Exploring Prefectures: Saitama, Japan

Hi Everyone, 

My name is Izavelle Martos and this is when I spent the weekend in Saitama! 

While my host university was in the heart of Tokyo, Japan (Aoyama Gakuin University)…I found myself craving more country side views. I pitched to my friends that we could spend less money while still having a great time IF we chose to do a weekend stay-cation in Saitama. Saitama is only 2 hours of a train ride away from Tokyo and for 6 people we each paid $35 each for our Air-Bnb! Which was a steal because our place was so cute!

More Importantly, we spent the weekend exploring the neighborhoods which allowed us to talk with the locals…they held a festival in the neighborhood and what felt like an Ewa Beach Block Party was really a Saitama Neighborhood Summer Festival. I ate tons of fresh food from many family businesses and even got myself an Chiikawa masks to sit on the side of my head during the festival. A lot of people do this at festivals especially of characters they really like. I had such an amazing time, I explored a new neighborhood, and I got to destress before finals. 

I highly recommend that when you study abroad in Japan…visit the close by prefectures like: Yokohama, Nikko, and especially Saitama! Also, don’t forget to find the time to sit at the park, watch the sunset, and cut open a watermelon! Thanks for Reading. (*^ω^*) 

Favorite Moments & Travels

In my previous post I introduced myself a little and as for this post, from my year abroad in Japan, it was difficult to choose, but here are some of my favorite moments and travels. I hope you enjoy reading! :)

鎌倉：Kamakura

    Kamakura is a city located in the Kanagawa prefecture just to the left of Tokyo, and is quite an easy location to do a day trip to. This is home to popular spots like the Great Buddha statue, many beautiful temples/shrines, the breezy coastal beaches, the Komachi-dori shopping street, and blooming hydrangea flowers during the summer. 

    All of these pictures are from when I went during October so it was still a bit warm, but the weather was cooling down. This was one of the first hangouts I went to with people I got to know in my Japanese class, and was definitely unforgettable. We spent about 2 days in Kamakura with the first day mainly consisting of exploration of the shrines and going around the main shopping street. I remember getting matcha ice cream and strawberry daifuku mochi which were absolutely so good! Most of us decided to stay in a hostel (the outside pictured below) for the night so we could enjoy another day before heading back to Tokyo. I'm so glad I decided to because I was able to experience an onsen for the first time and get to know more about my friends as we chatted away for hours with a view of the waves right outside.

長野：Nagano

    Nagano is a prefecture farther west of Tokyo and is more within central Japan. Nagano is well-known especially during winter times for winter sports like skiing or snowboarding, and wonderful snow-covered landscapes. 
    My dorm friends and I decided to take a trip here to celebrate completing a semester, and to spend more time with one another before some would have to leave to go back home. We decided on staying at an Airbnb of a local Japanese home in a place called Yudanaka further away from the the main city. It was quite close to the main area we wanted to go to which is Jigokudani Monkey Park. This famous park is known for its wild Japanese snow monkeys that would roam around and even bathe in the natural onsens. We spent a few days in Nagano and it became an unforgettable trip. We decided to visit the beautiful Togakushi shrine where we went on quite a trek up through the fresh, snowy woods, do grocery shopping to make home-cooked pastas and breakfast, played games and chatted at the dining table, and did a snowball fight in one of the fields. It was truly a glimpse into a simpler life of what the folks in Nagano experience and it was all very wonderful. The warmth I felt from the town and my friends was enough to forget about the cold. 

千葉：Chiba

    Chiba prefecture is another prefecture bordering Tokyo right to the east. Within is where Narita Airport along with Tokyo Disneyland and Sea are located, but besides those, there are magnificent views as well. 

    My dorm was right next to Chiba and I had the opportunity to hike a mountain called Nokogiriyama. At the top stands another Great Buddha Statue within Nihon-ji Temple. Along the way, the sun rays illuminated the greenery of the forrest, and clear skies were all to be seen. Chatting with my friend along the way made time fly by and we took our time to explore the entire area. It seems like there was an area where they worked on carving out the mountain so there were old machines still left there also. Once we reached the temple and Buddha statue, the open field was quite spacious and felt so nice to sit down to rest at. Afterwards, we scaled down the mountain with endless stunning views until we reached the town and decided to walk towards the coast. The entire time, I felt like I was in a Ghibli movie and was experiencing those aesthetic reels highlighting the nature of Japan. 

