It's almost to the end of week 2, that means TOKYO TRIP will be coming up soon! We left for tokyo on the Friday of week 2. So stay tune!
The sleepover at Karen's host parent's was very fun. Her host mother and father are both such humerous people and they made me feel so welcome. Hopefully, I'll be able to visit her host parents as well as my own in the near future! :D
That morning after the sleepover, we got to see a very nice view of Mt. Fuji. Throughout this trip, we can only see Mt. Fuji clearly maybe 3 or 4 times because it's pretty cloudy everyday in Japan since we were there during the rainy season.
Matsumoto (松本) is where the Kobayashi family lives. Taking a picture in front of the bus station!
Here's the view near Karen's home. It's pretty isn't it?
After school that day, we had some free time before heading to Kochiro-sensei's seminar. We will be having a discussion with some 日大 international relations student about life in America. I thought it would be interested to share our views and also a good chance for us to meet some students and make some friends.
A bunch of us decided to go back to Numazu to hang out. Numazu is pretty much a place close enough to our school that we can go to just to walk around and explore.
New in Japan! Ramune flavored Kit Kat! Ramune (ラムネ) is a popular beverage that is pretty just soda in a nice glass container with a glass marble in side. This flavor of Kit Kat is actually pretty good. There are also a few other new Kit Kat flavors not found in the states: Apple Cider (one of the previous entry) and green tea.
Taking the train to Numazu!
The train we took.
Part of the gang: Rob, Karen, Vicki, and Krystal!
We went to Mister Donut once again. I think a lot of us are jsut addicted to that place! The donuts in that place is absolutely amazing. The donuts tastes nothing like that donuts in Dunkin' or Krispy Kreme.
These are some of the moscot of Mister Donut! The lion on the left, I got one as a souvenir! His name is Pon De Lion- named after the store's signature donut - Pon De Ring! The donuts from Mister Donut has a more mochi-like consistency, so their donuts are chewy and delicious!
Mister Donut doesn't only serve donuts, they also serve lunch items such as the lunch set above. I orderd the black pepper ramen, it comes with a donut of your choice and also a drink. It was delicious!
Nagase-sensei also bought a Pon De Lion! He has a REAL Pon De Ring mane though! 可愛いね?
Some of us decided to go to an arcade after lunch! Of course we have to go to an arcade! Aracades in Japan are SO. MUCH. FUN! There are so many UFO machines - what they are is the claw machines, where you try to move the claw in order to grab onto a toy. They are super hard! We played other games though, like that taiko game you see right there. I did not want to leave! But we had to leave or Kochiro-sensei's seminar, but I'm glad that I got to see a real arcade!!!
Hiroki-san started off the discussion by giving us a brief introduction on how the economy of Japan is compared to the states. 
Kochiro-sensei is writing down all our names. Getting ready for the discussion group to start. We read the material prepared for us by the seminar students as we waited.
Some of the participants of the discussion group!
It was really fun to be able to meet some of the students from Nihon University. The discussion was very interesting because we got to hear a lot of the stereotypes that Japanese students/people have on Americans.
*Most University students in Japan do not pay for their own tuition. Usually, their parents are the one that provides for them.
*We party all the time and live like celebrities. (For examples: all about name brands, party till sunrise)
Some of their misconceptions are true to a certain degree and may apply to some students in the US, but a lot of us from the US work hard and have had part time jobs since we were in High School.
It was also interesting to learn about their economy compared to ours. They have one of the smallest percentage of unemployments in the world. While the US, has one of the highest. It intrigues me how a country so small is able to hold out for themselves and do so well.
I was so glad I got to talk to them and meet them. A lot of us are actually staying in touch with them still! Actually, one of the students, Yuki, is going to be arriving in NYC this Monday! I can't wait to see him!
Maggie out~
