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Published: March 29th 2015
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My first days in Kyoto were highlighted with discovery and intrigue. This week has been slower, but it has allowed me to learn a bit more about my location within Kyoto. I still have many places that I want to go, but I know now that I can at least get to and from Ritsumeikan either by bike or by the local bus.
On Monday we biked up as a group to the school, and we repeated that on Tuesday. At the school we took the placement test and it was quite long and tedious. The test is made for varying levels of Japanese, so if you have only taken a year of it your understanding will only go so far. The goal is for the school to place you into the appropriate classes for the coming semester. Tuesday was highlighted by the test and we had no other major events for the day other than time in the lounge, where we hang out at night. We had orientation on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as another round of testing. We were brought back into the reality that there was paperwork and studying to be done and many of us
left the honeymoon period of being in Japan. That being said, we are all still enjoying our time despite the extra paperwork. On one of the nights of orientation I helped Nick, Abbi, and Karina make Tacos so it was a nice end to the day.
On Wednesday we took a second placement test, and although the test was not as hard as the first one, the orientation was brutal. The lecture started at 10 in the morning, so we left I-House at 9. The lectures continued on until 4:30 pm both days and we were tasked with a bunch of paperwork that still needs to be done in the next couple weeks. Some of the information was quite useful, however, it was 2 long days. Some take-aways form orientation are:
1. Bikes are considered motored vehicles over here so you must have liability insurance for it.
2. Please do not use umbrellas on the bike as it is dangerous, (although we see people doing this all the time)
3. You need to have a personal seal to open most bank accounts. Also note that many banks will not allow transfers from out of the country.
I was surprised about the bike insurance, as it is not a motored vehicle in the US. I understand it though, because in Japan many people depend on their bikes for transportation. We rode our bikes to the school on Monday and Tuesday, however we took the bus the rest of the week because we didn't want to ride while uninsured in case of an accident. On Friday a group of us went up to the school to do our basic paperwork. We left at one and didn't return until around 7 or so. It was a day full of being chased from one place to another so we could finally finish what needed to be done. In the end most of it was completed, but opening a bank account was more difficult than we thought so we will have to work on that this coming week. After all the paperwork and orientation and pressure of this week, we were all ready to have some down time on Friday. We played games and hung out in the evening.
On Saturday we went to Hanami, which is literally the flower viewing. There were over 20 of us in the
group as we had many people from I-House there as well as other SKP members from Ritsumeikan. We took the bus to Kyoto Marui, a department store near the park where we were going to see the flowers. The sakura flowers were beautiful and it was a great day with friends. We started the viewing at a park and then moved over to the Yasaka Shrine in Gion. It was beautiful seeing the blend of modern architecture so close to all the historic buildings. I took many pictures in the shrine and thus ended up being one of the slower members of the group. It was ok though, as Gemma and Kyle were also very slow for the same reason. We ended up being separated from the group so Gemma and I tried Takoyaki, which is a snack in Japan. It is a little ball that is cooked in a special grill, it is made with a wheat based batter and has vegetables and octopus inside. It was very hot, but it did taste good. Octopus is a little chewy, but the flavor is nice. We took our time leaving the shrine and I even got a shuinjyoo, which is
a stamp book that I can have signed at the various shrines that I visit while in Japan. It will be a great omiyage (souvenir) for when I return home. I have already visited 2 shrines in a week and a half, and I know that I will be visiting many in Japan.
We eventually caught up with the main group, as they were waiting by a nearby stream/river. The group decided to split up and many members returned home. I went with a small subgroup and we ate ramen at a shop in Teramachi. I went to Teramachi last week, so I could roughly recognize where I was, however I still did need a guide. The ramen was delicious and the location was interesting. Everyone sat at a bar and had their own little spot. The place was set up so that people could eat alone, even to the point of having your own little cubicles at the bar. Since I was in a group of 4, we removed those blinders and were able to talk quietly in the restaurant. We didn't ever need to talk to the employees because we ordered at the front and they just
delivered the food. We even had our own little water spouts in front of us. The food locations over here have been very entertaining as it is so different to anything that we have at home.
After ramen we returned home by bus. I was very tired at this point and I planned to go back to the dorm to watch a movie. A large group of us played smash bros again and we watched 10 Things I hate about you after a long movie watching debate. At the end of that movie (around 11 pm) Katie, Kyle, Chrystal and I decided to watch A Nights Tale as well. We were up too late and I know most of us were not up until very late today. Saturday was wonderful, but I was so tired by the end of it. Today I slept in and took the day off, as tomorrow I am going with Gemma to Osaka to get her laptop fixed and explore the area for a bit. Tomorrow night we are going to a lights festival in the evening. I am still unsure of the location, but the group leaves in the late afternoon. I am
really enjoying my time in Kyoto and I know I will continue to do so. I am also meeting some wonderful people that I hope I will have connections with for a lifetime. I may not have time to write much of a blog this week, but the teaser is that I am in Osaka tomorrow, possibly got to the Fushimi Inari shrine on Tuesday and we are going to go to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on Wednesday. Class selection will occur on Thursday and I am unsure of any other plans. I am staying busy and I am loving every moment.
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