広島：Hiroshima

    Lastly, I wanted to share about my time in Hiroshima. Although there was the atomic bomb atrocity that happened in history, it has since recovered and become a beautiful place. I think it is a extremely important part of history to learn from, respect, and to visit if you have the chance. 
    On the first day my friend and I arrived, it was a bright and sunny day so we decided to check out the city. There is the Atomic Bomb Dome which is a memorial site of the only building in the radius that survived the atomic bomb drop in 1945. Around the area is also a wonderful park leading to the Children's Peace Monument and other memorial sites that emphasize the importance of peace. There were multiple long strings of folded colorful paper cranes dedicated to story of Sadako Sasaki who was a survivor of the bomb, but developed leukemia and started folding cranes as a wish for health and peace. It was a surprise to see people from all of the world who came and brought their own folded cranes to add to the park. A bit further away is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum where remnants of the past were preserved to shed light on the disaster. I knew only the surface level of the effects that the city residents went through and after the museum, it was quite enlightening to learn about the depth and reality of the event. Personal recounts of the time, haunting photos, drawings, clothing artifacts, and more were spread throughout. 

    The following days, we went to Miyajima which is a close island off of Hiroshima and had a famous tori gate inside of Itsushima Shrine. At certain points, the tide goes away and you're able to walk right up to the gate. Exploring the area and seeing the life from the roaming deer to the little crustaceans in the sand around the gate was absolutely soothing. The air felt different and gave a sense of calm I was glad I could experience. 

Reflecting A Year's Past in Japan

 こんにちは皆さん (Hello everyone)！

For a short introduction, my name is Vivian Nguyen and, at this time, I am a senior at Hawai'i Pacific University (HPU) majoring in Public Health and minoring in Japanese. From September 2023 till August 2024, I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Japan at Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU). I always knew I wanted to study abroad in Japan during college and I am so grateful to have spent a year in this beautiful country. Please enjoy my reflection and learning experiences now as I reminisce on my journey through the seasons... 

読んでくれてありがとうございます(thank you for reading)！

秋：Autumn/Fall

    Arriving in Japan feels almost like yesterday. Upon arriving at the beginning of September, the nervousness I thought I would feel stepping into a foreign country all by myself was surprisingly nowhere to be found. Even though this was my first time traveling alone, I felt a sense of confidence and responsibility as I was ready to take on this new chapter of my life. I may have gotten lost on the trains and was exhausted from dragging along my two pieces of luggage (which I did not know you could have delivered from the airport), but in the end, I made it to my new home. Next was figuring out how to get to school. 

学校の門：School Gates
    AGU has a beautiful campus. If HPU has its lookout towards the ocean and sunset at Aloha Tower,  AGU has its vibrant ginkgo tree foliage overlooking the main road. Every time I walked through, I would take time to admire the glorious yellow leaves up above and below as they scattered on the ground. 
    As I was getting used to my new class schedule, figuring out the school system, and how early I needed to leave to make it on time to places, it was of course a busy and challenging time. I still remember the first day of school was on a Friday (weirdly enough) and entering my first Japanese class. After the placement test sent out during the summer, I ended up in Level 3 out of 7. Thankfully, I met another person who was also in that class. She was coincidentally also the person in front of me when we sat at orientation and lived in the same dorms. As the 先生 (sensei) entered and started class, everyone was quiet and reserved because they, including me, were shocked at how she only spoke in Japanese the entire time. All of our heads were hurting by the end of it trying so hard to focus on understanding and responding with anything we could muster out. What a time indeed. 

冒険すること：Exploring
     Despite all my commitments to school, I did my best to make sure to explore as well. One place I visited in October was called Kamakura, located in Kanagawa prefecture. This trip was a fond memory as I got closer to my Japanese language classmates and it was the first time staying overnight in another region. The heat during this time was still sweltering and it did not help that the plan was to hike and walk around. However, the area and locations we visited were worth it. Pictured on the right is the Sasuke Inari Shrine known for its bright red gates and plenty of small white fox statues around the shrine. The highlight of the day was being able to relax in the Inamuragasaki Onsen and chat about whatever at our hostel for the night. 
    Whilst attending 10 classes, I would say it is about the same workload as an average HPU semester. I decided to challenge myself by taking a class taught in Japanese which was titled Japanology B. This class brought in experts from different aspects of Japanese culture each week to talk about what they do and what it is all about. I quite enjoyed this class since sometimes we had hands-on activities, like the picture below. That week was 生け花 (ikebana), the art of flower arranging, and we each got a small cup and a bunch of flowers/leaves to arrange for ourselves as a take-home gift. We love free, pretty things here :)

    Then as the weather grew colder, the color of the leaves deepened into their bright, autumn colors. Since I had only basically known Hawai'i my whole life, I had never seen autumn foliage before. The sight below at Mt. Takao was breathtaking and one of my favorite pictures I have taken during my time abroad. The fall season had its wonders and I wondered what winter would bring. 

