Saturday - The Kyoto trip started well with our group leaving only 5 minutes behind schedule!! The bus ride was long; I mostly daydreamed and stared out the window. We eventually arrived at Kodaiji, an area that has the Kiyomizudera (famous temple). We had three hours of free time. I had already been to this area last semester with a group of Nanzan students for a day trip. I knew the place well and so felt confident to walk around and not get lost! I looked at the temple and grounds again and walked along the streets lined with shops. I tried a lot of free samples! I ate lunch with a group of fellow IES students and had beef udon. :d I walked around a little more and then headed back to the bus at the appointed time.
Then we all went to a place called Marumasu Nishimuraya which an AWESOME shop that allows customers to paint designs on paper fans. The whole process was really fun and I can't wait to get the fan back that I painted. Then after that we went to our Japanese traditional inn for the night. The dinner was amazing as always but this time we had dinner and a show. A maiko and a geiko performed a dance for us and afterwards we got to take pictures with them, talk with them, and play a fun game with them. A geiko is basically a geisha but in the west of Japan and particularly in Kyoto that is the name the performers prefer to be called. A maiko is an apprentice geiko. After dinner I went and relaxed in the public baths with some IES buddies. Then did some homework with some other IES girls and then went to bed.
The next morning I ate breakfast which was yummy and then we all checked out and got on the bus. We went to Nijo Castle which was really nice. Our tour guide was named Mie and she was so funny and told us so many cool things about the castle. Then our tour guides went with us to Kinkakuji and showed us that temple as well. Then we said goodbye to our two guides and went to another area of the city called Arashiyama. I had been to Kinkakuji before with the Nanzan group last semester and I had also been to Arashiyama before with my host mom. Still it was a lovely place. I looked around a temple and got to ride a rickshaw !! The rickshaw driver was really good and took us (another student and me) through the bamboo forest and all over town. Practicing your Japanese with a rickshaw driver while he is flying you through a bamboo forest is something you simply never forget. I honestly felt like I had been transported back to some past historical era of Japan.
Eventually we all met up at the appointed time in the bus and started home. The bus driver put on a movie for us this time. The movie was Ponyo, a Miyazaki movie. I had already seen it but this time it was in Japanese with no subtitles so it was good listening practice. Then we watched a couple of episodes of a show called Shin chan. Unfortunately I really could have done without watching those... I don't care for that show but again at least I could practice understanding the Japanese. When we arrived back at Nagoya station we all headed in our different directions. I took the subway back to my dorm and showered and went to bed. This morning I got up early, finished homework, studied, and went to language class. After class I talked with my parents via skype. Now I want to get as much done as possible before Aikido practice.
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