Our first week in Japan began with a meeting in the LAX International Airport, where all of us, minus Sienna, spent the first night. The next day we left for Japan, embarking on an 11 hour flight, where we then landed at the Narita airport in the afternoon. The first few days in the city were exciting: we all traveled to shrines, famous neighborhoods (Asakusa, Akihabara, Shinjuku) and experienced the many interesting activities that can be done while visiting Japan (like doing group Karaoke for Hailey’s birthday, or buying a hat for your cat out of a gashapon vending machine).
We also attended animation classes at an art university, as well as voice acting classes at a dance and music university. Although the classes were challenging, it was great to learn from professionals in their respective field. The classes were almost entirely in Japanese, with the translator only adding a few details that would be basic guiding. We learned several animation techniques that were taught by professional artists.
Each day we had some free time where we would go in groups of three or more and do many activities, such as finding restaurants, going shopping, visiting an arcade, or just talking to each other. We share our experiences with each other and are becoming close friends.
– Cate, Jeff, Ian
