A history that should never be repeated

A memorial of those who died, the building closest to the center of where the bomb was dropped

The biggest learning experience I received in Japan comes from the destruction caused in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 during WWII by the US. I’ve heard stories about it, but I never realized (and still never will) the true devastation caused on this day and the following effects until we visited the Peace Museum. It didn’t really hit home until I saw images of people with their skin coming off, both from burning and radiation. That image alone was enough to upset me (or anyone I would imagine) and the stories of what happened, I find it heartless that no one was meant to be spared, not even children. On the flip side, I find it admirable that the Japanese people as a whole don’t see the U.S. responsible and seek vengeance, but rather see it as a global issue that must not be repeated. My favorite part of the museum was the letters written by the mayor of Hiroshima pleading with any country that planned to hold nuclear testing, no matter who or where, to cease their nuclear efforts. The determination showed by the mayor of Hiroshima and the lack of animosity (at least public anyway) is proof that the nuclear bombings that occurred on that day must NEVER happen again.

Spartans Around the World

The start of our second week marked the temporary end to our stay in Tokyo and the start of our stay in Osaka. But before we could go to Osaka, we had the opportunity to meet with our fellow Spartans at the annual MSU Alumni Lunch at a nice little venue whose name I forget. I’ll be honest and say that my shyness once again stood in the way of making any friends/contacts, and that I also forget the names of the speakers. Overall, it was fun talking (or for the most part, in my case, listening) to the the other MSU students and speakers about their experiences at MSU and about their lives. While our group was mostly CAS students, we still had a more diverse group of students than the other groups. My favorite part of the experience? Well let’s put it this way: I always find it fun to be in a room full of fellow Spartans when “Go GREEN” is yelled, because I always find it fun to respond “Go WHITE”! There were talks about hanging out with the other students, from the business group I think, but those plans fell through and we never saw them again the rest of our stay there. Too bad, would have been cool to make new friends from MSU, but while in another country.

So I’m a Picky Eater

My hardest challenge besides the language barrier in Japan has been the food.  I am a very picky eater and my taste buds can’t handle the unique style of culinary arts. Being an island, Japan has a high amount of seafood. Seafood is something that I can’t stand and so it is difficult for me to eat it.

Because of the aforementioned “Picky Eater Syndrome”, I find it hard to eat alot here and thus haven’t been eating as much. Some various highlights include:

• Breakfast at the hotel in Tokyo: Nothing too different. Bacon, eggs, sausage links, bread, cereal, milk, coffee, and tea. Although difference in the menu include rice, miso soup, and something that may be seaweed that I never pay attention to. Overall it tastes good, just a little undercooked for my tastes. I always make a point to eat  a lot since I’m so picky and I don’t know when I’ll come across something I would eat.
• Dinner the first night: On our first night here, Dr. C took us to a restaurant and ordered a variety of food for us. Most of it was seafood of course, although there were other dishes such as the one pictured below. I’m not sure what it was but it had a tangy taste I didn’t care for. Other dishes included squid tentacles and fish.I actually some shrimp, which I was told taste like Chicken. The verdict: it tasted like chicken – and it was good! Speaking of chicken, I tried Yakitori for the first time, which is a kabob consisting of skewered grilled chicken and onions. It is one of my favorite dishes in Japan so far.

I will be posting more on my experiences with food in Japan soon. Feel free to respond about your opinions of this food.