The dawn of the last day, and as sad as I am to leave, I’m happy to be able to go back home and rest for a change. The hustle and bustle of a trip like this is great, but there’s no place like home after all!

But first, souvenir time!

I had a good few plans for things to get my family, but some of them were a bit hard to get in Akihabara. You would imagine finding a model sailboat wouldn’t be hard, but at every model shop I went there was nothing but battleships!

I hiked up with Megan on a trip up to Okachimachi, where I had set up a small journey to look for some souvenirs.

I got a nice book and a daruma for my mother, a soccer Jersey (that might have been a bit too expensive, woops ?) for my brother, and a hat and a 3D puzzle for my dad, as well as some miscellaneous sweets and kit-kats!

I didn’t even know it, but I had found myself right in the middle of Ameyoko!!

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to appreciate the intricacies of the market, or take a look in the really ornate looking temple in the middle of it all, since we had to head back to pick up our bags before the airport!

A short 2 minute train ride back to Akihabara, and we fetched our bags back from the hotel. We were able to say goodbye to a few more of our travel mates, and off we went!

Akihabara to Nippori, Nippori to Narita Airport via the Skyliner. A truly beautiful trip! What a way to end off the sights 🙂

Arriving at Terminal 1, I posted back my pocket Wi-Fi, and headed over to the South Wing. We spotted a McDonalds, and we both knew what we had to do. How hilarious would it be to make the last meal in Japan the most American thing possible?

Just like 4 years ago, I got me a shrimp burger!

The mall between the two terminals was massive, I’m talking absolutely insane here. Marvel Pop-Up store, Lego store, a place for stuff from Akihabara, sweet shops, souvenir shops, the whole deal. I heard there was even a Pokémon center in the second terminal.

Shuffling over through baggage claim and customs, we found our way to our gate, and were blessed with our final vending machines. Since we were both unable to return our IC cards on time, these were perfect for getting the last bit of value from them.

The apple juice here is like nectar of the gods.

Boarding the plane, and off we go! I ended up finishing the last Lord of the Rings movie, and rewatching Spiderverse to ready myself for the sequel back home!

I also managed to catch a few Z’s, which was definitely necessary. I take off at 5:00PM and arrive at 4:40PM the same day!

I get picked up at Newark Airport and, the trip has concluded.

If one of you are reading this, I hope we can join up again, on campus or elsewhere!

May we meet again, Japan.

This time, we had to wake up a little earlier! Meeting up at 10 in the lobby, our day had two plans: head to Unrealfest nearby, and tour the Tokyo headquarters of Cyber Connect 2!

Luckily, Unrealfest was just a few minutes walk away from our hotel, at the Akihabara Sumitobo Fudosan building. Right next to Mandarake! It was quite a small venue for a convention, but since it was marketed specifically towards a Japanese audience, it was very understandable.

There, I walked around the expo floor and took a look at a few games. My personal favorite was the Cyberpunk inspired game called Ukiyo! Although the frame rate was certainly low, the visuals and background art were absolutely stunning. Very neat! There was also a small games competition going on with the theme of the Japanese word “かける”, kakeru. It’s a word with so many meanings that I think it’s perfect for a game jam theme!

Stephen was also kind enough to introduce me to a company that specializes in a lot of Tech Art related fields. Perfect for what I’m looking at! I’ll definitely look into it a bit more.

Right after, I went to a panel on the visual style of Hi-Fi Rush, and the technical artistry that went into the game. It was even a bit hard to understand for me, and I know the language! Nevertheless, it was really interesting, and I was able to talk to the presenters afterwards and introduce myself. My first time introducing myself professionally in Japanese! Words came out of my mouth so fast I could barely believe it, haha.

Afterwards was a small lunch break before we were all headed to Akihabara station. Wandering around, I stumbled into a Tully’s Coffee, where I had some pasta and some banana cheesecake! You can tell I’ve become addicted to Japanese sweets, as I got a glazed croissant donut immediately after. Best donut I ever had.

Finally, to the station! Headed back to Ōimachi station (Hey! That’s where I met my host family!), we were hit with absolutely torrential weather. After all, a typhoon was headed its way to the country. Still, lots of inside out umbrellas and soaked shoes later, we finally made it to the company headquarters.

