jordanprice

[jordanprice]

Unexpected Japan!

Here is my presentation on everything I found unexpected and interesting from my time in Japan. I ended up rambling on for longer than expected, so I suppose add that to the list of unexpected things lol. Anyways, I hope you enjoy :)

[jordanprice]

Independent Excursion: Media Reflection

June 5 - Sanrio Cafe

Lauren and I visited the Sanrio Cafe with guy Sam and with Ana. Lauren and I had tried going prior, but they were closed by the time we had got there, with only the sweets being open. This time, however, we were there on time and got to sit down and order food.

Everything was extremely cutesy, including the decor of the place and the presentation of the dishes. It would be a Sanrio fan’s dream restaurant.

Honestly, out of all the themed restaurants I went to on this trip, this one probably had the best food overall. It looked really good and actually tasted good as well. One thing that I have noticed from the other themed cafes and stuff is that they put so much work into the presentation of the food, that they then lack in the taste and quality aspects of the dish.

Lauren got a soda float, corn pottage, a Cinnamaroll cake roll, the Hello Kitty strawberry pancakes, and a strawberry cake thing. That sounds like a lot, but in her defense I’m not even sure if all those were ordered by her and not by Sam or Ana, and also she was just really excited to go and wanted to try a bunch of stuff, which I thought was very cute. One thing that I found interesting is how much she liked the corn pottage, which is like this corn soup. She still brings it up it was apparently so good. I’m glad she enjoyed that and the experience overall as well. I just got the strawberry pancakes, and they were actually really good.

Overall, it was a good experience. I’m not a big Sanrio fan myself (I know, shocking.) but I’m really glad Lauren liked it so much. As I said, the food and the atmosphere were both great.

Media Representation of Japan: Sanrio and Hello Kitty

Sanrio in general, and Hello Kitty in particular, have such a huge media representation around the world. I would argue that it has become so large to the point that many people may not even realize they are from Japan. They have become so commonplace that Hello Kitty is a household name, having collabs with just about everything, and even having an anime.

I grew up in a family with three sisters, so I was often outvoted on what to watch on the tv, and one thing I remember they would watch and would want to watch was the Hello Kitty anime. I was very young at the time, but I remember it having an extremely feminine and cutesy representation. Like I remember one of the things they did to make it more cute is describe Hello Kitty as being “only three apples tall” to reinforce her smallness and cuteness and putting that image in peoples minds. It could definitely be seen that for example this anime format of Sanrio gives Japan a very feminine, cute, and “weak” idea in the view of the world.

The products produced by Sanrio and in collaboration with them also enforce these ideas of cuteness and femininity. They have all these cute characters in plushy form or on backpacks, pencil cases, literal trains and airplanes, you name it. And the way that it is so widespread and can be found everywhere gives many people the idea that that is what Japan’s culture is like, this kawaii aesthetic. More and more of the products and visuals being associated with Japan are these kawaii ideals.

Some people in Japan, mainly those higher up or more traditional, do not like this representation of Japan and its culture. They prefer the “stronger” and more proper or masculine representations such as that of samurai, tea ceremonies, katanas, ninjas, and stuff of that sort. However, I feel that the world is finding the cuter things much more palatable than the more traditional ones. Hello Kitty is even combined with these things to make them kawaii as well, such as her dressed as a ninja.

Sanrio provides such crazy soft power to Japan, which could arguably be of use to them and their position in the global atmosphere. However, some people would still rather it not be what’s driving the world’s perception of their country.

I honestly do not think it helps their case that being here I’ve seen so much more of the Sanrio, anime, Kirby, figures, stuff like that than I have more traditional cultural values. So, it might not be that the world is getting the wrong idea of Japan, it is just that Japan’s culture has shifted more towards these things. I think that over time, people will have to accept this representation of Japan, as it is becoming more and more prevalent and does not feel particularly avoidable.

[jordanprice]

Independent Excursion: Academic Reflection

June 17 - Nyan Nyan Ji Cat Temple

Today Lauren and I visited the Nyan Nyan Ji cat temple. Lauren had found it online and really wanted to go. She wanted to be able to use it for her academic independent excursion, so she asked professor Smith, and he said that if we were able to find something actually academic for it then we could. And we took that as a challenge. Lauren found the place and I found the article, we make such a great team.

The cat temple was an hour or so away from the hotel, but we decided it was going to be worth it, and it was. We revolved a whole one of our two days off in Kyoto around it. It closed at 6 pm, and we were unfortunately on track for being late to it.

We took a taxi and made it on time to have 40 mins there. If we would’ve done a train we would’ve only had 20 mins there which would not be enough at all. 40 was barely enough in the first place.

The place itself was very cool, and I had to respect how much they committed to it. They had you take off your shoes in the start, as the whole thing was tatami mats. The art was very unique and all cat themed of course. One of the apprentice monk cats was there today, but unfortunately the head monk was not there as he only works 2-3 times a month. The apprentice monk was still very cute though and we got to feed him.

The place had this bar with a cat bartender and Lauren and I found that to be extremely sacrilegious to have in such a sacred temple. In all seriousness it was pretty silly.

Then there were the actual cat temple areas to pray to them. I will proudly state that this is the only shrine or temple I donated to during the trip. The room they were in also had this cat monk statue that was absolutely BEGGING for a 0.5, so of course I got one of it. The ceiling in that room was cool as well, with each of the tiles being a different artistic rendition of cats. Some were definitely interesting for sure.

They then had a downstairs area, and it was quite something. It was a museum completely dedicated to remakes of famous art pieces, but with cats. I loved how much effort they put into it and also into the plaques describing the pieces as cats as well. The music topped it off as well, it fit the vibe too well. My favorite rendition was of a cat as The Scream.

Overall, it was a lot more serious and silly than I was expecting at the same time. They committed so hard to the bit that it was questionable whether it was even a bit anymore at that point, and I loved that about it.

Academic Reflection

The article I chose for this is “When There Are No More Cats to Argue about: Chan Buddhist Views of Animals in Relation to Universal Buddhanature.” This work discusses Chan Buddhism and how people view and debate both cats’ and other animals’ capacity for enlightenment.

In Japanese culture, cats are generally viewed as symbols of good luck and of wisdom. The lucky cat statues are an example of this. Tokyo’s Gotokuji Temple is filled with them. The reason for such is that Li Naotaka was led to safety from a thunderstorm by a cat, and to show his respect, he created a temple honoring cats. A belief in Buddhism is that cats’ bodies are temporary resting places for people of his spiritual energy and wisdom. While cats are a widespread positive symbol in Buddhism, there are not many temples actually dedicated to them. Nyan Nyan Ji is, of course, a prime example of one that is.

The reading shows how cats and dogs are used in Chan Buddhism to represent mankind’s challenges as well as possibilities in reaching enlightenment. This is done through Chan expressions to convey such didactic messages.

It also mentions how cats and dogs are the most common animals to live with Chan Buddhist monks. The reason given for cats being so is that they have similar living conditions as well as feelings of attachment as the monks do.

