Life Update - Studying 1 year in Japan & my TV appearance ♥

Miss Neko - a German girl living and studying in Japan 
Hi sweeties ♥ ヾ(*'▽'*)
Long time no see ! YES - I'm still alive and have just risen from the
undead(-bloggers). My last post was in 2016 and almost my whole life has changed so drastically in these 2 years. I still do love sharing my adventures in Japan and around the world with you guys, though ♥ So it has been bugging me a bit that I just didn't find the time to write, these past years. I've started to be very active on Instagram though. So if you wanna follow me and see my stories about my daily life, Japan, travelling the world & many exciting things I just have to shout into the void of the internet, 'cause I dont wanne keep it just for myself - heres my Instagram @officialmissneko
I post stories almost daily ♪
Want an update on what I've been doing the last 2 years ?
Just watch the video above (･ω･)☆ 
I have actually been able to fulfill my childhood dream and move to Japan !
I have been living in Kobe, which is near Kyoto and Osaka.There I have been studying at a Japanese University as an exchange student from autumn 2016 until autumn 2017.The German newspaper of my small hometown even wrote an article about my time abroad. I even made the front page : 

It says "Johanna is living her dream in Japan" 

The first page:

Page 2 :

This is at my graduation ceremony from the University in Kobe in autumn 2017:

The two women at the sides are organizers of the exchange program and

the woman on my left was our main Japanese teacher. They were all incredibly sweet to us students and always there for us ~ I think of all my life as a pupil/student
these will be the people I will remember the most throughout my life. They had a great impact on me and I'll always be grateful for that ♥
I'm trying to give back the kindness and help they showed me to the world in my daily life now.

Now you know why I sadly had to take a big break from blogging. I can't describe to you how much work and effort it took to make this dream come true. But I see this as a motivator, you can always make your dream happen somehow ! Just be prepared for the effort it might take and keep your expectations and plans realistic.

Sometimes the days working towards this were incredibly hard, but what always made me happy and not loose my stamina was thinking of this quote by the german philosopher Immanuel Kant: "Ich kann, weil ich will, was ich muss"
roughly translates to: "I CAN, because I WANT what I MUST"
meaning ~ I can do everything I want to do, because I want to do the things I HAVE to do, to get me what I want. If I want this outcome 'A' I also must want everything that will lead me to my goal and see it already as a part of my goal.
At least this is how I interprete it. It made me happy to know all the work, all the MANY paperwork and preperations were already a part of me going to Japan and bringing me so much closer. That helped a lot and not to forget the strong support system I had in my lovely family, friends & my partner ♥ I couldn't have done it without them either.
♪
I was also working a part time Job besides University for about 2 years in a
Japanese-German bookstore: Takagi - books and more
Besides books we also sold Manga, japanese magazines and a lot of anime Merchandise.
So you can guess I really enjoyed my time there and on top of all everyone who works there is really sweet which makes it even nicer ♪

Of course not only the inner me has changed a lot in these 2 years, my sense of fashion has evolved as well. With all these millions of inspirational influences I had, while living in Kobe ♪
♥ Here are a few looks I really enjoyed during the last 2 years :

Pastel Goth Moon Child ~

My personal casual look ~ shopping in Shibuya ♥

Of course I also still followed my passion for Kimono while being in Kobe ♥

Snow fairy Gal at mount Fuji ♪

Casual Winter look ♥ I dyed my hair all by myself in this photo and I can tell you it was such a struggle to do that with only 2 arms (￣▽￣*)ゞ

Romantic Country look ~ Onee-Gal version ♪

I even got this super cute fan-art made by LALYCK.
Thanks so much dear ! (*♡∀♡) I wish I looked THAT pretty *-*

Fills my heart with happyness that this is how you see me ♥

Check our her page, she's such a talented artist !

Doing one of my favourite things in Japan - Thrift shopping in the Book off ♥

Pastel Mermaid ♥ in Harajuku

Liz Lisa x MyMelody look in front of the Osaka Castle. 

I took a million Purikura - of course ! ♥
This dress is also Mermaid themed by Secret Honey and the
cardigain is by Liz Lisa.

When I wasn't learning or working the past 2 years I spend all the free time I had with my lovely friends - old and new ones ♥

With one of my closest friends ♥  aka. V-chan ;D
I had some classes with her at Uni, now she already has a Job in Tokyo.
She also played a big part of me going to Kobe. When I first went to Japan in 2014 I flew with her. She was starting her year abroad in Kobe, at the exact same Uni I went to, 2 years later. The day I left her at the University I was determined - I want to study here too, this was all I could ever dream of.
That gave me motivation for the next years. Thanks so much again for
all the help & guidance ♥

Then there is of course my bestie Bea-chan ;3 ♥

 She introduced me to her passion - Kimono & let it become mine too.
She stayed with when I first visited Japan in 2014. She was living in Kyoto at that time. And also helped me more often than I can count ♥
With my studies ~ but also my life ^^" Thanks Onee-san !