冬：Winter

日本の誇り：Japan's Pride & Joy 
    As mentioned, I grew up in Hawai'i and as an island girl, I was a bit afraid of how cold it might get... Fortunately, I was able to gradually adjust to the weather, and in Tokyo, the average was probably around 10 degrees C (~50 degrees F) at the season's peak. 
    At the beginning of December, I had the chance to venture out with some dorm friends to Yamanashi prefecture to see the one and only Mt. Fuji. Its beauty was unmatched with its pristine snow-capped top and we were so lucky to see it so clearly. Although the journey was a bit rough being 2-3 hours away from Tokyo, it is definitely a must-see sight around the different 5 lakes of Fuji.

イルミネーション：Illuminations
    You will know when winter rolls around from the many illuminations that can be seen all over the country. Some of them last for a few weeks or even span over a few months. The picture on the right is of 青の洞窟SHIBUYA, otherwise known as the Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination, which spans along the road filled with bright, vibrant blue lights on the way to Yoyogi Park. All of the illuminations definitely also signal the coming of Christmas too. Before coming to Japan, I did understand the culture of ordering KFC for the holidays, but I did not know the extent to which you must book a few weeks in advance to have it on time to eat. 

学期末：First Semester's End
    The end of the first semester arrived quickly. Before I knew it, it was already time to say goodbye to some great new friends who were only here for one semester. I had always heard one semester in Japan felt so short and I'm glad I decided to take a year abroad. Although, that doesn't mean it isn't sad to see everyone go... This was also an end to my time at my part-time job as a chat leader at the Chat Room. The Chat Room at AGU is a space where students can join chat sessions to practice speaking languages they're interested in. These languages included ones like English, Spanish, Korean, French, and more. It was a great opportunity to get to know a lot of local students and other chat leaders also through daily chat sessions or special holiday events. Overall, this was a weird time because the dorm became empty as people left on trips or went back home, but then started to become lively again when the next semester started again. This was the halfway mark to the beginning of the end. 

                              

春：Spring

好きな花：My favorite flowers
    As the weather slowly gets warmer, this was one of the seasons I was looking forward to the most because of the beautiful variety of flowers that bloom each month. Besides the famous sakura cherry blossoms, my other favorites during this time were the wisteria, tulips, plum blossoms, and nemophila. The one I loved the most was the weeping wisteria flowers at Ashikaga Flower Park in Tochigi prefecture. This flower park has many other wonderful flowers but during the month of April, the array of purple and white wisteria flowers takes the cake. I could stay in the park and stare at the flowers all day if I could, but unfortunately, this was only a day trip. They were some of the most majestic flowers I had ever seen. The sakura were also quite beautiful and I didn't know how long the season was until I experienced it. Their blooming depended on the weather of each prefecture so the earlier blooms started from the very south of the island and made their way up to Hokkaido. In addition, there were different kinds of sakura, the most abundant being the slightly pinkish-white ones called ソメイヨシノ(Somei Yoshino), but my favorite was by far the bright pastel-like pink hue of the 山桜 (Yamazakura) that bloomed at the end of February into March. 

新しい学期：New Semester

    This time also was the beginning of the new semester when new people gradually arrived and made the dorms and campus come to life again. I was determined to make use of my remaining time and continued to do or go somewhere new each week. Making new friends, creating more memories with old friends, and seeing beautiful sights and new places were my joy. Hanging out at school, going to the gym, taking classes with friends, and more were in store. 

夏：Summer

暑い天気けど、楽しい：Hot Weather, but Fun
    The last and final season before the end of my full year abroad. Everyone says that Japanese summers are no joke, and they are right. Even coming from Hawai'i, the heat was insane. Since Japan is a country that revolves around walking, biking, or using public transport, it is especially hot when going to and from places during the day. I had heard that heatstrokes were a concern in the summer because of the heat so there are a lot of warnings and products that help you through it. I saw many people holding their small, handy electronic fans, putting on their neck-cooling rings, or wiping their faces with handkerchiefs to combat the icky feeling of sweat. Despite the hot weather, the bright sun cast beautiful rays of sunshine on the landscape. Some of the highlights were going to concerts, festivals, Universal Studios, and marking off other bucket-list items. As time was ticking down, everyone scurried to try to use their time to do all the things they wanted to do. 

