A few of us happened to be in the area when there was the chicken wing festival in Sakae, and we walked through just to see what was going on. I’m honestly still realllly confused because yes, while there was chicken, we also saw lots of people in costume, a basketball game, bible thumpers, a guy wearing a hawaiian shirt but it was the Chicago Cubs, and people singing gospel(??) music. We didn’t stop to try any of the food because of how many people were there, but it was cool!IMG_2628

Okay y’all not going to lie: I was horrified at the idea of a 5ish mile hike in the mountains, but I actually loved it so much! Aside from it being a beautiful day, it was nice to get out of the city and see the mountains. We played music, rang the bear bells and even saw monkeys as we walked to the train station. It was also really cool to see inside the Meiji-era house and the museum connected. The area was absolutely beatiful and I loved that we could see the different layers of the mountains. Despite my horrendous sunburn I would 10/10 do it again.

So far it has been really exciting to explore Nagoya through class trips and individually. My favorite place so far was definitely the aquarium at the port.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this som much but I haven’t been to an aquarium in so long and it was really fun. My favorite to see was the jellyfish because the lighting was super cool and also I got to see dolphins jump really high.

I went with Marianna and we saw tons of people gathering and food trucks which we late found out was fireworks to be displayed.

After walking around the port for a bit we got barbecue and it was so good.

The highlight of my trip so far was the Promare Gallery in Parco! While exploring the other stores in it I found a sign for the temporary exhibit and then navigated my way to the West building and gallery. And then I was able to ask to buy a ticket and enter!

Seeing all the character reference pages and their expression sheets was so cool. I desperately wanted to take pictures of them, the art was so amazing! The storyboards and backgrounds were also very cool to see, I had never been able to see such an exhibit set up—especially for something I love as much as Promare! They had all the drawings and references for the tech in the movie as well, and although I’m not really a fan of Gundam it was really cool to see the 3d models on the screen. And they followed it up with an ending video for the Anniversary which included some of the most iconic scenes in the movie with the animatics over them, and a thank you at the end- which made me tear up a bit as the music played.

That isn’t even to mention the merch, which was all extremely adorable… I kind of wish I bought more. I really hope I can find more stores or collabs like this in the future before the program is over. It felt ecstatic to see such love and care put into showcasing something that I really treasure.

Anyway Promare is a great fun movie and I really recommend it!!!

I’m absolutely loving the excursions and going out to different places! I think growing up in a small town (much smaller than Carlisle), there was never anything to do, public transport didn’t exist and the best place to go when you got bored was Target. I think this is still partially true in Carlisle, and while there are the shops and everything, you can’t really get anywhere to go hiking, or see anything outside of campus without a car or paying for an Uber. It doesn’t feel like we’ve been here for only a week as we’ve done so much, but there’s so much more I want to explore so I’m sad that it’s already been a week because our time is limited.

Anyway, I have so many photos of the things we’ve done so far but my favorites have definitely been the various shrines and temples, the Tokugawa museum garden, and on clear days, the sunsets. I’m really excited to see what this week brings and I hope to revisit some of the places before leaving 🙂

I’ve been having a great time here so far! It has been really nice to explore and experience Nagoya and Nanzan. My favorite thing we did this week was either the trip to Sakae or visiting Inuyama castle and town.

The only challenges I have had so far are the amount of hills and my legs being sore, but otherwise I have found Nagoya to be quite easy to navigate! The subway is sooo nice, I really like how quiet they always are, even when being packed in like sardines (especially on the way to the festival today).

Before coming, I was slightly worried about finding food that I like because I am a picky eater, but I have enjoyed pretty much everything I have tried!

I had a friend who studied abroad at Dickinson who wants to meet up when she gets back, so I am looking forward to that. I am also looking forward to going back to book-off sometime soon. I would like to pick up a manga in Japanese to see how well I can read it (probably One Piece vol. 1 hehe).

Overall, I am having a great time, and I can’t wait to see what else we do!!

(P.S. if you ever are going to a restaurant and don’t want to go alone come bang on my door, i’m in 202 ^v^)

It’s only been a week, but it honestly feels like it’s been longer. In part due to waking up before 6:00am everyday, but the days have felt very very long.

I’m loving the food so far. I’ve tried a lot of different food and while I haven’t absolutely loved everything it’s been super fun trying it all, and I still have a bunch more I want to try.

I really enjoyed vising the multiple temples and shrines this week, as well as seeing the relics in the Tokugawa Art Museum. I’ll definitely be revisiting a few of the shrines, as well as the Osu Kannon area.

I was super happy with the group meal this week on Wednesday night. I loved how everything was fresh from the local farm, meaning it was at least healthy-ish, right?

While there is a significant chunk of reading for each night, I think it’s manageable. I’m looking forward to doing more in-depth research of a specific topic for my paper and presentation.

In the coming days, I’m looking forward to getting my gym membership, visiting the Aeon mall, watching the assigned movie for Monday, and trying the all you can eat place on the corner of the street!

Hello! I’m Paxton, a rising sophomore, international studies major, and Japanese student. I’m looking forward to continuing to familiarize myself with the Nagoya area, and continuing to explore all of the benefits this area of Japan has to offer.

I’m a big fan of TV shows and other media like music and movies. I’m also a huge fan of videogames and the gym.

Instagram: paxtonr_

Line: Paxton Rosen

I am not usually someone to take a bunch of photos, but I have taken over one hundred and seventy in this one week alone. I have really enjoyed getting to know Nagoya so far, I feel fairly comfortable navigating on the subway and using my Japanese to order food and converse.

It’s really nice walking around with friends getting lost, stumbling across cool temples and shinres (like Togan-ji) and finding great restaurants. My favorite moments so far have been our first day in Osu Kannon, running into Fu Ka, an excursion in Hagiwara, our group meal at Mokumoku, and a couple nights ago when we went searching food in the rain back at Oasis 21 and ended up eating great Italian food at La Boheme Pasta Fresca.
I’d like to come back to Osu Kannon with a sketchbook to draw people. I think I should get a couple more souvenirs if I can, maybe even some clothes but it might be difficult to make sure that they fit.

There have only been a couple hiccups, I’ve run out of unlimited cellular on my phone so basically can only look at the map not use it for directions, text or call, but I’m not worried. Though I am planning to look into getting an e-sim. I’m a bit worried about the project and paper as my brain is definitely in vacation mode, but we’ll see.

A piece of me will definitely always exist in Japan and I’m totally going to come back.

– wyatt