This is my first post from Kyoto after long travels. We started the trip at 4:55am on January 10, at Williamstown. My suitcase would scratch and drag against much of the hard ice and gravel on the ground. Dressing warm and comfortable, I joined the group outside of Paresky as we boarded the van to travel to the Albany airport. After a short 28 minute flight from Albany, NY to Newark, NJ, we got on our longer flight to Japan. Most people in our group felt the restlessness and tiredness often felt with long flights during our 14 hour trip from Newark to Tokyo. I didn’t think it was too bad, though. I was able to watch a couple of movies, play a few games, and rest fine. After a few extended naps, we reached Tokyo, and I was excited to be in Japan for the first time. We transferred flights
Our next flight from Tokyo to Osaka was relatively short and I really enjoyed the drive from Osaka to Kyoto that came afterwards. It was my first time actually seeing Japan after months of imagining it and seeing it on the internet. I often find that the first moments of being in a new country as being incredibly memorable and those are moments I usually associate with the country itself. As of now, I only have positive associations with Japan.
We made it to the hostel–a hostel which I think is pretty cool. It’s very clean, has a cool design, and is in a very nice location. Many of us went to get sushi at a nearby restaurant soon after we arrived and it was my first time trying Tamago sushi, Mushroom sushi, Corn sushi, Inari sushi. I’ve got to say that my favorite was Inari sushi. We headed back to the hostel to meet Sachi-san, got ready for bed, and are ready for an exciting 10 days in Kyoto ahead of us.
