I'm going to skip a few things and go straight into what happened last friday (Oct. 26) since it was such a great day I wanted to write about it before I forget anything. First I will write about the internship! (The next one will be about the Halloween Party).
The Internship
First, let me explain what the internship is. The internship is part of the program, but only 6 people were allowed to participate out of the 14 of us. The reason? Because only 6 people can fit in the car that takes us to the school XP Yeah, pretty lame reason, but what can you do? lol anyway the internship is basically where you help elementary school teachers teach English to the class. We got split into different class levels. One person for 1st grade, 1 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd and 2 for 4th (are you following along?). I was put into a 2nd grade class. To be honest, I thought they'd be a lot more calmer, but was I wrong! I've forgotten what it was like to be in 2nd grade lol or maybe these kids are just loud and full of energetic.
When we arrived at the school we talked with (I think) the principal for a couple of minutes before we were taken to a room where kids were sitting lined up on the ground. We had to introduce ourselves to the kids then we split off into our respective classrooms. When I entered the room and the kids flocked inside they all can't help but notice my height. They kept saying how short I was and kept asking me why lol I honestly didn't mind it cause I pretty much expected them to say stuff like that. Haha, they sure are full of energy! It's kinda scary XD The teacher put me at a desk at the very front of the classroom facing the class. I had to write my name on a nametag and the kids who could see kept awing and ooing while I wrote my name in English hahaha
The first thing of course was me introducing myself. I had to do it in Japanese then in English. While I was speaking English some of the kids kept saying "Eh? I don't understand!" (In Japanese of course). You would think it's rather rude, but I didn't care cause they're kids :P meh, I honestly feel like most of the kids didn't care about learning English. So young, haha. After introducing myself we pretty much spent the rest of the time singing along to two songs. One was a song about saying Hello and saying how are you. Then we did a number song (that only went up to 7 haha). The teacher took out these color magnets and she placed a few on the numbers. If a number had a red magnet the kids had to clap their hands instead of say the number. If it had blue they had to jump. It was quite tiring actually XD lol after that we did Head and Shoulders. A lot of the kids got confused on the "eyes and ears and mouth and nose" party lol They kept watching me during that part XD
After that was the end. Literally haha. After dancing we returned to our seat the teacher said that it was time for me to go. One of the kids wanted to keep talking to me. She seems to be the most energetic (without an obnoxious attitude like the boys had :P). Overall, the internship was really fun! I dunno if I can really handle these type of kids though XP They're too energetic and most of the time they don't listen. Kids will be kids I guess :P
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
A Day with the Host Family
Sorry for being slow with updates (>.<) I'm currently in regular school classes now and you would think that's the cause of my slow updates, but truthfully I've just been lazy XD Since regular classes started I've actually have more free time =P Also, unlike during the summer/ILP not much has happened so it's kinda hard to update unless you guys want to know how I spend my days in my room infront of the computer lol but I won't. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I will be posting more about what has happened since Kyoto (will probably won't be in order and I won't give specific days of when they happened cause I probably forgot lol)
Spending a day with the Host Family
On the Saturday after we got back from Kyoto I went to a basketball Parent/Child Showdown (Oyako Taiketsu) event with my host family. One of the sisters participates in basketball so that's why I went to one of these. By the way, if you don't know what this is it's basically an event (I believe they do this for every sport, not just basketball) where they event parents (or relatives, etc) to play against the kids. It's really fun! I fail at basketball, though XD but it's ok because most of the other people playing against the kids weren't that great either lol
Before we actually played basketball we played a game that's like dodgeball but with a little twist. We split into two teams just like dodgeball and the object of the game is to throw the ball and hit someone so that they'd be out, just like dodgeball. However, the twist is a few members stand outside of the play court on the opposing side. The people in the court can throw the ball towards one of their teammates outside and they can hit the opposing team. They however aren't allowed to move. They can only stay in one spot. Also, when you get hit by the ball you don't just go out and stand and wait to get back in, you actually become part of those people! Which makes the game harder btw since not only are you watching the front, but you also have to watch your back and your sides since your enemy is surrounding you! I really like this twist, though :) makes it a lot more fun and challenging!
After the taiketsu we went to an udon restaurant that's apparently famous around Tsuru (at least that's what I got out of what they said... I'm still working on my listening :P). We sat outside since the inside was already full. I also met one of my host family's neighbors who happened to be there, too. While we waited for our food I played around with my two host sisters. The restaurant was next to a rice field and the two sisters ran off and came back with some rice plants in their hands. For 15 minutes we picked out the rice grains from them lol The udon we got was so delicious! It was also my first time having cold udon since I usually eat it warm.
After lunch we went the host family's apartment. I ended up staying there until 8 pm. I spent a lot of time playing with the kids :) We went outside and played with their scooters and bikes. I also played a little bit of basketball with my host sister in the parking lot. She kept saying how good I was, but all I did was kept the ball from her lol It was a workout though XD It was fun, though :D We also played around in their room where the old sister mainly showed me all her stuff in her desks. Kids are so cute :3 Oh yeah, apparently these two little girls aren't afraid of bugs like most girls I know XP They even have a kuwaga and kabuta as pets! (They're types of Japanese beetles). At one point we saw a dead bug that's been smashed into the wall and the youngest one plucked a wing off XD lol she wasn't grossed out at all! I was a little hahaha We also played with their 3DS where the eldest sister kept trying to get a picture of me, but I kept hiding my face haha but I finally gave in and just kept making weird faces which entertained her XP
So, I played with the kids for a few hours. It was tiring lol but fun none-the-less! Me, the sisters, and the mom (the dad was at work) went to the grocery store to get something to eat for dinner. When we went there the eldest sister took me to the snack aisle and told me to pick a snack. I kept saying how a certain snack was expensive so I didn't want to get it, but she kept telling me not worry haha I think she got annoyed because I kept saying that, but truthfully I kept saying it to troll her lol My host mom got okonomiyaki stuff which meant we were having okonomiyaki for dinner :3 It was sooooo delicious!
