I headed to India for the first time and a bunch of things inspired me for sure. I stayed in New Delhi for about 5 days which is the capital of India, hanging around the city and also Agra.

First day
I arrived at New Delhi Airport - I felt like I was in India right away with the weather and smell. And I saw a lot of wild dogs on the streets. The hotel I stayed was pretty safe in terms of hygiene, even though I was caring about the water when I drank water, I didn’t get any stomach ache. I ate the authentic Indian curry and nan at dinner and savoured.

Second Day
I woke up at 4 a.m. to head to Agra. It took about 3 hours to get there from New Delhi and head there by train. That was decently comfortable that we have bed and cushion. Right after we arrived at Agra, we walked to Taj Mahal. It was very fabulous and I wished I could visit there within my whole entire life, so I was moved a lot. The Indian taxi driver who named himself Nakamura knew a lot about Japan and I felt like there are many pro-Japanese people which was very interesting. The driver drove me to many places where I actually wanted to go. I also went to the Red fort and enjoyed the majestic views.

Third day
I worked on some project work with coffee in the morning after working out and spent such an elegant time. I went shopping afterwards and grabbed some tea and coffee. At the market, we tried to find some clothes and tote bags.

Fourth day
As part of my research on environmental issues, I initially reached out to the Japanese Embassy in India to request an interview. Unfortunately, my request was declined. However, I remained persistent and continued to follow up via email, though most of my messages went unanswered.

Given the lack of response, I decided to shift my approach and directly engage and interview students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) University in regards to environmental issues. While some students were hesitant—possibly due to my filming—others were willing to participate. Although their knowledge of environmental issues was limited, they responded thoughtfully to my questions. I will put this into a blog post/

Interestingly, during these conversations, I also gathered some impressions about Japan. Many students expressed a strong desire to visit Kyoto, which I found quite surprising and insightful.

Overall
This trip gave me way more than just sightseeing memories—it really opened my eyes. India was intense in the best way possible: colorful, chaotic, warm, and full of contrasts. I was impressed by how people live with such strong energy and adoptability.

What stuck with me the most was the people—the way strangers helped us, shared their thoughts, or even just smiled on the street. It made me realize how connection can go beyond language or nationality. I also appreciated the deep culture, from ancient architecture like the Taj Mahal to everyday scenes at the market.

This journey definitely became a key experience in shaping the way I look at the world.