Pre-arrival thoughts

Being in Japan for the first time back in 2010 was amazing, everything was new, weird and beautiful. I was there alone for a month so had no one to care about, just do whatever I wanted.
I am sure living there for 4 months will be just as wonderful and although I predict studying at the Kyoto Seika will be keeping me busy enough I do not plan on being much of a tourist.
Not really going sightseeing but running into the wonderful while going about my daily life in Kyoto.
Of course I do plan on making trips to cities I have never been before like Kurashiki, a city that has captured my attention online about 9 years ago. I didn't visit during the first trip because it seemed less important back then, but now it feels like I have enough time to visit little cities like those.
I am also really looking forward to seeing some nice and quiet countrysides. With little thatched roof houses, selling local veggies and goods with a cute little obaa-chan (granny) watching the front, taking naps on a chair in the shade.
Actually my dream is to live on the Japanese countryside in a small wooden house with my backyard being a field of sunflowers, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

This time being in Japan is also the first time I will be cooking for myself in a foreign country, seeing I went out for my breakfast, lunch and dinner back in 2010 this will prove to be a new challenge. I wasn't raised in a kitchen and never had a big affinity for cooking. But I do really look forward to try and cook Japanese food for myself, getting fresh products on the Nishiki market in the center Kyoto... probably ending up making something totally wrong.

One of the things I am looking forward to aswell is the Hanami which is viewing the beautiful dazzling pink cherry blossom. In Japan you do this with friends in a park on a blue tarp with lots of delicious food and sake there to enjoy while viewing. I have already been invited to do this by my dear friend Miku who I met here in The Netherlands while she was an exchange student at my art academy.
Actually there are sooo many things I am looking forward to and also many things I am not looking forward to so much, but I will eleborate once settle in Kyoto.

I am most likely going to miss my boyfriend, whom I live together with, like mad. But I am curious to see how long those 4 month really are when you are studying in a country like Japan.
Hopefully you will be reading alongside with me as I will try to update daily on this blog about my life in Japan!

-Love
Evita

Cherry blossom in Ueno park, Tokyo, 2010