my experience in japan essay

Essays About Japan: Top 5 Examples and 5 Prompts

Japan is a beautiful country famous for its lush landscape, delicious food, and well-mannered people. Here are some examples of essays about Japan.

A developed country in Asia known as the “land of the rising sun,” Japan has become a hot commodity for tourism and business. Japan is truly a sight to behold, from its beautiful cherry blossoms, efficient public transportation system, and delicious food. 

Japan’s rich history has allowed it to develop into one of the most advanced nations in the world, and its technology is renowned worldwide. Moreover, its people are known for their discipline, hard work, and resilience, even in the face of severe natural disasters. Japan is, without a doubt, a country worth visiting. 

If you want to write essays about Japan, here are our best essay examples and writing prompts to help you begin. 

1. What Japan Taught Me About Life by Beth Louise

2. japan experience: reflection on japanese culture by rayan elhafiz abdalla, 3. what i learned about design from travel in japan by teo yu siang.

• 4.  The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

5. A Day Trip To Kobe by David Swanson

5 prompts for essays about japan, 1. what does japan mean to you , 2. misogyny in japanese society, 3. why visit japan, 4. japan’s history, 5. living in japan: what’s it like.

“In fact, there’s so much to see and do that it feels like a lifetime of exploring would never uncover all that’s on offer. It’s also a bright, buzzing lesson in living fast; just wandering around in the crowds is a massive adrenaline rush, and Monday nights are as mental as Fridays. But despite the intensity of a city so large, people are calm and quiet. It’s the most magical juxtaposition. Everything is moving at light-speed, but with such efficiency and thoughtfulness, that it feels like a well-oiled, intuitive machine, powering a ride that you never want to get off.”

In her essay, Louise writes about her experience traveling to Tokyo, Japan. She compares it to a machine, with all the people in the city playing their part. She is amazed by the people’s focus, discipline, manners, and sense of purpose, and she can better appreciate life’s simplicity. She is mesmerized by Japan and recommends booking a trip to Tokyo as soon as possible. 

You might also like these essays about being yourself and essays about college .

“People were very friendly, they will greet you even if they don’t know you. One shocking incident that I will not forgot, is when the cashier was trying to help me put all my coin money in my wallet with me. In America I am not used to having someone put my money inside my wallet, that is really invading personal space. However, I learned that in Japan it seems normal to just drop off someone’s coins in their wallet.”

Similar to Louise, Abdalla reflects on new things he discovered about Japan and its people during his time there. These range from trivial things such as the “Pokemon Go” rollout in the country to the Japanese’ sense of honor and discipline. He recounts an experience in which the cashier was helping him put his change into his wallet, something he is not used to back home. He provides excellent, although short, insight into Japan, its culture, and its people. 

“Everything around us is designed: from the smartphones we use every day to the tactile paving on a walkway. But it’s often hard to examine the designed environment around us with eyes as fresh as a tourist’s. So if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I’ve got a challenge for you: The next time you take a walk outside, try to become aware of the thousands of design decisions around you. What works, and what can be improved?”

Siang writes about the edge that Japanese cities and society in general have because they are well-designed. He cites innovations such as fast, automated cash register machines and aid for the visually impaired and recalls lessons such as the importance of accessibility when designing something. 

4.   The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

“When people ask me “When is the best time to visit Japan?”, I usually reply with “anytime”. Japan is always a good idea, at any time of year. It’s truly an all-year-round destination that provides vastly varied experiences throughout its distinct 4 seasons. Whether you’re a traveller who loves snow, or one who thrives in humidity; a traveller who wants to see beautiful nature changes, or wants to be thrown into crowds; whatever your style of travel, there’s a season and a time for that.”

Kay describes the weather and activities during the different seasons in Japan, giving readers an idea of when they would prefer to visit. Japan ranges from the ethereal but chaotic cherry blossom season to the calm, frigid snow season; however, each year’s season has its own charm. Kay’s essay gives good insight into the best times to visit Japan.

“When planning a visit to Kobe, consider the fact that the city has been completely rebuilt since 1995, following the great Hanshin earthquake that leveled much of the city. Except for a few memorials, you likely won’t be aware of the destruction at all. Instead, what you will discover is a cosmopolitan port city where foreign influences intermingle, museums are dedicated to sake, and a conveniently compact and walkable quarter showcases a robust nightlife scene that has featured jazz on the menu for nearly a century. Oh, and, of course, there is the beef.”

In this short write-up, Swanson lists the best things to do in Kobe, Japan, a place best known for its top-quality beef. However, there are many things to do in the city besides eating beef, such as viewing historical buildings, going to the hot springs, and visiting the botanical gardens. However, Swanson notes that eating is an integral part of a trip to Kobe, and one should not miss out on trying the beef. 

In your essay, you can write about the country’s significance to you. For example, are you from there, or do you have Japanese ancestry? Have you visited? Write about your connection to the country and why this connection exists in the first place. If Japan has a special place in your heart, this essay topic is for you. 

When editing for grammar, we also recommend taking the time to improve the readability score of a piece of writing before publishing or submitting

With all its glory and excellence, Japan is less evolved in gender equality. So how are women treated in Japan? First, delve into research about the treatment of women in Japanese society, and show how the culture differs from modern western gender equality ideologies. Then, discuss why Japan is behind in encouraging women’s equal rights. Make sure to cite research, statistics, and interviews to support your point. 

This topic is straightforward; whether you have been or not, try to persuade others to visit the country. Include highlights that others should visit and suggestions for places others can visit. If Japan was a bad experience for you, go the other way: why should you not visit Japan?

Japan has a dark history surrounding its role in World War II. In your essay, briefly explain these events and research their effects on Japan after the war. How did the war change Japan- for better or for worse? Elaborate on the impact and, as always, include references to strengthen your arguments. This is quite a broad topic, so you can focus on one element of Japanese society: values, city planning, relationships with tourists, race, inequality, and gender equality.

Based on reading articles and sample essays as well as any experiences in Japan, list the advantages and disadvantages of living in Japan and conclude whether it would be ideal for moving to Japan or not. Use anecdotes from travel writers or people who live in Japan to show why living in japan is enjoyable or not so enjoyable. Pick a stance for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

If you’re stuck picking your next essay topic, check out our guide on how to write an essay about diversity .

What’s it Like to Travel in Japan?

I thought I had finished writing about Japan, but it turns out I was wrong.

My posts about Japan  have quickly become my most-read of all time and I’m now starting to receive a hell of a lot of questions about how to make the most of a trip to this wonderful country. I’m diving back into my time in the Land of the Rising Sun , then, and planning on sharing a ton of resources over the next couple of weeks.

Up first: what it’s like to travel in Japan! These are my favourite type of blog posts to write — you can browse my growing collection of them on my What’s It Like to Travel In? page — as they allow me to blend a detailed travel guide with random observations, fun stories, and first impressions.

Let’s get stuck in!

It’s Going to Be Overwhelming for the First Few Days

Does that photo make you feel like having a panic attack and hiding away from the world? Me too.

Most people kick off their Japan adventure in Tokyo or Osaka, both of which are large cities full of bright lights, flashing signs, loud noises, unfamiliar smells, crowds of people, and plenty of chaos. When you throw a hefty case of jetlag into the mix, visitors often end up feeling as though they’re walking around in a bubble, unable to process what on earth is going on.

Arriving in Japan is culture shock to the extreme. I’ve been to 80-odd countries and I’ve never experienced it to the extent that I did here.

But the good news is that the sensory overload doesn’t last for long.

While you’ll never fully understand what’s happening as you travel around the country, the differences become less overwhelming and you quickly learn to embrace Japan’s unique mix of order and chaos.

But it Really Wasn’t That Weird?

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first started planning my trip to Japan, I prepared myself to see   things . Strange things. Unexplainable things. Extraordinary things.

And… I didn’t.

I arrived in Tokyo, fully expecting to hit the ground and start taking photos of a thousand peculiar sights. I planned on barely sleeping during my trip, because I thought there’d be so much unfamiliarity to absorb.

Nope. 

I landed in Tokyo and it felt like a big city. A regular city. A familiar city.

Which isn’t to say it wasn’t special — I adored Tokyo — but just that it felt like a normal city filled with normal people. I didn’t run into people cosplaying on the streets, I wasn’t served by robots in restaurants, I wasn’t surrounded by outlandish fashion choices, I didn’t spot vending machines filled with used underwear on every street.

My preconceived notions of Japan were based on bad stereotypes that have been perpetuated by Western society and I felt like a dumbass for buying into them.

Japan was no more “weird” than any other country I’ve been to.  It has its quirks, sure, but what country doesn’t?

The Food is Going to Blow Your Mind

I’m  still talking about the incredible meals I devoured in Japan!

Whether it was the pork rib ramen in Osaka, the crispy takoyaki in Tokyo, or the fresh as hell sushi in Kyoto, I couldn’t get enough of the food in Japan. There was plenty of interesting foods to try for the first time, like pufferfish jerky and pickled quail eggs, and experiencing my first  kaiseki  (a traditional multi-course Japanese meal) was one of the highlights of my entire trip.

After visiting Japan, I can easily place Japanese food in my top 5 cuisines in the world, along with Mexican, Vietnamese, Greek, and Spanish. I even wrote a blog post about my favourite meals in Japan  because I was so enamoured with the food.

Train is the Best Way to See the Country

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, the first thing you should be doing is buying a Japan Rail Pass .

While the rail passes seem like a fairly large expense to pay up-front (I paid $420 for my two-week pass), they’ll more than likely save you money on your trip.

I’ll confess I was skeptical the passes would be as much of a necessity as people said, so picked one up then made a note of the cost of every train we took in the country. It turned out that my  14-day JR pass  saved me a whopping ¥19,000/$175! That’s a huge amount of money, so I’m firmly of the belief that this is an investment you’ll want to make.

