Hello!
As I had expressed interest in getting out of my comfort zone more in my last blog, I am glad to say that I have. I was talking with a fellow study abroad student about how I was trying to plan for a day out somewhere when he invited me to join him in going to Shibuya that very same day, and just like that we were on our way. Shibuya is only a few stops away from Komazawa Daigaku Station, which is also close to the University, so it felt like the scenery changed around me in mere minutes. Suddenly, we were in the streets of Shibuya, and I was awestruck at how different it could feel to go just a few stops away from where I was living. It feels insane to me that where I was and where I am now can both be considered as Tokyo. The streets in Shibuya were absolutely flooded with people, as expected, and considering the people underneath us also flooding Shibuya Station made my head spin. The idea of that many people in the same place really cemented the fact that I was in one of the most populated cities in the world.
Now, the visit wasn’t very spectacular, which I think was good for my first exposure to such a wildly different environment. It’s a good idea to get a grounded feel for the places you want to go before hitting all the big spots, in my opinion. What we did was basically meet up with another one of his buddies, check out some stores, and get some Italian pizza (which according to my friend was pretty close to authentic). The most important thing that came from this trip was the lesson it taught me about embracing spontaneity, especially when it comes to studying abroad. I tend to think I need a plan for going out and doing stuff, but what I actually need sometimes is to just recognize when I have the free time and resources to go somewhere new and do it. By following this kind of mindset more and making sure to not get carried away with it, I hope to further encounter new things as I spend more time in Japan. I would recommend an approach like this to anyone else planning on going abroad. Just remember not to get carried away! It’s hard enough keeping up with classes in Japanese when you have perfect attendance, trust me.
– Titus
