So for any of you that don't already know (unlikely, since I've talked about little else for the past few months), I've just moved to Japan for the year to study at Doshisha University in Kyoto. As someone who has never been outside of Europe, can't speak the language and has no experience of the country other than what I've seen on TV, it's pretty damn weird and terrifying. But it's also beautiful and exciting and exactly where I've wanted to be for a long time now. It's been almost a week and my phone is already full of notes about things to tell people back home, so I figured a blog was a good way to keep anyone who's interested up to date on what's happening over here.
Since I've spent most of my time so far settling in and getting registered everywhere, I thought I'd start with some bits of everyday life here that I've found interesting.
1. The wildlife. Both good and bad. I've seen huge butterflies and dragonflies, koi fish, turtles, a Shiba inu and very importantly lots and lots of deer <3 However there's also the mosquitoes, the huge spiders on every single corner, SNAKES and the Japanese hornets (Google them and you'll understand why that is so terrifying).
2. The STAIRS. Oh the stairs. Being used to England, where escalators are abundant and disabled access is rightfully an important issue, I actually feel like a hero every time I make it to the top by foot. The stations are killer and I live on the 5th floor of my building, which of course has no lift.
3. The clothing. I absolutely love how most Japanese people here dress, it's so elegant and pretty. But I didn't realise before coming that as a general rule Japanese girls don't expose their shoulders, and don't wear any tops that would even remotely suggest you had a bust. I am very conscious of standing out on the trains at 5"8 and wearing a strappy top because I can't handle the humidity. Also, I spent the first week wearing t-shirts with leggings until someone pointed out that they are considered underwear rather than trousers here. Very glad I didn't spend a whole year doing that.
4. The food prices. Eating out is so cheap here!!! I had the best ramen of my life the other day and it only cost 700 yen, about a fiver. The downside is that supermarkets are really expensive, especially fruit and veg, but I guess that's just an excuse to eat out more.
5. The weird mix of old and new. You can see it physically - there are huge grey office buildings and wiring everywhere, but they're littered with shrines and temples and rice fields and old wooden houses. It's a really amazing contrast. Japan so far also seems to be a mix of super efficient/modern in some ways and SO DISORGANISED in others, but more on that another time.
6. The cars. This is kind of random, but I didn't realise that they drive different cars here and every day I'm so confused and entertained by it. Most people drive something called a Kei car, which I think uses space more efficiently (very Japan) and somehow has basically... no bonnet. Here's what they look like:
I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that I actually live here, it's the craziest weirdest thing and I don't think it's quite settled in yet. But I'm super excited to explore more of the city and meet some more people. Hopefully I'll manage to succeed in keeping this updated with anything new and exciting :)
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