Travelling by train across Japan is such an iconic experience, too. The trains are incredibly fast and punctual, the rail network is extensive, and it’s altogether a comfortable and convenient way to get around. It’s a huge expense if you’re going to be travelling in Japan on a budget, but I think it’s a cultural experience that’s worth splurging for.

Confession: I Was Baffled by Tokyo’s Metro

On our first day in Japan, my partner tweeted: “If you think you’re a competent traveller and would like to be very humbled, can I suggest trying to figure out the Tokyo metro?”

I’ve muddled my way around a hell of a lot of subway systems around the world, but Tokyo’s was the first to leave me well and truly flummoxed.

To start with, the stations are enormous. I was staying beside Shibuya station and it would regularly take me a solid 30-60 minutes to figure out where on earth my platform was even located. It was just as complicated trying to find the right exit!

The stations are hyper-busy, too. The top 20 busiest train stations in the world are all found in Japan. Shinjuku station — the busiest — sees 3.6 million people transiting through it every single day . I can’t even comprehend that many people passing through a single building, let alone every day!

Oh, and here’s a map of the Tokyo metro and train lines:

For some reason, buying the correct ticket seemed to be impossible for us to do correctly! The Tokyo subway system is operated by three separate companies, and you’ll need different tickets for the lines that each company owns.

If our route required us to change stations, we simply could not buy the right ticket. I don’t think we succeeded even once! Even when we were convinced we finally understood where we were going, our ticket would invariably fail in the machines when we went to change lines and we’d need to find help from a member of staff. It’s probably no great surprise that we ended up walking around Tokyo for most of our time there and only used the subway three times.

What we should have done, however, was buy a SUICA card, rather than bothering with single tickets. It’s a rechargeable travel card that’s valid on all of the metro and train lines across Japan, and it would have saved us a hell of a lot of time, confusion, and hassle.

It’s Worth Getting Out of the Main Cities While You’re There

A lot of people devise an itinerary that’ll take them to the three big hitters in Japan tourism: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. And while those cities are undoubtedly most popular for a reason, I found myself really enjoying the lesser-known spots just as much.

Wandering around the town of Yamanouchi in freshly-fallen snow was a wonderful experience, Takayama was the perfect place to learn about traditional Japanese architecture, and beautiful Miyajima Island was the most relaxing stop on my trip.

Even if you don’t have a huge amount of time in Japan, I’d still recommend jumping on a day trip or two to explore outside of the huge cities. Hit up Nara as a day trip from Kyoto, head to Hakone to see Mount Fuji as a day trip from Tokyo, or set off for Myajima Island for some respite on a day trip from Hiroshima.

During my next visit to Japan, I’d like to get further away from the beaten track and explore a bunch of places I haven’t even heard of right now. Which, yes, is essentially me admitting to being too lazy to research lesser-known places in Japan to include here.

There’s a Lot of Animal Attractions… Most of Which Exhibit Dubious Ethics

Japan is the land of animals being treated badly, unfortunately.

As you travel across the country, you’ll be struck by how many animal cafes you can visit. There’s hedgehog cafes, otter cafes, owl cafes, alpaca cafes, ferret cafes, penguin bars, and the vast majority of them are not doing great things for the animals’ health.

In Japan, owl cafes offer the chance to sit beside  a tethered owl  that’s been forcibly domesticated and will never be allowed the opportunity to fly. In 2016, a cat cafe in Tokyo was shut down after  it was discovered  owners were keeping 60 cats within a 30 square metre rom. The penguin bar in Tokyo  keeps four penguins captive  in a tiny enclosure at the back of a smoky bar.

I went to a hedgehog cafe in Tokyo and came away  feeling conflicted by the ethics of me having done so, and decided I wouldn’t repeat the experience.

Even the snow monkeys ended up being a disappointment for me. The animals were herded towards tourists by staff, fed in order to keep them from leaving the hot springs, encouraged to fight with each other, and generally seemed to be distressed that they couldn’t get away.

And this was just what I personally experienced. Japan has also experienced international condemnation for a whole host of animal welfare violations, from whaling to the Taiji dolphin hunt.

If in doubt, steer clear of any animal-based attractions in Japan.

Japan’s Vending Machines are the Bomb

I loved the vending machines in Japan! They’re everywhere, sometimes dozens of them in a row, and they’re standing on practically every street. There’s over 5 million of them — one for every 23 people in the country — and they’ll be one of the first things you notice when you first arrive.

The vast majority of them sell drinks — hundreds of varieties, from the delicious-but-gross-sounding electrolyte-filled Pocari Sweat to hot coffee in a can — and they’re a fantastic way to stay refreshed while you’re exploring

And, of course, there’s a whole bunch of unusual stuff you can buy from them, too, like actual puppies, live lobsters and beetles, a Coke that freezes into a slushy when you open it, umbrellas, surgical masks, mystery boxes, pizzas, ties, wigs for dogs, origami, and yes, used women’s underwear. I even ordered several meals from a vending machine in Japan!

And You’ll Probably Get Weirdly Excited Over the Toilets

Everybody falls in love with Japanese toilets! I feel like such a predictable beast for even including this in my post, but let’s face it: Japan’s toilets are in a whole other league.

So what’s so life-changing about them? They have so many features! As someone who visited the country during winter, I loved that there was a seat warmer. On top of that, there’s a built-in bidet that self-cleans between each use and a blow-dryer for afterwards. You can adjust where the water sprays, the temperature of it, and the amount of pressure it applies. You can even play music from the toilet if you don’t want anybody to hear what you’re doing in there, and some feature a deodoriser, too.

The buttons on the toilet are fairly self-explanatory, but every one I used had a slightly different design and set of features, which kept things fun. Mystery toilet!

As I begin contemplating buying a house within the next couple of years, let me tell you that I’m already thinking about how I’m going to get myself a Japanese toilet for it!

Why Are There So Many Ugly Cars?

Why are the cars in Japan so squished and blocky?!

One of the first things I noticed after arriving in the country was how many odd-looking cars there were. There were so many that looked like this photo: like they’d been plopped into a car crusher for a second, then removed and placed on the streets.

Yeah, It’s Fairly Expensive, But Also Not That Expensive

I put off travelling to Japan for years due to one simple reason: I didn’t think I could afford it.

To my great surprise, it ended up being much more affordable than I expected! In total, I paid just under $100 a day while travelling as part of a couple on a mid-range budget. That included my rail pass, accommodation in hotels and guesthouses, entrance tickets to temples and attractions, food and drink, and travel insurance. I’ve definitely visited more expensive countries in the world.

For more information on my expenses, check out my detailed guide on how much it costs to travel in Japan .

There Are So Many Different Types of Accommodation

One aspect I loved about Japan travel is how many different types of accommodation there are to stay in. I tried to check out as many of them as possible.

I stayed in a capsule hotel, spent a night in a ryokan, slept on a tatami mat floor, hung out in family-run guesthouses, and checked out some pretty hipster hostels.

My biggest surprise was learning that sleeping on a tatami mat was so comfortable! I often opted for the tatami mat rooms over Western-style bedrooms, as they’re usually a couple of dollars cheaper, and they worked out to be just as comfortable. I actually found it super cool to be staying in a minimalist room without any furniture! My only complaint was the smell of the tatami mats — most people love it, but I just couldn’t get used to it.

Staying in a ryokan was another exciting accommodation experience. These Japanese inns are generally known for being super-expensive, giving you the opportunity to experience a traditional local lifestyle. You’ll stay in a tatami mat room, bathe in a communal onsen, and tuck into a kaiseki with the other guests during dinner and breakfast. It was one of the coolest experiences I had in the country.

My final accommodation standout was a capsule hotel. I stayed here more for the novelty than the comfort levels, but it ended up being surprisingly cosy. My room had around 20 beds in small pods, all packed in together, but you still had a lot of privacy. I had my own little light in my capsule, my own power sockets, temperature control, and a curtain to close to keep people from peering in. These are a great way to save money in Japan, so I’d recommend trying them out if you’re going to be visiting on a budget.

I Felt Super-Safe in Japan

Japan has a reputation for being one of the safest countries in the world, and I certainly never felt in any danger while I was there. I felt perfectly safe exploring the country alone, walking around at night on my own, sleeping on the train with my bags at my feet, and carrying my expensive camera in the open. I felt safer in Japan than anywhere else I’ve been in the world.

Still, that doesn’t mean that you should grow complacent and let your guard down. As with any country in the world, you should still keep watch over your belongings, be wary of complete strangers that are taking a sudden interest in you, and be careful with your alcohol consumption. All that good stuff.

Oh, and you should probably refresh your knowledge on what to do if there’s an earthquake before you get there. I experienced my first earthquake in Taiwan and because I grew up in the U.K., had no idea what to do. I remember feeling my bunkbed rattle beneath me as I frantically googled what to do in an earthquake. I should have been better prepared.

My fellow female travellers out there may want to utilise the women-only train carriages during peak travel times to ensure you’re away from any wandering hands — this is likely the only safety issue you’ll encounter in the country.

Keep your wits about you, take common sense safety measures, and you’ll have a wonderful time.

Winter is Going to Be Cold

Japan gets freezing in the winter and scorching in the summer.

I visited in December and was so cold. So much colder than I thought I would be. Although I confess to having little tolerance to the cold, so you’ll probably think I was being pathetic. Temperatures hovered around the freezing mark, and it snowed in Hiroshima and Yamanouchi. I regularly wore five layers of clothing and still spent most of my time shivering.

Visiting during summer takes you to the other end of the temperature spectrum. It gets super-hot in the summer months, with temperatures hitting as much 40 degrees (100°F) some years.

This is a destination that’s best visited in the spring or autumn.

But the Bonus with that is the Onsens!

One of the huge bonuses to visiting in the winter is getting to dive into Japan’s onsen culture. Onsen is the Japanese word for hot spring, and you’ll find them scattered all over this volcanic country. Some are outdoors, some are inside, some are found in guesthouses, ryokans, and hotels, some are in public bathhouses, some are public, some are private, some are same sex, some are mixed gender. The only rule is that you have to be naked.

