The last week has consisted of another week of teaching and a free weekend. Hannah and I also made a short trip to Fukuyama, Port Tomonoura and Sensui Island. I was going to make a two day trip to Kyoto but unfortunately I fell ill Sunday morning so I decided to cancel my plans and instead went this past weekend. Here's some photos from Kyoto:
[An impressive Rinzai Zen Temple.]
[A shrine I can't remember the name of...]
[Heian Shrine]
[Heian Shrine]
[Heian Shrine]
[Kyoto Station]
[Inside Kyoto Station!]
[Stone foxes at Inari Shrine.]
[The many Tori of Inari Shrine.]
[more Tori]
[A view of Kyoto from the top of the train station.]
Kyoto was my first extended stay in a larger city in Japan. It was also the first REAL test of my knowledge of Japan's railway system. In order to get to Kyoto, I had to take a train from my local station (Hokaiin) to Okayama station, then to Aioi, then rapid service to Osaka and finally from Osaka, more rapid service to Kyoto. In Japan, there are several types of train services. There are regular, local trains, there are regular trains that go outside the local area, there are trains that are called "rapid service trains" or trains that only stop at major stations and pass local ones and finally there is the shikansen or bullet train. Anyway, I performed with outstanding marks. Once I arrived in Osaka I got to experience the super crowded trains though I didn't see any train operators pushing people into cars in order to make all the passengers fit.
I stayed in a hostel that was about a 10 minute walk from Kyoto Station. I was only at the hostel briefly as I checked in around 9:30pm, wolfed some chips and salsa down at their small restaurant and then returned to my dorm to fall asleep an hour later. Staying in Kyoto was my first experience with hostels and it wasn't a bad one; I was provided with a clean bunk bed, clean, soft sheets, a fresh pillow and comforter as well as a nice reading light attached to my bunk. The staff spoke English and Japanese and there were many useful maps and sight seeing suggestions in the main room. Upon entering the hostel, I had to take my shoes off and leave them in a locker provided for me. I thought this was amusing as not every place I've been in Japan requires a person to take off their shoes. Sadly I didn't have any time to make friends because I left the following morning at 8am in order to make my day plump with sight seeing. After checking out, I bought a pastry from a convenience store and first visited Sanjusangendo shrine, a few random shrines I couldn't name, some local gift shops, a towering Rinzai Zen temple (pictured below), the Gion district and finally Heian Shrine (pictured below). By the time I was done with Heian Shrine, I was utterly exhausted. Apparently there was also a food festival and anime convention that day at the design and art museum across the street from Heian so I braved floods of Japanese people to order lunch and consume it like a starving woman. Though I had planned to walk back to Kyoto Station, I decided to take a bus since I was already feeling depleted. The bus I took was so full of people, I was almost sitting on the man behind me. People filled the seats as well as the aisle. Once I was back at my arrival point, I found the train to take me to Inari Shrine (pictured below) and spent time exploring the expansive shrine that was featured in my favorite movie of all time, Memoirs of a Geisha. Two hours later, I returned to Kyoto Station (pictured below), floated around its innards and then hopped on a train to go home. Another side note before I move on is that major train stations are like malls in Japan. Kyoto Station, in particular, was massive. Kyoto Station hosted a massage and hair parlor, several souvenir shops, a few gardens, an observation floor, a 9 floor mall called Isenta and a cute bouquet of places to eat. Needless to say, when I first walked off the escalator and saw Kyoto Station in all its grandeur, I literally stopped and said "Wow."
As I'm continuing to adjust to life in Japan, I still find that even though I know some Japanese and that I think I'm good at blending into different social environments, I'm still have my foreigner moments. I'm still getting used to riding my bike on the street, using the trains and buying things. In bigger cities, like Osaka and Kyoto for example, most people just automatically talk to me in English. As a random side note, when I took the bus from Heian Shrine to Kyoto Station while standing in the crowded bus, a lady standing in front of me addressed me in English. I was able to speak Japanese to her but she was actually learning English and showed me her notes on a small notepad as proof.
I'm also getting more comfortable with how polite and helpful Japanese people are. At least, polite behavior here has become less compelling to me, not to say that I don't appreciate it of course. Unlike in America, people working jobs in retail or food never look sour or annoyed. Train and bus operators always look very polished, disciplined and professional. Waiters and waitresses are quiet, polite and when they serve you, one can't help but to feel all warm and fuzzy from the special attention.
Here's some other photos from Fukuyama, Port Tomonoura and Sensui Island. Hannah and I went here a few weekends ago. The weather that day was probably the hottest weather I have ever endured but it was worth it! See my facebook for more photos and remember to click the photos in this blog for larger versions!
[Fukuyama Castle]
[Port Tomonoura]
[Sensuijima]
[More Sensuijima; a path went around the entire island.]
["Tangled" in Japanese! The Japanese call it "Rapunzel" though.]
[This is called goya. Goya is like a cucumber but very bitter.]
[A large mural in Okayama. It encourages citizens to extinguish fires!]
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