Arriving In Tokyo with UT Tyler Gate

      As promised, I am so incredibly excited to share my experience with The University of Texas at Tyler's Gate Program trip to Japan! I am posting different blogs for each major place I visited. This will definitely be an on going project for the rest of the semester cause I just HAVE to share with y'all five weeks worth of such an amazing experience.

On our way to Shinjyuku Train Station. Our first glimpse of Tokoy

    We left from DFW airport to Tokyo on May 23rd. It was a 13 hour flight. I repeat... t-h-i-r-
t-h-e-e-n hours.. The last time I was on a flight that long was on my trip to the Philippines 12 years ago. The trip wasn't too brutal since I can  fall asleep pretty easily in planes, unlike one of my friends.. I felt so bad for her :( I think another reason why the flight going there seemed so much LONGER than the flight going back was because I was just so anxious and excited to get to Japan! Luckily I had such a good stewardess that kept giving my friend and I food after we talked to her about our study abroad trip. Gabby was a happy camper with all those snacks:) Oh yes.

Looking a little rough after 13 hours in a plane

   After we landed, I just felt yucky...how I always feel after long flights. (Is this just a girl thing or what?) However, I was distracted by the camera man and this guy who appeared to be the host (everything was in Japanese.. I had no idea what show it even was..) came up to the GATE group and just started interviewing us. Afterwards, as you can guess.. we felt pretty darn cool:) Our celebrity moment right off the plane!
 

The bedroom! 

National Olympics Memorial Youth Center 

   









    We took the bus to the National Olympics Memorial Youth Centers where we will be staying for a couple of days while we we're in Tokyo. I can't even express how efficient the rooms were. Yes.. the rooms we're smaller than I was accustomed to but the energy preservation of the place is just outstanding. Basically, you have you this plastic rectangular strip and we had no idea what it was for or how to power on the electricity once we opened our room. When we flip on the light switch.. nothing happens. Dr. Kagawa, who helped organize the trip and became our own personal tour guide from Shimane University, informed us that you put that plastic strip in the slot by the light switch and that's how everything turns on. You better believe that the girls hall was in awe when the lights worked as well as the air :) I thought that was pretty neat! We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the center and enjoying our first dinner in Japan.

Common Area

Their "cafeteria" food. It was so yummy :)