I jumped in an onsen almost every night of my trip and it was so relaxing and comforting to do so. I highly recommend looking for accommodation with on-site onsens, as it allows you a little more privacy. At my hostel in Hakone and my ryokan in Yamanouchi, I got to jump in the private couples onsen with my boyfriend, which was so much fun!

In theory, you’re not supposed to use the onsens in Japan if you have tattoos, although the rules have relaxed in recent years. If you have one that can’t be covered up with a bandaid, I’d recommend checking out Tattoo Friendly , which lists hundreds of Japanese onsens you can visit if you’re inked.

And that was Japan!

This post was so much fun to write! If I’m being honest, I think I could have sat down and written another 3,000 words about my time in Japan — there’s just so much to learn from this country.

I can’t wait to return.

Have you been to Japan? If not, do you dream of visiting one day?

Related Articles on Japan 🏯 How to Spend Two Weeks in Japan: An Itinerary for First-Time Visitors 💴 The Cost of Travel in Japan: My Budget Breakdown 🍣 15 Weird and Wonderful Things to Eat in Japan 🎌 23 Incredible Things to Do in Osaka, Japan 😎 Hipster Harajuku: The Coolest Neighbourhood in Tokyo 🦔 Should You Go to a Hedgehog Cafe? My Experience in Japan 🐒 Why Seeing the Snow Monkeys in Japan Sucked

Lauren Juliff

Lauren Juliff is a published author and travel expert who founded Never Ending Footsteps in 2011. She has spent over 12 years travelling the world, sharing in-depth advice from more than 100 countries across six continents. Lauren's travel advice has been featured in publications like the BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, and her work is read by 200,000 readers each month. Her travel memoir can be found in bookstores across the planet.

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25 comments.

Japan sounds fascinating on so many levels. I think I would feel overwhelmed at first, but reading your post has made me think that going here is still achievable for us. I would love to experience a capsule hotel and their crazy vending machines as well as the cultural side of the country

This is a very useful post, Lauren! Elliot and I are most likely going to go to Japan next year (we’re thinking autumn), and I’m already overwhelmed thinking about planning it. So hearing helpful tips about trains (and that SUICA card!) and tattoo-friendly onsens is great!

I went to Japan last year for the first time and I feel like we barely scratched the surface! My favourite dish was pork ramen, it was the first meal I had in Kyoto and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to go back!

Good point about being prepared for earthquakes. I’ve never experienced one, but if I continue traveling the way I do now, then maybe it’s just a matter of time. It makes me kind of nervous. You wrote it was your first earthquake, have you experienced many? And in that case, where? In Asia?

I never been drawn to Japan but as usual after reading your blog posts about a destination I feel an urge to go there NOW. You’re such a good writer!

Cool post Lauren. Did you take any of the high-speed trains while you were there? One of the best parts of my trip to Japan was experiencing the fast bullet trains. They go 320 km/h!

I’ve been staring at that metro map for the last 5 minutes trying to figure it out! :D Thank you for sharing this. I’m planning on heading to Japan soon, hopefully in a few months, and this definitely helps get me prepared for it, at least mentally :)

It’s true that Japan is not as expensive as everyone seems to think. Of course it’s a country with a high standard of living, but there are many ways for the budget traveler to get around that. For instance, most supermarkets have a cook preparing fresh food to sell. It’s usually quite good and way cheaper than restaurants. Plus, if you come 1 hour or so before they close, they’ll offer big discounts on the last meals available!

When is the best time to travel to Japan? You would say April/May or September/October? Which is the perfect month in your opinion?

This post really reminds me of the one have years I spent living in Japan. Japan is such a unique and special country in so many ways but it was difficult to live there.

I used to always hate Shibuya station. I don’t was trying avoid getting off there are changing there because I would inevitably get lost. One thing that I did live about Japan now is that sometimes you could find Beer vending machines I found that so cool.

Oh and then the small cars are called K cars. They have cheaper insurance. I think people like them because of the limited parking space, you even have to pay extra to park your car outside your apartment.

I really love Japan! I always make sure to eat my fave Japanese Food when I’m there and yes, the Metro gave me a headache too!

The map of local trains actually scared me haha. Surely I’d get lost in this mess. Off great post as always ;)

This is not appropriate for school children in the beginning It said a very naughty word in the very beginning I’m Offended. and It also said Dumba**

Why on earth would you think my site was written for kids?

Wow! I’m a lazy person Lauren, but you make travel seem so awesome! I love your writing- your words are clear and your voice is really articulate. You’re an image for women all around the world- follow your dreams!

The key to the Tokyo subway system is to focus on the Yamanote Line, which is the main loop around central Tokyo. From there, you can connect to other lines to take you where you want to go.

We love Tokyo and my daughter and I have even done a 72 hours in Tokyo trip! She still talks about Tokyo and a recent trip to Hong Kong was a good comparison for her, but she still likes Tokyo better.

Piss Alley was a blast – mostly Yakitori stands are what is mostly there now – but there is a good little Ramen joint, and another we really liked is gone now.

There are also a ton (no kidding!) of great sushi places – web search for cheap sushi in Tokyo for lots of options.

Another great place we loved to eat at was Pepper Lunch – they serve the food to you on a flat-iron cooker that comes straight out of the oven – and you cook your food and eat it!

Tokyo is not intimidating – it’s a great place to visit and signs are in English (mostly) and the city is pretty easy to navigate.

Thanks so much for sharing, Brent!

The picture telling people to not poke the face of Sarubobo is so typically Japan, I love it!! I recently moved to Tokyo to take a break from backpacking and I have to pinch myself every day that I get to live in this hectic and beautiful city. You’ve captured Tokyo and Japan’s quirks really well!

Good article. Visited Japan last year for ten days and absolutely loved it. Like many people, I also postponed visiting due to fears about very high cost, but once there I realize it is not that bad- how much you spend is really dependant on your tastes and how much luxury you require. It is very possible to do Japan on a budget, you just have to know ways to save money. Fore example, many corner stores sell packaged, relatively inexpensive meals that tasty and healthy for only a fraction of the price of what you would pay in a restaurant.

Hi, I enjoyed reading your article. The pics are beautiful, especially the one with the train on the bridge. I have to mention a few things that stuck with me. First…OMG! I got vertigo just by looking at the metro map. Used women’s underwear!? Really??? I laughed when I read your description of the cars “squished and blocky”. Yup! I will go to Japan just to use the toilets. LOL! Great post. Can’t wait to go there.

Hope you have a wonderful time there! :-)

I am going to Japan at the end of december, 1. I really tought it wasnt going to be that cold, but you now scare me a little :P. I live in Medellin now (70F all year) but I use to live in upstate NY, how come I can get so scare about cold? ehehe 2. I really wanted to see the snow money park. In the pictures, the mokeys look so Zen :(. But after reading your post, I am for sure not going. I love animals, but I dont want to see them being misstreated or in distress

Oh, don’t be scared of the cold in Japan! I’m super sensitive to it after spending seven-odd years travelling in mostly tropical places.

Really appreciated this post! I can’t wait to get to Japan :)

One of the best articles I’ve read on Japan that shows me exactly what to expect as a traveler.

I highly recommend using google maps while riding public transportation in Japan. With Tokyo’s subway systems, it offers detailed instruction for transferring plus giving you the exact exit numbers to use to reach your destination. One warning, Japanese people walk about twice faster than me, the estimated transfer time is usually not enough for me. However, the next one is usually minutes away. I have used it successfully in other parts of Japan with public transportation systems that will link all options in Osaka, Nara, Fukuoka and Kanazawa. I am not 100% sure about very rural area which I usually get to by car.

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• What Surprised Me When I Came to Japan and Advice Based on My Experience

What Surprised Me When I Came to Japan and Advice Based on My Experience Pousali Mukherjee Updated in December 2020

Hello everyone! This is my second report as Indian mentor for Sakura Science Club…

The beautiful country of Japan never fail to surprise me! The timely work and the dedication of the whole system in Japan is one of the things that has impressed me a lot. Leaving my motherland country, India where I had stayed for 23 years with my family and moving to a foreign country was not so easy for me. I had mixed feelings (happy because I am going to Japan for my research and sad to leave my family, my country) in the first connecting flight from Kolkata Airport to Bangkok airport. But when I arrived here last year after the initial Sakura Program in 2017, I was excited and I got flashbacks of my initial visit two years before. Things were very smooth and timely and I sincerely thank Japan government for it. Especially all the official procedures that a foreigner has to do after coming to Japan is very smooth and did not seem difficult. Other than that, trains in Japan surprise me all the time. I still remember the first train I took after landing in Japan, the colourful cute train “Haruka express” with Hello Kitty symbols everywhere and even inside. I am also mesmerized by the fall and spring season in Japan. In Kyoto, beautiful Sakura flowers bloom during late March to early April, and it looks very pretty. Autumn looks beautiful with red leaves. In general, nature is very beautiful here. If I go to a place for sightseeing, I am amazed by the construction, design, and architecture of very minute details. Also, I am thankful to a lot of people here (Japanese and also from other countries) who is just a message or call away from me. We support and help each other a lot. All foreign students in Japan in my University usually are advised to stay initially at an international house, and it helps to make great friends. Also, people are very helpful at all times. Moreover, now during covid times, 99.9 % of the people are wearing masks and I sincerely thank the government and the people for their efforts in limiting the spread of the disease. I hope situation will get better soon. I also thank the members of my University who support me.

I would recommend the students who want to come to Japan for higher studies to have a very good grip over the language. At first, it looks a bit complicated in the beginning. But as you keep learning, trust me…you are going to enjoy it! I am learning the language very slowly I think, but I am enjoying it! Knowing the language helps a lot, especially in communication and understanding what others want to say. That is my motivation in learning the language, and I recommend you to learn it if you are considering to come here. Also, I would advise to feel free and ask for help anytime you think you need. And other thing I also learnt from my experience is to differentiate and ask your mind between what is actually needed and what you think you want. When you live all by yourself, you have to take all decisions by your own. So it is important to listen to your intuition. We get many answers of complicated situations by thinking a bit.

