Well guys, this is my last post. I don't know if anyone will even bother reading this, since I arrived home last Friday and am no longer living in Kyoto.

Even though I went a long time without posting during my last few weeks in Japan, I felt it appropriate to write some sort of final entry before abandoning this blog.

Studying abroad in Japan is an experience I will never forget. While it was at times harrowing, it was ultimately rewarding and a time in my life that forced me to grow into a stronger person.

Will I ever go back to Japan? Yes. Japan's natural beauty and the sense of spirituality and history that permeates the country enchanted me. There is still so much of Japan I want to see. Temples to be explored, mountains to climb, shrines to make offerings at...

That being said, would I live in Japan? Would I settle there, even for a year or two? No. Maybe it's because I cannot shake off my Western upbringing, but I could never get used to living there. I was glad that I went to Japan with very few expectations (and my advice is you do the same), because if I had, I would have been disappointed.

Japan is a country of great beauty, but it is also a country of great social problems. Many issues are swept under the rug, such as the very much present glass ceiling in the workplace, the lack of true individual expression, and the lack of animal rights. But I won't go on. If you're interested in Japan, then by all means, visit! Find your own take on Japan.

I am very glad to be back home and have this experience under my belt. Hopefully it will be just one place on the list of countries I visit during my lifetime. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to go abroad at all. Thank you all for following my blog and supporting me during my journey.

まった今度〜

Until next time,

Kate

Things I'm going to have to stop doing/things I'll have to get used to in the U.S.

This is for my own amusement, really, but I realized there are a number of things I'm going to have to change once I get back to the States. Here's a list, whoo!

- "Konnichiwa" "Ohayou Gozaimasu" and "Konbanwa" are not commonly understood greetings.
-I'll have to stop throwing up the "v for victory" sign in photos, or else I'll look like a doofus.
-I'll have to stop saying "Sumimasen" when I bump into someone.
-I have to remember to consider sales tax when I purchase items (sales tax is already included in prices here).
-Taking off my shoes upon entering a dressing room in the U.S. is generally frowned upon.
-I won't have to separate my recycling and trash by the type of material.
-I'll have to learn how to live without a rice cooker or properly cooked white rice (unless I just eat at my boyfriend's house all the time).
-I'll have to get used to the cars driving on the other side of the road again.
-I won't have to tie up my cardboard and put it out for the paper truck to pick up.

and last but not least...

-I'll have to get used to getting horrible service at stores and eateries again. Nooo!

Kodai-Ji Temple Light Up

Hello everyone! This week went by surprisingly quickly, thanks to a fun outing on Tuesday night. A housemate of mine organized a trip to a temple lighting, which are pretty popular among tourists and locals during the fall and winter. There are fewer Christmas light-ups than you would find in America, naturally, but temple light-ups seem to be the festive thing to do during the holiday season.

I finish class at 11 on Tuesdays, so I sat around and did homework until we met at 4. A small group of us got on the bus to go downtown. Our first stop was at a popular clothing store, called Uniqlo (coincidentally, one is supposed to be opening in New York). Uniqlo is pretty much your go-to source for wardrobe basics and business wear. You can find jeans, sweaters, blouses, coats, tights, etc. I'm not a huge fan of their clothing, but during the winter time they sell "heat tech" clothing that works really well (they were also having a sale! ;D ). Since I wear skirts more than pants, I bought some tights and socks from that line. It was really cool to find tights made that way, since most heavy winter gear in America is regulated to pants and tops or it looks really bulky and ugly.

Funnily enough, I think I'll find more use for my tights back home. Temperatures have been really warm compared to Memphis winters. We're usually in the mid 50s to low 60s. It just gets really cold at night.

ANYWAY, after we did our shopping we went back to Sweets Paradise for dinner. For those who don't remember my first post about it, Sweets Paradise is a restaurant where you pay about 15 dollars and get all you can eat and drink for an hour and a half. There is pasta, soup, curry, sandwiches, a cake bar, a coffee/espresso/hot chocolate machine, sodas, a tea bar, soft serve ice cream, and a chocolate fountain. It's delicious and well worth the price.

Once we finished eating, we made our way to Kodai-ji temple. You pay a small fee to get inside, and then you can stroll along the garden paths. The trees were lit in a way that made the fall colors practically glow. There were three major areas; the first was a rock garden where rocks were arranged to look like a dragon. Certain parts of the dragon were lit up for short intervals, and there were small blue glowing lights and iridescent pebbles strewn through the garden.

The second was a small pond, encircled by trees. The trees were all brightly colored and lit in such a fashion that they reflected perfectly on the still pond. It was literally like looking into a mirror or another world. It was surreal.

