Hannah in Japan

Hello again from Tokyo, where it has snowed twice in the past two weeks! It's been chilly, and that's been keeping me indoors for the majority of the past two weeks. I have explored a different shopping mall and had lunch with some friends, but aside from that I've just been cruising and trying to stay warm. Today I wanted to get a little bit personal and touch on a few of the ways in which I've changed since I've been in Japan, some good, some bad. I think living abroad anywhere will change you in ways you may not expect. So let's get into it. 1) I've become more self conscious of how I behave and how I look. I'm very much aware that I stand out as a foreigner here, and that I am being looked at and judged a lot more than if I was Japanese. I also feel a lot of pressure to always look put together and have nice clothes and do my makeup. Coming from small town New Zealand, no one really cares if you leave the house in sweatpants and a hoodie. You don...

Hello again from Tokyo! I'm now another year older, but don't really feel another year wiser after turning 23. :P I had a great day, even though I was working, and a friend booked a restaurant that was all you can eat and all you can drink. They also bought me an handy umbrella that I can fit in my bag! I have 3 big umbrellas, but they are annoying to carry around and I'm always leaving them behind, hence why I own 3. Now I have one that fits in my bag. :P My parents also sent me a few gifts, including some new sports gear, champagne gummy bears and scratchy cards. My gift to myself was a quick trip away to Kyoto/Osaka to visit Universal Studios Japan. It started with a night bus for 8 hours to Kyoto station from Tokyo station. I left Tokyo at around 10.30pm and arrived at 6.30am Thursday morning. The bus ride actually wasn't that bad, despite what you may think when you hear night bus, and it was also very cheap. The seats were comfortable and they reclined quite a lo...