to see people at Japanese restaurants rubbing their wooden chopsticks together to get all the loose strands of wood off before they eat. In Japan, this can be considered rude as the restaurant staff could take offense to this in thinking you find their supplies cheap. You should be fine without shaving your chopsticks down.

My chopsticks are placed on the chopstick holder.

2. Getting a Waiter/Waitress's Attention

There are all kinds of restaurants in Japan, with a different set of standards. It is common for a waiter or waitress to only come to your table two or three times. They come give you the menu, to take your order, and bring out your food. Rarely do they come to check on you to see how you are doing (which I love because I hate how in restaurants in America waiters and waitresses have to see how you are doing, especially when you just took a bite of your food and they want to know how the food is). If you need your waitress or waiter for some reason you can always get their attention by saying "sumimasen" which mean excuse me in Japanese. This will get their attention and they'll come over to help. This is not considered rude so don't hesitate to say this out loud.

3. Don't Try to Alter an Item

I'm a very picky person when it comes to food. There are a ton of things I don't like to eat. When I went to Japan all of that changed, or at least it had to change. When you go out to eat in Japan and you see something on the menu that you're interested in but it has something in it that you don't like you're just going to have to deal with it. Not only is it probably rude to the cook, but waiters and waitress literally can't alter any food. Don't want onions in your pasta? Too bad. Want extra sauce? Not going to happen. The workers will not understand why you want to alter your food, not because of the language barrier (if there is one) but of the fact that they were never taught to change the orders and add to an order. It is not a common happening in Japan, so it just can't be done.

I couldn't read the menu so I ordered randomly. I'm eating some kind of salmon rice dish.
I don't like salmon but I ate it anyway.

4. How to Pay for Your Meal

It is not common to pay for your meal at the table after eating. You will find it is more common to pay for your food at the register before or after you eat. I've mostly seen restaurants that make you pay for your meal after you are done eating but I've also come across places that make you pay before. When you are done eating you can walk up to the register and hand them your receipt. They'll give you your total and project it onto the register screen. You should place your money on the tray at the register counter. Don't give the cashier your money from hand to hand. You will see the cashier hesitate if you do this. Put the money you owe on the tray and she'll return your change back on the tray and hand you your receipt with two hands. Take the receipt with both hands as a sign of courtesy.

I hope this helps you with your ventures at a restaurant in Japan. I sadly learned all of these on my own when I went to Japan for the first time. It was so embarrassing! I hope I can help all of you avoid these embarrassing situations too.

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A Taste of Japan: Disney's Epcot

There are many circumstances that can keep people from travel such as health conditions, fear of flying, and just not having the finances. I still find these circumstances sad for those who really want to experience Japan but can't make it over there. It can be hard traveling to other countries, and I understand. That's why I'd like to help those in America (where I'm from). You'd be surprised at how many places in America have areas that resemble Japan. These places obviously aren't going to be exactly like Japan, but it'll give people a good taste of what Japan may be like.

I plan to talk about Disney World's Epcot located in Orlando, Florida in this segment of "A Taste of Japan." Disney World is a great family or friend vacation for all ages. There's literally something for everyone to enjoy. There are several parks to explore, but I'll be talking about Epcot. I will eventually do more blog posts like this as I have the finances and time to travel to places that resemble Japan. So expect this to be a long running series on my blog.

Let's get started! Epcot is a park in Disney World that let's you travel around the world with its World Showcase. As you circle the park you'll arrive in countries such as South Korea, Mexico, China, Ireland, France, Germany, and, of course, Japan. I've been to Epcot three times already and it's always my most look forward to moments when I'm in Disney World. Epcot Japan resembles the real Japan in many ways that can come to many as a surprise. When you first transition from leaving America to entering Japan you can hear taiko drums in the distance, welcoming you to Japan. In the lake that is in the middle of the park, there's a torii, or gate, that is sitting in the water just like you can find in Japan. Once you enter that Japan section of Epcot the scenery changes drastically from the previous America section. The buildings are designed like traditional Japanese architecture. These buildings house shops, an exhibit, and restaurants. Towards the back corner, a Japanese garden and a pond can be seen. There's a pathway you can follow to stroll through the small garden area, leading to a small restaurant and the shopping area.

In the middle of the Japan section of Epcot.

The pond in the small Japanese garden. Those are some big koi fish.

There are two dinning restaurants to enjoy Japanese food like sushi and tempura. Then there is a casual restaurant, perfect for lunch, that serves items such as curry, garlic shrimp, and chicken teriyaki. The last time I went to the casual restaurant they had okonomiyaki (cabbage pancakes) on the menu that was delicious, but I guess it was too foreign to visitors so they exchanged that item for curry. I got the chicken katsu curry for lunch. It tasted just like the ones I got in real Japan. The workers were super friendly. They had no problem starting a conversation with my husband and I about his Kokoichiban (a curry house franchise in Japan) t-shirt. We enjoyed the small talk and got to know the workers a bit. Every worker, even in the other countries of Epcot, had a name tag on that would give where they were from. So the cashier at the casual restaurant was from Tokyo, Japan. I loved looking at all the name tags to see where the Japanese workers were from.

The exhibit room, featuring Kawaii Culture.

The next thing I saw was the exhibit. These exhibits are long-term, about 4 to 5 years. In 2012, the exhibit was about Japanese folklore. I really loved that one because they had a life size statue of a tengu (crow/man) that was so cool. This year they had an exhibit on Japan's kawaii (cute) culture. The room had glass cases filled with cute plushies, accessories, and other little trinkets. As you look at the exhibit you can hear Kyary Pamyu Pamyu playing in the background. It's a fun little exhibit that always introduces an interesting part of Japanese culture.

One of the glass cases explaining how cute culture can be present at work and for play..

Once you exit the exhibit there's an entrance to the Mitsukoshi department store. The store is nicely organized, sectioning off parts of the store for different things. There was a section for sake, snacks and candy, food, kitchen, kimono, hobbies, clothing, beauty products, stationary, Miyazaki items, Japanese learning books, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, and anime.  All of these great things in one store. It was hard not to buy everything in sight. My very first time in the store I went crazy, buying a purse, stickers, Pokemon plushies, a kimono, and candy. This time I only bought mochi candy and an umbrella.

The hobby section of the Mitsukoshi department store.

So as you can see Epcot Japan is in the comfort of American soil but lets you experience tiny parts of Japan. You'll get to eat real Japanese food, learn about Japanese traditions, and learn about the Japanese culture. All of this without the worry of speaking Japanese, yet if you'd like you can practice your Japanese with the workers and they'll be thrilled to talk with you. Not only will going to Disney's Epcot be a vacation, but an opportunity to learn about Japan in a relaxed setting. I won't be fully immersed into the culture. You will get little taste of Japan from Disney's Epcot, but enough to understand the country better.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I'm looking forward to doing more like this in the future. Thank you for reading and giving me support. I have so much fun writing about Japan and sharing it with everyone.

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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.

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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.

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