Mostly, everyone walks in and around our campus, but I got onto a Japanese train for the first time to scout out a secondhand store a short distance away. My Japanese professor helped us, too. He would ask us about our favorite places to walk and our favorite restaurants. Every day for attendance we would answer a new question relevant to Akita and our lives here.
Pretty soon the time came for me to get a bank account. Japan uses cash a lot, and there was only so long I could get by on the cash I brought. To do that, I needed the normal identification but also something else. A hanko is required to open a bank account. It translates to “seal” and is basically a fancy stamp that serves as, or in addition to, a signature. Having something as common as a bank account made me feel much closer to my community. It isn't something a tourist in Japan can have.
Something else that helped me integrate into my community and get away from campus was going on field trips. The first place we went was Kakunodate, a city known for its samurai houses. We hiked up a mountain and the view at the top was something I thought only existed in movies. After going down and touring some really cool samurai houses, a friend and I broke off from the group to get away from all the tourists and find somewhere to eat. We found a quiet izakaya (Japanese pub) where we sat on the floor at low tables. It was a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the environment, away from the tourist attractions. After Kakunodate, we went to Lake Tazawa (the deepest lake in Japan) and enjoyed the view. It was amazing how so many of the tourists exploring that day were Japanese.
