28/12/2025
🇯🇵✨ Rotary International Student Exchange | Kasaoka, Japan – Day 5 & Day 6 ✨🇯🇵
Day 5
We kicked off the morning with HUGE, sweet Japanese strawberries and hot chocolate — simple, cozy and the perfect start to the day! 🍓☕️
Lunch was extra special because we had a BBQ with the Kasaoka East Rotary Club members. We discovered Japan’s famous tare BBQ sauce… and wow, it was SO good! I’m officially on a mission to find it in Malaysia so I can share that amazing flavour with everyone back home! 😋🔥
In the afternoon, Mr. Takahashi’s son and daughter brought us around Satosha Town. Our first stop was Tsubaki-Hill Sports Park, where singer Fujii Kaze filmed his MV — the place was stunning, calm and surrounded by nature 🌿 Then came gelato 🍨, followed by a visit to 明王院 temple, where we learned about Japanese spiritual traditions, ancestor respect and even bought fortune bags for good luck.
Dinner was garlic ramen with Mr. Takahashi’s family — so flavourful, loaded with bean sprouts and delicious takenoko (baby bamboo shoots). 🍜 After that, we did some shopping for the next day, and our incredibly caring host family kept worrying we’d go hungry and almost fed us supper again 🤣 They even bought lots of snacks for us to try. Truly blessed to be in such warm hands. ❤️
Day 6
Another strawberry morning! 🍓 This time with onigiri before heading to Okayama Ryūkoku High School.
Abigail and I joined different classes — she went to junior high while I experienced senior high school life. I attended history, music and English lessons, and the students were so friendly and welcoming. We even shared Japanese and Malaysian food together during lunch 🇯🇵❤️🇲🇾
In the afternoon, I joined the school’s badminton club. They were super skilled… and also incredibly funny! The court was full of laughter. After school, we stopped by Lawson convenience store for snacks — because Japan snacks are a must! 😆
Dinner was Indian-Japanese fusion food — surprisingly similar to Malaysian mamak dishes like biryani and Maggi goreng 🤣 The naan with curry tasted like home… just with zero spiciness even though we ordered level 3! 🔥😂 Before dinner, Mr. Takahashi shared fascinating stories about Japan’s Sh**un era, and later we visited Kasaoka Old Town to explore Tokugawa-era historical sites. Such an eye-opening experience!
To end the night, we went stargazing in a car with a starlight headliner ✨ The sky was unbelievably clear, filled with countless bright stars. Photos couldn’t capture the beauty — it was truly breathtaking and magical.
Every day here feels unforgettable… and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings 💖🇯🇵