It was quite a fashionable office, and we were immediately introduced to the titles lined up in the center! We were them led to a little presentation about their company, and what they did. It was quite interesting how they made an effort to assign people to the projects they’re truly passionate about, or the franchises they love. Their encouragement to engage with media and fiction was also very admirable! You can tell the people there had passion.
Nevertheless, I’m always wary with crunch and worker treatment. There were a few reddish flags, but nothing that would completely put me off of working there. In the end, I think it would be a really neat place to work! Everyone was very kind, and I’m glad I was able to see the insides of a place like that.

Welp! Back to typhoon weather, haha. Originally, I had planned to go to the Jojo Bar in Nakano today, however with the fatigue and train delays, we decided on retiring the day early. Plus, an evening to process the trip was definitely in order.

After a small nap at the hotel, a few of us arranged to go to a Rotating Sushi place nearby! The Sushiro just a few minutes away seemed good, and I was excited to go to a place like this again!

Sadly though, my hopes were just slightly dashed when I saw that there was no sushi up for grabs on the conveyor belt any more. Turns out there was an incident a while ago of some complete idiot deciding to wipe his saliva all over some sushi and the table’s utensils, and it caused such a public stir that now the only option is made-to-order. The main conveyor belt was now nothing but a stream of salt, wasabi, and ads.

Nevertheless, everyone else seemed to be having fun, which I guess is all I could ask for in a trip I suggested. Turns out I REALLY like tuna sushi here! I also really enjoyed the small little melon sorbet that they offered. Was a pleasant time overall, with only the occasional mishap. (They really should keep towels at each table if there’s a water dispenser for each booth!)

I decided to get some ice cream that was near our hotel afterwards. They had a Hokkaido milk flavor, which really interested me! The ice cream was very heavy, but also moldable. Really neat!

Afterwards, we headed back to our rooms. I personally found the rainy, night-shone Akihabara to be super atmospheric and photogenic, so I took a few videos along the way.

Since we had the rest of the D&D movie to watch, the others came over to finish it up! I’m glad that everyone enjoyed it in the end.

As we all shuffled into our separate rooms, it all really dawned on us that it was the last night together!! Hugs were exchanged, goodbyes as well, and thanks for a wonderful trip together (just in case we couldn’t say goodbye the next day)

I’ll never forget this trip nor group for as long as I live 🙂

Today started like yesterday, with the group meeting up at noon to head our for the day. But since I woke up a little bit earlier than that, I decided to head back go Yarou Ramen for another taste. It was just so good—I couldn’t resist!

On top of that good morning, I wandered into the giant red GIGO building. It’s such an icon of Akihabara (although sadly, it’s rebranded from its SEGA roots), that I wanted to give some of the games a try (also, to get rid of some coins, haha) After seeing a machine with 大放出 (big payout) plastered all over it, I couldn’t help it and… THEY WEREN’T KIDDING! Netted 2 plushies in a single play!! This morning’s already going great!

Finally, back at the hotel, we all met up to start our journey to Odaiba. The set of small islands in the center south of Tokyo that the Yurikamome line runs through. It’s home to a lot of big, flashy buildings. On our schedule today was the Miraikan (Future) Museum and TeamLabs, an interactive art exhibit. Before heading there, however, we first went to Diver City Tokyo Plaza!

Diver City Tokyo Plaza is a massive mall/entertainment complex that has lots of different stores, restaurants, sports, etc! There’s even a giant Gundam at the very front. Take a look!

Upon walking in, I was immediately lured in by this store that sells a GIANT bundle of cotton candy. And I mean like absolutely giant. A stupid amount of cotton candy. I got the rainbow one. Good way to start pride month, eh?
There was also an expansive crane game section, but I think my win earlier today satisfied me enough to keep me from throwing 100 yen coins into the machines. I mostly wandered around and tried to counteract that intense sugar high from the aforementioned cotton candy.

We made it out just in tome to see the Gundam Statue move! Sadly, it wasn’t anything all that impressive, but it wasn’t disappointing either. Not overwhelming or underwhelming—it was whelming. Only the head opened and closed, some lights flashed, and one of the knee sections moved, and that was about it. Absolutely don’t regret stating to watch it, though. Will say though, feels quintessentially Japan! Can’t wait to see where we’ll be in 30 years with all this stuff.

Speaking of the future, we next headed to the Miraikan! It was absolutely massive, the outside under construction, yet still a behemoth to behold.

