From time to time, participants in the college’s study abroad to Nishinomiya, Japan, led by Tom Salsbury, will be giving updates on their experiences. This one was written by preservice teacher Gracie Lee, and received no editing from the college.

And we are off to another adventure in Japan! Today’s journey would begin a little later as we all decided that some much needed sleep would be necessary.

After waking up, showering, and eating breakfast, we were off to see the Himeji Castle. Boy was it a sight to see. It was so beautiful and well designed. Steep stairs and low doorway entries accompanied the castle. After taking lots of pictures and enjoying the view, it was time for lunch. We decided to eat together for another group meal. It was delicious! I had curry for the third day in a row and it was magnificent! After eating lunch, the group decided to split up. Some of us went to the zoo, while others went on adventures of their own. To wrap up the day at the castle, a couple of us decided to take a walk through the Nishi-Oyashiki-Ato Garden. The garden was huge! There were at least 12 different types of gardens at the Nishi-Oyashiki-Ato Garden. Lots of fish, flowers, and trees made for a wonderful afternoon. After the garden, it was time to catch the train and head back to the Hostel.

It sure was a great Saturday in Japan! The weather was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. It’s sad to think that our adventure is coming to an end, but we all have made the best of our journey in Japan.