I Went to Japan for a University Exchange (Kakehashi Project 2024 🇨🇦x🇯🇵)

I Went to Japan for a University Exchange (Kakehashi Project 2024 🇨🇦x🇯🇵)

so as you guys might know I’ve been
taking language courses in the previous
semesters and luckily enough I got
selected to go to this country for a
week of
exchange Japan thanks to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Japan asia-pacific
foundation and Ja for sponsoring and
organizing this Kakashi project and you
waterl for making this possible I’m able
to experience and learn the culture and
life of a Japanese from their food
Transportation architecture shopping and
all the way to Hom staying and you might
be thinking Marcus this is not an
aviation related video well here you go
welcome to my future office
guys anyways why don’t we start with day
one Welcome to Tokyo guys after meeting
our program coordinator and the team
from y Alberta we immediately went to
our hotel for the night had a quick
dinner and of course the first thing we
got to do is to check out the
convenience
stores and yep the first day is over
waking up to a beautiful sunrise we got
down and had breakfast and let me tell
you I won’t include every single meal in
this video cuz that will be way too long
though I’ll show you guys the best ones
I had that being said I was trying out
Nat for the first time and I heard some
comments about it being gross but damn I
personally find that pretty tasty I also
have this crawle which is a croissant
getting waffle but after adding some
whipped cream strawberry and red paste
it’s a 10 out of 10 3 2 1 all right this
is our first stop of the day and at
Tokyo University Museum about bones but
after a while we went outside and
stumbled across this cool looking
[Music]
Pond anyways our Nick stop is team left
planets for those who don’t know what
this is with your entire body immerse
perceive and become one with the yeah
that’s what it was just take a look at
this
[Music]
touch the balls soft are we allow toou I
think we are allowed to
[Music]
[Applause]
[Applause]
[Music]
touch after team lap planets we’re
headed to
just take a look at this giant
[Music]
Lantern so we got some free time to walk
around the area so David and I went to
this takuaki place called uh anyway it’s
my first time ordering a Japanese I was
so nervous at first and I don’t know if
I should be surprised or not but the kir
actually understood what I was saying I
was so proud of myself and yes they
tasted really
[Music]
good with that done day two is
officially
over moving on to day three I’ll tell
you why we packed up later but first we
went to we guessed it Tokio Tower
[Music]
it’s got a pretty cool view but when we
were leaving we stumbled across a
staircase which we thought was the exit
but no check this
[Music]
out all right it’s lunch time I need to
do something um I need what do we got in
a we don’t have a l
dude it was so good next up we went to a
well-known shopping district in Tokyo
well me and the boys aren’t a huge fan
of shopping so we walked around the
district instead it was
okay all right shinan sent time everyone
shinan sent a bullet train in Japan and
yep we’re moving that’s why we packed
up welcome to the
sh this is
[Music]
after about an hour or two we arrived
ngoya known for its beautiful castle and
other of cool stuffs which we are yet to
experience but first things first we
knew that there was a donkey right
across the street of the hotel so he’s
going to say he’s going to say where we
going where we going donkey oh we’re
going to donkey now don’t get me wrong I
might not be a huge fan of shopping but
Japanese grocery stores I got to try out
everything they got oh and yes they got
a whole second floor that sells
literally everything some people are
getting tired but Matthew and I decided
to go for a walk to check out the beauty
of ngoya at night
[Music]
[Music]
today we’re going to Toyota
commemorative Museum and I thought
Toyota was only a car manufacturer my
whole life and I am so wrong there’s a
whole Toyota textile Corporation there’s
this story about the founder of Toyota
who is an inventor so he figured out
ways to automate textile manufacturing
while his son is interested in car
manufacturing so that’s why there are
two sites of Toyota and let me tell you
guys I took a lot of cool photos so let
me show well how do you feel about this
uh trip to toot disappointed
disappointed why I didn’t go to Tech
wait where are we going right now I’m
actually asking this question I don’t
know then we had this spend to lunch at
CH University
and gr eating the grass
do it do it I like put it in my mouth
and I felt it like wet I felt it like
getting GRE holding all that L do it do
it it’s so good try it come on look
at yeah we met some local University
students here the first thing we did is
to go to this teas ceremony called s now
I’ve heard of what it is but I didn’t
really know what to expect we went to
this Temple next to the university and
entered this really traditional Japanese
sty of room there were servants who
explain how this Tea Ceremony works and
the discipline and mutual respect for
example had to sit in a specific way at
first and even having to excuse yourself
to the next person when drinking the tea
before him having to appreciate your
existence and to enjoy the nature around
you so yeah that’s really interesting
instead of knowing this traditional side
of Japan oh also for those who are
wondering the type of tea Day made it’s
matcha let me tell you they’re the best
matcha I’ve ever tasted it’s
specifically heated to the perfect
drinking temperature and the warmth
gently huged my organs as if it’s
telling me that everything is perfect as
they should
be then we got back to the uni and play
scavenger ooh I think Denise just
dropped something she didn’t fall
anyways after running around the campus
we went back to the event room and the
Japanese students taught us how kanji
and fold this Thousand-Year cran so all
these really traditional stuff they do
all in all it was a fun day at this uni
connecting with all the Japanese
University students for the whole day I
felt really welcomed by them and I
really appreciate that though after
dinner Japanese students invited us to
join them for isaya it’s like a PB but
in Japan a Japanese PB it’s an all you
can drink and they got tons of
selections of alcohol
usually Japanese people will hang out
here after day of work just to chill and
look at that they got a secret handshake
how cool is that anyways after drinking
our last beer we went to karaoke I know
they planned this out really well again
this is a really common thing for them
to do for socializing and let me tell
you there’s literally One karaoke place
every one minute you walk I’m serious
and you should go check that out
yourself but we sang some hits from
Canada and surprisingly they could sing
out most of them and of course they sang
some jpops as well me I offered this
cantony song
pretty cool but fun time passed by
really fast and we got to say goodbye it
was sad but this was definitely the best
night of the trip so
[Music]
far today we started off by going to
ngoya Castle it’s under renovation so
unfortunately you couldn’t see the
inside but it was so gorgeous we also
got the chance of seeing a rebuked
version of the historical residence next
to the castle
[Music]
the traditional sh of Japanese
architecture can be seen here and I was
so impressed this strip into castle made
me learn a lot about Japanese sculpture
that I couldn’t learn anywhere else good
stuff now the lunch in the opinan was