Inside was quite spacious and modern, fitting for a facility meant to display ideas of the future. In my opinion, however, a lot of what I expected about it was pretty much confirmed. I think it’s a great place for ideas and introducing people to topics they might not have considered, but it was mostly uncritical of our current system and the way we do things. Things such as plastic pollution were instead just addressed as “Oh! More innovation”, with or protesting as a form of change never really introduced. Great ideas, but ultimately half the story. It feels enough to leave some people inspired, but also a lot of people pessimistic.

Overall, the museum had many artistic interpretations of things, such as future progress, microbes, incorporation of technology with nature, etc. I personally found the giant light up globe to be pretty interesting.

Upon exiting, we then took the Yurikamome line over to Toyosu station, where TeamLabs was a minute walk away! We were cutting it close, but luckily the line was nowhere near as bad as expected. Given how tired my legs were from so much walking the past two weeks, I had thought “how cool could this actually be.”

Turns out, VERY cool! I was not expecting it to be that immersive or visually entertaining. In my opinion, a must-go. I’ll let the gallery below do the talking, but really, it’s a you-have-to-be-there sort of thing.

Afterwards, it was getting dark, and we all went our separate ways back home. I managed to exit around the same time as both Sten and Stephen, so we accompanied each other back to the hotel. Had some great talk with Sten about the co-op process, getting myself out there in the game industry. It was filled with a lot of flattery, but ultimately, I’m glad I now have someone I can talk to about all this. “So when are you moving here?”

No idea, but I’m certainly open to the idea 🙂

Finally getting back home after around 40 minutes on two different train lines, I decided, you know what? Screw it!

Let’s do some Karaoke!

I gathered up a few friends willing, and headed to the Big Echo just a minute from our hotel. Once again a situation where I’m very glad I was able to speak Japanese, haha. The receptionists couldnt speak any English, and we needed to be led to another building.

But once we were there, a completely other story! We all kicked it off and had a ton of fun. The little tablet they had for ordering things was a bit confusing at first, but we soon got used to it. I had a ton of songs cued up in my head, and enjoyed everyone else’s picks. The drinks and food they had there were great for the occasion, and I greatly enjoyed the fancy mustard they had.

I don’t greatly enjoy my singing voice, but if you’re curious, here’s a bit of it. I’m singing Brain Fluid Explosion Girl, a notoriously fast song.

Afterwards, it was around midnight, so we all headed back home, and to bed we went! Lights out, for another day tomorrow.

Today started simple, meeting everyone in the lobby at noon! Since I was up a fair bit earlier, I went and got another kebab. They’re TOO GOOD! In love with that place’s garlic mayo. 100% worth.

After meeting up with the group and with our Lord and Savior Whomst Guide Us to Tourist Destinations Toshi, we headed off to Tokyo Station! The building was a really interesting and unique blend between modern Japanese stations and the old architecture, designed by Kingo Tatsuno.

As a group, we all walked over to the Imperial Palace, where we navigated to the Imperial Garden! There were tons of things there. Neat shrubbery, flowers galore, and a really interesting exhibit where 47 Japanese prefectural trees stood. There was also koi and a quaint waterfall. The freshest air I’ve breathed in Tokyo for quite a while.

Soon after, we headed over to Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine over in Shibuya.

Since we had some time, and Shibuya is a big center for youth culture and fashion, we decided to take some time to get some lunch and walk around. Since I wasn’t terribly hungry, I decided to try some smaller eats. I fetched a melonpan from Family Mart, as well as their famed “Fami-chiki,” some really cheap fried chicken that’s supposedly great for it’s price! Well, in my opinion, it certainly wasn’t the best. It’s a “If you really need some meat in your diet” thing for me.

Nevertheless, after walking around, I found an Ikea that was selling Kiwi sorbet for—get this—50 YEN. That is 36 CENTS. Absolute steal, and I was able to empty my wallet of the insane amount of coins I was carrying. Double-win!

Arriving at Meiji-Jingu, we were absolutely stunned by the size of both the arriving torii gates and the giant trees lining the pathways. Like it was carved out in complete confluence to nature. Pretty in a way I can’t even describe.

We soon arrived at the temple, which was grand and wide, with two very circular trees to the left and right! It was very pretty, especially as we were approaching golden hour. The shadows hit just right. On the way back, we came upon some sake barrels with the names of (what I assume were) sponsors painted on them. They looked wonderful in the evening sun.

Afterwards, a few of us broke off to head to the Pokemon center (and the nearby Nintendo and Capcom stores) near Shibuya Station.