日本さよなら：Goodbye, Japan
    Then before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye to everyone. I had booked my flight home near the end of August which was later than most people I knew. It was very bittersweet saying our goodbyes and reminiscing on good times throughout the year... I had made some amazing, one-of-a-kind friends that I hope to meet with again someday. This was an experience that I do not regret taking at all and I would of course do it all over again if I had the choice. It was so weird to think that the busy streets of Shibuya, which was right there, that was the last time I would see them that year. 
    During this time, I learned more about myself and what I was capable of. If you told me as a child I would be living and studying in Japan for a whole year later in life, I would think that's crazy and that there's no way I could do it. I'm so thankful for all of the people who were a part of my journey and thank you to those who decided to read all the way through. Best wishes to your future travels!

Advice from a fellow Japan Lover

     Going to Japan has always been by dream ever since I was in middle school. I fell in love with the culture, started to learn the language, and gained interest in studying in Japan one day. I am very grateful to say I have achieved my dream and have experienced many things throughout my time here. As my time here is coming to an end, I wanted to share with everyone some things I have experienced such as culture shocks, coping with homesickness, education in Japan, and living in Japans society

Things I did not know before coming to Japan

Although Japan is a very advanced country and many people can speak English, there are still those who cant speak it especially if you go outside of Tokyo. Learning some basic Japanese phrases will help you communicate and navigate more easily. 
Another thing to note is that Japan does not offer many foreign payment methods. Make sure you have a credit card that is common in Japan such as Visa or Mastercard. If you only have a foreign card that is not as common, for example I use Discoverers, any convenience story has international ATMs where you can withdraw cash but it may come with a fee. I recommend going to 7eleven.

When it comes to living alone in the dorms, one thing I did not know before arriving is that Japan has strict recycling riles. Make sure to separate your trash correctly and follow the guidelines in your accommodation. The dorm will most likely give out information about this when you move in. 

Japan offers many seasonal attraction such as cherry blossom viewings, festivals, and flower garden attractions. Be sure to stay connected and updated with the current events going on in your area and capitalize on going to them. Some ways you can do this is following a Japanese tourist attraction account on social media or the local news. You wont regret it!

How I dealt with homesickness

Personally, I did not experience much homesickness despite it being my first time living alone especially in a foreign country. I am very grateful for this because many of my friends experienced homesickness right away. Over my time here one thing I missed the most about home was the food. Although the food in Japan is exceptional, there's something special about eating my cultures food for example, kalua pig and cabbage, laulau, and poke. There's not much you can do about this because nothing beats home cooked meals, but I was lucky to have many Hawaiian themed things due to Japans love for the state. I often went to Hawaiian restaurants, cafes, and clothes shops just to feel a sense of connection to home. If you ever miss your culture, do some research to see whats in the area and try it out! I also was blessed to have some people from Hawaii studying abroad at my host school and quickly because friends with them. There are many students around the world that study abroad and many opportunities to connect with them whether it be to connect with people from other cultures or those with similarities. 

What the educations system is like in Japan

My host university was Aoyama Gakuin University. The school is located in the heart of Japan, a very trendy place called Omotesando and a 10 minute walk from Shibuya. This is the thing I loved the most about the school I went to because it was in such a convenient place to explore all the trendy places in Japan such as Harajuku, Akihabara, and Shinjuku. As for the education itself, there wasn't many options for exchange students as we can only take classes that the schools gives us a list to chose from. I would estimate this to be around 100 classes mostly focusing on Japanese and lower-level business and communications courses. These classes are all offered in English but they do offer other classes in Japanese that you can sign up for. I took 3 businesses classes in Japanese because I needed the courses to graduate. This was probably the hardest thing during my time abroad as I am not fluent in Japanese and two out of the three classes only had one grade, the final exam in class in Japanese. If you are confident in your Japanese, I say taking Japanese classes in Japanese is the way to go because theres many more classes to choose from. You also have the option to drop the course if you don't like it or find it too difficult. Just make sure you register for a lot of credits (around 20 credits) and drop the classes you don't like or don't need. As for course load, it is much less than HPU. Most classes in Japan only grade you off of a final exam or final report. However if you are taking Japanese language classes, those tend to have weekly assignments. I did not take Japanese language classes due to being a high enough level to drop them so all of my classes only had a single assignment as my grade. This made it a lot easier for me to explore Japan which may be better considering your only there for a limited time. Depending on what type of workload you prefer some classes may be better to take than others so make sure to check the syllabus for each of them and plan around that.