Texas State University

• Personal Essay

My experience in Japan

The SJMC study abroad trip to Japan was everything I had hoped it would be and more. I had very high expectations, and they were still exceeded. I flew there and back on my own, and while this proved to be a challenge, the entire experience was well worth it. I feel like I gained a lot of self-confidence to travel on my own again in the future. There were a few bumps in the road, like when I accidentally withdrew my entire checking account from an ATM. But mistakes like these are what traveling in a foreign country is all about. You live and you learn, and I learned quite a lot on this trip of a lifetime.

It’s hard to even think about what my favorite part was, as there were so many amazing moments. I think for me personally, making new friends and sharing this special adventure with them is what made it truly memorable. I didn’t explore much on my own, but I really enjoyed being around my friends and making new memories with them. Our free day trip to the Mount Fuji lookout was just indescribable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more magical place in my life. Even though the rain poured down on us, we made the most of it and still had an amazing time.

I love food as much as the next person, and so I was very excited to try some authentic Japanese cuisine. I gotta say, I was not disappointed in the slightest. Just about everything I tried, from the ramen to the sushi, was phenomenal. I didn’t quite know what to expect when visiting religious places like shrines and temples, but they blew me away. I loved how they kept the sacred places extremely clean and tidy. No matter where we went, everything was so pretty and waste-free.

The thing I loved most about the culture was how kind and polite all of the locals were. I feel like their level of respect towards each other and the environment is something that’s unheard of back home. Meeting students at a university in Tokyo and talking to them about their college life was eye-opening for me. Most of them were fluent in multiple languages, so it sounds like I need to catch up. The people I met and places I visited along this journey will stay with me for years to come.

In all seriousness, I’ve always thought putting yourself in others’ shoes can give you a whole new perspective. Completely immersing myself in a culture totally different than what I’m used to was healthy for me in so many ways. I’d say I’m coming home with a lot more than a new perspective, more like a new way of life: one where I’m free to make my own path, wherever that may lead me. This entire experience was truly life-changing for me, and I’m eternally grateful to everyone who made it happen.

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My Experience in Japan

January 27, 2019 - February 11, 2019

Dr. Benjamin Amoah, who stayed in Japan from January 27, 2019 to February 11, 2019 as a special visiting lecturer of ASC-TUFS, wrote his essay about his experience in Japan. During his short stay, he gave lectures for undergraduate students of TUFS as a winter intensive course, and at two seminars, one at TUFS and the other at Kyoto University. It was a great opportunity for us to welcome him because we could strengthen our network as Africanists, and also he gave students new perspectives on their studies. I hope he can come back here soon and stay longer.

Here is his essay.

I am a Research Collaborator to Dr. Kazue Demachi. The purpose of my visit was to serve as a Foreign Researcher and Guest lecturer of Development Finance in the winter intensive seminar. My trip was sponsored by the African Studies Center (ASC) of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS).

I arrived at Haneda Airport late night to a welcoming cool breeze in the month of January, as a first timer is Japan coming from the tropical region of the world. The cold weather implied was my first experience, nonetheless the nice limousine drive from the airport to my arrival hotel at Mikata where I had a good night sleep relaxed me to the wonderful period I stayed in Japan.

The following day I had to go through arrival official formalities at African Studies Center (ASC), this was really quick as everything had been arranged awaiting my arrival and confirmation. In no time all I needed to function as a guest lecturer under the ASC was supplied and I could fit into the system, an indication of Japanese efficiency.

Visiting ASC and meet members onJanuary 28, 2019

I started my development finance winter seminar course with a cross-national group of students. Their background where, two Thais, one Nigerian Britain and three Japanese students. These students were eager to learn and exchange ideas during the lectures, the only difference between the Japanese students and the others that I taught was the English language which tend to slow Japanese students response that notwithstanding, they were smart, intelligent, eager to learn and easily adapted to my lecturing style.

Three-Day Intensive Course from January 30, 2019 to February 1, 2019

I had two public lectures, the first one "The Truth behind Self-Assessed Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning" was under the auspices of the African Studies Center and chaired by Professor Shinichi Takeuchi, this was well attended with useful feedback and contribution from the attendees. The second seminar on my paper titled "The Financial Literacy-Retirement Planning Nexus; any role for Behavioral Finance?" was at Kyoto University where I also received useful contributions from attendees.

Giving a presentation at the 31st ASC Seminar on February 5, 2019

Giving a presentation at Kyoto University on February 6, 2019

One thing that also struck me was the fact that Japanese hold dearly onto their culture and history, this was very vivid when I visited one of the UNSECO heritage sites the Kiyomizu Temple . This is an imposing prefabricated temple with nice garden. This temple is a blend of Japanese architecture and Buddhist touch. The visit to Sanjusangendo Temple also called Hall of the Lotus King also provided great insight into Japanese believes and history. The compound of this temple severed as the place for the popular archery tournament. For lovers of art, the Kyoto National Museum is a good place to visit, one must be prepare to spend to whole day at this museum which is well stocked with arts works dating back into time. This museum gives a good history between Japan and China and tells a lot about interaction and the cultural exchange that has taken place between these two nations over time. The visit to the Kyoto Railway Museum located at Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan is one great experience I also had during my stay in Japan, this museum provide a true picture of the train system in Kyoto which is the old capital of Japan and by extension the railway system in Tokyo. The generations of train in Japan is presented in this museum not to forget the Roundhouse that exist in this museum. There is also a miniature railway simulation room which shows the entire train and railway network, a master piece of artwork and technology. This miniature rail system provides an overview of the train transportation infrastructure and linkages, a good place to visit any time.

Visiting Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto on February 6, 2019

The journey from Tokyo and Kyoto which is about 430 km was by bullet train or the Shinkansen Nozomi roughly 2 hours journey. The Shinkansen represents one of the great Japanese contribution to the world by in the area of transportation. Whiles Kyoto and Tokyo has a lot in common it is visible that Tokyo is cosmopolitan whiles Kyoto has more to do with the tradition of Japan. The transportation system is predominantly train in Tokyo whiles for Kyoto it is more of taxis and bus. The architecture of the two cities are also different, there is a lot of cultural and religious touch to the buildings in Kyoto compared to Tokyo. The Shinkansen train journey is a "wanna try" and also the Tokyo "train traffic rush hour" experience I personally recommend to all who would travel to Japan. There is a lot of food delicacies to choose from in Japan, I personally liked the curry rice, bread and soup.

All too soon my time of stay in Japan came to an end, my travel from Kichijoji Station to Narita Airport using the limousine bus gave me another opportunity to see the beautiful Tokyo, a mixture of efficiency in land usage, modernity and macro level acceptance of technology in service and product delivery.

In conclusion, my stay in Japan showed me that Japanese are humble but not timid, orderly, efficient, proud of their culture and history. Furthermore most of Japanese infrastructure is based on advance technology at the institutional level, however at the retail level most economic transactions are conducted on cash basis. My visit to Japan was an exciting one and would be glad to go back.

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The 'National Level Essay Writing Competition' for school children, introduced by 'Experience Japan' in 2021, is an initiative that aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the India-Japan relationship among the younger generation.

This annual event encourages students to delve into the rich cultural tapestry of both nations, highlighting the mutual respect and admiration that have flourished over the years.

Participants are invited to express their insights and learnings about the shared values, historical ties, and collaborative efforts that have shaped the India-Japan bond.

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Popularity of Japanese Animation among Indians

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Contribution of Japan in the growth of Indian Economy

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My experience in japan essay​

Japan is a fascinating country with a rich culture, history, and traditions that are unlike anywhere else in the world. I had the privilege of visiting Japan last year, and it was an experience that I will never forget.

One of the things that struck me about Japan was the people. Everyone I met was incredibly polite, courteous, and respectful. From the hotel staff to the shopkeepers to the people on the street, everyone was so kind and helpful. Even though I didn't speak Japanese, people went out of their way to communicate with me and make me feel welcome.

Another thing that I loved about Japan was the food. I am a big fan of sushi, and I was blown away by the quality of the sushi in Japan. The fish was incredibly fresh, and the flavors were unlike anything I had ever tasted before. But it wasn't just sushi that impressed me. Everywhere I went, I found amazing food - from ramen to udon to tempura.

One of the highlights of my trip was visiting Tokyo. The city is absolutely incredible - a true metropolis with towering skyscrapers, bright lights, and bustling crowds. I loved wandering through the streets, exploring the various neighborhoods and discovering hidden gems like tiny ramen shops and quaint cafes.

Another memorable experience was visiting Kyoto, which is known for its temples and shrines. I was blown away by the beauty and tranquility of these ancient sites, and it was amazing to see how they are still such an important part of Japanese culture and history.

Overall, my experience in Japan was nothing short of incredible. The people, food, and culture all combined to make it a trip that I will never forget. I hope to have the chance to return one day and explore more of this amazing country.

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HomeActivitiesVisiting Researchers/StudentsEssay on my stay in Japan

ActivitiesEssay on my stay in Japan

September 29, 2020

Octave, a former exchange student from PIASS in Rwanda, wrote an essay to look back his 10 months in Japan. Because of COVID-19 pandemic, he had to take online classes and basically stay at home in spring semester, but he could find the way to enjoy himself under such a circumstance.

Here is his essay.

Essay on my Stay in Japan

I still remember the first time I went to Japan; last year towards the end of September. I was very excited to visit the country and even more excited to meet new and a diversity of people. My stay in Japan was from September to July. Which is long enough to learn and experience a few things, but at the same time it felt like a short stay.

