Allison Traynor

Japan is more wonderful and amazing than I ever thought it could be. The environment and culture is different from anything that I have experienced. The language continues to be the greatest struggle making it difficult to interact with the Japanese people. But the Japanese host family that I have stayed with have been remarkable. They are hospitable, generous, and heartwarming. 

My favorite experience however has been visiting the Fushimi Inari-taisha, a shrine in Kyoto. What is so special about this shrine is the Torii or gates that line the paths leading to the inner shrine. There are thousands of them, all closely standing next to each other. It is famous throughout Japan and was used in the film Memoirs of a Geisha. The torii are donated by Japanese businesses after achieving success in their business. Large stone foxes stand outside the temples to the shrine as messengers. We went there at nighttime because there was not other time that we could go, but it was still an incredible sight to see. Out of everything that I knew about Japan, it was the one thing that I wanted to see and I will never forget it. 

My other favorite experience about Japan was trying all the food. I tried everything, from swordfish to salmon eggs, from eel to jello tofu. While I did not eat rice all the time because it is so heavy, I tried with over easy eggs mixed with meat. Up until now I have not been able to eat eggs but ever since I got here I eat eggs almost every other day. One of my favorite dishes was okonomiyakii, a dish that is a large pancake but is grilled using vegetables and meats of all kinds. I have had bamboo shoots, purple potatoes, seaweed jelly, and dough pastries filled with anko beans. The variety is astounding, and so far I have loved everything. Its very filling, not to mention that there are no preservatives in the food like they are in America. The seafood is so fresh too. One night my host family served a buffet spread of make-your-own sushi. There were eight different kinds of fish! While I will admit that I miss breakfasts that only included fruit and yogurt (here they have noodles, rice, soup, fish, or vegetables) I  have enjoyed tasting different kinds of food throughout Japan. Even the smoked fish that is still served with their eyes has not dissuaded me. 

Out of all of the countries that I have travelled to, I have enjoyed traveling here the most and know that I will comeback again! But that won't stop me from adding some of Japans culture into my own life everyday back home!