After dinner I went back to my apartment since it was getting late. They all came to see me off :3 which made me happy ^_^ That day definitely was one of my favorites. I had so much fun!
Spending a day with the Host Family
On the Saturday after we got back from Kyoto I went to a basketball Parent/Child Showdown (Oyako Taiketsu) event with my host family. One of the sisters participates in basketball so that's why I went to one of these. By the way, if you don't know what this is it's basically an event (I believe they do this for every sport, not just basketball) where they event parents (or relatives, etc) to play against the kids. It's really fun! I fail at basketball, though XD but it's ok because most of the other people playing against the kids weren't that great either lol
Before we actually played basketball we played a game that's like dodgeball but with a little twist. We split into two teams just like dodgeball and the object of the game is to throw the ball and hit someone so that they'd be out, just like dodgeball. However, the twist is a few members stand outside of the play court on the opposing side. The people in the court can throw the ball towards one of their teammates outside and they can hit the opposing team. They however aren't allowed to move. They can only stay in one spot. Also, when you get hit by the ball you don't just go out and stand and wait to get back in, you actually become part of those people! Which makes the game harder btw since not only are you watching the front, but you also have to watch your back and your sides since your enemy is surrounding you! I really like this twist, though :) makes it a lot more fun and challenging!
After the taiketsu we went to an udon restaurant that's apparently famous around Tsuru (at least that's what I got out of what they said... I'm still working on my listening :P). We sat outside since the inside was already full. I also met one of my host family's neighbors who happened to be there, too. While we waited for our food I played around with my two host sisters. The restaurant was next to a rice field and the two sisters ran off and came back with some rice plants in their hands. For 15 minutes we picked out the rice grains from them lol The udon we got was so delicious! It was also my first time having cold udon since I usually eat it warm.
After lunch we went the host family's apartment. I ended up staying there until 8 pm. I spent a lot of time playing with the kids :) We went outside and played with their scooters and bikes. I also played a little bit of basketball with my host sister in the parking lot. She kept saying how good I was, but all I did was kept the ball from her lol It was a workout though XD It was fun, though :D We also played around in their room where the old sister mainly showed me all her stuff in her desks. Kids are so cute :3 Oh yeah, apparently these two little girls aren't afraid of bugs like most girls I know XP They even have a kuwaga and kabuta as pets! (They're types of Japanese beetles). At one point we saw a dead bug that's been smashed into the wall and the youngest one plucked a wing off XD lol she wasn't grossed out at all! I was a little hahaha We also played with their 3DS where the eldest sister kept trying to get a picture of me, but I kept hiding my face haha but I finally gave in and just kept making weird faces which entertained her XP
So, I played with the kids for a few hours. It was tiring lol but fun none-the-less! Me, the sisters, and the mom (the dad was at work) went to the grocery store to get something to eat for dinner. When we went there the eldest sister took me to the snack aisle and told me to pick a snack. I kept saying how a certain snack was expensive so I didn't want to get it, but she kept telling me not worry haha I think she got annoyed because I kept saying that, but truthfully I kept saying it to troll her lol My host mom got okonomiyaki stuff which meant we were having okonomiyaki for dinner :3 It was sooooo delicious!
After dinner I went back to my apartment since it was getting late. They all came to see me off :3 which made me happy ^_^ That day definitely was one of my favorites. I had so much fun!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Rest of the Kyoto Trip
First of all I'd like to apologize for the slow updates. I've been lazy this past week XP So, I decided to just write about the rest of the trip in one best. So yes, this will be a long post (maybe... well most likely)
Kyoto Trip Day 3 (in Osaka)
On the 3rd day 6 of us decided to go to Osaka. Well there were 8 of us actually, but 2 of them ended up splitting from us eventually. Anyway, we took the train to Osaka which took about 30 minutes. When we got to Osaka Station we went on the Subway to go to another station. When we arrived we went outside and were greeted by tall buildings, busy streets, and people walking about. Somehow it felt like Tokyo, but at the same time it didn't. Can't really explain it. The first thing on our minds was FOOD. We were all hungry so we walked around looking for food. As we walked I kept pointing out all the Book Offs because man did Osaka have a lot! I was ready to ditch the others and go lol but I stuck around (part of me regretted that... you'll see why in a moment). We walked in one of the alleyways which to be honest has some of the best stuff. We found an Udon Restaurant. When we walked in you order your food via a vending machine. Just insert your money and pick what you want then you get a ticket which you show the restaurant people. I ended up getting an Ebi Tempura Udon. They were very quick about it. After finishing lunch we headed out again.
We soon found ourselves in a mall-like area. It wasn't inside a closed building or anything. It's kind of hard to explain. It's like being in a regular city with stores and restaurants so close to each other except there was a roof on the streets (er more like walkways). But there were still the occasional streets where people have to watch out for cars and stuff.. If you ever go you'll see what I mean. For a long while we walked around this area (which was big btw). We didn't really stopped. We just kept following one guy. I wasn't sure myself where he was taking us, but since he's been here before we had to trust him. We soon found ourselves out of that place and found ourselves on a big bridge that went over a big road. We crossed it and found ourselves in another mall-like place. We found a restaurant that had pasta/pizza style buffet so we decided to eat there for dinner (plus it also had nomihodai which is basically a drink buffet including alcohol drinks). We stopped by a couple of clothes shops since many wanted to buy clothes. After awhile I started getting impatient. And I also felt a bit left out. You know how you're in a big group of friends and they talk amongst themselves and you just sit in the corner like they forgot about you? Yeah, that's how I felt. Not the first time, but it honestly made the experience become bad for me... I was about ready to just leave and walk around on my own. Besides, they kept going to places where I didn't really want to go, but I stuck around because the last time I was in a big city on my own I got lost (actually happened to me twice).
