My Final Days in Japan: Sad, but Fulfilling
[By student Awandeh Sallah]
During the Last week of Japan, I went to a lot of places. On Sunday, I went with Professors Cindy and Luke to the Nezu Museum, which has a collection of Japanese and Asian premodern art. When we got to the museum, I was very immersed in the different types of artwork within the museum. I’ll admit, I was disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to take photos of most of the items within the museum, but I was able to take a lot of photos within the museum’s garden.
While walking through the garden I felt really calm and at peace. There were lots of greenery and Jizo statues in corners of the garden. I was a little annoyed with the swarming gnats, but I was so taken over by the beauty of the garden that I got over some of my annoyance. The garden itself incorporating some bits of Wabi Sabi, because although the gnats that come with humid weather is kind of unpleasant, there is a beauty behind humid weather that can make a garden look so breathtaking is also what makes a garden beautiful if looked at in another way.
On Monday, I went on a trip to Nikko with the whole class to go to an onsen, and I must say, it didn’t disappoint. Before we arrived in Nikko, I was able to see the Castle Villa and it was incredible. I felt that there was a lot of history within the villa, and it felt like I had travelled through time by visiting each room that was inhabited by a member of the royal family.
I was able to ride a cruise around Lake Chuzenji as well. It was amazing see all parts of an island up close and the mist really added an air of mystery to got me feeling excited.
Once we finally headed to the hotel, I went to my room and I really liked the view from our room window looking down at the river. The Yukatas were unfortunately too small for me so I had to get a bigger size, but I really liked the style of them. The dinner was great, but most of all, the onsen itself was the best part of the trip. I felt all of my tension fade away went I went into the hot water. I wish to have stayed a little longer but, I knew there wasn’t any time. I hope to go back to that onsen again when I visit with my family the next time.
In Nikko, I did wood carving for the first time and it was both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I learned how sacred wood carving is in Nikko and I even saw how Wabi Sabi is incorporated into wood carving through each flawed mistake was seen as a masterpiece. The staff at the center taught us how to use each tool for woodcarving by showing us the proper way to hold them and the proper way to carve our drawn designs. I was a little disappointed in some of the mistakes I had made, but my final design was beautiful nonetheless, and I hope to try some woodcarving again back in the US.
On Wednesday, I was able to find a bigger suitcase in Harajuku. I’ll admit, Harajuku was really busy, there were a lot of people trying to go somewhere and they even had a store exclusively selling Harry Potter merchandise. I’ll admit I was a bit shocked when I saw that but I guess I shouldn’t also be surprised considering how popular the franchise is. After getting my suitcase in Harajuku, I decided to go back to Sky Tree to get last minute souvenirs for my family. I was really happy with what I picked. And when I went to the bookstore, they had the three books that I was initially after. I felt so happy and fulfilled, especially since the last two weeks when I wasn’t able to find these three books at any other bookstore. Overall, this trip to Japan was very knowledgeable and enjoyable. I am very sad that I will have to leave Japan and wish to stay for at least one more week so that I can still visit the places that I want to visit, but I know that I want to come back again to Japan.