CHRISTMAS & WINTERin Japan

After nearly four months of living in Tokyo,
it was safe to say that almost all of thescholars felt settled by the end of 2022.
Whilst nothing induces homesickness for
us Brits more than the thought of missing aChristmas Dinner, thankfully Genie waskind enough to host a Christmas Party for
us to indulge in festivities of our very own.
With British ingredients sparse, and morethan a handful of vegetarians, it was nosmall feat to pull together food for fifteen.
Instead, we celebrated with a potluck
dinner consisting of fried cauliflower steaks,
herb frittata, roasted paneer, beef stew,
veggies and, to top it all off, gravy madefrom Veer’s out-of-date Bisto granules(desperatetimes

callfordesperatemeasures). For dessert, we had panettone,
fresh pastries, chocolate brownies, rocky
road, and Jack’s incredible tiramisu! After
gorging ourselves on a ridiculous amountof food, we played games and exchanged
SecretSanta

gifts

beforecallingourfamilies who were only just waking up.
Despite being a far cry from the traditional
Christmas Day we’re used to back home(especially with classes on Christmas Eveand Boxing Day!), it was truly wonderful toexperience my first Christmas in Japan withsuch a special group of people who I amlucky enough to call my friends on thisincredible adventure.

HANNAH DICKSON (DS 2022)

Following Christmas, it was time to explore more of Japan! Over the next two weeks,
the Daiwa Scholars embarked upon various adventures outside of Tokyo. Carlos andHannah visited traditional Kyoto, Genie and her boyfriend Will saw the bowing deer inNara, Veer and I travelled across several prefectures in the snowy north, whilst Chrisand Gareth made it all the way to Hokkaido.
This was my first time on the shinkansen bullet train, and we were treated to somebreathtaking views of snow-covered fields and mountains as we neared Akita. Our
first stop was a museum devoted to namahage, demon-like beings from Japanesefolklore who visit homes on New Year's Eve promising a rich harvest for the coming
year, as well as terrifying children into behaving for the good of the village. We even
tried our hand at snowshoeing, which saw us trudging through a forest of knee-deepsnow guided by a local expert who let us test out some traditional kanjiki snowshoes
made from wood and rope. It only took a short visit to the onsen hot springs to warm
ourselves up afterwards!
Over the next week and a half, we visited countless temples, took a boat tour
propelled by boatmen with bamboo poles through the Geibikei Gorge, climbed over
one thousand treacherously icy steps to the top of Yamadera, and, perhaps myfavourite day of all, ferried to Tashirojima Island inhabited by a large population ofstray cats. By the time we reached Aizuwakamatsu Castle, we had travelled across a
grand total of five prefectures: Akita, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima.

With our first term at Waseda officially complete, Julian, Genie, Veer, Amy and I set off
on a road trip to Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture and a 6-hour drive fromTokyo. Quite disparate from the hustle and bustle of the city we have become
accustomed to, Kanazawa is known for its well-preserved Edo-era districts which,along with a trip to Shirakawago Village comprised of gassho-zukuri style farmhouses,
gave us a glimpse into traditional Japanese life. We also managed to see the snowmonkeys in Nagano! Nothing could have been more special, however, than watching
the heavy snowfall with a hot chocolate from inside a traditional coffee shop.
Such moments, with this wonderful people who I would otherwise never have met if itweren’t for the Daiwa Scholarship, make me endlessly grateful for the opportunity I
have been given to fulfil my long-standing dream of creating a life in Japan. From
heavy snow to a Spring filled with cherry blossoms, I am sure this next year willcontinue to be just as magical as I had hoped.