After a long agonizing while we finally headed to the buffet place (which was only 3 hours after we ate lunch). We ended up staying at that place for a really long time. I tried to eat and drink (don't worry, the only alcohol I had was a chuhi which only contains less than 8% of alcohol) as much as what I paid for, but I don't think I managed that... I did eat a lot and drank a bit, but paying more than 1000円 for dinner was a bit much... It was great having pizza again though :) After dinner we decided to go to another part of Osaka where one of us claimed that there was a big ferris wheel. So, we headed there. I forgot to mention that earlier we bought a day pass for the subway for about 800円 which was well worth it since tickets could've been more than 200円 and we used them quite a bit.
When we arrived at where the ferris wheel was we first ended up going the wrong direction. Thank goodness someone spotted it before we went any further XP The ferris wheel was huge! Probably the biggest one I've ever seen. There was also a mall right night to it, but the place (including the ferris wheel) was dead. Probably because it was alrighty night and they were probably getting ready to close. Everyone but me and another got on the ferris wheel. We didn't want to ride it because it was a bit expensive and there really wasn't much to see at night. So, instead we hung around the arcade for a little bit. We played a taiko game which was really fun! We also played a shooting game. Arcade games in Japan are NOT cheap. At least for us Americans. Games range from 100円 to 200円. That's more than $1 a game. After about half an hour or so we reunited with the others (btw, the mall had a ninja store. I so wanted to buy a ninja outfit >.< lol)
We headed back to the area we were in earlier. This time we split into two groups. Well the group I was in was just me and one other person. Basically, we split into either the group that wanted to go out and drink or the group that didn't. Only 2 of us weren't heavy drinkers XP So, we went to a Book Off instead (yeah, I've been wanting to go to one the entire time since I came to Kyoto actually). We stayed there for awhile. I bought myself two American movies. They were also dubbed in Japanese and also had Japanese subtitles so I wanted to use them to practice my listening and reading (also, I love the movies ><). I also bought another volume of Fairy Tail because I love Fairy Tail XD We then looked around for something sweet to eat. We found a crepe place that also sold boba!!!! Oh how I miss boba! Unfortunately, it was really expensive. Even more expensive than Naan Stop :( but totally worth it since it's not that easy to find boba especially in Tsuru. We eventually decided to head back. We reunited with the others at the main Osaka Station and we headed home together.
Kyoto Trip Day 4
Today we decided to go check out a flea market, Kinkakuji Temple, and Gion, but that didn't exactly happen. At least for 2 of us. Instead we experienced something much better!
So, the morning we (we being the bus group) walked near Kyoto Station where there was a mcdonald. We ate breakfast there (well only one person actually bought mcdonalds. The rest of us just bought something at a convenience store). We were talking about what we wanted to do when one said she wanted to bike to the Flea Market instead of take the bus which we were originally planning to do. I wanted to bike, too, since I miss biking so much so I offered to go with her. So, we ended up splitting from the others. We headed back to our hostel that also rented out bikes. Japanese bikes are awesome. They have built-in O-locks which are locks put on the wheel. When you unlock it you actually have to keep your key on the lock (guess it's a good way to remind you to lock your bike). The bikes at the hostel kinda felt like a combination of a road bike and a cruiser. It felt awesome being able to bike again though :)
So, we were off to the Flea Market! (which was at a temple almost on the other side of Kyoto). Biking through Kyoto is not an easy thing! Trust me! Unlike America (or at least Santa Barbara) there are no bike paths or designated lanes for bikes on the road. Instead, you share the same sidewalk as walkers! You can imagine having to dodge people walking and other bikers. I had to constantly do that. I found myself almost crashing into other bikers than people walking. It was an exciting feeling, though ^_^ I loved biking down Kyoto despite the dangers lol A couple of times we would bike down the smaller streets where there were hardly any people so it was safer. It was just that sometimes we found ourselves lost because those streets don't appear on the map. It took awhile but we eventually found ourselves at the Flea Market.
There were a lot of vendors there. And a lot of people! Also, a lot of foreigners lol We walked around and found some pretty neat stuff. We bought a couple of things that were also cheap! They sold yukatas for 300-1000円! Talk about cheap! At one vendor my friend found a samurai sword. The guys selling it tried talking to us in English, but we responded in Japanese haha. We left and found ourselves there again lol The guy gave us a price (which I kinda forgot) which was really cheap. I asked if it was real and they were like "no, no, no" one of them explained how if they did then they would get arrested haha. My friend contemplated about buying it. Actually, we ended up by that place several times (the guys kept looking at us and laughing haha). In the end, someone else bought it so she didn't end up buying it XP
We also ate lunch at the Flea Market. We shared an Okonomiyaki which was really good! After lunch we walked around the Flea Market again. There were a lot of interesting stuff. We eventually found ourselves in the food area (which we were actually trying to find, but ended up finding the Okonomiyaki vendor at another part lol). There were a lot of food there! I wanted to eat them all >.< lol but I had to resist. We did buy a crepe which was really good! but kind a expensive. It wasn't made fresh which disappointed me a little =/ but eating something sweet maybe me happy ^.^ We also checked out the temple where the flea market was near. It was a nice little temple. Not much to write about it though XD
We ended up staying in the Flea Market for maybe 3 hours? It was rather long... maybe too long lol We ended up eating before leaving. One of the vendors sold ramen so we had that. It was fresh ramen which was good! Ramen broth is so delicious in Japan x3 Eventually, we decided to move on. It turns out the others had left the flea market a long time ago and had already checked out Ginkakuji and Kinkakuji castle. We decided to go to Ginkakuji since it was already close to where we were. So, we (along with a bunch of stuff we bought from the Flea Market lol) got on our bikes and made our way to Ginkakuji castle.
Of course, we had to pay to get in. When we got in we were instantly greeted to the gold temple. It was literally painted gold. A pretty site indeed. It was near a lake which was really beautiful. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. We walked around it (which the path took us). As we continued along the path there were other things such as smaller shrines, gardens, and there were these rock things where there was like a bowl in the center a bunch of yen coins around it. A lot of people were throwing there money trying to get it in the bowl (at least I think that was what they were doing). I tried by throwing my 1円 coins (cheap I know lol but I had to get rid of them somehow XD). Didn't make it though... After continuing the path we eventually made ourselves out. Our next destination was another temple (which I totally forgot). Kinkakuji temple had already closed so we didn't go there.
