This is my first time in Japan and I am having such an amazing time here! We’ve only been in Tokyo for the past four days, but those four days have been everything but boring. There are so many different places we have already visited, mainly consisting of shopping areas, such as Takeshita-dori in Harajuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara. The Shibuya Shuffle, a crossing intersection in the heart of Shibuya Station, was one of my favorite moments because I’ve always wanted to walk through it, and I finally got to try the experience. All the cities we go to are absolutely stunning and the scenery always takes my breath away. I’ve never really been in such a heavily populated area before, so the hustle and bustle of the city was incredibly exhilarating. Everything in Japan so far is really interesting, even the smallest things like the vending machines and the toilets. The baseball game we watched between the Tokyo Giants and the Yakult Swallows taught me a lot about the intensity of Japanese baseball. The vigor of the crowd when a team scored was so exciting, I couldn’t help but cheer along with the crowd, even though I didn’t have a specific team I was rooting for. Right now we are headed towards Shirakawago and Gokayama, which are more traditional and rural. I’m excited to try out the onsen with my fellow classmates because I think it will help break the ice between some people who don't interact that much. I also think the onsen will be a great Japanese experience overall because America doesn’t really have anything like it. The Kyoto family experience is the one thing I think I’m most nervous for because sometimes I have difficulty speaking in Japanese well. I’m hoping everything will turn out alright!!