the best lunch ever I’m a huge fan of
Tatu and this is one of the best I’ve
tried in my entire life it’s too good
and the Masha they got here was a
perfect drink along with this
meal all right now the climax off this
trip and it’s home staying yes really
exciting stuff here after pairing up
with Michael from the U of Alberta we
met our host family the nighto family we
discuss where we want to go for these
two days while the host matter drove us
home it’s the first time being host
family but they were so welcoming we did
a little tour of their beautiful house
and a room we’ll be staying in then we
met the children of the host family I
don’t know if that makes them a host
Brothers but I guess I’ll call them that
from now on together we did lots of
stuff as they showed us their hobbies
and of course that includes playing with
their car I meant cats yeah that’s
definitely the highlight of the
[Music]
day together we made dinner and by
dinner I met Takaki and I’m really
grateful that they were doing this cuz
they mentioned that they only make it in
special occasions though it was so fun
making it together for once I really
felt like we were a family together with
a few tries I definitely became the best
takuaki
chef they also made other traditional
Japanese dishes like yakisoba fried
chicken and potato salad then dinner
started definitely one of the best meals
ever and I was super grateful for
[Music]
this then we exchang gifts I gave them
some maple syrup from Canada and they
gave me this spent wrapper and a pair of
Chopsticks I could never be grateful
enough for what they’ve offered me and
Michael now it’s bath time it’s super
common for Japanese houso to have the
tub next to the shower to go for a dip
after cleans her body I didn’t remove
the cover since I didn’t want the water
to cool but no that was probably one of
the most relaxing moments of the entire
trip when I was in the tub I also played
some piano for them to vipe together so
that was pretty cool but my skills were
definitely not as good as their ‘s kid
Tumi he’s super
[Music]
good after having one of the best sleeps
ever we dressed up and went out for
breakfast we went to a cafe called K
Cafe and ordered this thick toast with
red bean paste after filling up our
little tummies we went straight to
inyama one of the oldest castles in
Japan was built here and they got a
super beautiful Temple here a couple
minutes of walk we went inside inyama
castle and take a look at this
breathtaking view it’s so peaceful up
here as if this Castle is looking over
this town quietly protecting it
[Music]
then I got myself an OM Modi it’s an
ulet and uh yeah it looks super nice
though okay so uh Michael and I thought
we saw cherry blossoms but no that was
just a pink Plum Tree but they had a
pretty nice smell oh
you then we had a stroll on the street
next to the castle and stumble across
this shuriken throwing
place
oh
[Music]
oh and after that we had a little snack
my host mother got me this hamburger
it’s not just any regular hamburger the
buns are made out of rice it’s a pretty
cool concept and it tasted pretty
interesting and I also had this which
was a pretty nice treat and after going
onto this fun little Excursion we
returned to the
university and look at the making her
thank you speech in
[Music]
Japanese great job so each group is
sharing off their own experiences and
this is me and my host brother takumi
sharing our experiences and lastly we
sang O Canada together as a pardon gift
to all the host
families I’ll miss you guys I miss you
you these two days passed by as quick as
a blink of a night and I was able to
immerse myself as a Japanese and learned
a lot from
them as you can see this Sunset
definitely matches this kind of sad
moment since this was our last night in
neoya we got to check out the onset of
this hotel that being said we wore this
Yukata provided by the hotel a
traditional Japanese PJ and I believe
going to the onsan is the perfect way to
end our
day today’s day s after a quick
breakfast we’re head straight back to
Tokyo and guys you won’t believe we I
bumped into it’s my host family in fact
they came all the way from their house
to say their last goodbye and let me
tell you they don’t live close to the
station and had to drive all the way
here it was sad but I was really
grateful to have them as my host family
throughout the ride I kept reminising
about our memories we made together I
just wished Michael and I could stay for
another day or two or maybe you know a
week Upon Our return to Tokyo we got to
prepare our presentation to report what
we flirted throughout the trip on the
last day so we locked in and worked for
three full hours then it’s
done so David met some Japanese exchange
students back in water last year so he
invited us to go to isaka with them
after dinner though this was her last
night in Japan and I kind of want to go
somewhere else and explore the city so
after drinking and chatting for a bit
Michael Richard and I left early and we
went to a place a place that’s famous
for its unique pedestrian Crossing along
with lots of shops on the side yep who
went to
[Music]
Shibuya we had a lot of fun there we
also went to this seven story donkey for
a quick strill which was kind of cool
and after all that our final night in
Japan was
over today’s our last day in Japan and
we got to present our findings of this
trip to ja which stands for Japan
international corporation Center the
dress Cod was business formal so I kind
of felt like I’m an office worker in
Japan we walked to the community center
and uh Denise and I were on the wrong
side of the street so please ignore that
so yeah we presented our findings and
action plans and I believe it was an
interesting way to summarize our
Exchange in Japan our last destination
was guys guess what I bumped
into together we went to different malls
and this one caught my eye cuz there’s
something special about this
[Music]
one there’s a Gundam statue outside of
this mall okay I’m not a Gundam fan but
hey this was still pretty awesome and
after taking a couple of photos with
Gundam and Samuel we stumble across this
spon call Museum you can search up what
that means and I really like how
Japanese people are able to beautify
literally anything well this trip has
officially come to an end 8 days have
passed by really fast and I definitely
want to stay longer I have learned a a
lot about Japanese culture and
traditions from the people I’ve met and
that was truly One of a Kind experience
that being said I highly highly
recommend you to plan the trip to
Japan so it’s been 9 days hasn’t been
eight 8 days how do you guys feel after
the
trip it’s over yeah it’s pretty sad well
we’re going to be boarding in a few
hours so hopefully a few hours it’s like
two hours just a few hours yeah we’re
not sh until
a I hate
Mar and that was it I believe the
objective of Kakashi projects has been
reached cuz the Japanese word Kakashi
means Bridge which symbolizes the
relationships between the participants
of this project from Canada and Japan
and to become Bridges between both
Nations and cultures I think it was
pretty successful given my experience
lastly as me and the boys were working
down to the arrival Hall we reflected
upon this whole trip and we all agreed
that this will become a core memory in
our lives and we will never forget this
wonderful experience in Japan thank you
once again to ja Japan’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and Asia Pacific
foundation for planning and organizing
this Kakashi project

