My First Travel Experience-Iwankuni Japan

July 6, 2025

The first time I traveled outside the country was during my time in the Navy. I remember getting orders to Iwakuni, Japan, and being overwhelmed with fear and nervousness. I wasn’t sure if it was genuine fear or just my mind playing tricks on me, but I knew I was experiencing a range of emotions. I remember the flight being long, at least over ten hours, and every minute felt like an eternity.

I remember that while I was on the plane, I sat next to a service member who was stationed in Iwankuni before. I expressed my concerns, and he told me all the wonderful things about this place and how he was looking forward to being here again. He shared stories of the local culture, the warm and welcoming people, and the scenery. I stepped off the plane, and all I saw were these beautiful mountains. Despite my fears and nervousness, I was ready to embark on this journey, not just from a Naval aspect but also to explore this beautiful country.

The first thing I did was eat ramen. When my supervisor suggested it, I was skeptical; the only ramen I was familiar with was Top Ramen, like why would he take me to eat this? But my goodness, that was the best ramen I’ve ever tasted in my life. The noodles were fresh, and the broth was excellent. He then took me around the town. Everything was small but appeared big to my new eyes. I was grateful for the beautiful scenery, the different colors of the buildings, the sounds of the streets, and the smell of the delicious food. It was the first time I had ever seen 7-Eleven sell chicken, LOL. I mean, you could get a whole meal there. It was new to me. They had vending machines on street corners. It sold juice, hot and cold coffee, and tea. It was amazing, and to this day, I miss it.

My first week in Japan only deepened my fascination with this culture and country. Something about the mountains, scenery, colors, and sounds calmed my emotions, and I couldn’t explain it. I just knew it was giving me something to look forward to.

The first time I traveled outside the country was during my time in the Navy in 2014.

I remember getting orders to Iwakuni, Japan, and being overwhelmed with fear and nervousness. I wasn’t sure if it was genuine fear or just my mind playing tricks on me, but I knew I was experiencing a range of emotions. The flight was long—at least over ten hours—and every minute felt like an eternity.

While I was on the plane, I sat next to a service member who had been stationed in Iwakuni before. I expressed my concerns, and he told me all the wonderful things about the place and how he was looking forward to returning. He shared stories about the local culture, the warm and welcoming people, and the scenery.

When I stepped off the plane, all I saw were these beautiful mountains. Despite my fears and nervousness, I was ready to embark on this journey, not just from a Naval aspect but also to explore this beautiful country.

My First Ramen in Japan

The first thing I did was eat ramen. When my supervisor suggested it, I was skeptical. The only ramen I was familiar with was Top Ramen. Like, why would he take me to eat this?

**But my goodness—**that was the best ramen I had ever tasted in my life. The noodles were fresh, and the broth was excellent.

Discovering the Town

He then took me around the town. Everything was small but appeared big to my new eyes. I was grateful for the beautiful scenery, the different colors of the buildings, the sounds of the streets, and the smell of delicious food.

It was the first time I had ever seen 7-Eleven sell chicken—LOL! I mean, you could get a whole meal there. It was all new to me. They even had vending machines on street corners selling juice, hot and cold coffee, and tea. It was amazing, and to this day, I miss it.

Falling in Love with Japan

My first week in Japan only deepened my fascination with this culture and country. Something about the mountains, the scenery, the colors, and the sounds calmed my emotions, and I couldn’t explain it.

I just knew it was giving me something to look forward to.