VIDEO: Duke Shares 5 Things He’ll Miss (and Not Miss) About Japan

After three weeks of studying Japanese in Fukuoka, Japan our Greenheart Travel student, Duke, shares what he will miss most (and not at all) from his travels abroad.

Check out his video below for this full review!

5 Things I Will Miss Most From Japan

1. My Japanese Host Family

They were so nice to me and allowed me to go and experience so much of Japan.

2. My New International Friends

I’ve met so many new people from all over the world.

3. Going on Field Trips

In Japan there were so many places to go and things to try out, like the Fukuoka Tower and the many shrines. It was just so cool to go to those places and so interesting because I don’t see that in Hawaii.

4. Freedom

Not that my parents are strict about me staying home, but when I was in Japan I had the freedom to go to a lot of places I wanted. That was because of the transportation systems in the country. In Hawaii you either have to take a bus, walk or ask your parents to drive you. In Japan I could meet up with my friends and go where I wanted on the train and that was a very valuable thing to to me.

5. Being Able to Talk to People in Japanese

Now that might sound strange since I’m just a beginner but being able to speak the language every day was a very great learning experience for me. I was able to improve my Japanese as well as to try and figure out what in the world everyone was saying to me.

5 Things I Will Not Miss About Japan

1. The Crowded Subway 

I truly, truly do not miss the crowded subway lines. As I said in my first video, it is PACKED. It was so hot, and I don’t miss it; luckily though, I was able to figure out when to avoid the rush hours and go before those times.

2. The Weather

Seriously, it is HOT in Japan and really humid. Every day I was wearing a soaked shirt with sweat; I don’t miss that. I like being dry and not sweaty.

3. The Fact that They Don’t Have Root Beer

I love most of their drinks, but the one thing they don’t have is Root beer, and that is the only soda that I drink. I was looking for it for two, whole weeks before I found out that Japan actually hates Root beer. Apparently, the ingredient in Root beer is the same in some of their medicine and Root beer for them tastes like they are drinking medicine.

4. The Guidelines You Have to Follow

To be honest, I don’t know that much about Japanese courtesy and the guidelines for how they treat each other. So I probably broke, like, two of them.  I know you have to be respectful of others but I didn’t know why I got in trouble for using my cell phone and still don’t understand.

5. The Monk Encouragement

If you didn’t see my first week’s blog post, this is a monk hitting me on the back very hard.

These are the five things I will miss and not miss about Japan. Overall, it was a very great experience to be able to speak the Japanese language, immerse myself into its culture and to be able to experience all these new things and make friends along the way. I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world.

Duke Takeno is 16 years old and lives in Oahu, Hawaii. His goal during his language program in Fukuoka, Japan is to “learn the language, connect with the other students in the program as well as my host family, and to enjoy what Japan has to offer.  I can’t wait to begin my adventure!” Follow Duke’s adventures in Japan on his weekly blog post updates.