Thanks for watching!!

This trip to Tokyo and Nagoya went better than I expected, the amount of Japanese culture, tradition and language left me in awe!!

The Naito family did an amazing job taking care of me and Michael. We had so much fun with this family 🙂

Also, thanks to Chukyo University students for showing us around your beautiful campus, and bringing us to Izakaya and Karaoke, me and my friends for sure had a lot of fun with you guys!! 🎤🍺

The JICE exchange group did a fantastic job planning out our itinerary and bringing us to lots of cool places given that we only had a very limited time slot, they still managed to pull this off 🔥🔥

I really recommend you guys to take a trip to Japan if you can, I had such a great experience, and so will you!

Lastly, I want to thank the Asia Pacific Foundation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan and most importantly JICE exchange for organizing this wonderful Kakehashi program! And of course, thanks to renison college in UW for giving me this opportunity. 🇯🇵🇨🇦

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pilot._.marcus/
Personal account: https://www.instagram.com/cheung._.marcus/

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 Intro
00:39 Day 1
01:01 Day 2
03:19 Day 3
05:52 Day 4
08:44 Day 5
11:23 Day 6
13:58 Day 7
15:27 Day 8
17:04 Outro

Music:
Most sound sources were used from Dova-Syndrome. Check out their website for more details:
https://dova-s.jp/

2:23 AM – しゃろう
BIGBAND vs 8 BITBAND – Keyta
COLOR – Yuhei Komatsu
Dancer – Yuhei Komatsu
君はレトロ – Yuhei Komatsu
夕方のキミと朝のボク – Yuhei Komatsu
宇宙より遠い街 – Yuhei Komatsu
Girl Meets Jazz – MFP [Marron Fields Production]
Ramp Jazz – MFP [Marron Fields Production]
Rock With U – MFP [Marron Fields Production]
Swing Men – MFP [Marron Fields Production]
Jazz in the Fall – Fukagawa
Stand Up – H
Somewhat Blues Rock – Shimtone
Yellow – 龍崎一
ゆったりアフタヌーン – いまたく
午後の窓、コーヒーの香り。 – のる
海辺のステップ – 蒲鉾さちこ

Japanese music / MOJI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLxuHHArGhg

#vlog #travel #japan #university #exchange #kakehashi