In terms of the Pokemon Center, it was SUPER sleek, with a really nice and smooth design and a really cool Mew statue in a glass capsule! There was also a really adorable exhibit that scanned your outfit and created a Pikachu that wore something similar to what you were wearing! There was also a custom shirt creator, but the line was a bit too long for that.

I also visited the Nintendo store, but didn’t end up finding much of anything new from the last one. Nevertheless, enjoyed the statues and the vibes 😀

Afterwards, we headed to Shibuya Station to go all the way back home. We had no idea, but we found our selves smack dab in the middle of Shibuya Scramble!

After getting a bit lost, we eventually found our bearings and ran into the Hachiko statue: the dog of unwavering loyalty. Boarding the Yamanote line, we squeezed ourselves in, and finally led ourselves back to Akihabara.

To end off the day, a bunch of us followed Fabian to the nearby Monster Hunter cafe! Monster Hunter’s a giant Japanese fantasy RPG video game franchise, something him and a few others were a big fan of. Also, it was his birthday! Happy 21st birthday, Fabian!!

The cafe was a huge vibe. Tons of amazing decorations everywhere, a neat selection, but as expected of a pop-up cafe, pretty alright food. Nevertheless, the drinks were a hit and the nerdiness we got to hear was a joy.

Back at the hotel, I got to proselytize everyone on one of my favorite movies as of late, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves! Tons of them had it on their watch list, so I was glad to be able to show it to everyone. Unfortunately, however, due to quite the long day, we were all nodding off at the half way point. Oh well, we’ll save the end for another day.

As everyone went to their respective rooms, off the lights went, and off to the bed for another day!

Today was a free day, so we were let out of the cage to do whatever we felt like today! After totally not sleeping in, I met up with a few friends to go get crepes before heading over to Character Street just by Tokyo Station! Along the way, I also got my first ever kebab. Quite ironic that my first one was in Japan, but nonetheless, tasted GREAT!

Character street was MASSIVE, with so many franchises and tons more that just screamed kawaii. There was even another Snoopy store! Personally, I was more there to follow the others and see what there was. Luckily, there was a Pokemon center, yet STILL NO GENGAR! Despair. The saga continues.

After coming back from the outing, I was curious to see what was around Akihabara, so I roamed the streets for a little while longer before heading back to the hotel. More Don Quijote, Mandarake, the Radio Kaikan, and some absurdly huge game centers. But overall, since I’m not a huge shopping guy, I never found myself sinking too much money into anything. Nevertheless, such a crazy atmosphere to walk around in!

I also tried the famed Mister Donut brand at a nearby place. Turns out those mochi donuts RULE! Will definitely be getting them more. Glazed was also very soft delicious.

After crashing in bed for around 2 hours (walking and sightseeing for >6 hours a day is cruel on your legs), I went out for dinner with a few other friends at a sushi place called Ginzo. Now this place had a great vibe to it, and it was going SO great initially! I was able to write everyone’s orders in Japanese on the paper the chopsticks came in, only for my hopes to be dashed by the restaurant seemingly forgetting about us for about a whole hour. I managed to flag down the server and figure things out, but overall that was my first experience handling that sort of thing. Put a damper on how well it was going, but oh well! As the Japanese put it, しょうがない.

Since our mood was a bit hampered, we went over to get a small little treat from a different donut place. I couldn’t resist more donuts, so I got a nice sugary one. Turns out there was a promotion which had galaxy-looking frosting on some of them! They looked really interesting.

Finally, we went to the Yodobashi shopping street, where, you’ll never guess this:

GENGAR PLUSHIE

I was completely overjoyed. 3 Pokemon centers multiple secondhand stores with no luck, and it ends up a hop skip and a few escalator rides right next to our hotel? World is cruel, man, haha.

The place we found it at was a trip. A mix of so much it was insane. There was even what I like to call a tripod forest.

Since the night was still young, and Karaoke was closing too early to really have a lot of fun, we decided to have a movie night in our hotel! Luckily, we could hook the computers up the TV. Since it was thematically relevant, we decided on the Netflix movie Bullet Train! It was fun being able to point out all the accuracies and inaccuracies in the movie.

In terms of a movie review? Very entertaining! Fast paced, rather gory, but very hilarious. I would recommend it if you’re looking for some absolutely insane entertainment.