The debate over whether they are able to reach enlightenment themselves comes down to those who believe cats are reincarnated lazy monks, and those who believe that cats not questioning enlightenment being a higher form of understanding than people have, as people will worry about and question these things.

Citation:

Heine, Steven. “When There Are No More Cats to Argue about: Chan Buddhist Views of Animals in Relation to Universal Buddhanature.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy, vol. 43, no. 3–4, 2016, pp. 239–258, https://doi.org/10.1163/15406253-0430304008. 

[jordanprice]

June 20 - Osaka

Today we went to Osaka. It was my third time this trip visiting there, but there was still a lot I hadn’t seen or done yet. It is like an hour away from where we are staying, but I would say it was worth it to go multiple times as there is a lot going on there.

When we arrived in Osaka, we split for lunch. Professor Smith gave us an extra 30 mins, which I appreciated and it made me feel validated as I was the one who suggested it earlier that morning. Lauren and I went with Emily and Bianca to some vegan restaurant to eat. We ended up having to take a taxi, as it was much faster than walking or taking a train. I got some noodle dish, which ended up being quite the mistake. You see, two things, one I was not expecting there to be peanuts in some noodle dish, and two I was not expecting to be allergic to peanuts. I was allergic to them as a kid, but they didn’t show up on my most recent allergy test. I most certainly am allergic to them though after that. My breathing was a bit worse and my throat closed up a bit, but I took some Benadryl, did my inhaler, and I was fine. I felt so bad for Lauren though, as she was really worried about me, and I didn’t want to stress it out. I have no idea how people with allergies or any eating conditions in general survive in Japan. Like I guess I took it for granted being told on a menu if a dish has peanuts. Because of this, I ended up making us late for the group meet up time. I felt bad about it, but people were understanding.

As soon as our group got to the meeting point, we then headed to the Osaka Castle. We did not go in it, but we went up to it. It was quite pretty in my opinion.

After the castle, we went to America Village. It was nothing at all like America, except for it had a McDonald’s. There was one very American thing I did see though. Which was a black Silverado with a toddler and a pit bull in the back of it, so there’s that.

After that, we headed to a shopping street. We saw the famous running man advertisement from the bridge, and it was definitely a large billboard. The street on the other side of the bridge was quite cool. There were a bunch of 3D advertisements, some of which were moving, and there were a ton of different shops, a lot of which was street food. Lauren got strawberry ice cream and a strawberry smoothie, and we both got a strawberry tart which was pretty good.

We were then released for the day, and Lauren and I decided to stay in the area and walk around for a while and look at the shops. She especially wanted to find gacha machines, so we looked around and found some. We also went back and found the ones she saw on the way there that she wanted to check out. I ended up getting a like $40 Pokémon card from a $15 gacha, so that was pretty cool. We then also got matching keychains of cinamaroll as a bee. We got two of them from one grab in a claw machine, which was really fun.

I wasn’t feeling well at this point, so we headed back. I got two more chicken and cheese quesadillas from the one place we had gone to before, then I was feeling better.

This was an amazing trip and was such a great experience overall. I learned a ton about Japanese culture and got to be there in person to see it. The four weeks both feel like they’ve went on forever and like I blinked and it’s gone. I’m so glad I met Lauren on this trip, as spending it with her has made it a lot more enjoyable. I’m also happy that I got Vishnu as my roommate, as he is a nice guy and we got along well. By the end of the trip, I am definitely ready to go home, and in some ways am even getting tired of Japan. Overall, I will say I enjoyed Tokyo a lot more than I did Kyoto, but both had a lot of value in seeing. One final thing is I’m really looking forward to sleeping in a bed again man.

(Bonus photos from the last day)

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about the characteristics of the cityscape of Osaka. One thing the reading mentioned is that Osaka has weak zoning regulations for businesses, meaning there isn’t strong legislation on what businesses can and cannot operate in the area. I personally don’t know enough on the topic to be able to tell seeing it in person where this would come into play, especially since the business really all seemed to just be like food, clothing, or arcade type stuff.

I also learned about how they frequently destroy and then rebuild buildings and even entire blocks. They do this to constantly modernize the city and to upkeep the contemporary Japanese city aesthetic and complex spatial structure. That is one thing I did notice walking around Osaka is that there were practically no old buildings at all, they were all new from what I could tell. I suppose this is intentional and does make sense. Constantly tearing down and replacing buildings ensures they are always modern, but it just seems like such a costly endeavor to keep up. I suppose if the buildings are profitable enough, it then makes it worth it to keep them as contemporary as possible. In a way, cities like this in Japan feel like they are from the future, and definitely more advanced than what I am used to seeing in Florida.

[jordanprice]

June 19 - Nara Day Trip

Today we visited Nara and went to feed the deer and then to see the Buddha statue in Todaiji, as well as the museum there.

It took a while to get to Nara, so by the time we were there it was lunch time. Lauren and I ate at this Italian place called Piano, which I thought was a silly name for a restaurant. I got their grilled chicken dish and a blood orange juice. The chicken was only okay and really didn’t come with much food at all, especially for it being one of the more expensive meals I’ve had on this trip. So I’ve had a lot of oranges and orange juice in my life, and I’ve had blood oranges as well, and I’m telling you that was not blood orange juice it was just kinda crappy orange juice that was dyed, but oh well. Lauren got a margarita pizza and was kind enough to share some with me. After lunch, we grabbed some macarons, which were pretty good.

We then walked to the park to see and to feed the deer. Lauren and I both really like deer, and had a great time feeding them. The deer were so friendly and would bow back to you if you bowed to them. Lauren and I between us quite possibly got 20 packs of rice crackers for the deer. They were only ¥200 a piece. People were commenting on how many I was buying, but I didn’t let them bother me and just told them I was having a good time so I might as well. Lauren especially loved feeding the deer, so I kept going up to buy her crackers so she could keep feeding them. And the deer loved her as well. I quite enjoyed the fact that out of like anyone there, the deer seemed to like Lauren and I the most. I think it’s because the deer can sense our vibes and tell how much we like them. That I would tell, I was the only person that deer were coming up to to pet them. They only really went up to other people to be fed. It was kinda annoying me some of the people seeing me petting the deer who then tried doing it and freaked the deer out. They went too quickly and weren’t showing the deer their hands before going to pet them. You have to be calm, confident, and go slowly. Even though the deer are so used to people. That doesn’t mean they don’t get scared, in the end they are still wild animals.

The only two real downsides were that Lauren and I both got deer poop on our shoes and that petting them made our hands really greasy and dirty and there was like nowhere to wash them. It was definitely more than worth it though. I grew up getting to feed baby deer at a family friends farm in Michigan, so this wasn’t really a new experience to me entirely, but it was still a great time and I especially enjoyed how much Lauren was enjoying it.

After we were done feeding the deer, we walked to Todaiji, the Great Eastern Temple. And that name is not misleading, as the place is genuinely huge and I was a bit surprised at how big it was. Of course then Lauren and I started joking about how it would only cost $200k to buy as a small house in the suburbs, or like $50k in Geneva, Florida and how it was a lower middle class level house.

