Fushimi Inari

My typhoon never came and I was sorely disappointed. However, I got time to visit Kyoto this weekend because it wasn't storming!

This trip to Kyoto was just as successful as the first. Four of us arrived in Kyoto and set out to see the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This shrine is famous for having 40,000 torii (gateways) painted in orange winding around a mountain. It was beautiful and full of mosquitoes, but well worth the itching! After we had explored the area we found a small cafe and pointed to something on the menu that said, "hambu" in Japanese. We were expecting a hamburger, but instead a box comes with rice, fried fish, meatloaf-ish, pickled vegetable of a mysterious sort, salad (japanese salad's are VERY different from USA salads), and a light cheesecake. Each portion was a sample size so it was fullfilling without being gluttonous. Which is how I like it!

Once lunch was through we enjoyed the bus ride back to the train station with elbows in our faces and feeling like falling domino's. We really did enjoy it, that isn't sarcasm. I think I was laughing the whole time because I felt like I was on a wooden rollercoaster. Once back at the train station, we jumped on another bus (we bought the 'bus fare for the day ticket') and headed to the National Kyoto Museum. The museum was small but had some grand Buddha's and impressive painted scrolls. We then went to Gion, better known as the Geisha district. 

It's said that the geisha come out with their painted faces around 5pm, so we shopped in the small shops and ate in a sweet shop until it was nearing dark and our chances would increase. 

I saw two of them walking down the street towards us and I turned to my friend, Holly, and said, "Take my picture!!" Somehow she thought I wanted a picture of the building and so there is a picture of me standing very very excitedly next to a building. After she put down her camera she exclaims, "GEISHA!!" Ohhh, did we had a laugh over that!

Eventually we made our way back to the train station on a packed bus and took the ride home. I tend to stand out being so tall in Japan, but I must say it comes in handy on a crowded bus. I get my own breathing room!

Typhoon

There is a typhoon coming today!

My Japanese family

I met my Japanese family sister a few days ago. She was adorably lost trying to find the room we were to meet in and I enjoyed watching her run back and forth while all the other brothers and sisters were getting to know each other. This is the Japanese Home Visit program that a family has agreed to take me in for the semester and show me Japanese life. Since Makiko and her parents live in Kobe, which is three hours away, she has invited me to stay in their house overnight! In Japan it's custom for the host to plan the day and so far what I've heard is that they're going to adopt me for the day and show me the sites of Kobe and then we'll go back "home" and eat a tradition meal and sleep! Then, the next morning I'll venture back to campus without getting lost. I'm very excited for that weekend to come because after meeting Makiko for thirty minutes I think she was meant to be my true oniisan.

Late at night, during the day, and pretty much anytime, a car will go by with a speaker on the roof and speak Japanese. I thought it was a political statement but according to some of my friend these cars are just asking us to buy a certain type of Clorox or Tissue Paper. I wonder how well that would go over in the United States.

I figure I should make a list of what is different in Japan than we're used to in Amerika (United States in Japanese, not egocentrism!). First of all, we bow at everything! I can't do the correct bow and I don't know who should receive it, so I merely bow my head at any Japanese person I come into contact with and respond with an, "Ohayo Gozaimasu, Konnichiwa, or Konbonwa" based on where the sun is in the sky. I primarily do this to the guards I walk by to get to the campus gates.

Another custom is that to order or to pay for food sometimes we need to say, "sumimasen," which means excuse me or I'm sorry, or they'll keep filling up your water glass.

Busses you pay when you get off at your stop, talking is allowed on the subway (London it isn't common), and bicycles have the right-of-way over pedestrians. They also like to ring their little bell to make you move out of their way. Bicycling is known as "light transportion" and many accidents and deaths occur due to reckless biking because helmets aren't necessary over here.

The drinking age is 18, but those beer vending machines don't card so it's not upheld.

Kyoto Trip

Yesterday, a group of four international students (ryuugakusee) and one japanese student traveled to Kyoto to walk the Philosopher's Trail. The (subway/above ground) train ride over was an hour and really neat. First off, some of the trains are double decker! Also, the train systems in each city connect to another cities train system so its very easy to get around Japan. Lastly, all the times the train will arrive are posted and it's always on schedule! 

After getting lost, we got to the Philosopher's trail which ten different temples/shrines in a one-mile walk. It is also famous for having beautiful cherry blossoms during the spring and lovers walk by the canal sharing an umbrella. Our group ended up going to four of temples because each one ended up being so different and interesting that we didn't want to hurry. My favorite was Eikan-do because we got to take our shoes off and explore the many interconnected buildings on stilts that were surrounded by nature, zen gardens, and ponds in the mountains. 

On the way back I ended up sitting next to an Japanese 8th grader who wanted to practice his English. He was very good and I loved that he said, "I beg your pardon" when he didn't understand something I said. 

Tomorrow is my first national holiday in Japan. Respect for the Aged Day. A celebration is going down at 2am in Osaka's streets. Somehow I don't think many Aged will be there...

First week in Japan

Hmm, well that was fun trying to figure out which Japanese link would take me to log in in order to post!

I have arrived in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan!

The plane flight over was uneventful. No major turbulence, baggage didn't drop down from the overhead compartment onto my head, no food ended up in my lap...
When we arrived I met four others on my same flight and we talkatively loaded into a huge bus for the hour and a half bus ride to our Seminar Houses (dorms) near the Kansai Gaidai University. I was pleasantly surprised to find out living arrangements were very clean and that tatami mats were soft! Also, we have rice paper sliding doors that are just beautiful when the sunshine comes through in the early morning hours. And I do mean early as I'm still slightly jet lagged!

This week has been comprised mostly of orientation and trying to be as friendly as possible to the other 435 exchange students. We got a lecture about getting beer out of the vending machine at night and drinking in public, separating our trash into five different containers (pet bottles, plastics, cans, burnables, & glass), and how to avoid jail.

This afternoon I went to a hyakkin shopu, which is a $1 store and registered myself as an alien in Osaka.

I mentioned earlier that there are beer vending machines. I feel that I should add there are also ramen vending machines, coffee vending machines, and the normal fruit juice vending machines. Some houses have them in their yard so as we walk our thirty minutes back from campus and we just happened to be thirsty... handy!

Hope everybody back home is doing well!