Almost the end of the summer! It’s only one more week after this until I’m done with this program. That’s as saddening as it is exciting, because while I greatly dislike this ridiculous Hyaku textbook I really am starting to get into a good rhythm with it. Last week was Marine Day, which I didn’t spend probably as productively as I could’ve. Like everyone else in my program (and amongst Osaka tourists), I visited the Osaka Aquarium, which was quite nice. The whale shark tank is impressive, although it’s basically the only exhibit at the museum, so if they’re not particularly your thing I’d advise against going. I then went home and truly embraced the vacationing spirit by taking a nice, well-deserved nap. The actual Marine Day was spent as far from the ocean as possible; I went to Nara to complete a longer mountain hike, which was well worth the adventure. Nara’s many peaks have so many views from the summit but were blazing hot on that particular day in which I traveled. The view is indescribably pristine and a photograph alone fails to do it the proper justices. Especially wonderful about hiking in Nara is that there’s some of the best kakig\u014dri in Japan within these parts, which proves to be a delicious reward for a day of hiking. I’m personally quite proud of the 18 mile day that took place there, and I attribute my newfound hiking prowess to the kakig\u014dri’s deliciousness. As for this current weekend, I’ve spent it all prepping for the upcoming final exam and just doing some much-needed housework before things inevitably get chaotic towards the end of the program. Well, that’s all for now. The final post, which should be up sometime next weekend, will be kind of a retrospective since the program’s over by that point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Almost the end of the summer! It’s only one more week after this until I’m done with this program. That’s as saddening as it is exciting, because while I greatly dislike this ridiculous Hyaku textbook I really am starting to … Continue reading