Conclusion:

Take chances. you may only have the chance to do these things once so take the opportunity and don't shy away from new experiences or stepping out of your comfort zone. 

Be open-minded. The people you meet there will have very different views in life but know that they don't mean any harm and are just there to have fun and enjoy Japan. Many people, especially the exchange students will make plans the day of which may be uncomfortable with the planners but take the chance if you have the time! It's a great way to meet new people and do things you never thought you'd do. 

Respect the culture. Japan is a very reserved country and people tend to stay in their own bubble. When in public places especially in the metro (train system), try to stay quiet and respectful to others. We all know the saying when in Rome do as the Romans do!

If you are planning to go study abroad in Japan, there's so much to look forward to. You will have so many opportunities to meet new people and try new things. Make sure your have your support system in case you get homesick or experience something unexpected. Make the most of your time there and have fun! 

I hope this post can help those who are interested in studying abroad to Japan,

From a fellow Japan lover :) 

Semester in Japan Spring 2018 - Video Compilation

Studying in Tokyo, Japan was such an amazing experience, and I would not trade it for anything else in the world! I got to experience traveling to major sites I had always dreamed of visiting since I was child, I made great connections that will last a life time with people from not only Japan, but other parts of the world too, and because I was so immersed into the culture, I was able to learn more about the Japanese lifestyle as well as enhanced my language speaking skills. 

While studying in Aoyama Gakuin University (AGU) in particular, I was also able to work as an English "Chat Leader" in their Chat Room (one of the language practicing services that AGU provides), lived in the international dorms in Musashi-Kosugi, joined circles (extra-curricular activities) such as the Aoyama Christian Fellowship circle, Gospel Choir, and MBS A Capella circle! Through all these different activities, I was able to experience what it was like to go on an overnight retreat with a Japanese university circle, perform an a capella solo of the famous Japanese song "Everything" by MISIA  in front of students of 4 other big universities in the area, visited the AGU Sagamihara Campus (in which international students rarely get the experience of going to, and most of which don't get to visit at all), and as a Filipino Christian, I was introduced to a small international church, not too far from my dorm, that had Sunday Filipino services. 

I am still quite shocked with all of the extraordinary experiences that I had while studying abroad in Japan, and I am so grateful to have been able to go on such an amazing journey there. 

Also, below is a link to a video compilation of my different experiences in chronological order from Day 1 in Japan, all the way to my very last day in Tokyo! I hope that you enjoy watching~ 

https://youtu.be/-cglUBzlr6c

Aoyama Chat Room

One of the best experiences that I have had during my entire study abroad trip to Aoyama was having the opportunity to work as a Chat Leader in their “Chat Room.” The Chat Room is similar to a tutoring center, such as our Academic Center here at HPU, however the services provided here solely focus on helping AGU students to practice a language that they were learning on campus. Most Japanese students come in to practice their English abilities, and a very small percentage come in to practice other languages such as French, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese. Because of the fact that English Chat Leaders are so high in demand, the Chat Room has broken up their sessions into sections of difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. These sectioned services are made available to Aoyama’s High School students, University students, as well as local Shibuya residents who don’t necessarily attend Aoyama Schools, but register for these sessions just to help them practice and enhance their English speaking skills. These Chat Sessions are also made available to the Elementary School as well as the Junior High School, although working with these students are a bit different compared to working with the high schoolers and up. In the Chat Room, the Upper Division students (High School and up), each group can range from 2-6 students per Chat Leader, and for every day there is a predetermined theme, which helps Chat Leaders to start up a conversation. The Chat Leader can choose whether or not to continue on with the theme for the entire duration of their chat session, but they are also welcome to change the subject if the students in their group feel comfortable or are passionate about another topic. For the Elementary School sessions, Chat Leaders are asked to host a game with the students as best as they can using only English. As for the Junior High School sessions, Chat Leaders can choose whether to host a game with their group, or have a casual conversation with the students. It’s more of a free-for-all type of situation when it comes to the Junior High Schoolers because of the fact that they are more advanced than the Elementary Schoolers but not as advanced as the University and High School students. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with all grade levels from Elementary Schoolers all the way to the Shibuya Residents sessions, and I am SO grateful that I did. I got to meet so many different people and made many friends from all ages. I enjoyed playing fun English games with the kids, and bonded quite a lot with the older students as well as we talked about topics ranging from fashion to politics. I found it really funny whenever the topic of relationships were brought up, especially with the girls in the Junior High School, because they were so interested and passionate about the topic! Overall, my experience in the Chat Room is the most memorable memory that I have from this study abroad trip, and I wouldn’t want to trade it for anything else in the world! If you plan to study abroad in Japan, I highly recommend applying to be a chat leader! It’s an experience that you most definitely won’t regret!

