皆さん、こんばんは！じゃあ、もっと１０日で日本に行きます！本当に楽しみですがちょっと怖くなりますね。フォーマットを変更してみてますね。実はこのポストを日本語で書いているのに、日本語のイントロの後で英語版が来ます。そして日本語版下に現れますね。いいですか？うまくいけば、これはメインページを整理した状態に保ちます。（残る日本語のポストが下に現れます。）

Hey guys! Well, it’s only ten more days before I leave for Japan! I’m incredibly excited, but also a little terrified.

I’m trying a slight format change here, to lead with a Japanese greeting or intro, then move into the bulk of the post in English, and finish with the same post in Japanese (though I’m actually writing these posts in Japanese and working backward to English). Hopefully that will keep too much Japanese text from appearing in the previews on the main page, but will also give Japanese friends and readers a reminder that they can read the post in their native language as well.

So! The trip! Well, I’ll leave from Oakland on the 12th, and will arrive in Narita Airport on the 13th. From there, I’ll take a bullet train to Kamakura, and I’ll stay my first night at a hostel next to a canal there. The next day, I’m planning to go see the Daibutsu (a giant statue of Amitabha Buddha, or Amida in Japanese) and Enoshima, a small island destination with restaurants and shops. I’m interested in the Daibutsu as a Religious Studies major, of course, but also as a Buddhist practitioner, and I’d feel foolish if I didn’t go see something I’ve read so much about while I had the chance.

On the 15th I’m planning to head to Nagoya. On the 16th, en route to Kanazawa, I’ll stop at Fukui and Eiheiji (the latter being a giant Zen temple complex you can see more about here), and eventually stay at a hostel in Kanazawa. Afterward, on the 17th, I’ll finally head to Matsumoto. This is where my university is, but also the famous Matsumoto Castle, which hopefully I’ll be able to check out on my first day there, provided I don’t collapse from exhaustion. On the 18th my orientation at Shinshu University will begin, and man … just thinking about it is making me nervous.

But I’m excited! Despite being a little underprepared and overwhelmed, I’m truly looking forward to the experience. My friend Jenna just got back from a year at Shinshu, and because of her I’ve already made some new friends on Facebook and LINE. I’ve also met some other people in Nagano Prefecture on HelloTalk, a sort of Twitter or Instagram-style app for language learners; so even though my Japanese still really sucks, I’m really excited for the opportunity to practice!

Oh, shoot, I almost forgot. Something else pretty great happened too! I was selected by the Gilman Scholarship people (one of several scholarships that are making this trip a reality, for which I am immensely grateful) to write about my experiences for their blog. Very soon you’ll be able to see some official blog posts from me here.

Well, I think that’s about it. As always, thank you everyone for all your support and well-wishing. If all goes as planned, the next post you read from me will be written from an airplane!

９月１２日にオークランド（Oakland）から離れて、１３日に成田空港に着きます。そこから、鎌倉に新幹線で行って、私の初めての夜に水路の隣にホステルに泊まります。次の日は大仏と江ノ島を見に行くつもりです。宗教研究の専攻として大仏に興味があって、ブッディストとしてももっと興味がありますね。

そして１５日に名古屋に行く予定です。１６日は金沢に途中に、福井と永平寺に訪ねって、結局金沢のホステルに泊まります。あとでついに１７日に松本に行きます。それは私の大学がありますが、有名な松本城もあります。そして１８日には、大学でオリエンテーションが始まります。単にそれについて考えているのは私をおろおろにならせます。

でも楽しみですね！ちょっと怖いけど本当に楽しみですよ！私の友達のジェナが信州大学に通って、彼女のかげでフェースブックとLINEで新しい日本人の友達をもう作りました。さらに長野県に住んでいる人もHelloTalkで会いました。

私の日本語はまだまだなのに、もっと練習するのが楽しみですね！

あっ、忘れてしまった！もう一ついい物を起こりましたよ。獲得した奨学金の一つはブログ筆者になるのために私を選択しました！それから私の記事はすぐにここで現れます！

じゃあ、それだけかな。皆さん、いつもありがとうございます。たぶん、次のポストを飛行機で書きます！