Photos taken by Judy Li (Soka University of America), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Spring 2023
![One CET Japan student holding a chocolate covered banana shaped like a bunny in the street of Dotonbori](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-1-street-food-_700x933.jpg)
We had an outing to Dotonbori on the first weekend! We all bought and ate lots of street food, and I loved my chocolate banana’s funny face!
![Multiple okonomiyakis cooking on a skillet](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-2-okonomiyaki-food_800x600.jpg)
My first okonomiyaki in Japan. They are the mom okonomiyaki and the baby okonomiyakis. We ate them in Dotonbori.
![Safety training session simulation room for natural disasters in Japan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-3-safety-training-activity_800x600.jpg)
We went to a safety training session and learned about what to do in emergent situations, especially in earthquakes, fire, and tsunamis.
![CET students and her roommates posing in front of a Japanese purikura photobooth](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-4-photobooth-with-roommates_800x600.jpg)
I thought I would never go to a purikura photo booth, but here I am, just finishing taking pictures with housemates in purikura… during my first week in Japan.
![A bowl of ramen with meat and vegetables on a wooden tray](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-5-food-ramen-shop-in-OGU_800x598.jpg)
There is a ramen shop inside the cafeteria of Osaka Gakuin University. It’s very delicious, but the portion is a bit small for me (or maybe it was due to the deliciousness that I thought the portion was small). This ramen in the picture costs 500 yen (about 3.85 USD). During our first lunch in school, we all talked about how food in Japan is better and cheaper than in the United States.
![Train tracks in Osaka, Japan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-6-osaka-train_800x600.jpg)
Osaka rarely snows, but it snowed almost every day in our second week. One night, many trains had to stop because of the snow. The trains on the following morning were late too—another rare occasion.
![A bowl of hot pot soup with vegetables and meat](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-7-hot-pot-food-cooked-in-apartment_800x600.jpg)
I used the microwave in my room to cook hot pot. Buying vegetables in the supermarket here is cheap and very convenient. Finding packages of vegetables and meat suitable for one person was easy.
![A student posting by the river in Aikawa](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-8-walk-by-Aikawa-river_800x600.jpg)
I went on a walk with a friend on a beautiful Sunday morning by the river in Aikawa, where many CET students live. We also saw a nutria by the riverbank, who calmly walked past us.
![A red ferris wheel cart above the city of Osaka, Japan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-9-ferris-wheel-in-Umeda_800x600.jpg)
My housemates and I saw the night scene of Osaka on the beautiful red Ferris wheel in Umeda. We could even see the airport if we rode it during the daytime.
![The sun, hiding behind a rail and homes, setting in the city of Osaka, Japan](https://cetacademicprograms.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Blog_Japan_Judy-Li-10-sunset-during-walk-home_800x600.jpg)
Sunset at to our home. My friends and I went to do homework at a café close by, and when we walked back to our house, we were greeted by the beautiful sunset.