Japan

I recently returned from a family holiday in Japan and Hong Kong. I had the most amazing experiences in those three weeks.  The feeling you get when you immerse yourself in a completely different culture and get a sense of what it's like to live a life much different to your own in indescribable.

I studied Japanese in Year 12 so it was great to speak the language again see how much I really retained from high school! I was surprised how much I could still remember.

Here are a few happy snaps of my trip and a few life lessons I learnt along the way:

At Osaka Castle with its Mascot

First stop was Osaka. The third largest city in Japan and it was bustling with people! A nice mix between Old and New Japan, I soon felt at home in Osaka (after the minor jetlag of course). 

It took a while to orientate ourselves into this foreign and exciting city. We found ourselves walking out of the subway station and into a sea of stylish shops and people that is the district of Namba. In an instant I recognised labels such as Zara, H&M as well as designer stores like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Tory Burch and more. Namba can easily be compared to shopping in New York's Fifth Avenue. Even though Osaka isn't immediately known to be a fashion destination, Namba sure had a lot to offer.

While the food was a cultural shock to some in my family, I embraced the food and all of Japan's delicacies.

Takoyaki (たこ焼き) -literally fried or grilled octopus in a ball-shaped Japanese dumpling

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) -Japanese Pancake

This is THE best sushi I have ever eaten. Ever.

Teppenyaki in Kyoto

Lunch at Hong Kong's Jumbo floating restaurant, Aberdeen.

After Osaka, we took a bullet train to Hiroshima. 

A-Dome. Located 150 metres from the hypocentre and here it still stands today.
 

There is a distinct feeling of peace and calm in the city of Hiroshima. 

We were privileged to meet an A-Bomb survivor. She was 3 years old when the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima. Her powerful story was a poignant reminder of the horrible events that occurred in this city on August 8, 1945. 

hibakusha (被爆者), a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people".

Our cultural experience didn't stop there. Kyoto was the next city on our agenda.

A traditional city full of temples and shrines, Kyoto showed us a quieter side to Japanese life and offered the most amazing views high up in the mountains.

The photos below were from the only day it rained out of our whole trip! We were very lucky to catch some great summer weather most of the time. :)

Yes...I sacrificed getting wet to take a selfie. 

 After Kyoto was the highlight of my entire trip: Tokyo.

There is one word to describe my experience in Tokyo: Heaven. Shopping heaven, that is.

Shoes at Bershka, Zara's sister store for the younger shopper.

Shopping in Tokyo was a-mazing. There were large department stores at every corner ready to pamper you silly. High end fashion retailers were skyscrapers. Every store was at least 3 levels and it was cheap! Much cheaper than Australian shopping.

I spent a bit here and there in Osaka and Kyoto but the money I saved for six weeks leading up to my trip was for this crazy city.

One of my favourite days in Tokyo was when I got to spend the day shopping by myself (this is a good thing, I'm terrible shopping in pairs). 

First off I shopped up and down Harajuku. I went into Forever 21 and came out not only with bags of shopping, but a Facebook friend as well! The lady at the fitting room and I had a half English/Japanese conversation with each other and as I was leaving she asked me to be friends with her on Facebook. Six months into uni and I'm already making contacts abroad!

After hours of shopping I caught up with a high school friend who works at Zara in Shibuya. She then directed me to go to Ginza and check out the Abercrombie & Fitch store. 

This wasn't a store, this was a club with models, clothes and fitting rooms in it. As soon as I entered this dark building booming with music, a gorgeous topless male model approaches me for a picture with him.   Still finding my bearings, another model points and shoots their polaroid towards us and next thing you know, I have a polaroid of me and a male model together...forever ;)

A little red and flustered. It's from the heat coming from outside I assure you.

Shibuya

A week went by quickly in Tokyo, yet so much happened! You could spend a month here and still be scratching the surface. I will definitely be returning to Tokyo to explore discover some more.

Coming home from this trip, Japan and Hong Kong have given me the travel bug. It has motivated me to  start saving for my next holiday. I want to fill my passport with stamps before it expires!

I hope these photos can tell another thousand words about my trip. There's only so much words can describe. 

Ciao,

Emma xx