Thanks to the efforts of Prof. Sasaki, Prof. Takeuchi and the African Studies Centre, crowd-funding members and TUFS, I was able to go to Japan as a TUFS exchange student from Rwanda. During my stay in japan I experienced a lot of good things and new perspectives of life which I learned from a variety of people of different cultures and age groups. I learned very important things which can help me improve my life, both in my daily experiences

Explanation:

My experiences

Most of my friends were from different countries such as; France, Spain, UK, USA, Brazil, Nigeria and New Zealand to name a few. Thanks to TUFS I was able to make such friendships which I never thought I would be able to.

To my surprise, I met some very interesting Japanese people which I later befriended. I was surprised because before coming to Japan I was under the impression that Japanese people were quiet and a bit shy, but after a few days of spending a bit of time with my Japanese friends, the opposite was true. Each of them were very interesting, some ranging from very active and outgoing to a few others that are more reserved but just as much of good company.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — About Myself — My Personal Experience: My Experiences In My Life

My Personal Experience: My Experiences in My Life

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Discovering my passion for writing, overcoming failure and resilience, embracing diversity and cultural understanding.

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I Tried a Viral Head Spa: Here's My Honest Review

This isn't your average shampoo.

How much does it cost?

My head spa experience, is it worth the price, final thoughts.

This is the kind of service you can expect from your local head spa. Many locations will offer any combination of a hair wash, scalp treatment , deep conditioning steam treatment and upper body massage. “This is very much an experience with temporary benefits such as relaxation, a great cleanse and a blow out,” said Danusia Wnek , a senior chemist in the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab. “Some of these also offer a scalp analysis but be aware, unlike a visit to a dermatologist or trichologist, I would take the info collected with a grain of salt.”

Intrigued by the opportunity to have an expert deep clean my scalp while I simply lie back and relax, I decided to give the service a try for myself and made my way to Blissful Headspace Spa in Brooklyn, New York.

What is a head spa treatment?

With origins in Japanese culture, a head spa treatment is essentially a service designed to give special attention to the scalp through massage, washing and sometimes targeted treatments. MASA.KANAI salon , another viral head spa you’ll see on TikTok, describes it as “a scalp treatment,” noting that “it is great for addressing any kind of scalp concerns you may be experiencing whether that is oiliness, dandruff, hair loss or so forth.” While the results and benefits of a head spa experience may be subjective, according to Wnek, the takeaway of a relaxing deep cleanse seems to be universal among most who get the service. And studies have shown that a clean scalp, rid of buildup and otherwise healthy, is essential to hair growth .

Depending on the provider and the specific location you visit, your head spa treatment can range anywhere from $35 to $330. A simple TikTok search will also reveal varying prices at locations across the country.

That said, the spa I went to had a wide variety of services and varying price points. A basic 40-minute scalp treatment and massage, consisting of a wash and scalp massage, without hair steaming or herbal rinse, was priced at $48, not including tip, while a 90-minute specialized scalp care treatment — which they claim can target dandruff, dry scalp, hair loss prevention , oily scalp or frizz control , depending on your needs and includes hair steaming — costs $178.

At MASA.KANAI, they offer two services, a 60-minute and 90-minute session that include a Hydrohara Waterfall, described as "an aromatherapeutic distillate waterfall onto the hairline to deliver nutrients to the hair and scalp," Ultrasonic Mist (their version of hair steaming) and Zero Instant moisturization treatment, a hair treatment featuring "keratin proteins and rebonding nutrient," all of which would run you $300 and $330, respectively. They also include add-on options, including a blow out, hair bath and conditioning treatment, which range from $30 to $80.

When I first made my appointment, I selected the $68 steam scalp treatment and massage, which was billed as a 60-minute session. The manager ended up bumping up my service to the signature scalp herbal steam treatment — a $78 value — at no additional charge. Though, I can only speculate that it was due to me asking if it was okay for me to take photos during the process.

I arrived for my 6pm appointment around 5:45 and was immediately greeted and directed to a room where I changed into a snap-on tube dress. I was told to lie down on what seemed to be a massage table connected to a wash bowl, though no other communication was had about my hair needs or my expectations for the service.

Before any washing occurred, my hair specialist applied oil to her hands and began to work it into my head with a soothing head massage. She kneaded my face from the bridge of my nose to my temples and my ears, gently applying just the right amount of pressure. Next she used a head massage tool and massaged my scalp.

After that, we got down to the real reason I came — a thorough shampoo and detangling experience . She rinsed my hair with warm water and went to work with a detangling brush . While I didn’t feel any tugging at the time, the results of my post-service wash revealed that all of my tangles melted away during this part of the session. She then proceeded to lather my hair and scalp with shampoo, making sure to really work it in. This was repeated twice and then followed up with an herbal rinse.

When the rinse was finished, she turned on a steamer and placed a clear hood over my hair and the wash bowl, allowing moisture to deeply penetrate each strand of my hair. This was truly like a spa session just for my head.

To finish up, she rinsed my head again then wrapped my hair in a towel and patted it semi-dry. I then was instructed to change back into my clothes and later followed her into the salon portion of the facility. I sat down in front of a large mirror and scalp analysis monitor.

She applied a light oil and began to wave a blowdryer around my head, leaving my hair dry, but completely frizzy.

The final minutes of my appointment were dedicated to a bare bones scalp analysis, in which my stylist waved the digital microscope over my scalp and showed me it blown up on the monitor, noting how clean it was — it was noticeably devoid of any buildup, which was impressive considering I had slathered on gel that morning to achieve a sleek, slicked-back bun — but offered no other information on my scalp or hair health.

With the number of locations that are available across the country, you can find a head spa and service that falls in line with your desired price. To me, the scalp massage and wash services were excellent and worth it. I would return just for those alone because they were on par with a spa service like a full-body massages or a facial, but significantly cheaper.

I did not think that the blow out met my expectations. There weren't products available for curly hair and I think that my end result could have been sleeker. In the future, I wouldn't go into a head spa appointment expecting to leave with my hair styled straight.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxation process of the head spa. The light string music was soothing and the dimly lit room reminded me of a trip to a massage therapist. I will also say that even though the blowout was not ideal, I did enjoy how soft my hair felt post my head spa appointment and I loved how detangled my hair was — to the point where my fingers easily slid through as I washed, when they usually get caught and snag on tangles.

I would definitely recommend this experience if you are looking for alternative ways to unwind or just generally dread wash day, as this did provide a great wash and detangling experience. I left feeling rejuvenated, like the small knots and pains in my neck and shoulders had been relaxed and genuinely glad to have completed wash day without the stress of having to fight through tangles on my own. However, if you are a curly girl hoping to leave styled, I would recommend bringing your own hair products to style your hair while wet and foregoing the blow dry all together.

Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping , where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.

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The Price of Perky Boobs

“Look at my boobs and tell me what you think.”

I’m a 20-year-old retail assistant, beseeching an older colleague and close friend, to evaluate my bare breasts in the backroom after hours. Unbuckling my bra, I stand before her, totally exposed. “What are you talking about?” She responds. “They’re fine!” After years of self-critiquing, I wasn’t convinced.

While the perceived ‘perfect’ size of breasts have fluctuated with time, breasts have always been beholden to one immovable standard: perky. Those with breasts that align with this archetype may consider their boobs a source of #freethenipple empowerment. Other women feel a kind of wearied distaste for their tatas; forgoing a bra is inconceivable, and god forbid they go on top. Some have embraced a kind of ‘it-is-what-it-is’ booby ambivalence.

I spent several college summers fitting bras at a contemporary lingerie chain—measuring breasts, buckling brassieres and at times, literally lifting flesh into cups—so I have met all these women. I have been them, too. When the pandemic found me in my mid-20s – prompting a massive lifestyle shift and a discovery of disordered eating. I’d moved to the west coast and, without daily walking around New York City, took up running and downloaded Noom, a calorie counter app that promptly capped my daily intake at 1200 calories. (Editor’s note: Research has shown that calorie tracking, including with apps, may contribute to eating disorders.) Within three months, my breasts descended four bra sizes, taking my nipples with them. With that, my boobs entered their new, deflated era, and for the first time, I felt incentivized to confront the issue.

I was not the only one to recently research breast lifts —the number of people searching for them peaked during summer 2021, and has continued to spike each summer since, according to Google Trends. It’s coincided with the arrival of Ozempic , forcing women—and myself—into the same societally-constructed conundrum. Weight loss? We like it. Small, saggy breasts caused by weight loss? Unacceptable. From 2019 to 2023, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons says there was a 30 percent increase in requests for breast lifts (mastopexies)—placing the procedure in direct competition with its more popular sister: implants. “I want my titties pinned back to my shoulders, right where they used to be,” Rihanna revealed in last month’s issue of Interview . “I don’t want implants. I just want a lift.”

New York-based board-certified plastic surgeon Norman Rowe has made his name on the Upper East Side and beyond as a breast expert. In the past year, his requests for lifts have almost tripled—an exponential increase that he says is a result of rampant semaglutide use."

“I get a lot of women who've lost a substantial amount of weight, especially with Ozempic ,” he says. “The more weight someone loses—and the quicker they lose it—the more impact that has on the skin. Body procedures are just going through the roof, 30 percent of our business is now dedicated to face, breast and back lifts.”

When I first consulted with Dr. Rowe for a breast lift , he sketched the anchor-like incision required. He would cut around the areola, down the center of the breast, removing excess skin and raising the nipple so it no longer faces down. This would not create cleavage or add fullness. For that, he emphasized, you need an implant.

“A lift will take care of the sag in the skin, it will take care of the position of the nipple, but it will not address the volume loss of the upper poles of cleavage,” he says. (“Upper poles” is how plastic surgeons refer to the breast tissue above the nipple.) Patients often come in without realizing the limitation of a breast lift, says Dr. Rowe. “There is a misconception among patients of what a lift is. So I figured out the way to ask if they wanted an augmentation or a lift was, ‘Do you want cleavage ?’ Either you want to get bigger and your cleavage to change, or you want to be the same size but get rid of the droopiness.”