We biked to the temple which took us awhile because it was on the other side of Kyoto! When we reached the other side we had to bike further down. On the way down we biked right next to a river. It was so awesome biking next to that river. You get a refreshing feeling =) I'd definitely back next to that river if I had the chance! I'd even stop and just chill there for a bit. Kyoto was shaping up to be an ideal place for me ^_^
We reached the temple, but it was already dark and the place was closing, plus we didn't have anywhere to put our bikes. When we reunited with the others we walked down a path where we stopped to buy stuff (so much stuff I'm buying >.<). The others decided to go to Gion which is a place that had a bunch of stores. I went with them, but quickly left because they wanted to drink again. I instead biked to the nearest Book Off (which wasn't that close...). I stayed in the Book Off for more than an hour. Bought myself a few books then made my way back to the Hostel.
Kyoto Trip Day 5 (in Nara)
For the first and only time everyone who went on the Kyoto Trip stuck together! We all headed to Nara together :) The train ride there took about 45 minutes. When we got to the station we made our way to Nara Park. While we were in the station we could hear music. At first I thought it was playing on the over head or something, but when we exited the station we soon found out where it was coming from. There was someone who was playing a guitar and singing it outside! He was one of those people who entertain on the street. He had a really nice voice. I wanted to stay a little longer to watch, but the others wanted to go so I went with them.
We walked down a street that had some stores. Lots of omiyage stores. One of us was for some reason in a rush. Some of us didn't care and wanted to buy takoyaki since it was so cheap. So, we stopped and ordered some Takoyaki. The one who wanted to go looked really impatient. But the others didn't care because they didn't want to feel rushed. We did eventually started to walk while eating our takoyaki. Soon we were greeted by a lake that had boats in it. It was awesome, but not enough to make us stay and stare at it in awe. We made a left from there and found ourselves in a temple area. Unfortunately, part of it was being restored so not much to see. We did see a very tall temple building. You could only look at it since you couldn't go inside anyway. We continued walking and found ourselves at a park. That's when we started to see the deer. They were super chill, well some more than others. There was one male deer that was laying in front of a bench. It was just laying there staring off into the distance. I sat on the bench and others sat on it, but the deer didn't budge. It stayed there without a care in the world! Probably the most chill deer I've ever seen lol
We continued and found ourselves on another part of the park. There was a small store/restaurant there, too. Some people bought shaved ice. They also sold senbei for deer there which 3 of us (including me) bought. As soon as we were given the senbei the deer gather around us. It was bit intimidating lol but super fun XD One deer (which was a male, but his horns were gone) kept head-butting me in the butt. It didn't hurt or anything, but it got a little annoying lol There were so many deer and I didn't have a lot of senbei XD I just gave it to whichever had it's head closest to it. I was scared of the male one of course. I think I fed it the most lol I finished my senbei but they kept following me. The other two still had there's so they soon lost interest in me and started bullying the others lol it was fun watching them getting harrassed by deer XD haha The best part of the whole trip in Nara! At least for me lol
After some fun with the deer we continued on our way. We went to Todaiji Temple which houses the largest bronze Buddha castle. When we got there there was a bunch of middle school students. I think it was field trip day (actually I felt like that whole week was field trip day because there were also Middle School students at Ginkakuji Temple and later when I went to other places there were more kids!). One of us got surrounded by elemetary school kids (with there cute yellow caps). They asked her a bunch of questions in English. It was probably part of there project since they were in an area that had a lot of foreigners giving them a chance to practice their English. After we waited for her we made our way into the temple. The Buddha stature was enormous! It was huge! I felt like I can lay down perfectly on its hands lol. I was glad we were able to take pictures of it since most places forbid pictures inside. We walked inside and saw more temples. In one area a bunch of elementary kids were lining up to crawl through a hole in one of the poles. Probably for good luck or something? It was rather cute x3
After Todaiji Temple most of us were feeling hungry (and one of us was getting impatient because we were going to slow.... whatever). We found a noodle place. We were the only ones in there at first probably because it was the middle of the day. We each bought what we wanted (udon, soba, somen, etc). It was delicious as most restaurants are haha. Another group came in and they bought this green tea shaved ice desert thing that looked really good. I couldn't stop staring at it because I wanted some XD But since we were being rushed I didn't get the chance, too :( sad face
We walked to a temple that had a bunch of lamps. It was like being in a Miyazaki movie. I can only imagine what it would look like at night. We hung around there for a bit. There was a long path that we wanted to check out. At this point, a lot of people were getting really angry at one person because she kept rushing us. I honestly don't know why since we still had the whole day plus it wasn't like the train stopped function early or whatever. A lot of people were starting to get annoyed. After getting to the end of the path and taking some pictures we made our way back. We then headed back to the Nara Station. On the way we saw a fountain where there was a huge statue of deer with I think was a reed in it's mouth and water flowed from there. It was pretty awesome! We continued walking and on the way back I saw a large field on the other side of the small woods where there were people chilling and a bunch of deer were chilling there, too. I wanted to go there, but of course I couldn't for an obvious reason.... When we got back to the shop area we did some omiyage shopping (or atleast I did haha). We then made it back to the station. The guy who was performing outside was still there and still sounded good. Me and one other kind of stayed for alittle while, but we soon went to the station and managed to catch up with the others.Thinking back I wish I had decided to just stay behind since there was still plenty of time left. I really wanted to play with the deer more and wanted to just chill at that field and watch the deer frolic through the meadows, but instead I put up with the impatience of one person who kept rushing us because she wanted to go back early -.- I don't understand why I listened and followed =/ I could've had so much more fun if I stayed behind a little bit longer...
