Journie To Japan

 

Journie to Japan: – First Flight, First Country, First Impressions 

Hi everyone!

After months of counting down, the day had finally come—I was on my way to Japan! I woke up that morning with my legs trembling. I was excited… but also extremely nervous. This was my very first time traveling outside the U.S., and I’m the first person in my family to ever leave the country. That’s a big deal.

To be honest, I was anxious about not knowing how to speak Japanese. I only knew the basics, and I kept wondering how I would communicate once I got there. That fear stayed with me as I got ready to fly across the world.

At the Austin airport, I met up with friends from the Terry Scholars program. Seeing familiar faces immediately brought some comfort. We were all feeling the same nerves and shared stories about how scary (but exciting!) this experience was for each of us. Together, we made it through the Austin and Houston airports, and eventually boarded our international flight.

We flew with ANA (All Nippon Airways), a Japanese airline—and it was amazing. The service was so polite and comforting, even if I didn’t understand everything being said. The food on the plane was surprisingly good too! We were served Japanese meals, which included rice, pickled vegetables, and a warm entrée. Trying a new kind of airline food was a small but exciting first step into Japanese culture.

To pass the time during the 13-hour flight, I watched some of my favorite movies: The Wolverine, The Lion King, and a beautiful Japanese love story. I also got a lot of sleep—which was great, because once we landed… jet lag hit hard.

Day 2: Welcome to Tokyo

We landed in Tokyo the next day—literally, because Japan is a whole day ahead of the U.S. It was raining when we arrived, and I could immediately feel the humidity. I had sweat on my sweat. My body was confused by the time change, and the exhaustion from jet lag made everything feel like a blur.

After getting through immigration (which felt like standing in line at Disney World 🌀), we rode a monorail for the first time to our hotel. It was sleek, fast, and gave us our first real glimpse of Tokyo. I couldn’t stop staring out the window. It finally hit me: I’m really in Japan.

But Tokyo doesn’t slow down for anyone. The moment we got into the city, I noticed how busy everything was—and I’m not just talking about car traffic. The sidewalks were packed with people walking, biking, running, rushing. It felt like everyone was in a hurry. That constant motion—especially while being hot, tired, and jet-lagged—was definitely overwhelming at first.

Still, I managed through it all with the support of my friends and our program leader. Their kindness and encouragement helped me stay grounded. That evening, after settling into the hotel, we went out for dinner and ended the night with karaoke. Of course, I sang “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey (how could I not?!

This trip is sponsored by University of Texas at San Antonio Top Scholar program