It was a great time being able to gather a bunch of peeps over to watch something. This group’s been a pleasure to be in! In the end, I was pretty tired, so I hit the hay. On to tomorrow!

Today was our highly-anticipated trip back to Tokyo, headed via Shinkansen to remm Akihabara, a hotel right next to Akihabara Station!

It went well and according to plan. With a somewhat shaky start, taking a while to get settled on the Shinkansen, but having gobbled down some Ekiben, I soon conked out for a good majority of the trip!

Upon arrival, we got settled into the remm Akihabara, a quaint, well-equipped hotel. The room was small, as expected, but the amenities and location more than made up for it. I’m probably more excited than I have any right to be about it, but they had a RAIN SHOWER! HOW COOL IS THAT!

Soon after, our group leader, Stephen Jacobs, led us to Mandarake, a famed anime and manga shop known for its variety of rare secondhand items. It was crazy to see the amount of merchandise they had in that place, a treat for almost anyone obsessed with anything! And I mean anything. The streets of Akihabara were absolutely packed with absolutely crazy stuff. Couldn’t stop looking up!

Next, we visited Super Potato. Hidden away in a sketchy-looking hallway off the street, it’s this massive retro game store. The nostalgia factor was off the charts, with walls of classic games and consoles stretching back decades. The top floor even had a few game cabinets, and was fully decked out with vending machines and air conditioners! Still think it’s insane how Japanese buildings fit so much in so little.

After all the exploration, a bunch of us got hungry and decided to check out Yarou Ramen. This place had a Japanese-only ticket system, which was a bit of a hurdle for some of us (even me), but eventually we managed to order our food. Luckily, that trouble was so worth! The ramen was out of this world! I have to say, it was my favorite meal I’ve had here so far. They even let us customize a fair bit. I put on a bunch of spicy tenkasu.

Post dinner, a few of us roamed the bustling streets of Akihabara and ended up in a massive games complex. The first few floors were filled with claw machines (didn’t win anything, as to be expected, haha). Above, there were rooms full of online and rhythm games, all accompanied by the blare of music and sound effects. It was a sensory overload but in the best way possible. The top floor was a treasure trove of retro games. Wonderful to look at, but I didn’t particularly feel the urge to devote myself to anything.

Our next stop was Don Quijote, a discount chain store that sells just about everything. It was a bit of a maze inside, and quite the hell of “way too much visual information.” Despite the confusing layout, it was pretty neat seeing all the stuff they had for sale! I was on the lookout for a Gengar plushie but unfortunately, they didn’t have it in stock. My search continues…

On the way home, we made a detour to Book-Off. I managed to snag around 10 volumes of Jojolion! Sadly, I think the last few volumes would be a real hard find.

Once I was back at the hotel, I took advantage of the downtime to pick up an umbrella (with the weather not seeming to let up this week) and do some coin laundry. On the way there, I was able to look out at the beautiful Kanda river. Damn.

Once again completely beat, it’s lights out!

Jamming

From arriving to the KCG campus to work on our game until around noon, we only had 3 hours! It was a mad dash to get everything done on time, and get everything to a polished, finished state.

The KCG gang was kind enough to offer bento boxes and enough omurice to feed a small village, haha!

We decided on the name “Café Lingua”, a cool-sounding blended name for a language-based game.

Above is a preview video of our game made by Ryuki! Sadly most of the sound effects weren’t put in in time for final presentation, but oh well.

Two esteemed individuals, Akira Thompson, the Studio Head and Game Director at RainBros LLC, and Yuya Shiotani, a UE Community & Education Coordinator at Epic Games. They were great to have, and we all went around playing our (monstrously buggy and unfinished) games, receiving feedback.

(Not to brag or anything, but I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERPRET FOR THEM! I was super nervous but it was crazy to be able to be put in that sort of role. Aaaaa)

Overall, it was great being able to collaborate with students, and more effectively learn how to help with communication. Turns out diagrams are VERY important lmao!! Especially with a language barrier. Even when understanding the language, they’re a very useful tool. The more ways to understand, the better.

Osaka-ing

Back at the hotel, we were faced with a free afternoon. A bunch of the others decided to go to Osaka, over to the Pokemon center, Nintendo store, Capcom cafe, etc.

Now I was anticipating a restful afternoon, buuuuut

I caved 😀

Thankfully with my experience having already gone to that Pokemon Center, I knew exactly how to get there!