It was night time when we got back to Kyoto and we were greeted by a little show. One of the buildings had water that were lighted up with colors spouted on the top of its roof at the rhythm of a song. Not too far was the Kyoto Tower which I've never seen at night. It was lit up very brightly and was a beautiful site. That was a good thing to see coming back from Nara :) It was still early in the night so a bunch of the others decided to go out drinking (again). I didn't want to so I decided to hang around Kyoto-Yodobashi which was a like a mall. I looked around the Shounen Jump store. I was so tempted to buy something there, but I ended up not doing that. I later found myself in the game&toy area. I looked at pokemon, gundam, zoids, kamen rider, and the video games. The games were ridiculously expensive. Even old games were still sold at there regular market value. On that same floor there was also a small area where a bunch of those coin toy thingies were. They were just lined up one by one. There were so many! I went through it 3 times making sure I didn't miss anything lol And yes they were expensive... but if you think about it they're pretty cheap since in America if I tried to buy these things off sellers (since that's probably the only way) then it'd be more expensive! I ended up getting two pokemon key chains since they were only 100円 each XP
I soon left and headed back to the Hostel to end the day.
Kyoto Trip Day 6 (Last Day)
Today's the last day, but our bus doesn't leave until 11pm so we still had the whole day to explore! Me and another friend who I biked around Tokyo with decided to use that day to go to Kinkakuji Temple since we haven't been there yet. We took the bus instead of biking, though. The bus a long time to go to Kinkakuji Temple. When we got there were were greeted by a bunch of Middle Schools students again. The Kinkakuji temple felt more traditional than Ginkakuji temple because nothing was painted gold. There were a bunch of really nice zen gardens and rock gardens. The experience would have been better if there weren't so many people around, but it was still nice :)
After Kinkakuji Temple we headed to Nijo Castle to be with the others (the bus group). It was pretty expensive to go inside, but we later learn that it was well worth it. The only down side to this was that the main attraction was currently being restored so we couldn't check it out. Nijo Castle still had a lot to offer! We went inside one of the homes. Photos were forbidden so I can't show any pictures. Inside was a beautiful site! The walls were painted with very elegant and traditional pictures. If you google Nijo Castle you might be able to get pictures of what it looks like inside. They were very elaborate. Oh yeah, there were Elementary Kids here, too haha. The walk around the house took awhile since the house was rather big.
After checking out the house we decided to go to the area just outside of it. There was a large pond with lots of rocks and small trees. One of the most beautiful ponds I've ever seen in my life. I want my backyard to have something just like it and I'm serious about that, too!! Someday I'll have my backyard look like that even if it's expensive because it'd definitely be worth it! I really wanted to just stand there and stare in awe at it's beauty. Next to the pond is of course the house we were in earlier. There were also the elementary students who for some reason were crawling under the walk ways outside of the house. They were looking at something. I wish I knew what it was lol
We continued and soon found ourselves in a really large garden. It was a beautiful garden! Green grass spread out with beautiful trees and plants every where. I'm not very good at describing things, but I did take a lot of photos! I wanted to frolic on the grass, but of course that was forbidden lol We found some stairs which we climbed and were given a beautiful view of the garden from above. On the other side was the moat that surrounded the castle which was just as beautiful. Nijo Castle was turning out to be more than I expected! We went back down and continued to explore Nijo Castle. In short, Nijo Castle had houses with beautiful paintings and gardens that certainly had a lot of care. Beautiful place and just a great atmosphere in general.
After Nijo Castle we headed to where the Bamboo Forest was! It was on the outskirts of Kyoto. When we got there there were very little people (we saw more foreigners than locals for some reason lol). The main reason being it was already getting late so lots of places were closing. The bamboo forest we hoped didn't close like most attractions in Kyoto were. We walked around trying to find the forest. On the way there we saw this really big river. It was pretty nice. There were fishing boats on it and boats that people can rent so that they can be on the river. We walked along the river for a little bit. As we walked the sky got darker. We walked into the forest (well it really wasn't a forest) in hopes of finding the Bamboo Forest. There were a lot of stairs (at this point I was already tired and stairs didn't exactly help...) We eventually found the Bamboo Forest! Unfortunately, it was already dark... So, every one took pictures using their flash. It probably didn't turn out as nice as it would during the day, but it's better than nothing :) At one point we just sat and laid down on the path surrounded by the bamboo and just looked up at the sky. There was a small opening where you were able to see the sky. Everyone felt good just chilling there especially when there was no one there rushing you :P Being able to just chill and not feel rush by others is a great feeling.
After the bamboo forest we headed back to Kyoto. There was still maybe a few hours left. Of course the others decided to go drink so I went back to Kyoto-Yodobashi. I looked around for a bit. I found out there was a book store on the top floor so I decided to go up there. I ended up finding the two volumes of a manga I was trying to find at Book Off. I knew it was slightly cheaper at Book Off but since I was already there and it was only a bit cheaper I decided to buy them there >.< It's ok cause I don't regret it one bit :D After a few hours I headed back to the hostel and chilled in the lounge area until the others came back. When they came back we went to the Kyoto Station and soon got on the bus back to Tsuru :)
Reflection
Kyoto was absolutely amazing!!!!! Although, there were many moments in which I felt left out I didn't let it get too me too much so I could still enjoy the trip :) I went to a lot of amazing places that contained many things that I loved so much. I've been reminded why I love Japan so much. I don't regret spending a lot to go and stay in Kyoto for a week. I also don't regret all the money I spent on food and stuff. Although, I spent way too much in Kyoto it was definitely worth it! I don't know when I'll have another chance to come back so I used that to my advantage. I certainly hope I'll be ale to go back someday because I really loved being in Kyoto. It's like my ideal place to live! But that's probably nearly impossible. Thank you Kyoto for an amazing week!!
