Without A Voice (Based On A True Story)

Journey Through Japan

June 2010 was an exciting time. My family and I traveled to Japan, along with my Japanese language group. It was the first time Jacob and I left the country; John and Mother have been to Japan multiple times with other cultural groups. I was excited to absorb the culture, my culture. That's right, I am part Japanese. I was looking forward to learning about my heritage.

We all met at the airport, all of us wearing matching blue shirts. There were ten students and five chaperones: our sensei (or teacher in English), another teacher, a vice principal, John, and Mother. It was around 9:00 pm and our flight wasn't boarding for another two hours. We were all extremely tired, except Jacob. He was way too excited and psyched to sleep.

We arrived in Osaka at about 7:00 am, Japan time. The sun was beaming through the tiny oval-shaped window, straight into my eyes. Jacob, who sat by the window, loved looking outside the window on flights. I fell asleep after the in-flight meal, so I don't know if Jacob got any sleep. I envied his child-like enthusiasm.

After what felt like hours, we boarded off the plane. My body felt like it was made of concrete. Eight hours of sitting can really stiffen your body. I stretched to loosen my muscles. Jacob was bouncing around, soaking in all the brand-new things around him. Mother groggily followed him to make sure he didn't break anything. John and I went to the restroom in the meantime to brush our teeth. The rest of the class did the same.

We reached our hotel via an airport shuttle. We were staying in Osaka for only two days. Sensei gave us our room assignments and excused us to unpack until lunch. An interesting fact about Japanese (and possibly other countries' hotels) there were smoking and non-smoking floors. Luckily for my allergy to smoke, we were all on the non-smoking floor.

My roommate for the trip, Mark, was an awesome guy. He and his girlfriend both were students in a higher level Japanese language class; he was nice enough to volunteer as my translator for the trip. When we reached our room, he and I discussed our living habits. We both respected each other's routines and developed a plan: first person in the morning to use the restroom will be the last in the evening (in terms of brushing our teeth and showering); any other occasion was a first-come basis. I wasn't too much of a light sleeper. Being hard-of-hearing, only extreme physical stimuli (such as someone shaking me awake) could wake me. Mark was happy to know this since he enjoyed reading right before bed. We got along very well and became close friends throughout the trip.

We all ate lunch together at a local curry restaurant. I ordered the beef curry, thanks to Mark. My family ordered ramen instead. It was the most delicious curry I have ever had. It was rich with flavor and spice. Everyone else enjoyed their meals, as well. First day in Japan was going great.

After lunch, we were excused to explore the city until dinner. Our only guidelines to stay in groups and call Sensei from a payphone every hour. My group consisted with all the juniors (Mark, his girlfriend Amber, two other girls Lauren and Melissa, and myself) and a senior named Collin. We all wanted to go to the same places, so it made sense to be in one group. I only knew Lauren prior to the trip, from Ka'awa and from freshmen year. She and I got along really well at Faraday, to the point that were bickered like brother and sister. All our teasing was in good fun and made the experience more enjoyable.

Amber was a shorter girl, compared to everyone else. She had a wonderful personality and attitude towards life. She was one of the group's photographers (Lauren being the other). Mark and she were close as close could be. They had similar personalities and thinking. They were inseparable.

Melissa was a pretty, Japanese girl. She was the only one in the group that was fully fluent in Japanese. She helped us through most of our adventures. She had a bubbly personality and boundless energy. She was just a ray of sunshine. She and Collin were both members of the Faraday band. I never asked what they played, but it was impressive nonetheless.

Collin was on the quieter side. He kept to himself that first day, talking occasionally on topics he was passionate about. He shared similar interests with Mark and me, like sports and comics. It was a World Cup year (for all you soccer fans out there), so the guys and I went to all the sporting good stores to buy everything World Cup.

We had a wonderful time together. While we shopped, we shared things about ourselves. We spoke of our background, goals, interests and other personal aspects about us. Store through store we all stuck together and talked nonstop. I even taught some of them basic phrases in sign language. I learned a lot about these wonderful people and was only a day.

A few days blurred past us and we were on our way to Tokyo via the famous bullet train, the Shinkansen. I was excited to be sharing this experience with my newly-found friend. It was an two-hour trip to the famous city, so my family took the opportunity to nap. I sat with my family, who were sleeping as well. I looked outside the window, taking photos of the fascinating landscapes. We passed through large cities and rural mountain areas. I observed plantations workers trudging through muddy rice paddies. I saw the busy highways as people made their way to work. All these amazing sights were recorded in a journal Mother gave us about the wonderful sights I saw. I ensured I included every little detail because I didn't want to forget that experience.

Tokyo was a vibrant sight; well the county we were staying in was, at least. We stayed in the county of Umeda, where everyone was in a business suit. We all stuck out like sore thumbs. However, we didn't care. Same as Osaka, we were allowed to explore the town after settling in and having lunch. We kept the same groups and were on our way.

We managed to figure out the subway system fairly easily; we only required to use one subway line to get from place to place. It was very convenient for us naive high school students who never took a subway before. The first day was more of a sightseeing adventure. We explored famous counties, made lists of places to go to on our free days, and ate some local cuisine. Everyone had a great time.

During the rest of our trip, we ventured to some of the famous Japanese temples, landmarks, and tourist attractions. One of the greatest adventures was the Tokyo Disneyland. It was very different compared to the American Disney theme parks. There was healthier food, different souvenirs, and more shows. In the park, our core group divided into girls and boys groups. Mark, Collin, and I had similar tastes in rides and thrill levels; we weren't big rollercoaster people and wanted to watch all the shows. The girls were the thrill-seekers, so they branched away from us. The chaperones designated the Mickey Mouse statue near the entrance as our meeting place. With all the regulations set, we all bolted in different directions.

Us boys had a fantastic time. We laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. However, things were not all well. I started to feel very ill. I felt weak, nauseous, and dizzy. I wasn't sure what caused my illness but it was bad. I had to sit out for most of the rides. I tried eating, but it didn't help. I drank water, but it didn't have any effect. On top of that, I made the smart choice to go on the spinning teacup ride. That did not end well. I felt bad for holding Mark and Collin back, but they understood and made sure I was okay. They were great friends.

Before we knew it, we were on the plane home. Everyone was talking to each other, sharing their favorite moments. I talked with Jacob, asking if he learned anything interesting during the trip. He only learned the word for "bathroom". Of course that is the only thing you remember. He was an interesting kid. I looked around and everyone was so happy. It was an experience of a lifetime with newly-found friends. I wish we could have stayed there together forever. But now, fun time was over.