Day 7, Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street, Shibuya, host family #2

By Savannah

The Meiji Shrine is the largest shrine in Tokyo. When we first arrived, we were introduced with a huge gate (torii). There are many trees and it becomes very cool. The trees are thick enough to block out most of the sound and the view of the city which is great. It's a very different environment because one second you're in the city and then next you're in the forest. This was just the entrance to the shrine! 

We bowed at the front gate and then walked further into the shrine. The shrine gives a spiritual aura.

When we officially got to the shrine, we washed our hands and rinsed our mouths with the water. We paid our respects by giving some coins, varies between everyone, bowed, clapped twice, and then bowed again. 

We then split up and explored the rest of the shrine. Some of us went up to the shrine shop where we paid ¥100 to have our fortune papers. Hope and Elise wrote out messages on ema tablets and hung them near the huge ancient tree.

After exploring we walked over to Takeshita street (the famous Harajuku district) which is a street with many shops and an amazing crepe shop. Serena, Hope, Elise, and I went to a cute shop called WeGo and tried on some Japanese clothing but not the traditional clothing. I bought some cute high-waisted jeans with a bow that were loose for my sister. I was on the lookout for a squishy peach because it's only exclusive to Japan. The gift was requested by my sister which I did find eventually! 

Serena, Hope, Elise, and I went to the corner crepe shop where Serena and I shared a Tiramisu crepe and both Hope and Elise got a double chocolate with strawberry crepe. The crepes were delicious!!! 

Next, we travelled by train to Shibuya which is very similar to New York's Times Square. It was very busy and crowded, but nothing like Times Square at noon! Since we had free time, the girls and I ate some McDonalds because we wanted to try the teriyaki burger which is delicious!! It's just a piece of chicken coated with teriyaki in a burger with lettuce and mayo. It was very delicious. 

After eating, we wandered around and found an H&M! As you can guess... we shopped more! Japanese fashion is very pleasing and different. It beats American fashion a lot. When we finally finished wandering the streets of Shibuya, we headed back to the hostel where we grabbed our large backpacks and headed for the train for our two hour journey to Yokohama. 

When we arrived at Yokohama, we headed straight to Hakuyo High School for a ceremony for our arrival. The Principal, Vice-principal, and Head Teacher of the school were there to greet us. We also met our host family! 

I met my host sister, Minori, and my host mom. During the ceremony, Hakuyo High School students gave us a speech in English greeting us. It was very nice and welcoming because they also drew cute pictures on the board for us! They started to call our name so that we could meet our host family. That's when I met Minori!! Minori and her mother were very nice to me. 

If you're like me, my Japanese isn't the greatest but I make it work! Don't shy away because your Japanese isn't good. Japanese people are the nicest and will do what they can for you. 

We left together to their home where we ate teriyaki chicken. We ended the night off getting to know each other and relaxing. 

Savannah Vang