The Buddha statue was very large and ornate, but the comment I had on it was that unfortunately it wasn’t the one that was in Dr. Stone, one of my favorite anime, and Leina, our tour guide’s favorite anime. There was then this hole in a wooden pillar that was meant to be the size of the Buddha statue’s nostril, and it is said if you can fit through it, then you will have a good rebirth. I don’t have a picture of it, but you already know both Lauren and I made it through easily.

We then walked to see this shrine that had a bunch of lanterns in it. On the way there, we saw the most ordained deer I’ve ever seen in my life. He had such main character energy it was insane. The shrine had this 1,000+ year old tree, which I thought was cool to see. I couldn’t go into the lantern room, as it smelled strongly and was filled with smoke. Japanese temples and shrines sure do love their scented smoke…

After this, we were set free for the day, and Lauren had been wanting ice cream, so we went and got some. She got strawberry and I got chocolate. Also, there was this one deer that really wanted attention from me, so I pet him a bunch, and he even got territorial over me and scared off another deer that tried walking up to me. Then there was this deer which was very forward with Lauren, biting her pants string and pulling it to untie them. He did this twice and we found it pretty funny how forward this deer was. In his defense, Lauren did compliment him first, so he probably took that as her flirting with him.

We then headed back towards the hotel with Emily and Ana as well to go eat. We ended up going to this burrito place that had vegetarian and vegan options for Lauren and Emily. I got a chicken and cheese quesadilla and it was really good.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about esoteric Buddhism. I learned about how Vairocana is meant to be the first Buddha, having come into existence sometime between 3 and 13 thousand eons ago. Their eons are described as having a mountain made of the strongest material, and every year a bird comes by and scrapes a blade of grass across it until the entire mountain is eroded. So yeah…. it’s a long time, and raises some questions for sure. Especially like how did he become the first Buddha, why is he the one with all the power, would the power be someone else’s if they got there first, how is he still supposed to be alive (because Buddhas are still meant to be living and have a limited life span), and where did he exist (like the universe wouldn’t have been a thing yet). I also learned that there are different Buddha bodies. The dharma body is the main, real body. The entertainment body, which caries out the law set by the dharma body and gained Buddha wisdom. Then there is the manifested body, which is the physical body that is perceptible to humans and which saves and educates the people.

[jordanprice]

June 18 - Kyoto International Manga Museum and Kimonos

Today we went to the Kyoto International Manga Museum, then me and a group went and rented Kimonos.

We got to the museum a few minutes before it opened, and went in as soon as they let us. It was pretty crazy how much manga they had in there. I thought it was cool how as well as displays, they had books that you could take off the shelves and read. Lauren and I explored around the museum for a while, before it was time for the performance. I forget what they call it, but it was like this picture theater thing, where the guy tells a story while pulling out boards with images on them from the frame. It was a cute show, but definitely more directed towards children. The guy presented it did great though and was very animated.

Lauren and I looked around a bit more, then left to get lunch from the cafe that was right there. My pasta was pretty good, but I felt so bad for Lauren, as she really didn’t like the egg toast thing she got. The cafe was cool though at least, having art done on the walls of famous mangaka most popular characters.

We then headed back to the hotel and got ready to do kimonos. Lauren was really looking forward to it, and she convinced me to get one as well. The place was like extremely sexist against men, which sucked, but at least it went well for the girls in the group. They overcharged me, refused my student ID for a student discount (but they let the girls all use theirs), they rushed putting it on me and did a terrible job, there were only 8 total options for me for kimonos, and then they just handed me shoes to wear instead of letting me try some on. They also asked me if the belt was too tight, and when I said no, they tightened it way more, which I honestly found kinda funny.

The kimonos themselves were a good experience, but for poor Lauren they had no shoe sizes that fit, so her shoes were too small and it like killed her feet. We told the place we would be back I two hours, and it ended up being just about the right amount of time. I got a dark grey one, and Lauren got a red one with flowers.

We all just decided to do photos in the photo thing in the lobby of the hotel, then we got a few outside as well. There are a bunch I don’t have, since they are still on Lauren’s camera though. The photos turned out really well, even the ones just taken on phone. It was convenient for the hotel to have a thing for photos.

After we got the kimonos taken off, Lauren and I tried to go get food. And I say tried for a reason… the place we wanted to go to was randomly closed, despite saying it’s open online, and the second place we went to said it was ���closed for an emergency.” So, once again, we ended up eating from a 7-eleven. The tomato soup honestly went kinda crazy. Also, we had gotten a strawberry cake from there for like ¥300 which is only like $2, meaning it was $1 per slice, since it came with two. This is crazy, because it had real strawberries and was actually a really good strawberry cake overall. It makes no sense how they would be that cheap but that good. The 7-elevens here are truly magical.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about manga, which are like Japanese comic books. Manga originally was not widely accessible to own. So, instead of purchasing manga, people would rent it. Stores would have racks of manga that were available to rent, sort of like lending a book from a library, which was a lot cheaper for them. Then there became these books, which included a bunch of new issues of manga in one book (at least from what I can tell, I don’t know much on manga). Over time, it became more and more reasonable for people to buy their own copies of manga. Now, people can just view it on their phone or computer, whether legally or pirated. I feel that the usage of physical manga must have gone down a decent amount since it’s popularization on the internet. Also, I learned that Japan was not the most happy with so much of its soft power coming from manga and anime, as it was considered to be childish. As I view it, however, it is much more tangible and palatable for international consumers of Japanese content than like samurai and tea ceremonies. I feel that they should maybe try and embrace this fact, as it has become so large for how their culture is viewed abroad, and brings in a lot of money as an export.

[jordanprice]

June 17 - Cat Shrine

Today was our second free day in Kyoto, and Lauren and I decided to use it to visit the Nyan Nyan Ji cat shrine. It is literally a shrine dedicated to cats.

To begin the day, I found a lemon Fanta in a vending machine here the hotel. I’ve had lemon Fanta from Spain, Norway, and Italy before, but this one was different. The Fanta was 11% lemon, which is like the amount for actual lemonade, and even has lemon pulp in it. It is made with real ingredients, including having grape sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup or anything. It tasted really good, but I must admit it is only drinkable while really cold and fresh.

Lauren and I decided to eat at the Kyoto station for lunch before heading to the cat shrine. We got pizza at the place we had eaten at when we first arrived in Kyoto, and it was alright, but definitely worse than the first time.

After lunch, we headed to the car shrine. We ended up having to take a taxi to ensure we would have adequate time there, as it closed at 6, and it was around 4 something at this point. It took like 50 mins to get there by taxi, but would’ve taken like 20 mins longer by train. This ended up being a good decision as there is no way we could’ve gotten through the shrine with 20 less minutes as we ended up finishing right at 6.

The shrine was amazing, and I must respect the amount of effort and dedication which went into making it. Also, we wanted to see the head monk cat, but apparently he only works like 2-3 days a month. However, one of the cat monks was there, and you already know that Lauren and I continued the “sir” bit for that as well. He was pretty chill and we got to feed him treats.