Kyoto Trip Day 3 (in Osaka)
On the 3rd day 6 of us decided to go to Osaka. Well there were 8 of us actually, but 2 of them ended up splitting from us eventually. Anyway, we took the train to Osaka which took about 30 minutes. When we got to Osaka Station we went on the Subway to go to another station. When we arrived we went outside and were greeted by tall buildings, busy streets, and people walking about. Somehow it felt like Tokyo, but at the same time it didn't. Can't really explain it. The first thing on our minds was FOOD. We were all hungry so we walked around looking for food. As we walked I kept pointing out all the Book Offs because man did Osaka have a lot! I was ready to ditch the others and go lol but I stuck around (part of me regretted that... you'll see why in a moment). We walked in one of the alleyways which to be honest has some of the best stuff. We found an Udon Restaurant. When we walked in you order your food via a vending machine. Just insert your money and pick what you want then you get a ticket which you show the restaurant people. I ended up getting an Ebi Tempura Udon. They were very quick about it. After finishing lunch we headed out again.
We soon found ourselves in a mall-like area. It wasn't inside a closed building or anything. It's kind of hard to explain. It's like being in a regular city with stores and restaurants so close to each other except there was a roof on the streets (er more like walkways). But there were still the occasional streets where people have to watch out for cars and stuff.. If you ever go you'll see what I mean. For a long while we walked around this area (which was big btw). We didn't really stopped. We just kept following one guy. I wasn't sure myself where he was taking us, but since he's been here before we had to trust him. We soon found ourselves out of that place and found ourselves on a big bridge that went over a big road. We crossed it and found ourselves in another mall-like place. We found a restaurant that had pasta/pizza style buffet so we decided to eat there for dinner (plus it also had nomihodai which is basically a drink buffet including alcohol drinks). We stopped by a couple of clothes shops since many wanted to buy clothes. After awhile I started getting impatient. And I also felt a bit left out. You know how you're in a big group of friends and they talk amongst themselves and you just sit in the corner like they forgot about you? Yeah, that's how I felt. Not the first time, but it honestly made the experience become bad for me... I was about ready to just leave and walk around on my own. Besides, they kept going to places where I didn't really want to go, but I stuck around because the last time I was in a big city on my own I got lost (actually happened to me twice).After a long agonizing while we finally headed to the buffet place (which was only 3 hours after we ate lunch). We ended up staying at that place for a really long time. I tried to eat and drink (don't worry, the only alcohol I had was a chuhi which only contains less than 8% of alcohol) as much as what I paid for, but I don't think I managed that... I did eat a lot and drank a bit, but paying more than 1000円 for dinner was a bit much... It was great having pizza again though :) After dinner we decided to go to another part of Osaka where one of us claimed that there was a big ferris wheel. So, we headed there. I forgot to mention that earlier we bought a day pass for the subway for about 800円 which was well worth it since tickets could've been more than 200円 and we used them quite a bit.
When we arrived at where the ferris wheel was we first ended up going the wrong direction. Thank goodness someone spotted it before we went any further XP The ferris wheel was huge! Probably the biggest one I've ever seen. There was also a mall right night to it, but the place (including the ferris wheel) was dead. Probably because it was alrighty night and they were probably getting ready to close. Everyone but me and another got on the ferris wheel. We didn't want to ride it because it was a bit expensive and there really wasn't much to see at night. So, instead we hung around the arcade for a little bit. We played a taiko game which was really fun! We also played a shooting game. Arcade games in Japan are NOT cheap. At least for us Americans. Games range from 100円 to 200円. That's more than $1 a game. After about half an hour or so we reunited with the others (btw, the mall had a ninja store. I so wanted to buy a ninja outfit >.< lol)
We headed back to the area we were in earlier. This time we split into two groups. Well the group I was in was just me and one other person. Basically, we split into either the group that wanted to go out and drink or the group that didn't. Only 2 of us weren't heavy drinkers XP So, we went to a Book Off instead (yeah, I've been wanting to go to one the entire time since I came to Kyoto actually). We stayed there for awhile. I bought myself two American movies. They were also dubbed in Japanese and also had Japanese subtitles so I wanted to use them to practice my listening and reading (also, I love the movies ><). I also bought another volume of Fairy Tail because I love Fairy Tail XD We then looked around for something sweet to eat. We found a crepe place that also sold boba!!!! Oh how I miss boba! Unfortunately, it was really expensive. Even more expensive than Naan Stop :( but totally worth it since it's not that easy to find boba especially in Tsuru. We eventually decided to head back. We reunited with the others at the main Osaka Station and we headed home together.Kyoto Trip Day 4
Today we decided to go check out a flea market, Kinkakuji Temple, and Gion, but that didn't exactly happen. At least for 2 of us. Instead we experienced something much better!
So, the morning we (we being the bus group) walked near Kyoto Station where there was a mcdonald. We ate breakfast there (well only one person actually bought mcdonalds. The rest of us just bought something at a convenience store). We were talking about what we wanted to do when one said she wanted to bike to the Flea Market instead of take the bus which we were originally planning to do. I wanted to bike, too, since I miss biking so much so I offered to go with her. So, we ended up splitting from the others. We headed back to our hostel that also rented out bikes. Japanese bikes are awesome. They have built-in O-locks which are locks put on the wheel. When you unlock it you actually have to keep your key on the lock (guess it's a good way to remind you to lock your bike). The bikes at the hostel kinda felt like a combination of a road bike and a cruiser. It felt awesome being able to bike again though :)
So, we were off to the Flea Market! (which was at a temple almost on the other side of Kyoto). Biking through Kyoto is not an easy thing! Trust me! Unlike America (or at least Santa Barbara) there are no bike paths or designated lanes for bikes on the road. Instead, you share the same sidewalk as walkers! You can imagine having to dodge people walking and other bikers. I had to constantly do that. I found myself almost crashing into other bikers than people walking. It was an exciting feeling, though ^_^ I loved biking down Kyoto despite the dangers lol A couple of times we would bike down the smaller streets where there were hardly any people so it was safer. It was just that sometimes we found ourselves lost because those streets don't appear on the map. It took awhile but we eventually found ourselves at the Flea Market.
