Journey of a Lifetime: Of Deers and Castles
Visiting Japan once again was like a nostalgia. Last time I left this country, I graduated from UWC ISAK Japan and was a completely different person. How do I feel about coming back here?
Kobe, Nara, Hiroshima & Kyoto, Japan
December 2–6
Coming back to Japan, was a nostalgia. I felt comfortable, peaceful and just fully satisfied.
I also managed to spend my time in Japan really well. I visited literally one city per day.
The first day I spent in Kobe, visiting a beautiful mountain botanical garden with a cable car ride, and then the second day, I visited Nara with all the deer and temples. The third day, I spent in Hiroshima, and the fourth day, I spent in Kyoto. The last day, I spent a few hours in Kobe once again, just in a cat-cafe and a nice Raman shop in rainy weather before heading back on the ship for Hawaii.
I loved my time in Hiroshima and Kyoto with Sitong. We took a night bus so we saved a night’s worth of accommodation fee. We reached Hiroshima in the early morning and head straight for Miyajima Island to visit the famous Itsukushima Shrine and just walk around the island. It was blissful! We ate oysters, we met more deer and took cool pictures!
We then went back to the mainland and visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, as well as the Atomic Bomb Dome to learn more about World War II that it was involved in. It was a sorrowful place, but also beautiful in a melancholic way.
Kyoto (and Osaka) was also a good throwback as we went to the bamboo forests of Arashiyama, ate food, visited the one castle Sitong and I haven’t been to — Nijo-jo. I just fall in love with Japan all over again.
There were many other moments, but that was one of the most memorable and comfortable memories I took away from Japan.
I mean, Japan has always deserved a soft spot in my heart not only because of my high school experience there. It is also because of the admirable culture of thoughtfulness and kindness by the Japanese people. I feel safe and appreciated in Japan, I feel like just observing the comings and goings of these people, I also gained new knowledge and I became more mindful as I observe the natural surrounding of this country.
I could go on and on, but you got the gist of it. I think Cambodia has a few things if not a lot to learn from Japan and her people.