The art there was definitely quite interesting, and the detail that went into it was impressive. They also had a cat bartender which I thought was funny. Also, there was a cat monk statue that was absolutely BEGGING for a 0.5. The decor of the place overall was pretty on point, and I liked the little shrines. Also, I would like to proudly state that that was the only shrine I tossed a coin in the donation box for on the trip.

There was then a downstairs, which was a cat art museum. This was actually pretty insanely well done and even the music fit the vibe as well. They were recreations of famous art pieces, but with cats. Lauren absolutely loved this and was completely besides herself over it. I was heavily considering buying a framed art print to bring home, but I maintained my self control well enough not to.

We took a bus, then a train back, and again I must say that I hate the trains, and transport in Kyoto is so much more difficult then in Tokyo, but it’s definitely still manageable and it could be way worse. This bus was not too bad though, as it was less crowded.

For dinner, we got Lauren food again at Tu Casa, which is this vegan place we went to before and she loved. We also talked with the owners, as the remembered us and Emily, who had also gone there on her own. They don’t really have anything for me, so we then went to find something for me to eat. What we found was this Italian place. It was like in some dark back alleyway, which honestly felt a bit off. But once we found the place, it was this cute little local restaurant with just the owner and two workers. Everyone there seemed to know each other, probably because it’s like a local thing and everyone had been there before and talked with the chefs. They were really nice and the pasta was quite good. They were absolutely astounded by my ¥2000 bill because they are rare and they tried to tell me I shouldn’t spend them. I told them it’s okay and that I wanted them to have it (because it was obviously way more special to them than it was to me).

[jordanprice]

June 16 - Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Iwatayama Monkey Park

Today we went to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the Iwatayama Monkey Park. We started off by heading to the bamboo forest. In the train station, we ran into this silly little robot guy just vibing and going around the station.

It took like an hour total for us to get to the bamboo forest. Emily and Ana had gotten there early to rent Kimonos and I have no idea how they managed to and survived hiking in them. Absolute troopers I tell you. The bamboo forest was cool, but it was way overhyped in my opinion. It was kinda just a path through bamboo with a million tourists shoving you forward and cars that drove through the crowd practically. The experience would have been exponentially better if it weren’t for all the people.

After the forest, we then walked down to the river. It was very hot outside and people were remarking on how refreshing the water looked and how they just wanted to go jump in it, and I cannot say I disagreed with them on that. The river indeed did look very pretty and quite refreshing.

We then broke for lunch, and some of us went to this one vegan place nearby. We had to split into groups, and Lauren and I ended up getting seated alone. Okay, so I’m not even trying to be dramatic when I say this, but it would be better to starve than to have to eat the food there. I got cold noodles, which was my first mistake. I did not realize they were gonna be cold, and I must say that I have no earthly idea how literally anyone enjoys those. It was actually sickening to me. Noodles must ALWAYS be served at the very least warm, if not hot. The rest of the little side dishes it came with were also not edible. ESPECIALLY this one pudding type thing with soy sauce on it (see top middle of the picture of the plate). I took one little bite of it and genuinely almost threw up it was that bad. Lauren said she wanted to try it, then quickly changed her mind. I wouldn’t’ve allowed her to suffer through that regardless. Also, Lauren, who is vegetarian and eats vegan food often, agreed that it was literally not edible. She had gotten like a rice dish and could not eat it. The food was so terrible I cannot express. So we basically didn’t eat lunch. At least we got ice cream though. Lauren got Sakura ice cream and I got vanilla with yuzu honey which was pretty good.

We then walked to the bridge to meet up with the group before hiking to go see the monkeys. While waiting there, a group of university students walked up to us to ask us to participate in a survey for them. It was on our views of caronavirus. They were really nice about it and both Lauren and I participated. I found it kinda funny that out of our whole group, they only asked Lauren and I.

Next, we hiked up to see the monkeys at the Iwatayama Monkey Park. My favorite part of the hike up is that they had a rest area partway up that had like a playground, and the best part a slide that was, and I quote, “out of order.” Bro, how’s a slide gonna be out of order??

Eventually we made it to the top, and immediately when we got up there, we saw a mother with her baby walking by, which was quite cute. The view from the peak was my favorite view we got of Kyoto on the trip. It was very beautiful, especially since you could see Kyoto Tower my beloved.

I liked that the workers at the park had monkey friends that would hang out with them as well.

You could then also purchase apple pieces and peanuts to feed the monkeys through fencing. Everyone wanted to feel the babies of course, but the mom would just steal all the food. One thing that Lauren and I found hilarious is that the one mom would let her baby walk freely around, but the second it rounded the corner of the feeding area, she would chase him down and bring him back. Also, this entire time, and I’m talking the entire time, Lauren and I were going on about my “sir” bit. It’s something I started doing a while back where you just go like “sir, a moment of your time sir, a handshake if you will sir, sir it would mean the world to me for just a moment of your valuable time” and so on like that. I’m so glad Lauren likes that bit so much, as it’s one of my favorites and no one else has ever really seemed to appreciate it until her. It’s just something about saying it to like animals or like characters in video games or like statues even that absolutely cracks me up.

Feeding the monkeys was cool, but they had a limit on how much you could feed them. The monkeys very much preferred the apples over the peanuts, and it showed. Another thing that Lauren and I found hilarious was that the one mom would just drop food and crumbs on her baby whom she was holding. She wouldn’t share any food with the baby, but she would like crunch peanut shells over it’s head and it was really funny. We compared it to like using a baby as a lap napkin in a nice restaurant and dropping food on it.

On the way back to the hotel, Lauren and I got two different strawberry cakes to compare, and I got an Italian lemon soda in a glass bottle. We both agreed that the slightly more expensive cake was a lot better in every way, and I really liked my soda. Lauren tried the soda, but it was too sour for her taste.

For dinner, we got Emily to join us in going to a vegan place that had like pizza and pasta and burgers and stuff. I thought it was pretty alright, but they both seemed to really enjoy it which I was happy about. It’s been difficult for them to find good food on this trip, especially Emily who had said it was her first real meal in three days. Lauren and I then decided we would drag Emily to more meals with us for the rest of the trip so that she could eat.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It is an extremely popular tourist destination in Kyoto, and has over 10 million visitors per year. The land is protected, and houses a ton of bamboo, as well as cherry blossom trees, red pines, and others. Beginning in 1870, the Japanese government implemented a new forest management system focused on maintaining the ideal landscape and or function of different areas of forests. Under this legislation, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest is protected due to its landscape. Seeing it in person, it honestly didn’t live up to the hype in my opinion, but it was still cool to see the bamboo forest and I understand why it is protected.

I also learned about The Tale of Genji and The Shrine in the Fields. In The Tale of Genji, Prince Genji and Lady Rokujō have an affair. Somewhere along the lines, Lady Rokujōs jealousy leads to the death of Genji’s wife. At least that is how this version of the Nō play depicts it. The Shrine in the Fields differs from this in the sense that Lady Rokujō is treated with sympathy and there is no notion that she caused Genji’s wife’s death. I find it interesting how different interpretations can arise from the same story. We unfortunately didn’t see any Nō performances on the trip, but it could’ve been cool if we did.