I visited her during my year in Kobe, while she was working, in Bali. We decided spontaneously to spend my summer holidays together. Another huge adventure I might share with you in another entry. I wanted to show a pic of us together in Bali but I found none ?! I must admit since I know her she has been taking hundreds of thousands of photos of me (eternal thankfullness) as she likes photography & just is really nice. So every time we go somewhere I have a thousand photos of landscapes and myself ;_; ups
We need to start taking more than just 1 purikura every 2 years dude !! (ง ื▿ ื)ว

Currently I'm in a long-distance friendship with Bea & Wiebke ;_; 

Which I'm surprisingly used too...as it's the same with my boyfriend since almost 2 years now. But I must say I feel really warm inside, seeing that no matter how far away we're all scattered across the globe I've always felt close to you all and you were still always there with me ♥ you're the best !

Although I'm in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend, we still talk almost every day. He even visited me 4 times during my stay in Kobe.
Briefly - but still ♥ I think that was very kind of him.
He's living in Los Angeles since about 2 years now and I will move in with him there most likely this October ! FINALLY *-*

Like I said I also met many great people & made new frieds during my 

year in Kobe. And I'm glad that I was blessed enough to have been able to get to know so many sweet personalities ♥

Summer festival on Campus 

 Out with the dorm squad ♥ I'll never forget you guys !
Eating my favourite Japanese dish! Okonomiyaki (I eat the vegetarian version).
(They're all wearing paper napkins to protect their clothes - why don't I ??
I have the biggest reason to wear one, as I'm in an Angelic Pretty dress there...what is wrong with me o.O)

With cute Claudy ~ my neigbour & closest friend and ally from the time 

in Kobe ♥ I'm glad you were there during my year ! Wouldn't have been half as great without you ♪  

At the German Embassy in Osaka with Claudy ♪ 

We were invited to an event, but I can't remember what it was exactly.

 At the Tenrikyo Temple in Nara 

With Natsumi-chan & Junna-chan from my exchange uni (＾▽＾)♥
We were the Opa-squad (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b
'Cause we all liked the shopping center called OPA and I told them
that it's hilarious to me, because it means "Grandpa" in German :D
It's a really fancy, big shopping department all over Japan with the cutest clothes ♥ I think it's as good as Shibuya 109 and really similar. With brands like Liz Lisa, DaTura and Swankiss present .

With the Swankiss staff girls in the OPA in Osaka ♥

 Never wanting to leave Harajuku ♪

Overlooking Tokyo ♥ On the Tokyu Plaza Omotesando

 But one day came the day I had to leave my dear Kobe ♥ .･ﾟﾟ･(／ω＼)･ﾟﾟ･.

 In autumn 2017 I went back to Germany to finish my last semester of University, write my Bachelor's thesis and then finally be finished
and free to go wherever my heart takes me.
♪
So this is what I'm currently doing - writing my Bachelor's thesis and doing a lot of preperations to finally move to Los Angeles to live there with my boyfriend.
♥
I just want to enjoy the next 2 years there and become much more active on social media like Youtube and Blogger. I'll also have a job in the US. but that's a story for another time. I will say right now, I'll be travelling a hell of a lot *-*
Just like I always dreamed of. My boyfriend and I can't really make plans set in stone yet for the far future as his job as a music producer is so spontaneous and you gotta be very flexible, but that suits our lifestyle at the moment. One thing we do know for certain though, before I turn 30 years old we will return to Japan for 1 year at least and I will search for a job during that time, that will promote me a work visa in Japan, like many of my friends and old study buddies have done already.
I would like to stay in Japan then and my boyfriend is quite fond of that idea too, but we will see where life will lead us until that time comes. ^-^

Thats it for now ~
I've already got 2 new entries planned so there's gonna be more frequent updates on here again.
Thanks so much for staying a blog follower all this time ! You guys are the best ♥

Miss Neko in Kyoto: Nijō Castle, Imperial Palace & Updates ♥

Hi everyone ! ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡
Ohh ~ It feels like I've been away from my blog for ages.
It's almost been half a year. But I had lots of important things going
on in my life recently. I actually might have never worked so hard in my life like
I do these days. And I have a reason for it that's really dear to my heart.
I can't wait to tell everybody about it. But I must wait until this may.
At least so far things are looking pretty damn good ! 

So more about this in may, that's a promise ;3

♪~   Update Time   ~ ♪

Today I took another very important Japanese exam at my University.

