Lost in Takayama

Română/日本語 Takayama, which can be translated as the “Tall Mountain”, is a wonderful city in Gifu prefecture. You can find Shirakawago UNESCO site in the same prefecture, a village with traditional Japanese houses, built in gassho-zukuri style (hands in prayer inspired roofs). Takayama, which is not far from Shirakawago, represents the ideal place to stop…

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Takaosan (Mount Takao)

Română/日本語 A week after coming back from Kyoto, here I am again, leaving for another trip to see beautiful autumn leaves, to Mount Takao. Only 50 minutes away from Tokyo (from Shinjuku station), Mount Takao is a popular destination among people living in Tokyo, being a great escape from the city’s hustle and bustle. It…

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In search of Autumn, in Kyoto (Day 1)

Română/日本語 I really wished to visit the Old Imperial capital, Kyoto, during autumn. Kyoto is definitely a wonderful city, with 17 UNESCO monuments and it deserves to be visited in every season, but during autumn and spring, it gets even more beautiful. Admiring the autumn leaves 紅葉狩り (momijigari) is a popular activity for Japanese people,…

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Discovering Tokyo-Asakusa

Română/日本語 After Tokyo Tower, the next place I visited in Tokyo was Asakusa, and I was so impressed by it that it remained my favorite place in Tokyo. Stories and movies about geishas were one of my first encounters with Japanese culture, so that atmosphere of a traditional Japan that Asakusa, the oldest geisha district…

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Festival Atmosphere

Română/日本語 There are hundreds of festivals in Japan, each Shinto shrine holding its own festival once a year. Major ones usually take place in summer, but I was lucky to attend a Japanese festival for the first time in September when I arrived in Japan. It was a small festival and I got there by…

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Discovering Tokyo-Tokyo Tower

Română/日本語 I finally took the train! And I finally bought my own Suica card! But I didn’t do all these by myself, but with the help of the nice and friendly students in WIC. WIC (Waseda International Club) is one of the many student clubs in Waseda, based on international exchange. Along with Niji no…

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Discovering Tokyo Step by Step – ”Konbini”

Română/日本語 The first week in Tokyo was truly overwhelming. Even taking the train by myself seemed scary at first. I was thinking, what if I get lost in this huge city? I had no sim card to call someone and taking a cab would’ve been out of the question considering the price… But I couldn’t…

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A Dream

Română/日本語 My biggest dream so far, going to Japan, is about to come true and I almost cannot believe it… You could wonder “Why Japan?” Well, under the influence of my father, I’ve had an interest in Asian countries since childhood but I had the first contact with Japanese language and culture during middle school….

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