Hello! I'll finally update beginning with my trip to Nikko this past weekend (Sunday and Monday for me). I wrote a post last week, but I accidentally deleted it so maybe I'll go back and re-write it at some point.
Nikko is a beautiful city to visit in the fall, and it's full of tourists so I guess everyone knows it's the place to be. The leaves on the trees have already started turning a million different shades of red, and the mountains looked amazing covered with them. I rode the train for 3.5 hrs there and met some friends (2 of the 3 strangers before the trip, friends now), two Aussie girls and one Canadian. They're sweet. One of the girls also lives in Tsuchiura and works at the other branch of my company which teaches kids. I'm so glad to know someone else in this city! It was really fun getting to spend time with them all.
On the train ride there, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life when I left my backpack on the train, which continued on even after I got off...It took a couple extra hours and the help of a very nice man and some less than very nice people to find it. Many lessons were learned during the course of this trip with the main one being the following: prepare to make idiotic mistakes because you will, and keep practicing Japanese because you'll need it.
And yet, the trip was still amazing. We visited temples and shrines, a garden, the Kegon Waterfalls, Chuzenji Lake where I rode in my very first swan boat. I also had my first onsen (public bath) experience and slept in my first hostel where I shared a very tiny dorm room and bunkbeds with 3 guys from Germany because I booked late...probably one of the more awkward experiences of my life. The weather in Nikko was a little chilly during the day and of course more so at night, but I was prepared with a big jacket.
I'm in awe of all the things I've seen and done here so far. More later. :)
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