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...