New AGU Chat Leaders Welcome Party!

My first time hosting an Elementary School Chat Session

Playing Pictionary with the Elementary School Students

More games with the kids! 

Chatting with the Junior High Schoolers

Learning about the Junior High School Students

More of the awesome Junior High School Students! 

English Training with the AGU Staff Members! 

Welcome Party for Shibuya Residents! 

My last day at the chat room ;~;

I'm going to miss everyone at AGU's Chatroom sooo much!!! <3 

My New Year in Japan

New year in Japan (Oshogatsu)

In Japan, you can observe many people spend their Japanese New Year (お正月) with traditional customs. The end of December people is getting busy to make sure that all the new year greeting cards (年賀状) are prepared so that friends and relatives can get it on time. Also, people do a clean up for their house in and out. On the 31st which is a very important day, people do not usually stay up late for the countdown, but Japanese eat soba (年越しそば) for dinner to wish for long life and luck. Nowadays, there are TV shows like Year-end Song Festival (紅白歌合戦), Johnny's Count Down Live (ジャニコン), comedian show (ダウンタウンのガキの使い) and so on. Thus, younger generations stay up late to countdown.

   In the tradition of Japanese religion, Shinto (神道), people go to shrines or temple to for the first shrine visit/first pray of the year (初詣) during the new year (1/1~1/7). People actually line up at midnight in front of the shrine to pray and drink hot Amasake (甘酒). Many big famous shrines and temples in the Tokyo area are packed. A friend of mine actually waited for an hour to pray.

The long queue in the late night for the first shrine visit @ Shinjuku

To avoid the crowd in Tokyo I went to a shrine 1.5hours off Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture, Oyamaafuri Shrine (大山阿夫利神社) which is located on the mountain Ooyama. Even Though it was freezing cold up there, there were not that many people and I got to enjoy the view of the Sagami Bay from the mountain. The hike was totally worth it and it is like 100% safer than some hiking trails in Hawai’i. After visiting the shrine I ate a seven-herb rice porridge (七草粥). January 7th is considered a day to sooth the body and eat some healthy food like this rice porridge. Back in the Heian period (794~1185) people already knew this seven kinds of herbs have rich nutrition in minerals that help then get away from getting sick. Every single herb actually has its own meaning and effects.

Oyamaafuri Shrine's stair

Although it is long the view and the fresh air is totally worth it.

The "Christmas" in Japan

During Christmas in Japan, there are a few customs that Japanese would do. Even though there is only 1% of the population is Christian Japanese still celebrate Christmas in their special way. And Japanese people celebrate Christmas quite different than the west. Unlike the states, people usually have turkey, mashed potatoes, roast beef, ham, and Christmas pudding for Christmas. They would order Kentucky Fried Chicken and well decorated Christmas cake in advance to avoid the long line around the block. Especially for families with children. Because on that day they eat fried chicken to celebrate. For me, this is the weirdest thing I have ever heard of. This Christmas with KFC was a marketing strategy started in the 1970s. KFC used this promotional campaign to boost up the sales in Japan. The result shows that  KFC’s promotion campaign worked out very well and make the Christmas tradition in Japan became KFC.

Ads for Kentucky Christmas 2017

First time seeing Colonel Sanders dress like a Santa

In addition, winter in Japan is a lot of fun not just snow activities. There are quite a few places in Japan to see illuminations every year. The illumination is very popular among youths and young adults also are a great place for couples to go for a date and take plenty of photos. The theme of illumination change every year and usually starts from November.

The illumination near Aoyama Gakuin University at Yoyogi park. Blue Cave(青の洞窟）