[jordanprice]

June 15 - Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kyoto National Museum

Today we visited the Kyoto Imperial Palace and the Kyoto National Museum. My day, however, started with something completely unrelated to this. I realized that I had missed watching a yearly charity event while on this trip that I always look forward to watching every year. It kinda sucked realizing I missed it, but hey I mean that happens every year and this might be the only time I’m in Japan (also there’s videos I can watch online for the event).

Anyways, so then we traveled to the Museum. We had to get to the Palace in time for the English tour, which we were able to and still had more than enough time at the Museum. The museum in my opinion was way less interesting than the Tokyo National Museum, and we spent more time at this one as well. Also, you were not allowed to take photos at all, which kinda sucked, but l understand. Something else that sucked is that the entire third floor was closed off, so we couldn’t even see the exhibition there.

My favorite item in the Museum were these two king statues that were absolutely serving. They were huge and were very much gay and I loved it. Everyone seemed to find it funny, and Lauren joked that since we couldn’t take pictures in the museum that she would have have take a picture of herself recreating the pose to add to her blog post. The fans back home would eat that up I’m sure. The statues themselves were standing on demons that they had conquered, and were meant to fend off other demons, showing that the same would happen to them if they entered the grounds of these statues.

We then had time to get something to eat. Lauren found some vegan place, and her, Bianca, and I went there. There wasn’t really anything on the menu for me, but they force you to order something at restaurants in Japan, even if you’re just there with friends who are ordering, so I got a tea and just gave it to Lauren. We then stopped quickly in a 7-eleven for me to find something to eat. I got tonkatsu with rice and ended up having to eat it while walking. It was not very good, but it was food.

Our group barely made it in time to the Palace for the English tour, and we had to rush to catch up. The tour was interesting, but I wish the guide spoke up more, as it was hard to hear him. Also, it was really hot outside, just to mention that. I did get a good amount out of the tour, and learned that there are stripes for tatami mats that signify status (red stripes mean high status). I also learned about how they make the roofs for the buildings out of tree bark and how it allows for smooth curves and is sustainable.

The Palace grounds were pretty, and I enjoyed both the architecture of the buildings and then also the park areas around. Once the tour was over, we were set free for the day.

Lauren and I had a reservation for this vegan ramen place run by TeamLab at 6:15, and decided to head to Teramachi street (a famous shopping street) while we wait for the reservation time since it was in the area and there was a strawberry shop we saw before that Lauren wanted to get stuff from. This is the second time we visited that strawberry shop, and once again they didn’t have what Lauren wanted. This whole trip she has been trying to get a strawberry sandwich and they haven’t had it anywhere. We got candy coated strawberries with chocolate sauce on top, which were pretty good.

We then went to some arcades and I won some Pokémon stuff. Not really worth the cost technically as I could’ve bought the stuff for cheaper, but to me it’s the fun of playing the game and winning them.

Then we headed to the vegan ramen place. It has this large black table in front of an art display. There were only 16 total seats, so it makes sense why they get full so quickly and it’s reservation only. Lauren and I both got the soy ramen and it was pretty good. Lauren didn’t like the fact that it had tomato in. It was really quiet, except for this one girl slurping loudly which was obnoxious as Lauren and I are both sensitive to mouth sounds. I also got chocolate ice cream and it was pretty good as well. It was an experience for sure.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It is the the former ruling place for Japan’s emperors before that was moved to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. The switch happened after the Meiji restoration, when the capital also then moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. The Kyoto Imperial Palace has been preserved ever since, and you can take tours of the grounds today.

The buildings themselves are interesting in design. Basically, they are just a shell frame with no insulation, with the walls being able to be raised up during the summer to allow for more ventilation during the heat. They had no ceiling either, just a roof. The roofs themselves are made of tree bark, which has popularity due to it being sustainable and allowing for smooth curves in roof design. Also, only the buildings with a high enough level of importance were allowed to face towards the Palace, and the rest had to be facing away. They also now keep most of the big doors to the buildings closed, as it takes 6 men a lot of effort to open them.

[jordanprice]

June 14 - Fushimi-Inari Shrine

Happy birthday to my sister Madison!! I’m sorry for missing your birthday in person, but I hope gifts from Japan can make up for it <3

Today we visited the Fushimi-Inari Shrine and hiked up the Mt. Fushimi. The way that this still isn’t even the last mountain we hike on this trip goes crazy. A bunch of people complain about the hiking and the stairs, but I really don’t mind it. Lauren also has this running bit that I find funny where she asks if literally any mountain is Mt. Fuji, and after every mountain we climb she says she literally hiked Mt. Fuji. Also, I find it kinda funny that a lot of what we’re calling mountains on this trip are technically not tall enough to be properly classified as mountains. Semi related to this is the fact that a few days back I was telling Lauren how much I like the compass app and how it’s one of my favorite apps ever. She didn’t get it until I showed her it’s cool features and especially the fact that it’s satisfying to just turn the phone and get it to line up with the cardinal directions. How this relates to anything is that you can see your current altitude with the compass app and I feel a lot of people don’t know that.

When we got to the shrine, honestly it was less interesting to me than the fox statues and the torii gates were. I’ve seen so many shrines and temples on this trip, but until that point I hadn’t seen cute fox statues or literal thousands of red torii gates. It’s also a very popular tourist spot and people love getting photos there. There are some of me, but they are on Lauren’s good camera, so I do not have access to them yet. Honestly, there were just too many people there.

The fox statues are meant to represent Inari’s messengers, and there were several scattered around. I started this thing on this trip where I’ll go up to statues and stuff and claim that they are BEGGING for a 0.5 (like the zoom on the phone camera). Lauren thought it was maybe disrespectful at first, but I think she finds it funny by this point, as well as I get some pretty good and silly photos with it. So of course I had to take some of the foxes!

We then hiked up the mountain. It was crazy to see just how many of the gates there were and how it effectively made a tunnel out of them. Getting photos there was tricky, as there was almost always someone walking the path that would be in the photo. There were more than I was expecting, and I had somehow not originally pieced together that that was where we were hiking that day, so it also went longer than I was expecting.

Lauren and I celebrated with ice cream upon making it back down. Then later in the day I made another trip to the cyberpunk speakeasy to get some fried chicken and fries which was actually really good.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. Of several thousand shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice, this is the most important. The shrine is known for its thousands of red torii gates along the path up the mountain. These torii gates are primary donated by businesses and set up back to back along the path. It also has many fox statues, as foxes are thought to be the messengers of Inari. There is much debate and many differing views on what Inari themself is, but everyone seems to be able to agree on them not being a fox. Inari’s messengers are foxes, but Inari is not. The shrine even predates the move of Japan’s capital from Nara to Kyoto in the end of the 8th century. This shrine has become a popular tourist destination due to its many torii gates, and everyone wants to get pictures in what is effectively a tunnel created by the gates.

[jordanprice]

June 13 - Universal Studios Japan

Today was our first of two free days in Kyoto! A bunch of us had decided since before the trip to go to USJ. The tickets were a lot cheaper than those for Universal Studios Orlando, only costing around $60 (which would probably be more like $120 in Orlando). The website had said to bring a printed ticket, so a bunch of us did, but the QR code on the phone worked just fine.

