Foreword: Journal of my Japan trip

Write then delete, I still can’t find any words that best describe how wonderful this trip was.

To write about my very first Japan trip, I should look back on the time when I was just a junior at ULIS. It was about 2 years ago. I made my first attempt to apply for the Mahoroba Summer Program 2018 at Nara Women’s University. To be honest, I was way too reckless to prepare for the application round carefully. As a result, I did fail. It served me right, right? However, in March 2019, I took my second chance. I didn’t think I would be chosen, but I just simply thought: “At least, I’ve tried my best and successfully conquered the fear of failure.”

The informing email from Ms. Kurio came to me as a big surprise. So this was the first time I’ve been to Japan. My family and I were both delighted and worried. We experienced a mixture of joy and anxiety at that time because I hadn’t been to a foreign country alone before. But this was the trip of a lifetime, indeed. I believe in myself and my companions (Hue & Hong Anh). We’ve truly enjoyed ourselves with so many friends and exciting moments in Japan last summer.

And there were a lot of interesting stories during my preparation for the trip, namely how I got the new passport and Japan visa.

Tragically, I was robbed of my backpack with all of my important documents including my old passport in September 2018. When I went to register for my new passport in February 2019, I swore an oath that I have to go to at least one foreign country this year. Do you know why? I got scolded by my father for something so silly that I can’t recall at the moment. My aunt helped me with the procedure, and as soon as mine was issued, she sent me the passport number right before I finished my application form. (Auntie, if you are reading this post, I would say THANK YOU again and again 🙂 ).

And how I got a Japan visa is another appealing story.  Although my peers got some tourism companies to attain their visas, I did it myself. This was the first time ever in my life I walked into an Embassy in Hanoi. Because I’m an inexperienced university student, I asked my uncle whether I should wear a T-shirt with sports trousers to the Embassy. (I’m just too lazy to wash more clothes, you know). And his reply was, “You needn’t put fancy makeup on your face with a far too formal outfit, but don’t be that childish.” So I knew I shouldn’t employ streetwear on such occasions. My final decision on my appearance these days was exactly the same as myself wearing for in-class presentations.

Contrary to conventional belief, I found it very easy to obtain a contemporary visitor visa to Japan last summer. I just looked up the information and instruction on the Internet and followed the guideline on the Japanese Embassy’s website. And their policy is really nice in that for students participating in short-term programs like me, the fee is 0 VND. Wow, I got a free visa to Japan! You see, they are generous to promote cooperation between the two countries, and they are only strict with those who have the bad intention (to unofficially make money after arriving in the foreign country). Obviously, it’s so disappointing that there’s a large number of Vietnamese people staying and working illegally not just in Japan but also in other developed countries. This negative phenomenon makes it more and more difficult for the whole nation to travel to those countries. I think the young generations are taking the major responsibility to make the Vietnamese passport more reliable and powerful now and in the future.

In short, after nearly 3 months, I started uploading my journal on the trip to Japan this summer. It seems to be so late, but I deem that the work must be of the highest quality for my careful consideration. This post is like a foreword to a non-fiction book about my real-life experience during my journey to meeting the better me! So keep focus, and stay tuned!