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Published: August 27th 2004
Kyoto
There were many tourists and Japanese people here. I started off the day, sans breakfast, by walking in extremely humid weather in semi-formal attire. That was not pleasant. However, the day was a good one. The opening ceremonies were about what I expected. Most of the international students at Kansai Gaidai are from the United States (about 2/3), with the others being from other scattered countries. I don't have any pictures from the opening ceremony, since I didn't bring my camera, but a friend I made on the trip to Kyoto said that he'd e-mail me his pictures of the orientation, as well as from Osaka (yesterday). I, therefore, shall update both when I receive them. At the ceremony were the Consulates-General of the United States and Australia, respectively, as well as all of the students, professors, and the president of Kansai Gaidai.
Afterwards, there was a luncheon in the cafeteria, with quite a bit of Japanese food, most of which was quite good. I somehow tried octopus sushi. It was not too bad, in actuality. I even got a second piece. The same person allowed me to take some pictures of the food with his camera, so, again, when I receive them, I'll post them.
At 2:00, we met for the trip to Kyoto. Our proposed group of four was split up, and Mike and I went with two Japanese Kansai Gaidai students to Kyoto. They spoke very little English, so communication was interesting and somewhat entertaining. Between our limited Japanese and their limited English, we were left with a curious Japanenglish blend. Again, we took the
densha (train), although the trip to Kyoto is quite a bit easier than the trip to Osaka, simply because one need not change trains but once. It seems that, in Japan, cars are rarely used for such travel, and that many, if not most, people take public transportation to get around.
Kyoto is quite a contrast to Osaka. While Osaka is a modern metropolis, Kyoto is old. As I observed when we arrived, "Kyouto wa furui desu," i.e., "Kyoto is old." While there, the two girls said I could pray to a statue of Buddha for 50 yen. I declined. I very much enjoyed the trip. There were incredible views, the type of which I had not before seen in person. Later, we went to a sort of water wishing well.
Rabbit
There were many interesting statues... One takes a cup, catches the flowing water, drinks it, and supposedly it would offer long life. I didn't realize this when I agreed, but it seemed harmless enough. I managed to get through it without drinking the water or seeming disrespectful. I didn't want to do it when I read the sign and found that it was a sort of Buddha worship. Still, it was an interesting and enjoyable experience. We rode the
densha back to Hirakata City station, and then took the bus back to Kansai Gaidai. Mike and I were both hungry, so we looked for a restaurant. (There are plenty.) We found a Chinese restaurant. I ordered
chaahan, fried rice, and he ordered something else.
Now, I'm tired. I move in with my homestay family tomorrow, so I am currently doing laundry. Both of my homestay hosts were born in 1942. This should be interesting.
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Tamika
Fun Times
Hey Alvin, I'm glad to see that you're enjoying yourself. I'm enjoying your entries, and I hope the rest of your stay in Japan is as enjoyable as these past few days seem to have been for you! ~Tamika