That has been the reason I've been hidden away in a dark cave for weeks.
Learning every day, only getting out once a day for lunch.
It' will pay out eventually, I guess ^^
~♥~
I'm also currently still working at a Japanese bookstore called
Takagi - Books & more （高木書店・ドイツ）

Let's get to todays topic:  My trip to Kyoto 

On the picture above you can see me standing right in front of
Nijō Castle ( Nijo-jo in Japanese. 二条城 )
It's an UNESCO World Heritage located in Kyoto.
 The person who ordered the construction of the castle was the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu.

 You should remember the name if you're into Japan.
It's one of the history basics ;3

Tokugawa Ieyasu 

was the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate,
which  ruled Japan from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600
until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
He was one of the 3 historic persons who unified feudal Japan (1185-1603)
and led to major changes for the country.
The other 2 were :
Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. 

~♪~

Just to give you the basic background informations.
I think it's really important to keep the history in mind that's so tightly
connected to these beautiful places in Japan.
I think you shouldn't just wander around air-headed at these landmarks
like one of the more ignorant tourists.
The castle was also a museum with lots of explainations and interesting
displays with lifesized puppets in the castle.
But enough history lesson for now,
I'm already getting nightmares as I'm reminded of my long ago
Basic Japanese History exam ...
I must say I was really awestruck when I saw this beautiful place with my own eyes,
thinking of it's past and the people who lived there.
I use to get really dreamy and thoughtful at historic places like this.

Me at one of the castle's moats. It has 2 fortifications looking like this.
You can also see the big wall on the left.

I climbed sooo many steps with my friend Bea for this pretty view over the area.
I love it how you can almost always see mountains at Kyoto's horizon, as
it's sourrounded by them with an opening in the south.
Therefore it's also insanely hot with super humid air. That day was one of the
hottest day's I witnessed in Japan. It was extreme for me as a German.
I've never been in such a climate before, but I still prefere it to the German weather.

Here you could listen to some of the history of Nijo Castle.
Fun Fact: The golden letters on the bottom of the sign
say Kyoto Rakuchuu Lion's Club | 京都 洛中ライオンズクラブ
and that instantly caught my eye as I only know of the existence of
Lion's clubs due to my boyfriend :D
His mother was/is (?) a member of a German one (they are everywhere)
and my honey once took part in an exchange program to Sweden trough them.
I didn't know they had this in Kyoto as well.

One of the doll displays :

They had lots more inside the Castle and that was truly the most beautiful part
but you couldn't take photos inside. You also had to take off your shoes before
going in. I really liked it, it felt funny to walk just in socks in such a huge building with
so many other people :D The floor was wooden and the one in the hallways is
even a very special one. It's called :
Nightingale floor

as it makes a chirping sound when you walk on it.
And it really did ^^ It was build for protection. So intruders
who snuck in at night would instantly wake someone up.

~♥~

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The moat:

I wanted to go inside the water soo badly as it was so hot but of course I couldn't :D
I'm still so in love with all the details of the architecture. Better than in any movie.
These things make me just wanna sit there and dream all day.

Kara-mon - the main entry to the Ninomaru Palace :

The Ninomaru Palace is one of the 2 palaces on the compound.

Here you can see the build in Japanese cranes (Red-crowned crane)
タンチョウ = Tanchou
They have always been an important symbol in Japan.
They are even the official logo of Japan Airlines ^^
There is lots of Japanese art portraying them but my favourite things
displaying them are - of course - Kimono ♥
Sadly they are endangered and on the Red List.

Uchikake with Red-crowned Cranes :

Can you see me hiding from the harsh sun under an umbrella on the photo below ?
Now that's at the Kyoto Imperial Palace :

I hope you have an idea now of how incredibly huge this Palace area is.
I think I've never been to a building that had such wide surroundings.
It felt a bit surreal and adventurous ^^

The Kyoto Imperial Palace  is the former ruling palace of the Emperor of Japan.
Since 1869 (Meiji Restoration) the Emperor resides in Tokyo which is Japan's
capital since then. Before all that Kyoto was Japan's capital.

And again you can see mountains and a shadow creature (￣▽￣*)ゞ

Another very cold and tempting river thing I found that day ;D
But I don't exactly know what this one is, I don't think it's a moat as it's so shallow.
I really liked it, please tell me what this is if you know ^^

 ~♥~

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While wandering around the area a friendly Japanese woman came to us and
asked us in English where we're from. It turns out she was doing a
homework for her english course. What a great idea and pretty easy in big cities in 
Japan due to all the tourists.
Using sightseeing spots as places to find language practise :)
How nice. We talked a bit and she was also surprised how we could just have a 
normal conversation in Japanese with her ^^ 

 That's it for today !
I hope you want to visit Kyoto now too ♥
Nya  (´｡• ω •｡`).｡ｏ♡