We also ate lunch at the Flea Market. We shared an Okonomiyaki which was really good! After lunch we walked around the Flea Market again. There were a lot of interesting stuff. We eventually found ourselves in the food area (which we were actually trying to find, but ended up finding the Okonomiyaki vendor at another part lol). There were a lot of food there! I wanted to eat them all >.< lol but I had to resist. We did buy a crepe which was really good! but kind a expensive. It wasn't made fresh which disappointed me a little =/ but eating something sweet maybe me happy ^.^ We also checked out the temple where the flea market was near. It was a nice little temple. Not much to write about it though XDWe ended up staying in the Flea Market for maybe 3 hours? It was rather long... maybe too long lol We ended up eating before leaving. One of the vendors sold ramen so we had that. It was fresh ramen which was good! Ramen broth is so delicious in Japan x3 Eventually, we decided to move on. It turns out the others had left the flea market a long time ago and had already checked out Ginkakuji and Kinkakuji castle. We decided to go to Ginkakuji since it was already close to where we were. So, we (along with a bunch of stuff we bought from the Flea Market lol) got on our bikes and made our way to Ginkakuji castle.
 |
| Ginkakuji Temple |
We biked to the temple which took us awhile because it was on the other side of Kyoto! When we reached the other side we had to bike further down. On the way down we biked right next to a river. It was so awesome biking next to that river. You get a refreshing feeling =) I'd definitely back next to that river if I had the chance! I'd even stop and just chill there for a bit. Kyoto was shaping up to be an ideal place for me ^_^
We reached the temple, but it was already dark and the place was closing, plus we didn't have anywhere to put our bikes. When we reunited with the others we walked down a path where we stopped to buy stuff (so much stuff I'm buying >.<). The others decided to go to Gion which is a place that had a bunch of stores. I went with them, but quickly left because they wanted to drink again. I instead biked to the nearest Book Off (which wasn't that close...). I stayed in the Book Off for more than an hour. Bought myself a few books then made my way back to the Hostel. |
| Gion |
For the first and only time everyone who went on the Kyoto Trip stuck together! We all headed to Nara together :) The train ride there took about 45 minutes. When we got to the station we made our way to Nara Park. While we were in the station we could hear music. At first I thought it was playing on the over head or something, but when we exited the station we soon found out where it was coming from. There was someone who was playing a guitar and singing it outside! He was one of those people who entertain on the street. He had a really nice voice. I wanted to stay a little longer to watch, but the others wanted to go so I went with them.
We walked down a street that had some stores. Lots of omiyage stores. One of us was for some reason in a rush. Some of us didn't care and wanted to buy takoyaki since it was so cheap. So, we stopped and ordered some Takoyaki. The one who wanted to go looked really impatient. But the others didn't care because they didn't want to feel rushed. We did eventually started to walk while eating our takoyaki. Soon we were greeted by a lake that had boats in it. It was awesome, but not enough to make us stay and stare at it in awe. We made a left from there and found ourselves in a temple area. Unfortunately, part of it was being restored so not much to see. We did see a very tall temple building. You could only look at it since you couldn't go inside anyway. We continued walking and found ourselves at a park. That's when we started to see the deer. They were super chill, well some more than others. There was one male deer that was laying in front of a bench. It was just laying there staring off into the distance. I sat on the bench and others sat on it, but the deer didn't budge. It stayed there without a care in the world! Probably the most chill deer I've ever seen lol
We continued and found ourselves on another part of the park. There was a small store/restaurant there, too. Some people bought shaved ice. They also sold senbei for deer there which 3 of us (including me) bought. As soon as we were given the senbei the deer gather around us. It was bit intimidating lol but super fun XD One deer (which was a male, but his horns were gone) kept head-butting me in the butt. It didn't hurt or anything, but it got a little annoying lol There were so many deer and I didn't have a lot of senbei XD I just gave it to whichever had it's head closest to it. I was scared of the male one of course. I think I fed it the most lol I finished my senbei but they kept following me. The other two still had there's so they soon lost interest in me and started bullying the others lol it was fun watching them getting harrassed by deer XD haha The best part of the whole trip in Nara! At least for me lol
After some fun with the deer we continued on our way. We went to Todaiji Temple which houses the largest bronze Buddha castle. When we got there there was a bunch of middle school students. I think it was field trip day (actually I felt like that whole week was field trip day because there were also Middle School students at Ginkakuji Temple and later when I went to other places there were more kids!). One of us got surrounded by elemetary school kids (with there cute yellow caps). They asked her a bunch of questions in English. It was probably part of there project since they were in an area that had a lot of foreigners giving them a chance to practice their English. After we waited for her we made our way into the temple. The Buddha stature was enormous! It was huge! I felt like I can lay down perfectly on its hands lol. I was glad we were able to take pictures of it since most places forbid pictures inside. We walked inside and saw more temples. In one area a bunch of elementary kids were lining up to crawl through a hole in one of the poles. Probably for good luck or something? It was rather cute x3After Todaiji Temple most of us were feeling hungry (and one of us was getting impatient because we were going to slow.... whatever). We found a noodle place. We were the only ones in there at first probably because it was the middle of the day. We each bought what we wanted (udon, soba, somen, etc). It was delicious as most restaurants are haha. Another group came in and they bought this green tea shaved ice desert thing that looked really good. I couldn't stop staring at it because I wanted some XD But since we were being rushed I didn't get the chance, too :( sad face
We walked to a temple that had a bunch of lamps. It was like being in a Miyazaki movie. I can only imagine what it would look like at night. We hung around there for a bit. There was a long path that we wanted to check out. At this point, a lot of people were getting really angry at one person because she kept rushing us. I honestly don't know why since we still had the whole day plus it wasn't like the train stopped function early or whatever. A lot of people were starting to get annoyed. After getting to the end of the path and taking some pictures we made our way back. We then headed back to the Nara Station. On the way we saw a fountain where there was a huge statue of deer with I think was a reed in it's mouth and water flowed from there. It was pretty awesome! We continued walking and on the way back I saw a large field on the other side of the small woods where there were people chilling and a bunch of deer were chilling there, too. I wanted to go there, but of course I couldn't for an obvious reason.... When we got back to the shop area we did some omiyage shopping (or atleast I did haha). We then made it back to the station. The guy who was performing outside was still there and still sounded good. Me and one other kind of stayed for alittle while, but we soon went to the station and managed to catch up with the others.Thinking back I wish I had decided to just stay behind since there was still plenty of time left. I really wanted to play with the deer more and wanted to just chill at that field and watch the deer frolic through the meadows, but instead I put up with the impatience of one person who kept rushing us because she wanted to go back early -.- I don't understand why I listened and followed =/ I could've had so much more fun if I stayed behind a little bit longer... 
