What You Should Know About Traveling Around in Tokyo, Japan

What to Expect When You Go to Tokyo (FOR FOREIGNERS)

So before I left for Japan some people who had been to Japan told me it was super easy to get around Tokyo even if you didn't know Japanese. Well I have been studying Japanese for a while now and boy where they wrong.

1) The Trains:
The most difficult part was the trains. They were confusing as hell! Now once you were inside the train station it was all good, there was English everywhere. However, before getting inside the train station you had to pick a place to go in order to select your train ticket. Now this is the hard part, everything is in Kanji. There was no English anywhere on that map which made it insanely difficult to figure out which ticket to purchase. So be sure to map out where you are going and figure out the corresponding Kanji so you can save yourself the hassle.

2) Katakana:
Now another thing that may not be so easy, but is sure helpful, is to know a little Japanese. A good portion of menu items, name of places/people and other random things are written in katakana. Now hiragana and katakana is much much much easier to learn since you have less than 100 symbols for each particular syllabary. Whereas learning Kanji will take years and years of practice since there are thousands of them and many different readings for each one.  Ughhh, 漢字はめんどうくさいな！(For those of you who don't know Japanese, that says "Kanji is a pain in the ass!")

3) Credit Cards:
Make sure to inform your credit card companies that you are traveling outside the U.S. to Japan so you don't get stuck over there with no money, because we all know that would be unfortunate haha. Anyways, also know this... Japan is a cash society. Most transactions are done in cash. So if at all possible just make it to the nearest ATM and pull out a lot of cash right when you get to Japan because you don't want a ton of withdrawal fees or just credit card fees for constantly using your card.

4) Lack of Internet:
Now another pretty vital thing to know is that you most likely won't be able to find wifi anywhere. I mean yes you can find it, but it is a serious pain in the ass to get. Also once you find a place that has wifi, most likely it isn't free. So be prepared if you are trying to meet people to try and make plans to meet them at the airport right when you get there or make up a place ahead of time.  Also give yourself ample time to figure out where you are going and what not if you set up a time to meet.

Lastly, here are some pictures I took of a few random things when I was in Tokyo.

And with that, I'm out.

--Butterzz--

The Most Beautiful Place on Earth... Butters's Experience on Miyajima Island in Japan

Now this was my second trip to Miyajima. My first being soon after I arrived in Japan, it must have been some time in late September. However, this second trip I took about mid-November, and it was much prettier than the time before.  The trees had just starting changing colors and there were a lot less people. Unfortunately the weather was terrible! Yes it was starting to get pretty cold in Japan, but the wind... oh that god damn wind. Anyways, the pictures turned out amazing and I have so many I want to share, but there is no way I can upload that many to this blog post haha. So I hope you enjoy the few that you do get to see. ^_^

I really hope to take a trip back there in the Spring so that I can get pictures of all the cherry blossoms and what not. If you have ever debated going to Miyajima you should just go, it is by far one of the most beautiful places on earth. It has yet to disappoint anyone I know.

P.S.- Oh and Miyajima has bomb-ass food. Just sayin....

And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--

The Hardships of Living Abroad

Yes, living abroad is a once in a lifetime experience... and maybe then again for some people moving abroad is permanent. So I guess it isn't always a once in a lifetime thing. ^_^

Anyways, living abroad isn't always peaches n' cream. There are days you have where you genuinely question what you are doing there and why life is the way it is. I have often thought since moving abroad, what is life going to be like once studying abroad is over?  Will my friends still be there when I return? Will my partner and I have grown apart? Will life back home suck in comparison to living in Japan for the past year? Will the people I love have forgotten all about me?

I have come to learn through much deliberation (with myself of course) that you just can't care what happens. As much as you care about your friends/significant others/family etc, you can't give a shit about the outcome. You just have to stick to what makes you happy and what makes your ticker keep on ticking. If you stay stuck in the thoughts of "what if" or "why" you will always be disappointed. Just remember what you want from the experience and what is your purpose for chartering the unknown.

Also, letting people get you down can be a real drain on the brain ^_^... and of course what I mean by that is make sure no matter what anybody says or tells you, you are awesome. I mean you are living abroad and experiencing a different culture. Most people don't leave their comfort zone or much less move more than an hour away from where they grew up. You will always have this experience to show how you made an effort to live a life in someone else's shoes. Not many people have the courage to get out. I mean sure people travel, but living in a different culture is an entirely separate beast.

After recently watching "10 Things I Hate About You" I re-discovered one of my favorite lines in a movie ever.  "Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want".

And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--