By Danny Villalobos, 2015 Wyoming Youth of the Year

Think about how awesome it would be if you were to go to a place you’ve dreamed of since you were a kid! Since 5th grade, my main dream has been wanting to go to the beautiful country of Japan and one day live there. On March 27, 2015, at the age of 15, that dream came true. My sensei or Japanese teacher, Mrs. Kaoru Slotsve, four of my classmates, and I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Japan!

We landed in Narita, Japan, after an 11 hour flight from Seattle. Once we left the airport, right away I loved it. I knew this is the place I want to live! Because I had studied a lot about the country, I didn’t find anything really shocking. For example, the cool, yet weird toilets. Those toilets are honestly pretty awesome! The seat is already warm; you can play music, and many other things. There actually were still some things that I still find interesting. Like the vending machines, they have many more varieties of soda, water, and juice. There are even some vending machines that have cold and hot drinks, such as tea or coffee. Or also how people stand on the left side of the escalator when going up and stand on the right side when going down.

That trip made me think what my future will be and how happy of a face I will have, along with a magnificent smile! Of course, Japan and America are two different countries. In Japan you will see more people walking than driving. Like Britain, you will see more people drink tea (or alcohol) than water. The Japanese are very interesting but fun people.

The food was VERY different! They have the best ramen noodles you could ever eat! They serve you big bowls at a low price!

No one knows what being crammed is once you get on a train or bus and are packed like sardines. That only happened to us twice throughout the whole trip. That is one thing that was eye opening, very smelly, and awkward.

Overall, my trip was amazing and the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life! Just as I knew would happen!

Danny Villalobos is a sophomore at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyo.  He is the Boys & Girls Clubs of America State Youth of the Year for Wyoming. Special thank you to the BGCCW donors who helped make this dream come true for Danny.