It was night time when we got back to Kyoto and we were greeted by a little show. One of the buildings had water that were lighted up with colors spouted on the top of its roof at the rhythm of a song. Not too far was the Kyoto Tower which I've never seen at night. It was lit up very brightly and was a beautiful site. That was a good thing to see coming back from Nara :) It was still early in the night so a bunch of the others decided to go out drinking (again). I didn't want to so I decided to hang around Kyoto-Yodobashi which was a like a mall. I looked around the Shounen Jump store. I was so tempted to buy something there, but I ended up not doing that. I later found myself in the game&toy area. I looked at pokemon, gundam, zoids, kamen rider, and the video games. The games were ridiculously expensive. Even old games were still sold at there regular market value. On that same floor there was also a small area where a bunch of those coin toy thingies were. They were just lined up one by one. There were so many! I went through it 3 times making sure I didn't miss anything lol And yes they were expensive... but if you think about it they're pretty cheap since in America if I tried to buy these things off sellers (since that's probably the only way) then it'd be more expensive! I ended up getting two pokemon key chains since they were only 100円 each XP
I soon left and headed back to the Hostel to end the day.
Kyoto Trip Day 6 (Last Day)
After Kinkakuji Temple we headed to Nijo Castle to be with the others (the bus group). It was pretty expensive to go inside, but we later learn that it was well worth it. The only down side to this was that the main attraction was currently being restored so we couldn't check it out. Nijo Castle still had a lot to offer! We went inside one of the homes. Photos were forbidden so I can't show any pictures. Inside was a beautiful site! The walls were painted with very elegant and traditional pictures. If you google Nijo Castle you might be able to get pictures of what it looks like inside. They were very elaborate. Oh yeah, there were Elementary Kids here, too haha. The walk around the house took awhile since the house was rather big.
After checking out the house we decided to go to the area just outside of it. There was a large pond with lots of rocks and small trees. One of the most beautiful ponds I've ever seen in my life. I want my backyard to have something just like it and I'm serious about that, too!! Someday I'll have my backyard look like that even if it's expensive because it'd definitely be worth it! I really wanted to just stand there and stare in awe at it's beauty. Next to the pond is of course the house we were in earlier. There were also the elementary students who for some reason were crawling under the walk ways outside of the house. They were looking at something. I wish I knew what it was lol
We continued and soon found ourselves in a really large garden. It was a beautiful garden! Green grass spread out with beautiful trees and plants every where. I'm not very good at describing things, but I did take a lot of photos! I wanted to frolic on the grass, but of course that was forbidden lol We found some stairs which we climbed and were given a beautiful view of the garden from above. On the other side was the moat that surrounded the castle which was just as beautiful. Nijo Castle was turning out to be more than I expected! We went back down and continued to explore Nijo Castle. In short, Nijo Castle had houses with beautiful paintings and gardens that certainly had a lot of care. Beautiful place and just a great atmosphere in general.
After Nijo Castle we headed to where the Bamboo Forest was! It was on the outskirts of Kyoto. When we got there there were very little people (we saw more foreigners than locals for some reason lol). The main reason being it was already getting late so lots of places were closing. The bamboo forest we hoped didn't close like most attractions in Kyoto were. We walked around trying to find the forest. On the way there we saw this really big river. It was pretty nice. There were fishing boats on it and boats that people can rent so that they can be on the river. We walked along the river for a little bit. As we walked the sky got darker. We walked into the forest (well it really wasn't a forest) in hopes of finding the Bamboo Forest. There were a lot of stairs (at this point I was already tired and stairs didn't exactly help...) We eventually found the Bamboo Forest! Unfortunately, it was already dark... So, every one took pictures using their flash. It probably didn't turn out as nice as it would during the day, but it's better than nothing :) At one point we just sat and laid down on the path surrounded by the bamboo and just looked up at the sky. There was a small opening where you were able to see the sky. Everyone felt good just chilling there especially when there was no one there rushing you :P Being able to just chill and not feel rush by others is a great feeling.
After the bamboo forest we headed back to Kyoto. There was still maybe a few hours left. Of course the others decided to go drink so I went back to Kyoto-Yodobashi. I looked around for a bit. I found out there was a book store on the top floor so I decided to go up there. I ended up finding the two volumes of a manga I was trying to find at Book Off. I knew it was slightly cheaper at Book Off but since I was already there and it was only a bit cheaper I decided to buy them there >.< It's ok cause I don't regret it one bit :D After a few hours I headed back to the hostel and chilled in the lounge area until the others came back. When they came back we went to the Kyoto Station and soon got on the bus back to Tsuru :)
Reflection
Kyoto was absolutely amazing!!!!! Although, there were many moments in which I felt left out I didn't let it get too me too much so I could still enjoy the trip :) I went to a lot of amazing places that contained many things that I loved so much. I've been reminded why I love Japan so much. I don't regret spending a lot to go and stay in Kyoto for a week. I also don't regret all the money I spent on food and stuff. Although, I spent way too much in Kyoto it was definitely worth it! I don't know when I'll have another chance to come back so I used that to my advantage. I certainly hope I'll be ale to go back someday because I really loved being in Kyoto. It's like my ideal place to live! But that's probably nearly impossible. Thank you Kyoto for an amazing week!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)