This week we share Rei and Sakura’s 2015 in 15 Things list!
15 places I visited in 2015 by Rei Kato
2015 was the year of adventure for me. Visiting a new place is both very exciting and nerve wrecking. I’ve learnt so many things from going outside of my comfort zone and exploring new food, people, landscapes and ideas. Travelling has always been my passion and since I was studying abroad to the US, I took the opportunity to fly to over 15 cities across the globe. So here’s a list of 15 cities I visited that I want to share with you all.
LETS GO:
1. Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles is the place I landed first when I went to the U.S. for study abroad. It’s one of the most culturally influential cities in the world and I feel very lucky that I was given a chance to study for a year so close to L.A.
2. Long Beach, CA
Long Beach is where I studied abroad and spent most of my time during my studying abroad. I have so many good and bad memories here and it’s definitely a place where I experienced so many life-changing encounters and experiences that I will not forget for the rest of my life.
3. Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas wasn’t very fun since I was underage… (I will come back when I turn 21).
4. San Francisco, CA
The Bay Area! I was surprised how Northern California is very different from Southern California (where I was studying) even though it is in the same state.
5. Irvine, CA
Irvine was just a 20 minutes drive away from my school. I visited Irvine countless times because a lot of my friends went there for school and it had a really nice shopping mall (Irvine Spectrum Center – Photo).
6. New York, NY
I visited NY to see my best friend (who has the same birthday as me) and we celebrated our 20th birthday together in NYC!
7. Boston, MA
I flew to Boston during the winter and it was freezing cold, much like the rest of the East Coast states. I hate the cold, but I enjoyed Boston because of their clam chowder and hot boba teas.
8. Page, AZ
Page is a city in Arizona close to famous landscapes such as Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon. It was such a long drive from Los Angeles (something like 12 hours) but it was totally worth the ride.
9. Magic Mountain, CA
If you’re from the US, I’m sure you know a theme park called Six Flags. It’s similar to Fuji Q Island in Japan, but the rides are more scary… I visited here with my roommate and it’s one of the best memories during summer.
10. The Bahamas
I got to go on a cruise to the Bahamas because of my friend. It was a shame that I could only stay on the island for a little while since it was a cruise.
11. Copenhagen, Denmark
I decided to travel to Europe instead of going straight back to Japan after my study abroad. The first stop was Copenhagen. It is a city of beautiful mixture of new innovations and old traditions.
12. Athens, Greece
The next stop was Athens, Greece. It felt very strange to be standing in a ruins of the greatest civilization from a few thousand years ago.
13. Santorini, Greece
Then I took a flight to a small island of Santorini. The island is famous for white and blue colored houses and the sunset in Santorini is said to be the best in the world (and it was true). It was probably the best place I’ve ever visited in my whole life.
14. Cyprus
The last stop in Europe was Cyprus. Cyprus is an island in the Medditeranean next to Turkey. It was an island of beaituful sea, beaches, people food and music.
15. Tokyo
And finally after flying across 14 cities, I came back home! It was so refreshing to be back in Japan after being exposed to different cultures, views and perspectives. I was back in the same place after a year but it felt like a different place… if you know what I mean. I hope I can travel more next year and I look forward to 2016!
15 Things That Shaped My 2015 by Sakura Maria Pennington
1. Change
I began Waseda University without really knowing who I was or what I wanted for my life. I became friends with amazing people and experienced many different things during my three years so far. As I was experiencing many things at once, I never stopped to realize what I value the most about myself and the things I did; What I really wanted for myself in my life. Whether it was my lifestyle choices or being more opinionated, I never really thought about the reasons for the things I did. So I decided to flip things around. I began to do the things I’ve always wanted to do and stopped doing things I didn’t want to do and tried to figure myself out. What do I actually like? What do I actually dislike? I stopped drinking and smoking excessively is where I started since I knew that I was in a grey zone with those two and I began to appreciate where I was living by traveling to rural areas in Tokyo and getting acquainted with nature. I ended up appreciating myself more by doing this. I became a stronger me by eliminating the destructive qualities within myself, which subsequently made room to bring out my inner beauty and desires. I think people require a bit of change in their lives when they question themselves and/or the way they are living and I am confident to say that I am happy with the changes I have made.
