(A formal version of the reporting account, without accompanying pictures, can be found here.)
On December 1st, 2013, we departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Tokyo, Japan.
I remember how excited we were when the plane landed and we could see "Tokyo International Airport" neon signage through the plane's window. Really. You can ask Pey Ning who sat beside me in the plane. ^^ Upon our arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, we were greeted by Maru san, Yanagihara san, and Miss Irma.
A bus was ready to bring us from Tokyo to Chiba. It was about 7°C in Tokyo. I must say, I kind of like cold winter weather. No... I love it! By the time we arrived at Reitaku University in Minami-Kashiwa, Chiba, it was already around 1:00AM. We stayed overnight at an in-campus hotel at Reitaku University.
On December 1st, 2013, we departed from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Tokyo, Japan.
I remember how excited we were when the plane landed and we could see "Tokyo International Airport" neon signage through the plane's window. Really. You can ask Pey Ning who sat beside me in the plane. ^^ Upon our arrival at Haneda airport in Tokyo, we were greeted by Maru san, Yanagihara san, and Miss Irma.
Yup, J-pop sensational group, Arashi, greeted us at the airport! ^^
A bus was ready to bring us from Tokyo to Chiba. It was about 7°C in Tokyo. I must say, I kind of like cold winter weather. No... I love it! By the time we arrived at Reitaku University in Minami-Kashiwa, Chiba, it was already around 1:00AM. We stayed overnight at an in-campus hotel at Reitaku University.
Thank you to the bus driver and Reitaku University staff members for being willing to pick us up from the airport in the middle of the night.
Because of our anticipation and the hours of traveling, we were pretty much tired by the time we reached Reitaku University.
My rommate for the overnight hotel stay was Swee Kheng. Ah Ching~!
I wanted to watch a Japanese game show which was on TV but ended up sleeping instead. 疲れちゃった!
After waking up and cleaning up, we had a wholesome Japanese breakfast at the hotel's cafe.
Once we finished our breakfast, students were required to check out of the hotel and moved in to our dormitory nearby. A briefing was made to familiarise us with Reitaku University and our dormitory. We were also introduced to four Reitaku University students who were there to guide us. They were Aki chan, Yoshimi chan, Shizuka chan, and Kosuke kun. Each of us was given a Suica card, which is a rechargable card used to pay for public transportation fares in Japan. We were then led to our respective dormitory rooms.
After lunch, Yanagihara san and Imai san brought us to Tokyo Stock Exchange for our financial visit. An English tour was conducted by a staff of Tokyo Stock Exchange. We were introduced to what Tokyo Stock Exchange is about and how the stock exchange is operated and managed.
すてきだ ね..? Just outside of the cafe, the autumn-winter colours of the leaves captivated our eyes.
Once we finished our breakfast, students were required to check out of the hotel and moved in to our dormitory nearby. A briefing was made to familiarise us with Reitaku University and our dormitory. We were also introduced to four Reitaku University students who were there to guide us. They were Aki chan, Yoshimi chan, Shizuka chan, and Kosuke kun. Each of us was given a Suica card, which is a rechargable card used to pay for public transportation fares in Japan. We were then led to our respective dormitory rooms.
From the beginning, we could feel the おもてなし (the spirit of hospitality) from staff members and students.
Each of the doors of our dormitory rooms was beautified with a welcoming sign and a paper flower.
After lunch, Yanagihara san and Imai san brought us to Tokyo Stock Exchange for our financial visit. An English tour was conducted by a staff of Tokyo Stock Exchange. We were introduced to what Tokyo Stock Exchange is about and how the stock exchange is operated and managed.
Visiting Tokyo Stock Exchange was quite nice, considering that my major in university was Finance.
In the evening, there was a welcoming party held by the dormitory residents of Reitaku University. After the party, a number of Reitaku University students walked with us to a supermarket near the train station. From that evening onward, I found it quite enjoyable to walk through the chilly Winter breeze with friends (with proper warm clothing, of course). And so, Kasumi supermarket became our regular spot throughout our stay in Minami-Kashiwa.
We had a good time at the welcoming party with Reitaku University students.
On the next day, we kicked off our technology visit by going to Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tsukuba with Professor Akune and Maru san. At JAXA, a tour guide briefed us on the functions of JAXA. We were also brought to the space dome of JAXA, where we could see models of rockets, satellites, and the space.
After JAXA, our next destination was Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), not far from JAXA. We roamed around an exhibition area. Then, the tour at AIST began with a video presentation on advanced science and technology in Japan. A tour guide brought us to the exhibition area to show and explain about some of the technological and robotic items on display.