I fit into the latter group, or so I thought. Anyone who remembers the 90s will also remember that buxom beauties were not only abundant but considered femininity made manifest. Even if you joined in on the bimbo jokes that shamed the cosmetically enhanced likes of Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra, their perfectly rounded, perky breasts were still taped to the bedroom walls of your school crush. Anything less than a squeeze-worthy palmful, anything that succumbed to gravity, would be passed over by Playboy editors—relegated instead to the readership of National Geographic.

In the weeks leading up to my surgery, I would debate the pros and cons of implants over and over again. Like Dr. Rowe, I was struggling to understand my expectations. Due to their generally higher placement, my nipples would be raised only an inch. With the removal of skin, my 34D boobs would likely decrease by a half or a whole cup size. Was it worth going through all of this, just for slightly smaller tits with slightly higher nipples? Would I be satisfied with, well, a slight difference?

This was also plaguing Dr. Rowe, who responded to my initial consultation with multiple surgical plans. “One of the key things that I try to ascertain when I'm examining a patient: what are their true expectations and, more importantly, are they realistic for the patient?”

When Dr. Rowe first opened his private practice in 2004, he was routinely implanting 500 and 600cc implants—for reference, one cup size is around 250cc. With larger implants dropping faster, creating sagging, he says women have trended smaller in the last five years. Fat transfer enhancements, popular among those seeking natural-looking breasts, can calcify into hard lumps and be mistaken for cancer during mammography—resulting in additional surgery. The complications and shelf lives associated with implants have also become more well-known : follow-up implant removal or replacement surgeries after 10 years or sooner, and ruptured implants need to be replaced in up to 17.7% percent of patients after 6 or 10 years (the rupture rate after revision augmentation is between 2.9% and 14.7%). Breast implant illness is a controversial topic—it’s a term patients came up with, rather than a medical diagnosis; there’s a lack of data on the topic; and no real agreement about what the symptoms are, though patients tend to name hard-to-track ones, like fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, rash, memory loss—but the FDA and many doctors agree there’s still much to learn, Grant Stevens, the president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and a clinical professor of plastic surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, previously told to Allure .

Still, the promise of built-in cleavage was tempting. I wanted to go braless without insecurity. Wear plunging dresses without experimenting with endless sticky cutlets. I didn’t want to tug up my breasts in tight tops. At the same time, I didn’t want to go bigger, and I didn’t want to possibly undergo multiple surgeries on my breasts as I aged. My heart just wasn’t in the implants.

“Whereas I used to do a lot of breast implant mastopexies—where you put in the implants at the same time—today, I'm probably doing a larger number of mastopexies [breast lifts] alone,” he says.

Post-consultation, the options Dr. Rowe offered me were a mastopexy with a small implant or a mastopexy with an internal bra. The internal bra is a lesser-known procedure that originated in the ‘80s, reaching wider awareness more recently, Rowe says, with the help of a rebrand and big marketing push . Originally, the internal bra was a kind of cone shape (picture Madonna) created from a Gore-tex mesh. Over time, there were claims the mesh may have been obscuring mammography, and insurance companies began rejecting claims for mammograms if the patient had an internal bra. That’s where Galaflex came in. A new internal bra material first implemented around 2016, it’s best described as an absorbable mesh sewn into the chest wall.

“Think of it as a hammock,” says Dr. Rowe. “It goes underneath the implant [around existing breast tissue] and keeps it from descending over time. You don't need a full cone because you’re not pulling anything up—but you are protecting the implant from moving down after two years. You have your own sling.”

A lot of breast surgeries rely on skin to hold up an implant or (in the case of a lift-only) breast tissue, Dr. Rowe explained to me, but skin is not capable of bearing weight. Someone who has skin that has been stretched from rapid weight loss is a perfect candidate for an internal bra because that stretching of the skin weakens the layer of collagen that’s usually a built-in structure to prevent descent. But after Galaflex dissolves, in about 1-2 years, “it gets replaced by collagen — which would not have been there otherwise,” says Dr. Rowe, an assessment validated by studies published in the journals Aesthetic Surgery ( in 2022 and 2016) and Plastic and Aesthetic Research . “While the internal bra itself is gone, its impact remains.”

This was enough to convince me to get an internal bra, which starts at $10,000 at Dr. Rowe's practice, making the cost of a breast lift with an internal bra $40,000 and up. While I was assured the results of an internal bra are not permanent—Dr. Rowe said I could expect them to last for at least 10 years—it does make it less likely for the breasts to droop over time. And an internal bra is less likely to interfere with breastfeeding—something that may or may not be in my future—than an implant.

My surgery took around an hour and a half. I was in the clinic by 7:30am, put under general anesthesia, and awake around 11:30am. During the procedure, Dr. Rowe removed excess skin and sewed the gauze to my ribcage, reshaping the remaining skin and tissue to lift my breasts and nipples while reducing the size of my areolas. I was back to my hotel room in a surgical bra by noon. Recovery requires you to wear a surgical bra, day and night, for at least a month — eventually downgrading to a sports bra until around six weeks. A surgical bra is a wireless bralette that closes at the front (so you don’t have to stretch your arms back), and feels very lightweight but also extremely tight. The compression helps with the swelling but also keeps the breasts in their proper place as they heal. I was unable to sleep on my side for around 10 days, and there’s no lifting more than 10 pounds, or working out other than walking, for three weeks. Following that, scar tape or gel on the sutured areas (around the areola, down and under the breast) is an everyday essential for a year.

This dress was impossible for me to wear without a bra before, now they sit perfectly without any support.

The first several days require heavy reliance on another person. For the first 48 hours, my boyfriend lifted and lowered me into bed, dressed me, and brushed my hair and teeth because I couldn’t raise my arms. I was encouraged to walk the next day, and allowed to fly or drive if necessary on the second (I’d traveled to New York City for the surgery, and had booked my flight back home two days later). I had full mobility again by day three or four, but the discomfort should also not be underestimated—specifically with the internal bra. I felt a constant pang and tugging pain on my ribcage that affected even the most basic activities (like lifting groceries or shaving my legs) for the first several weeks.

For the first 24 hours, I was in so much pain that I cried all the way through my post-op appointment the next morning. In the first 24 hours, I was taking a low-dose prescription opiate by itself, which wasn’t enough pain medication, so Dr. Rowe recommended I take it in conjunction with Extra Strength Tylenol. (He compared Tylenol to the main meal, while Oxycodone and Tramadol were a kind of ‘chaser’—supplementing the OTC medication should I need something stronger.) Through my tears, I revealed my new, bruised breasts to Dr. Rowe. Upon inspecting his work, the surgeon concluded he was “very happy” with the results.

“You're trying to make their soul better,” he explains of cosmetic surgery. “While I'm not taking out their appendix, when a patient sees themselves as having a flaw–rightfully so or not–you're trying to correct it. And sometimes to them, it's life and death. Honestly, down deep, I'm a fixer. Seeing a problem and getting a solution, a good solution, it's gratifying.”

I didn’t look at my breasts for the first week—a mostly unconscious choice. For as long as I remember, I have avoided looking at my breasts entirely. Even before my weight loss changed their appearance significantly I always felt unsatisfied with them on a bad day, or ambivalent at best. Eight days after surgery, I unzipped my surgical bra and inspected the result for the first time. Dr. Rowe had reduced the size of my areolas, raised the nipples, and rounded my breasts into two symmetrical mounds. The anchor-shaped incision was sutured with almost invisible stitches. I was looking at boobs I had only seen on screen, or on my most genetically-blessed friends.

I turn away from the mirror. The change might seem slight to some, but to me, mastopexy had made a world of difference. “Tell me what you think,” I say to my boyfriend. “They’re perfect,” he responds. This time, I believed the beholder.

To read more about plastic surgery:

• Breast Lifts Are on the Way Up
• 13 People Get Real About Their Facelifts
• I’m 96 and I’ve Had 3 Facelifts — Here’s What I Learned

Now watch Brooke Shields' 10 Minute Beauty Routine:

Allure Daily Beauty Blast

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Application Advice: How to Approach the Booth Essay

Starting your application here are five questions to ask yourself before drafting your essay..

• By EW Admissions FT Admissions
• July 16, 2024
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Alumni and students routinely describe applying to Chicago Booth as a life-changing decision. This is why we encourage candidates to use our application not only as a means of gaining admission, but also as an opportunity for self-reflection and to prepare for this exciting next step. One of the best ways to communicate your MBA motivations and connection to Booth is through the essay portion of the application. The essay prompts for this cycle are as follows:

Part-Time MBA Program:

• Why are you seeking an MBA from Chicago Booth, and why is Chicago Booth's Evening MBA or Weekend MBA your program of choice? (maximum 400 words)
• Optional Essay: If there is any important information relevant to your candidacy you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here. (maximum 500 words)

Full-Time MBA Program:

• How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)
• An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of work. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are. (250-word minimum)

Before starting your application and writing your essay, here are five questions we suggest you ask yourself:

• What inspired me to pursue an MBA? Take time to reflect on your personal and professional experiences, relationships, and goals. Did you know you wanted to pursue an MBA during your prior educational training? Is there a family member, friend, mentor, or professional colleague who influenced you to pursue an MBA? Are you looking to better understand your industry, develop leadership skills, or improve your career? There is no right or wrong answer, we just want to understand why an MBA is important to you at this stage in your life.
• What do I hope to accomplish professionally? There are innumerable ways our students and graduates use an MBA to transform their careers. Whether it's a job promotion or a career pivot, a Chicago Booth MBA will open doors that can change the trajectory of your career and influence your professional goals. Have a clear plan for what immediate and future success might look like for you. Take time to assess where you’ve been, where you are now, and where you want to be. Think deeply about how a Booth MBA can fill any gaps and help get you there.
• How will I apply what I learn in and out of the classroom to my current or future role? The Chicago Booth MBA experience will provide you with the space to learn frameworks you can directly apply to your current role (for Part-Time students) or future role (for Full-Time students). The skills you develop at Booth continue to be one of the biggest returns on investment Booth students rave about. With the instant impact a Booth MBA can have on your career, we encourage you to be clear about the MBA experiences, resources, and relationships that will help you meet your desired career goals.
• How will the collaborative culture at Booth be a part of my experience? Boothies are well-known to help one another. Whether it's through referrals for new opportunities, collaboration on group projects, or providing the confidence to embrace new challenges, support is at the heart of our culture. Consider how you can give back to the community by leveraging your unique strengths and skills to contribute and help others, ultimately creating a cycle of support that extends well beyond graduation. Let us know how these values resonate with the MBA experience you seek.
• How can I show my true self? Be honest. Share your experiences, thoughts, and emotions truthfully. Admissions directors appreciate authenticity and value your unique perspective. The optional essay provides a great platform to reflect on your personal experiences, challenges you've faced, and how they've influenced your growth.