Lastly, you could walk up a hill and go through a small bamboo forest that was also lit. The green of the bamboo seemed to glow, and the bamboo itself was at least as tall as a two story building, if not taller. It was beautiful, and I felt as if I'd stepped into a Miyazaki film.

Taking photos in the dark was hard, but after fiddling with my camera and using fence posts to my advantage, I got some nice shots.
Lately the trees have begun to look particularly beautiful. One of the things I love about Japan is all of the natural beauty and the fact that the leaves change so gradually.

__________________

In other news, I'm trying to plan a trip over my winter break. I am off for Christmas (weekend, durr), I go back for one day (I've no idea why, it seems pointless), and then I am off from the 27th until the 6th of January. Originally I wanted to go to Hokkaido, and then a southern Island caught my attention after I saw pictures of this gorgeous mossy forest that inspired the film Princess Mononoke. However, going to either of those places would be EXTREMELY costly. I'm talking at least 100-200 dollars to simply get there. Plus, my ideal travel buddy is on a budget, and I'm not too keen on taking a huge trip by myself.

As of right now, I'm looking at places like Nara or Kobe. They're fairly close by, and I could enjoy the city as well as some more rural attractions.

Saturday in Gion

Yesterday I went with a few friends to district in Kyoto called Gion. Gion is best known for being one of the most prominent Geisha districts in Japan. Although numbers of geisha have dwindled over the years, Gion is known for its cultural preservation and it's preservation of traditional architecture.

Many of the old style townhouses (machiya) remain, as well as the tea houses where geisha entertain (ochaya). There are lots of temples and shrines, and the streets and scenery are lovely.
In the first picture is the Yasaka shrine. It attracts a lot of tourists, and beyond the shrine is a park with many food stands and souvenir stands. At this time of year the fall foliage (momiji) is at its peak. There were also quite a few geisha out and about. If you ask, they'll kindly stop for photos, but most of the geisha had female assistants with them that would gently shoo the crowds away so they could continue with their errands or engagements. I was quite nervous about approaching the geisha, but I snuck a few pictures that turned out well. Most of them were Maiko, who are apprentice geisha; their clothing, makeup, and hairstyle is generally more extravagant and they attract a lot more attention.

A few 'dress up maiko' were walking about as well; in Kyoto you can pay a considerable sum of money to get done up like a geisha, have a photo shoot, and get paraded around the streets for a few hours. It led to an amusing shot of a 'geisha' checking out pictures on her digital camera.

There are a number of shops and restaurants in Gion; most of the shops were too expensive and sold things like fancy ceramics and lacquer ware, and the restaurants were mostly fine dining, it seemed. However, we went to a shop that sold Studio Ghibli merchandise and I bought a Totoro plush, a soot sprite that I can hang on a wall, and a glow in the dark kodama key chain.

My friends and I also paid a small fee to get into a temple to see a large Buddha statue up close. It was quite impressive, but I was amused by the somewhat condescending expression on its face. Upon entry we received a small pamphlet and an incense stick to offer.

We intended to visit a temple lighting, but our timing was off and the line was ridiculous by the time we reached the temple in question. All in all, it was a good day and I got some great shots.

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Here are a few more pictures:

The Golden Pavilion and The Gaijin Plague

Well, it's been a little while since I last posted. Unfortunately, November hasn't been treating me (or many of my friends) very well.
I've been quite sick off and on and I've missed some class, including a test. I'm really worried about my grades and I hope I can catch up/manage to make up for it. I don't cope with stress very well and unfortunately that's been reflecting in my grades lately.
Being sick + stress + homesickness + having to take care of your sick self on your own= not a happy camper.
My closest friend here seems to be dealing with the same things I am, so it's nice to have someone to talk to. Everyone here at the International House is a bit under the weather; we've named this phenomenon "The Gaijin Plague" (Gaijin is a slang word for foreign people).

At the moment, I'm just doing my best and that's all anyone can really ask for. I'm the queen of beating myself up over things, telling me not to worry is like telling a fish not to swim. I tend to want to punish myself for not doing well by denying myself fun activities, when a little bit of fun can be the cure for a bad week. I'm working on getting better, I swear. >_<

But speaking of fun, that leads me to the positive bit of my post. This weekend while everyone was at the school festival, my friend Steph and I went to Kinkakuji, or The Golden Pavilion, one of the most famous tourist sites in Japan. We were both really surprised with how close it was to our university; in pictures it always appears to be situated in the middle of nowhere, but the temple grounds are right near a fairly busy shopping/restaurant area and is within a ten minute walk from campus.