2. Love
Oh love! (haha) When people talk about love, I often feel that people either make a huge deal out of it or just don’t bother with it all. For me, love is something I have cultivated throughout the relationships I have created with my friends and also significant others. Love is something I found in 2015. I don’t mean to talk about gushy lovey dovey things but as opposed to those butterfly feelings, experiencing heartbreak is for me, truly a devastating experience. Everything seems to be falling apart during that whole period of time. However, another feeling that may, in my opinion, makes up for those lonely nights and tears is re-discovering love; When you give up on it and realize that there’s still a chance. There’s always hope and there’s always love.
3. Traveling
During the summer this year, I went to Laos with my two close friends. Traveling for me is something that helps to broaden my perspectives more. I went to Cambodia in 2014 for about a month for volunteering and it was the most life-changing event in my life. I began to see the beauty in a different culture. Every time I travel, especially in developing countries, I always come back with something learned and also begin to appreciate my surroundings more than I did from before I travelled. Laos for me, was a bond between my friends and I, travelling in an environment we had no knowledge in, and getting through everything together during our trip.
4. Academics
Apart from my interests, I figured I should study about something I have never even considered before. I am currently interested in development studies but this year decided to explore many other subjects such as macroeconomics and accounting, in order to broaden my knowledge a little bit more and see if I actually enjoy the subjects that I have been missing out on.
5. Music Events
When I saw AlunaGeorge at Electrox. I also saw Madeon and Porter Robinson play at Sonic Mania.
6. Tattoos
I got my first two tattoos this year! I have always wanted one since I was a teenager and finally went and did it. Extremely happy with the way they both turned out.
7. Coffee
So many nights where I would have to finish up assignments last minute and what do I rely on? Coffee. Believe it or not, coffee is the most addictive “drug” in America; four out of five Americans drink coffee on any day. The scary thing about coffee is, if you consume it everyday at a certain time like I did and forget to drink it at that set time or for even for a whole day, you get what we call caffeine withdrawals. This is what I experienced a couple of times throughout this year and it usually results in headaches, restlessness and unproductivity. Although I love coffee and I would love to drink it many times throughout the day, I have been drinking it minimally and only when necessary, also keeping in mind that I have to stop procrastinating hahaha.
8. Food
This year, I have been blessed by food. I love many different kinds of food. There’s a frozen yogurt store in Shibuya and they come out with new flavors every month. On rainy days they send out 10% off coupons for frozen yogurt and I can never contain myself. Taco Bell also came to Tokyo and the third day it opened, I lined up in the long line that Japanese people always love to make when something new opens, and finally got to my taco. There’s also an American themed bar called ‘Antenna America’ in Yokohama where they sell waffle fries (which I recommend because it’s got that American taste) and also BUFFALO WINGS (which is very rare in Japan). Sushi is my favorite as well. I remember during May this year, where I just ate sushi three times a week for a whole month. I also know this nice Hawaiian café called Island Vintage Coffee in Harajuku, which serves my favorite dish, Shoyu Ahi Bowl. I have many more places and food I can introduce but If I keep going I will never stop and I am getting hungry.
9. My little sister coming to Japan
I have lived alone since I was 15 years old so it meant so much to me when my sister decided to study in Japan for college. Since her arrival, we have been hanging out almost every weekend, going hiking and eating haha. I’m very blessed to have her in my life right now and knowing that she’s only a 20-minute train ride away.
10. Finally turned 20
When I was 18 and 19 I never really imagined myself as being 20 years old and when the day did come I didn’t feel any different. Just the fact that I turned 20 and it was okay for me to drink in Japan hyped those two digits up a little for me. I also explored the Japanese side of myself by celebrating my coming of age ceremony and also taking pictures in a kimono for my coming of age pictures!
11. Went to Hakone and got in touch with nature (you guys should definitely go).
12. Water
I’ve learned to drink more water this year and have been trying to consume at least 2 liters of water everyday! It helped my breakouts on my face and makes me feel very hydrated everyday!
13. I went to an Amish village for the first time in my life (I mean, when do you ever get to go visit one!?).
14. I dyed all of my hair red for the first time because I wanted to look just like Rihanna when she dyed her hair red (haha).
15. This year I started to appreciate natural beauty; I understood that there is something that I can provide to my environment that is not based on external factors. I stopped using make up on a daily basis, and treated myself with respect, embracing my own unique natural beauty.