We left fairly early, intending on getting there around opening so the lines wouldn’t be too crazy for the first couple rides and to get the most time out of the day. Everyone else left in a big group, but Lauren was still getting ready, so I waited for her and we traveled to USJ together. We left around 15 mins after the others did. It was like an hour by train to get there, and one of the trains was one that switched tracks, so you have to make sure you get on the correct one, not just the first one to get to the platform. Lauren and I made sure it was the right one, and eventually got to USJ. It was pretty funny to me that we actually got there like ~10 mins before everyone else, despite leaving 15 mins later. This is because they had gotten on the wrong train for the one that required you to be on the specific one.

First, we went to the Jujutsu Kaisen 4D theater show. It was pretty cool and we could mostly understand what was going on, but it being in Japanese and without subtitles definitely made it a bit trickier. Lauren then got a pizza bun decorated as a divine dog, and a churro that was berry flavored which personally I think ruined it.

We then went on a ride which I forget the name of, but it plays music from your seat during the ride, and is apparently like one of the rides at the one in Orlando. We opted to do the one that traveled backwards first, which was pretty interesting. We were in the front, and Lauren and I both blacked out during the ride. This, as well as the fact that Lauren was feeling really hot, decided that we needed to get something to eat. She got frozen strawberries, and I got a burger and extra fries so that she could have some. The burger was actually awful and reminded me of cafeteria food, but I was able to force myself to eat like half of it. The fries were actually good though. Also, it was at this point where Lauren mentioned to me that she had not taken her meds and that that was why she was feeling so hot (on top of it being hot outside). I felt awful, and I wish she didn’t have to deal with that at USJ and have it impact her experience.

Also at some point we also went on the jaws ride, which is like the jungle river tour ride, but with jaws. I have no idea where in the timeline this actually happened, so I’m putting it here. I feel it would’ve been a lot better if we understood anything they were saying or if either of us had actually watched jaws, but it was alright.

It was then time for our timed entry ticket for Super Nintendo World. So, we headed there, and ended up being in like the front of the line for that time slot to get in. We decided not to get the wristband things for interacting with activities in the area, and I’m glad we didn’t because they had lines and honestly didn’t look all that fun regardless. The area itself was so cool and the design that went into it was insane. It looks like you’re in the world of Mario and I respect the effort that was placed into making it so special.

We decided to go on the Mario kart ride first, and it had a pretty long line, but I would say it was worth it. Also, it definitely had the best designed line of any ride I’ve ever been on, on top of being fully air conditioned, which was helpful to Lauren. It was so cool how much effort and attention to detail that went into even the waiting area for a ride. When we got in the ride, it was this augmented reality thing with a band you wear on your head. It gave me a pretty bad headache, and Lauren had said it gave her one as well (luckily I had advil on me). I didn’t realize how the ride worked at first and that you had limited ammo, so I spammed it all at the beginning and wasted it, so I didn’t do too well. I got like 79 and Lauren got like 105 and she teased me HEAVILY for her beating me in it.

We then pondered whether to stay in the area longer or to go do other stuff (because you can’t get back in once you leave). We were gonna eat in the cafe there, but it was reserved until 4:30, which was like an hour out still. I suggested we could ride the yoshi ride, which would’ve taken about an hour, then to eat there, but Lauren made a point that there was still other stuff to check out in the park, so we did that.

We then had went on the flying dinosaur ride, which flips you on your stomach like how manta does at sea world. It was pretty fun, but again I blacked out (that tends to happen to me on rides if you couldn’t tell).

After that, we tried to go find something to eat, but the restaurants that actually sounded good closed at 4 pm, which I thought was pretty whack both in general and for a restaurant at a theme park. So that sucked. We did however find a cafeteria that had a vegetarian option for Lauren, so that worked. However, it was pretty spicy, and Lauren doesn’t handle spice well. She forced herself to eat most of it, despite me trying to say that if it’s too bad we’ll just find something different, but she was determined. It seemingly just about killed her, but she was fine eventually. We then went to get pizza for me and it was pretty good. Also, this is when Lauren learned that I blot my pizza to remove the oil on it. She really liked this fact, as she does it as well, and we bonded over that. I believe she said that she doesn’t really know other people who do that, and I don’t either.

We then decided to go on the one music ride again, but forward, and I honestly liked it less, but it was still fun. After that, Lauren said that she really wanted to go on the Doraimon ride for the bit (it had like a two hour wait the whole day, but was down to like 70 mins or something I think), so we went on it. It was definitely one of the rides I’ve been on at a theme park!! It was a vr ride, and not only was the vr not great, it broke multiple times, which was honestly like sickening and made my headache worse.

At that point, the park was closing, and we stared heading out. Lauren got us popcorn, as I had mentioned I wanted it, then we left the park. Getting home was an experience as always. It literally showed that the train we took there wasn’t running, so we had to find something else. I eventually did, and it didn’t feel right at all. It turned out though and we did make it back.

[jordanprice]

June 12 - Kiyomizudera and Gion

Today we went to see the Kiyomizu Temple in Kiyomizudera and to see the Gion area entertainment district. It was like an hour or so to get there by train, which as far as things for this trip is manageable. I didn’t realize the two would be so close to each other though.

When we got to Kiyomizudera, we walked through a street that had a bunch of shops that looked interesting. Lauren saw a few things she wanted to go back for, but we weren’t sure that we would be able to, at least not until after the stuff for the day. When we got to the temple, there were these metal sandals and two metal poles. I wish I got a picture of them, but unfortunately I did not (so I stole a video I took of Lauren doing it to take a pic from). You were supposed to try and lift them for some reason, so everyone did it. The sandals were easy, and the one pole was not too difficult at all. But the one I’m pretty sure was meant to be either impossible or nearly so. I think I put more effort into it than anyone and I really gave it my all, but it still wouldn’t budge. The person who put the next most effort in was probably Nico. I ended up staining my nice shirt with rust, which kinda sucked though, but it came out fairly easily luckily.

We then went to the fountains that the temple is famous for, and why it is called the Pure Water Temple. I explained how it works in the academic reflection. Bianca, Lauren, and I each picked a different one of the fountains. Bianca chose the first one, Lauren chose the middle one, and I chose the last one. So, between the three of us, we got all the things.

Okay then I don’t have any pictures of this, but get ready for this next part. Let me paint you a picture. So, next we go to this one thing that is called Canon’s womb. Yeah, I know… (also, this version of Canon is a dude, so why he got a womb?) So, you walk up to the entrance and they “strongly encourage” a ¥100 “donation” before entering. You have to take off your shoes before descending down a cold, dark staircase. When you get to the bottom and round the corner, it is pitch black. I’m talking you cannot see the person in front of you or your hand in front of your face type of dark. You have to follow the walls with your hands to be able to navigate this cavern which was void of light. Every step feels unsure and the walls are inconsistent. Eventually you arrive in this room with extremely dim lighting, just enough so you can make out this large stone disk. Which you are supposed to spin and make a wish. However, there is just one issue… they were absolutely pumping strongly scented smoke into the room. Not only do I think that that is in general an awful idea and extremely dangerous, but on top of that I have asthma. I felt awful for rushing people out so I could leave, but I think they understood. That place caused me a literal asthma attack and I’m glad I had my inhaler on me. I could barely breathe, but in a way I found that funny. That experience was supposed to be like being reborn, and when I was born the first time around I initially couldn’t breathe, so it’s on brand for me not to be able to breathe the second time around either. The irony was so delectable.