I even took a photo with a life-size standee of a Japanese astronaut.
After JAXA, our next destination was Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), not far from JAXA. We roamed around an exhibition area. Then, the tour at AIST began with a video presentation on advanced science and technology in Japan. A tour guide brought us to the exhibition area to show and explain about some of the technological and robotic items on display.
Our technology visit resumed on the following day as we made our way to Kashiwa to visit Chiba University's plant factory. Professor Emeritus Kozai Toyoki, the Chief Director of Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), presented to us the mission, roles, concepts, and challenges of the Center for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences of Chiba University. We were also brought to tour around the in-campus plant factory.
Our next destination was Smart City Museum of Kashiwa-no-ha. The concept of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City merges the ideas of city of health and longevity, city of new industry creation, and environmental symbiotic city. It was refreshing to see such innovative ideas that could be integrated into a whole city that caters not only its residents but also the environment.
In the evening, we gathered at a conference room for a courtesy visit by the President of Reitaku University, Prof. Dr. Nakayama. Then, we made our way to a reception party with the faculty members. Reitaku University students who previously visited UNIMAS were given the opportunity to deliver short speeches. After that, it was our turn to say a few words as UNIMAS students who were visiting Reitaku University.
The cooling winter breeze was definitely one of the things I particularly enjoyed during the whole trip.
Our next destination was Smart City Museum of Kashiwa-no-ha. The concept of Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City merges the ideas of city of health and longevity, city of new industry creation, and environmental symbiotic city. It was refreshing to see such innovative ideas that could be integrated into a whole city that caters not only its residents but also the environment.
In the evening, we gathered at a conference room for a courtesy visit by the President of Reitaku University, Prof. Dr. Nakayama. Then, we made our way to a reception party with the faculty members. Reitaku University students who previously visited UNIMAS were given the opportunity to deliver short speeches. After that, it was our turn to say a few words as UNIMAS students who were visiting Reitaku University.
The last component of our Japan tour was management visit. For this particular visit, the aim was to expose us to how the urban management of Tokyo city is properly carried out. First, we visited Ariake Incineration Plant to learn about the management of sewage disposal. The concept of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) is heavily applied and promoted in Japan.
We also visited Shibaura Water Reclamation Center. Through video presentation and staff's demonstrations, we could see that a functional sewerage system plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy water circulation system, which supports day-to-day routines of residents.
We also visited Shibaura Water Reclamation Center. Through video presentation and staff's demonstrations, we could see that a functional sewerage system plays a vital role in ensuring a healthy water circulation system, which supports day-to-day routines of residents.
This marked the end of our management visit, thus the end of our off-campus Japan tour.
On Friday, we had a campus tour around Reitaku University. A video of the tour is available here. We were brought to the library, mini museum, Rose garden, classrooms, and International Lounge (i-Lounge). Our campus tour ended as we joined in the もちつき (rice cake making) that was carried out in the campus.
Since we had some spare time before our next agenda, Pei Gee and Mun Yin, fellow Malaysians studying in Japan, brought us to Kashiwa. We stopped by at a sushi shop to eat. Then, we walked around the area and bought some stuff to be brought home.
Later in the evening, we attended a farewell party.
The pieces of rice cake with different toppings were so delicious that we shamelessly went for second rounds.
Since we had some spare time before our next agenda, Pei Gee and Mun Yin, fellow Malaysians studying in Japan, brought us to Kashiwa. We stopped by at a sushi shop to eat. Then, we walked around the area and bought some stuff to be brought home.
By far, my favourite sushi is ebi nigiri sushi. おいしい~
This is Kashiwa.
Later in the evening, we attended a farewell party.
Farewell party already?
Our weekend was free from any pre-scheduled visits. Therefore, we decided that it was time to really become like tourists in Japan~ On Saturday morning, Maru san brought us to Tsukiji Market in Chuo, Tokyo. We got to experience the atmosphere of a Japanese fresh market and tasted some delicious food. Somehow, occasionally squeezing through the crowd at the market made the experience feel a little more real, you know? LOL
In the afternoon, we headed to Asakusa in Taito, Tokyo. FYI, I had always wanted to go to Asakusa, out of the tourist attractions in Japan. So, to be able to finally step my foot there was great. We took a good look at the temple there before checking out some of the shops. We even had the chance to try out dango, green tea ice cream (Yes, we indulged in cold, tasty ice cream outdoor in winter~), and melon bread. I also bought a red kimono, just because I wanted to.
Before calling it a day, Maru san brought us to an eatery place in Minami-Kashiwa. It was a zashiki-style restaurant. Guess what? I even got to eat a little bit of horse meat.