Whenever you decide to apply, we wish you the best of luck! Looking for more application tips? Check out more application advice  from Boothies and Admissions. We’re also hosting events ( Full-Time ; Part-Time ) throughout the summer, where you can get your questions answered in real time. We wish you the best of luck with your application!

Start Your Application Journey Today

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Who is Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who went viral at the 2024 Olympics?

Turkey’s Savval Ilayda Tarhan, left, and Yususf Dikec compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Turkey’s Savval Ilayda Tarhan, left, and Yususf Dikec pose for a photograph after winning the silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Turkey’s Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, left, and teammate Yusuf Dikec prepare to compete in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualification round at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

L to R on the podium, Turkey’s Savval Ilayda Tarhan and Yususf Dikec, Serbia’s Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec, and India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh pose for a photograph after the medal ceremony of the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. Serbia won the gold medal, while Turkey and India won the silver and the bronze respectively. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

R to L, India’s Sarabjot Singh uses his phone to take a selfie with teammate Manu Bhaker, Serbia’s Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic, and Turkey’s Yususf Dikec and Savval Ilayda Tarhan after the medal ceremony of the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Chateauroux, France. Serbia won the gold medal, while Turkey and India won the silver and the bronze respectively. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

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CHATEAUROUX, France (AP) — Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his seemingly casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics.

The most-shared images show Dikec shooting in a T-shirt with one hand in his pocket, a seemingly standard pair of glasses and an impassive look on his face. He’s been likened to a regular guy competing at the Olympics, or even a hitman.

The 51-year-old is no newcomer, though. He’s competed at every Summer Olympics since 2008.

Some memes contrast Dikec with his Serbian opponent Damir Mikec, who was wearing a blinder over one eye, a lens over the other and a large pair of ear defenders.

Did Dikec win a medal?

He did, and it made history.

Dikec and Sevval Ilayda Tarhan won the silver medal in mixed team 10-meter air pistol shooting Tuesday. It was Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting.

Mikec and Zorana Arunovic won gold for Serbia. The bronze went to India’s Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh.

Unlike Dikec, his teammate Tarhan was competing with large ear defenders and a visor, as well as braids in the red and white colors of the Turkish flag. She was shooting with one hand in her pocket, too.

Dikec was 13th in his individual event and is now done at the Paris Olympics. He’s looking ahead to the next Games in 2028, though. “I hope next in Los Angeles (for) a gold medal,” he said Tuesday.

What does he think about going viral?

Dikec seems to be embracing the trend, reposting a video compilation of Turkish-language memes about him to his Instagram page.

The shooting events were held around three hours’ drive south of Paris. Dikec and Tarhan made the journey to the French capital Wednesday, where they were greeted with cheers at the Champions Park , an open-air venue where medalists celebrate with fans.

Why didn’t Dikec wear more gear?

Shooters have some freedom about how they dress for competition.

It’s Day 10 of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here ’ s what to know:

• Gymnastics: Simone Biles wraps up her 2024 Olympics gymnastics competition by seeking more gold in the balance beam and floor exercises. Follow live updates here.
• Boxer bullying backlash: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif said the wave of hateful scrutiny she has faced over misconceptions about her gender “harms human dignity,” and she called for an end to bullying athletes
• 100 meter final : American Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100 by five-thousandths of a second, among closest finishes in history.
• In photos : Some of the best pictures from the Summer Olympics , updated daily.
• Catch up : Follow along with our Olympics medal tracker and list of athletes who won today . Check out the Olympic schedule of events and follow all of AP’s coverage of the Summer Games .
• Want more? Sign up for our daily Postcards from Paris newsletter.

Many shooters at the Olympic range in Chateauroux, central France, choose to wear visors to reduce the glare of the lights or so-called blinders over one eye to get a better focus for the eye which is looking down the sights.

It’s not quite true that Dikec wasn’t wearing any shooting gear. He had yellow earplugs to block out distractions while he shot in the final. They just weren’t visible from the angle of the image which went viral.

Just like Dikec, Chinese rifle shooter Liu Yukun won a gold medal Thursday wearing earplugs but no blinder or visor.

Have other shooters gone viral at the 2024 Olympics?

Yes, South Korean pistol shooter Kim Yeji’s confident demeanor and dramatic stance have brought praise on social media for her “main character energy”.

“The Olympic #shootingsport stars we didn’t know we needed,” the official Olympics account on X posted Thursday with pictures of Kim and Dikec.

Kim won silver in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event Sunday behind her South Korean teammate Oh Ye Jin. Kim and Oh are roommates and Kim said she was pleased Oh got the gold because she sees her like a “youngest sibling”.

Kim is set to compete again Friday in qualification for the women’s 25-meter pistol event.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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2024 Paris Olympics men's basketball scores: Germany topples France as six of eight quarterfinalists confirmed

The last two spots are down to serbia, south sudan and greece.

With an 85-71 victory over France on Friday, Germany joined Canada as the second team to go undefeated through group play so far. The United States can become the third with a win over Puerto Rico on Saturday. 

Both Germany and France had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals, but the game still had meaning in that the winner would likely end up on the opposite side of the quarterfinal bracket from the United States, thus avoiding a potential matchup with the Americans until the gold medal game. 

Why? Assuming the U.S. beats Puerto Rico on Saturday, three teams will be 3-0, and the top two point differentials will be the U.S. (+43 and counting) and Germany (+47). Canada finished its group with a +20 point differential. 

Reminder: Eight teams qualify for the quarterfinals. The two top teams in each group and the two top third-ranked teams advance. Head-to-head competition breaks ties within groups, and point-differential competition breaks ties across groups. 

With one day of group-play action remaining, six of the eight quarterfinalists have been confirmed: USA, Germany, Canada, France, Brazil (which beat Greece's point differential by a single point) and Australia. The Boomers advanced to the quarterfinals despite losing to Greece on Friday, finishing second in Group A thanks to Canada's win against Spain. 

Spain, which actually could've won Group A with a win over Canada but instead finished last in the "Group of Death" with a loss, and Japan have been eliminated. Technically, Puerto Rico remains alive, but it would have to beat the United States by about 60 points and then still get help from Serbia or South Sudan. So Puerto Rico is out, too. 

The two spots that remain up for grabs will come down to Greece, Serbia and South Sudan. Entering the Serbia-South Sudan game on Saturday, the point differentials look like this:

So you can start to do the math. If Serbia wins, it's in. If it wins by two or more, South Sudan is out and Greece is in. If South Sudan beats Serbia by 23 or less, or loses by one, South Sudan and Serbia are in while Greece would be out. The only way Serbia can blow this is to lose by 24 or more on Saturday. Probably not going to happen. 

Add it all up, and in all likelihood, Serbia is in. Greece needs South Sudan to lose by two or more. 

Friday's Olympic scores

Brazil 102, Japan 84

Greece 77, Australia 71

Canada 88, Spain 85

Germany 85, France 71

Schroder, Wagner star for Germany 

Germany got 52 combined points from its two stars -- 26 each from Dennis Schroder, who added nine assists and five rebounds, and Franz Wagner, who threw down the dunk of the Olympics so far with a tomahawk jam in traffic late in the third quarter. 

FRANZ WAGNER WITH THE DUNK OF THE OLYMPICS pic.twitter.com/758vQCa8Qq — Global Hoops Daily (@worldhoopsfan) August 2, 2024

Wagner had his way getting into the paint and finishing at the rim, unfazed by France's twin-tower combo of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Schroder was once again terrific, hitting 10 of his 17 shots, including four of seven 3-pointers. The home crowd tried to push France, but Germany was too much. 

France couldn't get into any sort of consistent offense. Wembanyama led the way with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but everything was a struggle. Germany controlled the defensive end and got out in transition throughout. 

Canada conquers Group A

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander  scored a game-high 20 points on 5-for-11 shooting for Canada, but split a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining, which led to a Sergio Llull 3-pointer that cut Canada's lead to just a single point. With 2.3 seconds left, Gilgeous-Alexander went to the free-throw line again and made both. Llull then missed a heave from beyond halfcourt at the buzzer. 

Andrew Nembhard  added 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting for Canada.  RJ Barrett  had 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including a clutch 3-pointer with 39 seconds left. Spain's Dario Brizuela scored 16 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including Spain's first 10 points of the period, but it wasn't quite enough.