We were supposed to meet up again at six for some performance. I had gotten permission from professor Smith for Lauren and I to leave to go to the Pokémon cafe, since we already had reservations and could not change them, but also since I had asked him the day before when we would be done and he said by four and I would’ve needed to make the cancellation then. It worked out though and Lauren and I headed there. It was like 45 mins away from Gion, and our reservation was at 5:30. Lauren still wanted to look around for a while and to go back and get the things she saw on the way up as aforementioned. She seemed kinda confused at me rushing her to leave, as she thought we still had plenty of time. However, she was immediately understanding once I said that our reservation was at 5:30. This whole time she had been thinking it was at 6:15, which is our reservation time for this one vegan ramen place, so I understand the mix up. We then rush to get to the Pokémon cafe in Osaka and we make it there at like 5:28, so just in time.

The cafe itself was very cute, but I felt so bad for Lauren, as the only thing she thought she could maybe eat out of the food items on the menu ended up having shrimp in it and she couldn’t get it. There are two issues with this, one is she is vegetarian, and the second is that she is literally allergic to shrimp. She said that it was okay though and that she was just looking forward to the desserts. I got the pikachu ramen bowl and it was like literally just decorated instant ramen. It was cute, but not very tasty.

The desserts on the other hand were pretty good. Lauren and I got all three desserts and split them so we could try them all. (Unfortunately I do not have photos, my apologies)

Also, there was this whole performance with pikachu dancing, which was cute as well. One thing that pissed me off what I had reserved special merch items that you can only get if you reserve them, but they claimed I did not reserve any, even when I showed them the reservation number. Actually so annoying.

We then went to our third Pokémon center for the trip, then explored a bit more of the mall and headed back to the hotel. This was the point at which I found a basket of crème puffs in a 7-eleven, and they were genuinely incredible. Mashle has made me crave crème puffs, and I see me eating more of them in the future.

Academic reflection

Today I learned about the Kiyomizu Temple, which is also known as the Pure Water Temple. I learned about how the three fountains of pure water are said to each help with an aspect of your life. One is for help with business and academic stuff, one is for relationships and love, and one is for longevity. However, the twist is that nobody knows which fountain is which. It is said that if you drink the water from a fountain, it will help you with its corresponding aspect of life. The catch with this is that you may only drink from one, as the gods will deem you greedy if you drink from multiple. So, you only get to drink from one, and you have no idea which aspect you are supposedly getting help from the gods in.

I also learned about the Geisha entertainers in the Gion area, which used to be well known for being an entertainment district. They were not just courtesans, the Geisha were skilled, literate entertainers that would dance, play music, present poems, and more. Rich men would pay for them to perform at parties and such. There are still Geisha in the Gion area to this day, but they are less common.

[jordanprice]

June 11 - Himeji-jo

Dear the fans back home,

I hope you are doing well and that you are ready to hear about today’s adventures! I’m sorry this post is late, and I apologize for making you wait. Hope y’all are well :)

Today we visited Himeji-jo to see the Himeji castle. It was a long way there, but I would say it was worth seeing it.

When we arrived in the area, we split up for lunch. I went with Lauren, Bianca, and Emily to get food. It was some vegan restaurant that Emily found. When we got there, it said that they had a 90 minute wait, but they kicked out a group of people who had apparently been there for over an hour after finishing their meal, in favor of seating us. The others seemed to like their food good enough, but there was a problem with mine. The problem being it never arrived. The lady confirmed our order and everything, then I never got my food, and we didn’t get charged for it. So, I just literally didn’t get to eat for that meal, but it was whatever I suppose. I’m glad the others enjoyed theirs.

We then went to the castle. When professor smith pointed out all the positions for defenses and archers and stuff for the castle, Lauren made the joke that we seemed to make it in easily and that their defenses were lacking. It was really funny, and she kept joking about it throughout our time there. Every time we made it through another gate, she would comment on its ease.

I was then making a joke of my own throughout it on asking whether things were original that obviously weren’t (like tvs and ac and stuff). Just being like “do you think that’s original?” Lauren was then also joking about how much it would cost to rent out a room there, saying like it’s gotta be like four yen or something, and at least two yen. I always like gross over and under exaggerations as jokes. It’s been really fun having someone on this trip that gets my humor well and has a similar sense of humor themselves.

The castle itself was really cool to look at, and I do genuinely wonder how much of it is original and how much of it is like restored and stuff. Overall, I must agree with Lauren though… it was way too easy to invade.

Also, there was this well that was said to have some lady be thrown down it after she broke/was robbed of the tenth plate of a set of ten. People say that they can still here her counting to ten at night and stopping at nine. And all I’m saying is she is swimming in money down there. Literally as there are definitely at least thousands of dollars worth of coins down there, as well as I’m assuming water given it’s a well.

(You can sort of see the coins glimmering in the bottom of the well in this photo. Also, yes, someone from our group is trying to salvage a coin using an umbrella in the left of the photo.)

Lauren wanted to make it up to me for not getting lunch, by letting me decide where to eat for dinner. She’s vegetarian, but was trying to convince to go to a steak place to make up for it. Obviously I’d feel bad dragging her to a steak place, especially since the whole lunch thing wasn’t her fault at all, but I knew it would make her feel better about things. The problem is though, that everywhere either had no menu at all, had a set menu that did not sound appealing, and or was way too expensive. The one place we found was impossible to get to, and the replacement we found literally didn’t exist anymore. We ended up in what I could only describe as a cyberpunk speakeasy, and I ended up getting yakitori and it was really really good. The vibes of the place were so crazy on point I can’t even explain. I felt bad for Lauren as there weren’t really any options for her. She ended up getting strawberry pancakes, and I know she doesn’t particularly like pancakes, so it wasn’t the best for her, but she just seemed happy I liked my food, which was very sweet of her.

Overall pretty good day, but rip everyone’s suica cards. The suica carry is real, and it’s service will not be forgotten o7 (it’s the train pass for anyone wondering, and the round trip today used up a solid fourth of our total original funds).

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about Japanese castles and castle towns. I found it interesting how, as opposed to the tall European castle walls, those of Japanese castles were shorter. This was made up for, however, by the fact that they were on top of hills. This allowed for them to fire down on any possible intruders, without needing to have high walls to maintain high ground. I also liked how the walls were. More naturally sloped, and following that the of the land. This was better for bearing loads. Walking through the castle today, I could see why intruding it would be so tricky. It is on a hill, has multiple layers of defense with many archer holes in the walls, and it honestly kinda confusing if a layout if you don’t know your way around.