On Sunday, a few Reitaku University students brought us to Harajuku, Tokyo. Once we arrived, we walked through Yoyogi ko-en and visited Meiji jin-gu. We also walked along the fashionably congested Takeshita Street and had our lunch at one of the shops there.
Our next destination was Shibuya, Tokyo. There happened to be a group of individuals offering "Free Christmas Hugs" not far from the train station. So, I (along with some others in our group) ran straight to them to get some warm Christmas hugs! We spent a few hours checking out some of the shops and bought some things too.
After we were done with Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku, Tokyo. Upon our arrival, we spent some time listening to a street performance of a duo and cheering along. Then, we made our way to Global Unit, a place to shop for clothes with tempting discounts and promotions. The sky was already dark when we completed our shopping. We had our dinner before spending a little time to admirably look at the tall and mighty Tokyo Sky Tree.
We ended our Tokyo tour for the day and went back to Minami-Kashiwa. The coming day would be our last day in Japan, but I was too tired to be too sad. I just dozed off after cleaning up once we reached the dormitory.
The next day, it was bittersweet for me. I'm sure the others felt the same too. However, the past week had been fun. So, it was all good. At noon, we had a promotional event to let more people know about our university and country. After the event, we had our lunch before continuing to pack our belongings.
Frankly, we could feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of the host throughout the whole week. Us, UNIMAS students, wanted to do a little more than just saying thank you. So, we gathered food and drink items that we brought from Malaysia inside a box for the students of Reitaku University who had been helping and guiding us. We also included messages for them.
In the evening, we said goodbye to each other as the bus took us to the airport.
I told myself that I must visit Japan again in the future.
After Tsukiji Market
In the afternoon, we headed to Asakusa in Taito, Tokyo. FYI, I had always wanted to go to Asakusa, out of the tourist attractions in Japan. So, to be able to finally step my foot there was great. We took a good look at the temple there before checking out some of the shops. We even had the chance to try out dango, green tea ice cream (Yes, we indulged in cold, tasty ice cream outdoor in winter~), and melon bread. I also bought a red kimono, just because I wanted to.
I finally breathed the air of Asakusa~~
Before calling it a day, Maru san brought us to an eatery place in Minami-Kashiwa. It was a zashiki-style restaurant. Guess what? I even got to eat a little bit of horse meat.
Having a meal together in a group was nice.
On Sunday, a few Reitaku University students brought us to Harajuku, Tokyo. Once we arrived, we walked through Yoyogi ko-en and visited Meiji jin-gu. We also walked along the fashionably congested Takeshita Street and had our lunch at one of the shops there.
A torii at the entrance
Lucky us! We managed to witness part of a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony at Meiji jin-gu.
Are you up for Takeshita Street?
Our next destination was Shibuya, Tokyo. There happened to be a group of individuals offering "Free Christmas Hugs" not far from the train station. So, I (along with some others in our group) ran straight to them to get some warm Christmas hugs! We spent a few hours checking out some of the shops and bought some things too.
As soon as we went out of the train station, we snapped photos with the statue of Hachiko, the loyal and loving dog.
Being part of the crowd crossing Shibuya's massive streets was kind of fun. ^^
After we were done with Shibuya, we headed to Shinjuku, Tokyo. Upon our arrival, we spent some time listening to a street performance of a duo and cheering along. Then, we made our way to Global Unit, a place to shop for clothes with tempting discounts and promotions. The sky was already dark when we completed our shopping. We had our dinner before spending a little time to admirably look at the tall and mighty Tokyo Sky Tree.
Tokyo Sky Tree
We ended our Tokyo tour for the day and went back to Minami-Kashiwa. The coming day would be our last day in Japan, but I was too tired to be too sad. I just dozed off after cleaning up once we reached the dormitory.
The next day, it was bittersweet for me. I'm sure the others felt the same too. However, the past week had been fun. So, it was all good. At noon, we had a promotional event to let more people know about our university and country. After the event, we had our lunch before continuing to pack our belongings.
I was wearing my traditional costume as part of the promotional event.
Frankly, we could feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of the host throughout the whole week. Us, UNIMAS students, wanted to do a little more than just saying thank you. So, we gathered food and drink items that we brought from Malaysia inside a box for the students of Reitaku University who had been helping and guiding us. We also included messages for them.
It wasn't much but we wanted to leave some food and drinks items that are popular among Malaysian students.
Some students of Reitaku University gave us gifts.
In the evening, we said goodbye to each other as the bus took us to the airport.
I told myself that I must visit Japan again in the future.
