215 Days and Counting

By Yuhki Ueda ‘24 JFOU Fellow

Day 1. I first arrived in Japan in July 2025 as a new Shansi Fellow, preparing to start my summer language training. After landing at the Kansai Airport in Osaka, I lugged my two heavy suitcases as I made my way to the luggage delivery service counter at the airport. I anxiously checked that I had all the necessary information written down on my phone in Japanese. Full name? Check. Destination address? Check. Sender’s address? Check. Whether or not I want the luggage to be delivered at a certain time? Check. Ok, you can do this.