Canada never trailed after taking a 22-21 lead early in the second quarter, but this one got dicey. Brizuela, who had scored just six points in the entire Olympics before the fourth quarter, produced one of the more magical individual scoring binges you'll ever see on this stage. He scored on four straight possessions early in the final frame, piling up 10 points in a less-than-two-minute span that got Spain within three points.

pic.twitter.com/miTolPXPp9 — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

Later, he hit a pull-up 3 over Lu Dort ...

pic.twitter.com/JVHaa8JSjj — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

...and a hanging layup over Dwight Powell .

pic.twitter.com/pCXjyvKmiU — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

Canada did not cruise to this victory, but its 3-0 record is a statement in itself. No one on Spain's roster could credibly stay in front of Gilgeous-Alexander, who, late in the second quarter, picked Llull's pocket near halfcourt and stuck his tongue out at his own bench en route to a two-handed dunk on the break. 

pic.twitter.com/sUpelAdEEi — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

More than at any other point in his time with Team Canada, Nembhard looked like the guy who stepped up in Tyrese Haliburton's absence at the end of the Indiana Pacers ' playoff run. Barrett made the biggest shot of the game, though, and, given how stellar he has been this summer, it was appropriate that he was the one cashing the corner 3 Canada desperately needed. The 88-85 final score was identical to the final score of the game between these two teams  at the FIBA World Cup  last year.

pic.twitter.com/wLxbIYvFkI — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

"We found a way," Canada coach Jordi Fernandez said, via fiba.com . "When you don't have experience in this type of games and you don't know what this type of games mean, the only way to get experience is going through it. Now we have a group of guys that have gone through the World Cup, now the Olympics, and I think right now our experience is taking us to the next level. Very happy with my group, guys played in this pool that was extremely competitive. Being 3-0 is a great accomplishment."

If there is one main reason that Canada is 3-0, it is the team's defense. They are relentless at the point of attack, and, as commentator Dwyane Wade mentioned several times on the broadcast, Powell's pick-and-roll defense has been superb. Spain committed 15 turnovers on Friday, and Canada had a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

"That is our identity," Nembhard said, via fiba.com. "We have a lot of guys who can switch and we are very versatile on that side of the floor and we can bring in new energy. When we are at our best, we are bringing our competitiveness to that side of the court."

Dillon Brooks added: "Our defense is our top thing, our ball pressure, our attention to detail, the way we help each other."

pic.twitter.com/jkyfElLAj9 — SaDbo (@Sadbomary) August 2, 2024

Since Spain was eliminated, this game marked the end of Rudy Fernandez's sixth Olympics with the Spanish national team, an all-time record. The 39-year-old announced before the Olympics that these would be his last.

"I've been blessed, blessed to coach him," Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said, via fiba.com . "So many games, so many competitions. Seeing him never giving up. Never surrendering to the physical gaps he had at the three position against basically any opponent he had to face during his career. Being so competitive, being so committed to this team. No matter how his health was, no matter how his personal situation was. He was always there."

Fernandez's health wasn't optimal against Canada, following a hard hit to the head during Spain's game against Greece, but he still logged 15 minutes. Both he and Santi Aldama were game-time decisions leading up to the game.

"I'm extremely proud of the unbelievable effort of this team," Scariolo said, via fiba.com. "We were far away in the predictions, we were far away in the physicality, and the physical potential, but we found a way to compete until the very end. Unfortunately we got hurt, with two of our most important players Rudy Fernandez and Santi Aldama in bad physical condition, and it showed obviously during the game, but we always stayed in the game."

Aldama grabbed 11 rebounds, and Spain collectively rebounded 17 of its misses. Spain could only turn those extra opportunities into 14 second-chance points, though. With Canada forcing turnovers and making its first-shot offense incredibly difficult -- until Brizuela almost singlehandedly saved them, that is -- this was not enough.

Giannis, Greece beat Boomers

For much of the game, it looked like Greece was going to win in a blowout and punch its ticket to the quarterfinals. They started the second quarter on a 14-0 run, were up 53-36 at halftime and led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, thanks largely to Australia's turnovers, which repeatedly led to easy buckets on the other end. Predictably, whenever Antetokounmpo managed to get near the restricted area, it was trouble for the Boomers.

pic.twitter.com/boBdiF8Due — Chrissy (@chrissssyyymol) August 2, 2024

But Australia worked its way back into it. Matthew Dellavedova , who wasn't even in the rotation in the Boomers' Olympic opener against Canada, kickstarted an 8-0 run late in the third quarter, and Patty Mills , who has struggled from inside the arc throughout the tournament, capped a 9-2 run with a midrange pull-up to cut the deficit to just two points. 

pic.twitter.com/ZXRyh2ti4W — Chrissy (@chrissssyyymol) August 2, 2024

"At halftime, and then the start of the third, it looked diabolical," Australia coach Brian Goorjian said, via fiba.com . "So if we did get through, the way we finished the game gives us a chance, and if we do go through, we go through from second place, which is a pretty good result from this pool."

Finishing second in the "Group of Death" is indeed an accomplishment, even if the Boomers lost two of their three games, committed 16 turnovers on Friday and had to root for Canada instead of determining its own destiny.

Greece came away with the win in part because Antetokounmpo got some help on offense. Thomas Walkup, the Stephen F. Austin legend , scored 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting, including a timely corner 3 that gave them a seven-point lead with about a minute left. Vasilis Toliopoulos and Dinos Mitoglou added 13 points apiece.

pic.twitter.com/2Mf4pmhIa2 — Chrissy (@chrissssyyymol) August 2, 2024

"You just gotta give credit to all of the guys on the team," Antetokounmpo said, per fiba.com , "from [Kostas] Papanikolaou guarding; Walkup guarding and scoring the ball; Nick Calathes navigating every pick and roll; Mitoglou being able to cut, score and space the floor for us; [Georgios] Papagiannis playing strong, covering the rim, getting us rebounds and making it tough for everybody to get into the paint; shooters, Toliopoulos and [Dimitris] Moraitis, guys who came in, they were aggressive; [Panagiotis] Kalaitzakis, unbelievable defense in six minutes, he had three or four steals, you just gotta give credit to all of those guys. As a collective, we were able to come together and get a win tonight."

According to Vassilis Spanoulis, the iconic Greek player turned coach of the men's national team, they were "not disappointed" that they didn't win by a bigger margin. "This is a huge day for Greek basketball," Spanoulis said, via fiba.com. Since this is the team's first appearance at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing, this is its first Olympic win since Aug. 18, 2008, against China, a game in which Spanoulis scored 19 points.

"I believe all teams deserve to go through from this group," Papanikolaou said, via fiba.com. "All of them played good basketball, had good and bad moments, sometimes you need a little bit of luck, also. Hopefully, luck will smile on us."

Two fun facts: Mills, who scored 13 points, now has 541 career points in the Olympics, which is the fifth-highest total in history (he surpassed Brazil's Wlamir Marques's total of 537) and 50 points shy of Argentina's Luis Scola for No. 4. Also, Antetokounmpo's total of 81 points in his first three games at the Olympics is the fourth-highest in history. ( Luka Doncic's 85 points in his first three games at the Olympics for Slovenia is the all-time record.)

The Caboclo Show

Earlier on Friday, Brazil's  Bruno Caboclo  dominated Japan in a 102-84 victory.  Ten years after he was drafted , the 28-year-old big man went off for 33 points on 13-for-19 shooting, 17 rebounds and a block in 30 minutes. Caboclo made all four of his 3-point attempts and nine of his rebounds were on the offensive glass.

The comfortable victory meant that Brazil finished third in Group B with a 1-2 record and a minus-7 point differential. The win didn't immediately mean Brazil would advance to the quarterfinals, but the result of the following game between Greece and Australia did.

In their first 2024 Olympic victory,  Giannis Antetokounmpo  and Greece beat Australia by a final score of 77-71. As a result, Greece finished third in the "Group of Death" with a minus-8 point differential. 

Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting, with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals against the Boomers, who, like Greece, finished the group stage 1-2.

In early July, Caboclo was the MVP of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Lithuania , but he scored only six total points in Brazil's first two games of the Olympics, limited to 24 combined minutes against France and Germany because of foul trouble. Against Japan, though, he was by far the best player on the court.

"If he doesn't have foul trouble he gives so much to us at both ends of the court," longtime Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas said, via fiba.com . "He's a big threat on the 3-point line, in the low post, going to the basket. Defensively, he covers so much space and helps everybody."

Huertas added that "it's a whole different game" when Caboclo is on the floor. This was particularly true against Japan, which couldn't stop him or keep him off the offensive boards. According to fiba.com, Caboclo is the first player to record more than 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game at the Olympics since Clifford Luyk did it for Spain 52 years ago.

pic.twitter.com/8RYDbdejv1 — Chrissy (@chrissssyyymol) August 2, 2024

Caboclo's best highlight might not have been any of his buckets, but a block against Yuta Watanabe in the fourth quarter. About a minute before that play, Japan was within two points of Brazil; about four minutes later, thanks to a 16-2 scoring run, Japan was down 96-82. Brazil limited Japan to four points in the last eight minutes.

pic.twitter.com/lGYv70wpwG — Chrissy (@chrissssyyymol) August 2, 2024

It was The Caboclo Show, but it wasn't just The Caboclo Show. Brazil shot an absurd 17 for 28 (60.1%) from 3-point range as a team (and made 12 of its first 14 attempts from behind the arc) and Huertas had 13 points and eight assists in 23 minutes.

"Today we were really good as a team," Caboclo said, per fiba.com. He added that, since he avoided foul trouble, he was able to make a difference: "If I can stay on the court, I think I can impact things. With my offensive ability, I can help the team a lot. Even if I am not doing well on offense, I can impact the defensive end of the floor with my wingspan."

Rui Hachimura , who scored 24 points in 28 minutes against France on Tuesday before being ejected for committing two unsportsmanlike fouls, did not play for Japan. Japan's basketball federation announced early Friday that Hachimura had left the team because of a calf injury.

Japanese guard Yuki Kawamura, one of the breakout stars of these Olympics, had 21 points on 7-for-19 shooting, gave Brazil some trouble with his speed and made a couple of memorable stepback 3s. He and forward Yuta Watanabe, weren't particularly efficient, finishing with a combined 35 points on 13-for-36 shooting. Center Josh Hawkinson, however, was incredibly efficient -- he knocked down five of his six 3-point attempts and scored a team-high 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting. 

Yuki Kawamura is incredible. Dances and nails the stepback triple pic.twitter.com/UHJSdMkc3F — Global Hoops Daily (@worldhoopsfan) August 2, 2024

Japan shot 16 for 41 from deep collectively. According to fiba.com, this was the first time in Olympic history that both teams made at least 15 3-pointers.

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