Hey again!
It’s been a pretty slow week, I think I’m starting to feel the effects of constantly being on tourist mode for like four weeks. I don’t want to waste any time here so I’ve been going out almost everyday even after work and having very full weekends and I think I needed a break these past few days. I’m only here for six weeks and they flew by! But I worked from home these past few days to get ahead of the work week since I’ll be in Okinawa next week :)) I am beyond excited, I can’t even fathom that this trip ended up happening. I’m so beyond grateful for everyone at JT for giving me this opportunity.
So, in the spirit of taking it easy and allowing myself to burn out a little bit, I don’t really have much planned this weekend besides a day trip to Okutama tomorrow. Okutama has been on my list from the very beginning so I’m glad it’s finally happening. We’re going to start the day very early since it takes around 2 hours to get there by train. We’re going to hike Mt. Mitake, see the Mitake Shrine and try to find some hidden waterfall on the hiking trail. We’ll also pass through Mitake village and some people who have passed through there said it would be helpful to ask for help/instructions, so I’m really excited for that experience. Then people at work recommended to go to Okutama station and just wander around Tama River to find a nice spot to swim and relax after the hike. If we have time, I’m also hoping to see the floating bridge because it reminded me of the train tracks on water from Spirited Away :)) After all of that, next on the list is a very famous onsen in the area that people travel to Okutama just to experience. Then we’ll head back to Tokyo. I’ve been planning this trip for a while so I’m very excited it’s finally happening!
Really, for the next two weeks I’m just going to try to wrap up my experience here and close up all my assignments at work. I still have a few articles to write and I don’t want to be short on time right before I leave. I did almost everything I wanted to, I think there’s just the Tsujiki market left (which I always procrastinate because you have to go really early) and I can do that sometime next weekend :))
I got to do so much more than I was expecting actually, I was worried at the beginning that I wouldn’t be able to do anything, but this internship has actually contributed greatly to my experiences here. I was just at Fuji-Q highland a few days for a press tour of a new ride and rode the craziest rollercoaster of my entire life. I don’t know if I’d do it again, but it was definitely worth the experience. And I’ll be able to go to Okinawa next week as well :)) I have so much to be grateful for because of JT and IES, I told them to expect me back after graduation :))! This trip definitely changed the trajectory of my post-graduation plans in the best way possible. This might be the first time I’ve actually really felt the impact of the work I’ve done in college with my degree. Like my writing has improved drastically, and working with Professor Plath for The Argus has given me so many skills that allows me to work independently in companies like these. I know this sounds like free advertisement for working in this industry, but this is genuinely the feeling I’ve had for the past four weeks like I can’t imagine doing anything else in my life and this trip has cemented that idea in my career. I’ve never been so sure of my decision to choose English and Journalism as a career path and seeing the real-life tangible output of my education/work is beyond fulfilling.
I’ll be back to update you all about Okinawa! So far, there’s beach activities, hiking, yoga and special dinners planned on the itinerary. I think there’s more than just JT going on the trip, it might be more similar to a press tour type of thing which will be great for networking and connecting with other tourism/marketing companies.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to have more content for you soon! Here are some photos from Fuji-Q, which is about two hours from Tokyo in a different prefecture and is a great place to see some amazing views of the mountains.
