Welcome Back

This post is mainly for people who have stumbled onto this blog and are interested in travelling to/ studying/ living in Japan. But just for the sake of closure I thought I'd also include some updates.

I've been in the UK for over a year now, and Japan feels like it was a dream. It's strange, but I'd go so far as to say that sometimes I even feel a bit home sick. I miss the people, the combinis, the train journeys, the culture. It really did feel like a second home to me by the end of it, but I will go back again someday. 

I still keep in touch with some of the friends I made, and I'm still learning Japanese. It was much easier when I was totally immersed, though, so for those reading this who have yet to study in Japan - make the most of it! 

I feel like I made the most of my time in Japan and I have no regrets. 

But if I had the chance to do it all again, I would:
Go to Hokkaido during the snow festival
Visit Tottori, the sand dunes in Japan. 
I'd go hiking in sunny Okinawa.
I’d hitchhike/ do onsens in Kumamoto
Go to more festivals
Watch a baseball match
Go on more adventures with the 'WhyNot?! Japan' group. 
And study wise, I really should have joined a club at the university and stuck to it, so that I could have gotten more Japanese language practice. It would have been helpful if I'd taken the intuitive and learned the meaning of the kanji and signs I saw everyday on the train and around university - repetition, you know?

Looking back at my blog now I cringe at how messy and childish my opinions and observations are (sorry to those of you trying to browse it), but I'm also so, so glad I kept it up. A blog is a great way to keep some of your memories, and has the added bonus of being useful to others who want to do the same kinda thing.

 This blog also reflects how I changed over the months I spent living abroad - I was more willing to say 'yes' to things in Japan, and I had a great time with it. I've learnt a lot about their culture, about people from other countries and I've learnt a lot about myself, too. I've become more open-minded than the me from the start of this journal.

But anyway, hope you've had fun browsing this blog. 

さよなら！

For a more comprehensive blog on studying in Japan, visit my friend Lindsey at http://peaceteaandsweets.tumblr.com/. She went to the same university in Japan as me, so we had similar experiences.

And if you have any questions about studying in Japan, Konan University, living with a host family, living in Itami, or, I don't know. About what good clubs there are in Osaka or something, then you can e-mail at charlottemlb2@gmail.com.

Have fun travelling, guys.