Konichiwa! The beginning of a year in Japan :)

So if we're being honest here, I would MAYBE have to say that my first day here in Japan was a bit of a culture shock.  I guess I'm not really sure why...maybe it's because BARELY anything here is in English.  Maybe it's because I had no clue what any of the food was in the supermarket and I almost bought dog food....until I realized I was in the pet section. Maybe it's because I can't even understand the washer/dryer, ac remote, or tv because they are all in Japanese!  Not to mention trying to figure out public transportation in only one of the biggest cities in the world. But not to worry, the culture shock quickly subsided after I was cured by the wide selection of sushi and Japanese beer.  :)

The washing machine....yeh not sure...

The most technological toilet ever...and my first heated toilet seat...pretty nice.  :)

So here are a few fast facts about Japan...
Vending machines on the streets are as common as the arcades and casinos here.  Which means they have a SH%T ton of both literally on almost every corner! And the vending machines here sell everything from juice, soda, beer to even cigarettes.  The Japanese are also crazy for arcades...It must be a law that every city has to have an arcade or casino because so far that seems to be the case.

Line to get into the arcade on a Saturday morning before 9am

Shinjuku, Tokyo

 I think that it goes without saying that there is so much to see in Tokyo.  I'm pretty sure the entire day my head was spinning in all different directions trying to take everything in. I'm surprised I didn't get lost and I somehow survived all the train and metro lines...basically by pointing to a destination on my map and being told which platform to run to from there. :)

Meiji Shrine, Sake barrels

Personal prayers from all over the world :)

One of my favorites :)

One of the little neighborhoods I explored was quite different to say the least.  I seriously felt like I was in a fun park or something...the shops and stores all seemed JUST a LITTLE different.  But I'll leave that for you to decide...

Fun land?  No, just a normal crepe shop

I'm still not really sure what was going on here

The shrines and parks all over Tokyo are amazing.  Just by being here you can tell this country is rich in it's ancient traditions.  And it's beautiful.  :)

Japanese traditional garden

Japanese wedding I was lucky enough to see :)

Just a typical stranger wanting to take a picture :)

 I'm not sure if any of you have seen the movie Hachiko...if you haven't, you definitely should! The Japanese made a statue of the dog in remembrance of him and it is now in the center of Tokyo.  :)

Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko statue

Until next time!

Vipassana Meditation in the Philippines!

I’m really not quite sure where to begin after I somehow managed to survive an 11 night/10 day Vipassana meditation course. You're probably wondering what that even is...WELL, let me tell you.  :)  For the entire 10 days you are to observe noble silence.  And what exactly does that mean?  ABSOLUTELY no talking, no eye contact, and no gestures/physical contact towards anyone else.  Not only that, you are not allowed to use computers, phones, books, or to write.  The wake up bell goes off at 4am (I grew to dread that bell), AND to top it off, there is absolutely no exercising AND no dinner!  For "dinner" you get a piece of fruit and tea.  Mind you, the bananas here in Asia are extra small.  They are literally Chiquita bananas.  Let's just say that I had quite a few cups of tea and coffee to fill me up.   

Literally meditated for 10 hours everyday

 

Although we shared a table together, we enjoyed all of our meals in silence  :)

 

 Our living conditions weren't really much to write home about either.  I shared a container with 13 other girls and there were hospital like curtains to separate the beds. But since none of us could talk it actually wasn't too bad...it was so quiet there were times I thought I was actually in there alone.  Oh and I also wasn't prepared for 10 days worth of bucket showers.  I thought I had somehow escaped those but I guess not.  :) 

Mandy and I in our "living area"

 

The container we slept in

So here are a few things that happen when you're sharing your living area with others and aren't able to communicate...

On the first night there was a tarantula type spider on the bathroom mirror…I saw it but couldn't tell the next person coming into the bathroom to watch out for it…I just silently wished them luck.We also took a vow not to kill anything during the course...including spiders...so the lucky little thing got to live.

After accidentally slamming the door literally on someone's face, you can't say sorry or even make eye contact to apologize or see if they have a bruise.  Oh well I guess.  :)

One of the poor girls also didn't realize that there were specific sandals to use while in the bathroom since it was so gross.  For the entire course, she was going in barefoot.  Seriously, pretty disgusting and no one could tell her that she could use the sandals.  Needless to say, I felt pretty bad for her once she found out she could have used them. :)

Not happy after finding out about the bathroom sandals

The 2 Americans with the Filipinos :)

In regards to the meditation, it was definitely a challenge that's for dang sure.

There was no where to turn to and no one to go to except 4 ur own mind.  I mean LITERALLY, there was nothing else except your mind. And after sometime you really do start to lose it.  But what to do? Want to work out?  Can’t. Want to go for a walk? Can’t.  Go out for dinner?  Can’t.   This is definitely not the right place to lose ur mind….it’s LITERALLY the only thing you have. 

 You can tell sometimes we just didn’t know what to do with ourselves.  I often times saw others playing with ants and really just doing the weirdest things to keep themselves busy.  I’m also pretty sure we all brushed r teeth at least 4-5 times/day. I mean, why not?

I also started to find myself cracking up at some pretty ridiculous things.  One day I saw a mini banana in the toaster oven and thought it was the most hysterical thing ever.  I mean, really?  Not that funny...

After being split up from the guys for the entire 10 days, we were finally reunited.  :)

Over the course of the 10 days, I spent over 100 hours observing my breath and the sensations in my body.  I could easily write a book about it.  But I won’t bcuz that would be boring.  :)

To sum it up, the course was hard as hek.  But SUPER insightful after somehow surviving it.  And if you're wondering, right when I got back to the city I went out for a few beers...of course.  :)

A couple of the girls and I celebrating with a massage...along with the 25,000 workers they had there.  :)