Blogs from Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 86

hehe... good one. :) Well, yesterday we went on a crazy adventure to Kyoto in search of Geisha. This involved catching a local train to Shin-Yokahama, then catching a bullet train (or shinkansen) down to Kyoto. The shinkansen travels at around 300km per hour, when one travels through a station without stopping, the ground shakes, and a 15 carriage train passes in like 10 seconds... very cool. So we got off in Kyoto, then caught the Japenese subway to Shijo, where our hotel was (very nice, very central, very cool). Unfortunately, we had gotten used to the warm weather in Tokyo, and hadn't thought to bring much warm gear, and it was rainy, and quite chilly in Kyoto, so that was... interesting. Yesterday afternoon we went and checked out the Golden Pavillon, this temple covered in ... read more

So just about a year ago from this time I received my acceptance onto the JET program. I remember shaking as I unfolded the paper, then went screaming through my sorority house that I was indeed moving to Japan in July. Then I called my parents. Before saying congratulations, my dad said "Oh we are coming to visit you during Cherry Blossom (aka Hanami) Season!!!" Hard to believe that a year has gone by since that time, and even harder to think that my parents were on my stomping ground. I was very excited for them to see "my" country, indulge in the tasty cuisine, see the old/new Japan, and get to see what I do everyday in this crazy country. Their adventure began in Tokyo on a tour. From there they went to various places ... read more

Saturday was yet another example of how crazy the Japanese are, and how much more crazy the rest of the world is. My archi class and prof traipsed through Kyoto station top to bottom east to west in an effort to rip its architectural value to shreds. It is possibly the most stupidly designed building in Japan!!!!!!!! This is where you can't use the term: "not just a pretty face". It's only a pretty face. or at least a moderately pretty one. Then we zenned out at Daitokuji (spelling wa yokuarimasen) temple complex. Zenning out consists of taking notes about tea rooms, snapping a million research photographs, AND relaxing on the stoep of one of the most famous gardens in Japan, being served tea and cake, and just generally being slow, relaxed and self indulgent! Then, ... read more

Who would have thought that I would pay money (voluntarily) to consume foamy green stuff and a pink thing that looks like an overgrown moth ball? And who would have thought that I might actually like it! Yep, for those in the know, I finally tried Mocha. Mocha is the foamy green tea that is used in tea ceremonies, and the mothball thingy is a delicious cake that accompanies it. The tea is bitter and has foam sorta like a cappucino... only green and without dairy products involved. It's sakura time in Japan. Think anticapation, excitement, special weather forecasts, people keeping a constant eye on the 'terebi' and the paper, and a general air of festivity. Tents are being errected, parties planned, sake purchased, and festive markets held. So what's all this about, you ask??? And ... read more

Photos unclear because of misty weather and food shots taken through glass... read more