Journey to Japan

From March 21st to March 28th, US Content & Digital Specialist Andrea Nguyen traveled to Asia for the first time, spending a week throughout several cities in Japan! With a group of five other friends, Andrea took an 11-hour plane ride across the Pacific from Los Angeles to Narita International Airport, just an hour outside of Tokyo. It was a whirlwind trip from the start, with the group boarding an express train for another 3-hour trek to Kyoto from Tokyo immediately upon landing. Once in Kyoto, the adventures began!

With only one full day to spend in Kyoto, the group managed to successfully cram in all the famed sights and activities they set out to see, after waking up at the crack of dawn and staying out until the phrase 'dead tired' became an understatement. From running four kilometers through the orange torii arches at the Fushimi Inari Shrine (à la the little girl in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha) to catching an amazing sunset at the top, to walking through the magestic Sagano bamboo forest in the Arashiyama district, the group soaked in as much magic that Kyoto had to offer as possible. Finishing off the day with a delicious bento box meal that proved more filling than it looked, the group rested up to make a quick pit stop at the gorgeous (but touristy) Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, the next morning. 

The next day, Andrea and company boarded another bullet train to head back to Tokyo. After ooh-ing and aah-ing at the view through the train windows of Mount Fuji in the distance, the group arrived in Tokyo, prepared to eat their fill of fresh, delicious sushi for breakfast at the famous Tsukiji Fish Market. After exploring all the city's various districts (and napping on subway trains in between), the group finished the day with more nighttime sightseeing as the Tokyo Tower and tons of street lights came to life.

After saying goodbyes to their four friends departing Japan early, Andrea and her friend Stephen set out northward together to complete the last leg of their journey in snow-filled Nagano and rural Shiroishi. In the small town of Yudanaka in the Nagano province, the two friends experienced what can now only be described as the "best day ever!" After making their train connections by the skin of their teeth, they finally made it to their highly anticipated destination: the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park! They couldn't believe their eyes at all the snow monkeys surrounding them, pinching each other repeatedly and constantly whispering, "Is this real life?" as snow monkeys young and old climbed in and out of hot springs, ran across the park, and groomed each other's fur as if it was just another day in the salon. The cherry on top was being able to relax in their hotel's in-house hot spring (onsen), and then taking another hour-long train ride up to Shiroishi Zao Village the next day to visit a fox village! 

On Andrea and Stephen's last day in Japan, they journeyed back to Tokyo, from where they would fly back. But before leaving, they were fortunate enough to catch some of Japan's most beautiful and highly anticipated sights during late March and early April: the blooming of cherry blossoms! Reveling in both the pink and white beauty of the blossoms as well as all the amazing food Tokyo had to offer, they arrived home with content hearts, full stomachs, and buckets of edible souvenirs (including Kit Kats of every flavor imaginable). It was a great trip that left Andrea looking forward to the day that she gets to visit again!