We all had a blast looking around, abusing our wallets completely. Even me, the notorious never-spender found himself buying a cool shirt and a tin of cookies.

While I was at the Pokemon Center, looking for the ever-elusive Gengar Plushie that seems to no longer exist in all of Japan, I ran into an old lady (perhaps Portuguese or Brazilian), looking for something for her son. She showed me two Pokemon, a Gengar and a Mew. I told her that Gengar was most likely entirely sold out, but I told her to wait there for a second. I was able to ask the attendant if there was any Mew in stock, since there were none on the shelves–to my pleasant surprise, they WERE! It felt wonderful to be able to help her like that. Heart-is-full moment for the day 😀

Afterwards we all went to the basement floor, where there were tons of stores for desserts and more. Originally, I was looking to introduce the others to Rikuro’s cheesecake, however with a 40 minute line, everyone was a bit apprehensive. Completely understandable! We instead split up to look for things we might like ourselves.

I found myself entranced by this adorable mini chocolate cake, and a canned confection(?). They both tasted absolutely wonderful. (Only problem was the canned cake was frozen, but still, picking at it as it slowly defrosted was a fun experience! Tasted amazing nonetheless.)

We arrived back at Kyoto late at night, with the tower shining proud. A wonderful night out with a bunch of friends 😀

Back to the hotel, and lights out!

S’up y’all! Today was the start of the game jam, so there’s really not much to talk about!

I was teamed up with Tamura, Naoki, and Ryuki from KCG, along with Belle and Esther from RIT as part of team 3. The theme was “collaboration across cultures”!

After meeting up and brainstorming (and doing a fun little party trick I call “eating loads of wasabi on a spoon”, we decided on the idea of incorporating food in some way. Eventually, we came up with the idea of working at a restaurant, and incorporating learning each other’s language in some way!

After a whole day of work, we were at a pretty good point, but still far off from a playable game. After all, not much can be done in a 1 day game jam ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nevertheless, I did my best at helping in team communication, writing and translating dialogue, and gathering sound effects and music for the game. Belle worked on art, Esther worked on UI/UX, and the three others worked their damnedest in unreal to get this thing working!

We had a free day today, and despite yesterday’s exhaustion, I thought it would be cool to venture into Osaka with one of my group friends, Fabian. Our mission? To savor the famous fluffy cheesecake from Rikuro’s, a treat exclusive to Osaka. We had seen this thing all over the internet before, and were so excited to see how it tasted!

Before we got there though, we spent some time strolling through the streets of Dotonbori. It felt like Times Square with its crazy billboards and massive, over-the-top displays. A bunch of high class stores, crazy displays, neon signs, it was crazy! My favorite sights included a golden phoenix statue elegantly displayed in a store window, an intriguing watch sign, a mammoth fist sculpture with a golden “2025”, and an ultra-modern building with a peanut-shaped indentation which (quite randomly) housed a rock climbing wall! Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, man.

Our wanderings took us to the bustling Ebisubashi-suji shopping district. Despite it being so early, it was a whirlwind of activity, from colossal stores filled with an assortment of items – claw machines, appliances, and more food than you could ever eat – to the tranquil temple nestled amidst the urban hustle and bustle.

When we finally reached Rikuro’s, we found ourselves just late enough to miss out on the opening of the sit down cafe (despite being 15 minutes early, the queue was just too long. Waiting another hour wasn’t really an option, so we opted to grab a hot cheesecake and an apple pie for the walk back. My verdict? Absolute heaven! The cheesecake was more eggy than I had anticipated, but delicious all the same.

I decided to round out our trip with a visit to the Osaka Pokemon Center, perched on the 13th floor of a towering building near Osaka Station. Still no luck with finding a Gengar plushie, but I did snag some nifty Snorlax chopsticks. Fabian decided to stay behind, since the Monster Hunter store was on the same floor.

After a bit of confusion finding my way back to the correct train station (Osaka’s transit system is a whole beast unto itself), I boarded the Shinkansen back to Kyoto. It was a wonderful day of exploring, but I was exhausted by the time we got back. Before boarding, I wanted to try something I always saw: Station Bento! Was really good, would definitely have it again! Finally getting to experience that was unforgettable.

But the day wasn’t over yet. Following a brief rest at the hotel, we joined the others and headed over to KCG’s brand-new building. The fresh scent of construction materials still hung in the air, and the classrooms were seriously impressive. You could write on the walls, there were cameras to make online classes more interactive, and the whole vibe was just very modern and efficient.

