Saitama Hey, everybody! So these past few weeks have been an exciting, emotional few weeks. First of all, I moved! As much as I loved Yachiyo, Chiba and the host family I stayed with, it was time to move on (rule as an intern is to change host families every 3 months). Now, I'm living in Okegawa, Saitama, and though it's only been a few days, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT HERE, TOO! Veerrrry country here, complete with gravel roads, rice fields surrounding the neighborhood, frogs croaking all night, and the nearest train station being a 45 minute walk away. It's definitely a great fit for me. And my new host family has been wonderful to me. Again, I've been so lucky. :) That was the exciting part. The emotional part involves a really good friend of mine (who's been my interning partner these past 8 months) returning back to Mexico. He only has one week left here in Japan, and I know I'm really gonna miss him a lot. Thanks for the goo...

Narita Temple Hey, everybody! So I'll be moving from Chiba to Saitama this upcoming Monday, and so in tribute to my beloved Chiba, I decided to make this post about my favorite temple there, Narita-san. Narita-san Shinshoji Temple has become one of my favorite temples in Japan for a couple reasons. One, because of the beautiful hilly roads on the way there. Just look at this round-a-bout way I took to get there! This is why I prefer walking whenever possible! Once you get closer to the temple, there are also a bunch of little shops on the Omotesando selling eel, and traditional crafts, and rice crackers, proving to be a great place to do some window-shopping. Two, because the location is wide, open, and I can really feel the historical sense of Japan here (Narita-san was founded in 940) without the crowds of people all over. And BEHIND the temple is an absolutely gorgeous forest area with different trails that I've treked from...