It was also quite crowded, since it was a weekend. We had to wait our turn to get a good spot to take pictures, and there were several American tour groups there that unfortunately were doing a great job at perpetuating the "obnoxious American tourist" stereotype. Steph and I both noted that we can't help but feel a little superior to the standard tourists...

But anyway, the grounds were really lovely, and the temple itself was stunning. We got there in late afternoon, so the sun was at just the right height to glint off the gold on the walls. You could walk along some pretty garden paths that were fringed by trees that were just beginning to get their fall foliage. In Japan the leaves change much later, (fall/winter temperatures set in later as well; the weather has been quite mild so far) and they change much more gradually so you get to enjoy the scenery longer.

Crowds aside, it was a great place to visit and I got some nice pictures out of it. Admission was also reasonable and my entry ticket is large and covered with pretty calligraphy. It's a nice souvenir.

I took a peek at my calendar and I have just about 10 weeks left in Japan. Time is passing so slowly and yet so quickly at the same time. The days themselves seem to go at a snail's pace, but then I'll look at my calendar and suddenly realize two weeks have passed. These past few weeks have been hard (November, I don't like you!), but I hope I can get out of this funk I'm in. School frustrations aside (long story short, I am dying to get back to taking art classes and being sick doesn't make this any easier), I've seen some amazing things and I look forward to seeing even more of what Japan has to offer before I leave.

Next time I come to Japan, it's going to strictly be a vacation! Haha.

I have no clue how many friends/family members read this blog, but a big thank you for everyone who's been so supportive of me. No one ever knows how study abroad is going to turn out, and few people tell you that it's not always sunshine and roses. Aside from being sick and school stuff, I've settled in pretty comfortably and I've made a couple great friends. My only wish is that everyone from back home could be here to share in this with me! Well, except for my plague. I don't think anyone would appreciate it if I shared Gaijin Plague with them. :P

Soni Kogen

This past weekend I went hiking in an area near Nara called Soni Kogen. The selling point of this area is the tall pampas grass covering the hills.
We left the International House a little before 7 to catch the train. We took several trains and also a bus ride to get there, so needless to say it was a long journey. It was at least an hour and a half to get to our destination.
Some of us were quite sleepy.

The hike itself was a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Most of us had brought bento for lunch, but our Japanese friends had not; we got off the bus at a small eatery that was part of the hiking area so they could get food. Unfortunately, that meant we had to do some extra hiking to reach our actual start point, so we walked for quite a while up some steep paths through a forest. By the time we reached the base of the hills, we were quite winded!

There's really no way for me to properly describe all of the sights. Not only was Soni Kogen one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, but it was very...un-Japanlike. It felt as if we were in a place that was a mixture of the Alps and Peru. The way the pampas grass seemed to glow in the sun was almost surreal, and there were gorgeous mountains everywhere we looked.

Since we were already tired from our trek through the woods, it was a pretty tiring hike. However, the views were worth it! The only truly crazy part of our hike was having to climb right beside an open fire! Apparently workers burn away at the grass on parts of the path to prevent overgrowth and prevent an obstruction of people's views, and for some reason they decided to do the burning on a busy weekend. We had to walk beside the fire and through the smoke to go over the top of the mountain and get back down. It was insane, but kind of cool.

After we reached the bottom (at this point we were all exhausted and ready to collapse) we went to an Onsen. For those who don't know what an onsen is, it's a bath that receives its water from a hot volcanic spring. They're known for their healing properties. The onsen was wonderful. It was a little jarring to walk into a changing room and bath area filled with strange naked women of all ages, but you get used to it. We stored our clothes in a locker, stripped down, and went to a shower area to clean ourselves. Once you're all clean, you go into the onsen. There were two indoor baths, and an outdoor bath, which we chose. It is wonderfully relaxing, and all of the minerals make your skin baby soft.

After the onsen, we got dressed and headed back home. On our way back my friend Emily (who is in graduate school and is on her third trip to Japan) took us to a train station that had a lot of eateries and shops inside it. We ate at a delicious curry place, and then checked out this grocery store that had quite a bit of imported food. I bought toblerone, some gouda cheese, and found pie filling! Huzzah!

By the end of it we were all exhausted, but it was a great experience.

Whoo!
This Saturday I am waking up at the crack of dawn to take a train out to the Nara area and hike around THIS place, followed by some time at an onsen! It's going to cost me about 4,000 yen for the whole day, but a trip like this normally costs about 10,000, so I'm not going to let this opportunity pass by!
I'm so excited.

On Monday I have the Halloween party (I'm going as a penguin), and then it's goodbye October, hello November.