We even got a peek at the staff area and the roof, which offered an amazing panoramic view of Kyoto. Seeing the mountains in the distance, framed by the skyline, was simply awesome!

Finally, after another busy day, it was time to crash. I headed back to my hotel room and fell asleep immediately yet again.

The day started bright and early as we rode the bullet train to Hiroshima. A trip that would be 5 hours by car is cut right through by an hour and a half on the train! I certainly appreciated the extra Z’s that I caught on that thing. This whole week has just been so tiring.

After disembarking, we were quite hungry, so our first stop was a small building with a few restaurants nestled in the Hiroshima Gate Park. I and a few others decided to go with Shimauma Burger. Their main burger boasting Awaji beef topped with a deep-fried ring of Awaji onions was calling my name (Well, calling around 6 of ours’ names. We were all curious!) It was such a hard burger to handle in terms of cleanliness, but in my opinion, the mess was totally worth it. And don’t get me started on their DIY soda system – you dispense a soda extract and then add the carbonated water yourself. Never had a fresher, fizzier soda before! I gotta say peach soda is one of my favorite flavors that I can’t seem to find anywhere else!

After calming down and readying ourselves, we took a walk around the A-bomb dome, where the horrors of history and impressive display of historic preservation left us in quiet contemplation. It’s needless to say that we all felt quite unsettled. (Oddly enough, we were the ones that had to shoot down the instructor’s idea of a group photo. Read the room, man!)

We also found certain monuments such as the Children’s Peace Monument and the Hiroshima Victims Memorial Cenotaph. They were beautifully constructed monuments, and the backstory behind them was even more heartbreaking.

Our next stop was the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Walking through the museum, seeing the photographs and remnants, and learning about the grim event, was a truly impactful experience. It’s hard to put into words the sadness you feel in your heart, but it’s an important part of understanding the history and the resilience of the city. I already didn’t support these bombings, but seeing the raw, unfiltered trauma that occurred that day just made me resentful of the times in high school history class where we had to debate that these were “necessary.”

Coming out of the museum, we all ended up wanting to discuss the experience and some way to beat the heat, so we went inside to a small counter selling shaved ice. It was on the more expensive side for the treat (still only around 5 dollars), bit it was absolutely worth it. No cheap syrups, but instead pure delicious strawberry goodness.

As we continued our exploration, we stumbled upon a group of Japanese students. (Well, more like they stumbled upon us!) They were so friendly and excited to chat with us, which really warmed my heart. For it to happen right outside the museum, I think it shows how far American-Japanese relations have come and the mutual interest in understanding each other’s cultures. Peace perseveres.

Roaming around the streets of Hiroshima, we found a vibrant plaza and an amazing colorful mural. The street art here was something I found really beautiful. It was amazing to see the city thriving and full of life.

We then made a slight detour to Hiroshima castle. It was quite the sight with hundreds of yellow lanterns lining the paths and around the torii. There was something so tranquil about the whole place, and the giant koi swimming in the pond added to the experience!

The evening was rounded off with an Okonomiyaki dinner. Nothing says Hiroshima like its famous layered pancake! Mine was filled with noodles, cabbage, pork, topped with a delicious sauce, while I was also able to try some with cheese and mochi. It was unexpectedly quite good!

After dinner, some of us broke off to visit the Pokemon Center Hiroshima. As a major Gengar fan, I was a bit bummed that they didn’t have any plushies of him (Second try and still nothing!? I thought this guy was supposed to be popular!) In the end, I wound up buying a bunch of other goodies to gift my friends back home, and some cute little socks and accessories for myself.

Our return journey to Kyoto was quite the adventure. We got a bit lost, thanks to public transit, and ended up sprinting 30 minutes back to Osaka station. My legs are still giving me grief, but it was a mad dash we all found hilarious in the heat of the moment.

At the station were a station bento place, and a whole mini 7-11! Something I found interesting was how the sign on the left was spelt almost entirely in kyūjitai, old forms of Japanese characters. There’s no old form of the second character, but everything else was changed. Gives it a more traditionalist feel!

広島駅弁当　→　廣島驛辨當

Finally, we were on the Shinkansen, heading back home to Kyoto. Though it was a long and tiring day (nothing but the journey the whole day), the memories we made and the experiences we had were totally worth it.