An interesting story we learned about was that of this lady who was thrown down a well. She was found to be missing one of ten plates by who I think was her husband, and out of anger he threw her down the well. The theories are that either she broke one or that this samurai whose proposal she turned down stole it from her. The well itself felt like a gold mine looking down at it. The bottom was covered in coins which I thought was actually pretty cool.

[jordanprice]

June 10 - Kinkakuji and Daitokuji

Today we visited the Golden Pavilion and Zen temples. The day started out with me realizing that the breakfast was already made, and that by me not showing up, my plate of food was thrown away and wasted. I felt really bad about this, but I couldn’t’ve known.

We then took a bus yo go to Mishima, the Golden Pavilion. Professor Smith and like half the group got on one bus, then Leina and the rest of us had to wait a while for another one. The bus was very jolty and was what felt like a very long ride. Already from being on two busses today, I can tell you that I much prefer Tokyo for public transport. The trains are just much easier and much more available and convenient there than the trains and busses in Kyoto.

When we got this, we went to go see the pavilion, and it was very pretty. I also really liked the pond it was on, and the weather was really nice for it as well. It felt like we were very rushed though, especially given a few students were still way behind.

After that, I asked Leina to join Lauren, Bianca, and I for lunch. She seemed hesitant at first, but I really wanted to include her as I think she’s great. I got her to pick out where she wanted to eat as well, and we ended up going to a ramen place. I got fried chicken, gyoza, and a chicken bun, which were all pretty good (especially the first two). Unfortunately there wasn’t really anything for Lauren there, as she’s vegetarian, but at least we were able to get her a crepe after lunch. I really do hope Leina enjoyed having lunch with us!

We then made our way to the Zen Buddhist temples. They were quite calm and I liked that pretty much everything was original. The rock gardens were kinda cool as well. One thing I didn’t exactly like is that the one felt really price gougey, even going as far as to have some priest guy come out and convince people from our group to but his autograph for like $25 as if he were a celebrity. Also they were selling literal stamps of writing on paper for like $100. I don’t know, I just felt that took away from the message and specialty of the place in a way for me personally.

After that, we went back to the hotel, having to take another bus. Lauren and I then later went to get dinner, and tried out this one vegan place she found. We each got a Korean bbq bowl, and it was surprisingly close to real meat texture wise, but the flavor was still definitely not there. I thought it was okay personally, but Lauren, who hasn’t had real meat in years, thought it was like the best thing ever. I’m really happy she enjoyed it, and I ended up giving her a bunch of mine. I had to not eat it in the end once I realized there were beans and chickpeas in the rice, which I am quite allergic to.

Lauren felt bad that I didn’t really eat, so we looked around to try and find something. Somehow I think we ended up in like a rich part of Kyoto, as the average price of a restaurant in the immediate area was over $100. Also, we got turned away from yet another restaurant that is reservation only, and by two that closed literally as we walked up to them. We ended up waking along the Kamo river, which is honestly so beautiful and peaceful at night. I would absolutely recommend waking there. The restaurant we then ate at was some French place along the river. The view was fantastic and so was the food! I just got a pepperoni pizza, and it was honestly the best pizza I’ve had in years. So good in fact that it convinced Lauren, who had already eaten, to get a pizza as well. A personal pizza, a drink, and a dessert as a combo was only $12. The pizza was so good I might have to go there again for it. They also had some very cute cats and a couple herons were just chilling there.

I really wish the photos could do any of this justice.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about Mishima, which is the temple of the golden pavilion. This was an ornate temple covered in gold leaf, which stood for centuries. It was a symbol of wealth and power shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. This temple has burned down multiple times throughout history, and was most recently rebuilt in 1955. Seeing the recreation of it today, it was a beautiful temple for sure. However, I feel it would have been much more special to see if the original one were still in tact.

I also learned about zen temples. These temples are less ornate and much simpler and modest. For Zen Buddhism, they don’t feel the need for exuberant buildings and carvings and decor and such. The focus more on meditation and peace and quiet. This was shown today with how quiet the area of the zen temples was, and there was the stark contrast today between that and the golden pavilion. Also, I learned that the term “rock garden” was not originally considered a correct or proper term, but has pretty much become one.

[jordanprice]

June 9 - Travel to Kyoto

Today we traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto! I’m gonna miss Tokyo for sure, but it’s time to experience another part of Japan.

In the station before the train, Lauren and I got pastries to eat for breakfast. The croissants were so good and it was hard to decide between the plain ones and the chocolate ones as to which was better. We ate them on the train since we didn’t wanna risk being late.

The train ride itself was pretty vibes. It was two and a half hours long (not bad at all), the train was extremely smooth, and I got to sit next to and chat with Lauren (even though she slept like over an hour of the ride lol). Big props to Mathew for being kind enough to swap seats with me so I could sit next to her, he’s such a nice guy.

Once we got to the station, we had a chance to eat lunch. Lauren, Kai, and I found some Italian place in the station, which was actually pretty good. I got an oil pasta dish and Lauren got pizza. This was the only time I’ve gotten to see her drink coke, as apparently she likes it with pizza but not with much else. My pasta was actually really good. Something that happened is Lauren accidentally dropped a one yen coin, literally. one. yen. (About 0.0072 USD) and one of the waiters from the restaurant chased us down to give it back to her. I swear that would only ever happen in Japan, that guy was too nice and we really appreciated it.

We then went to the hotel and got our rooms. Vishnu and my room is even smaller than the last one and has an off smell to it, but at least it has a bit softer beds and has a shower door that actually closes :) which is a story from the one in Tokyo where our shower door was broken. We do have to remake the beds every day, but it’s not too bad.

Lauren and I went out to get dinner together, and had quite the adventure I must say. First off, the sunset was gorgeous. You know it’s special when locals were taking pics of it, so I’m happy we got to experience that (also, the pics don’t do it justice). Her and I were headed to some vegan restaurant two miles away and we decided to walk it. We stopped for strawberries and crepes along the way (which ended up being a great idea). So, we get to the restaurant, and they turn us away, saying that we need a reservation. Lauren feels bad and apologizes, but I’m not upset at all and it wasn’t her fault. So, we head to a second place that is like a mile or something from the first, maybe less. We get there…. And they say reservations only and turn us away. Again, Lauren feels bad, but it’s not her fault at all. So then, we go to a THIRD PLACE, and all their dishes had real meat, despite them saying it’s vegan online. She feels really bad at this point, but I was enjoying waking around Kyoto with her and it makes for a good story anyways. So, finally we just end up doing what has become a bit of a trend for us, and go to 7-eleven to get food. It was like a couple hours of walking around just to end up at 7-eleven, but I didn’t mind and think it was quite funny and had a good time in the end.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about the Shinkansen (bullet train) and its impact in Japan. It is the form of transport which we used to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto. Specifically, they were able to show a trend in which municipalities along Shinkansen lines that had stations showed more modernization and development, along with expansion and population growth. However, the article mentioned that it could also be due to the national expressway expansions as well, so it’s difficult to show a direct causation between the Shinkansen and growth of towns along its path. It does make sense to me, though, that places would heavily benefit from having a bullet train run through them and bringing people to and from these places. Making it more convenient for people and goods to travel somewhere should, in theory, have this effect.

Riding on the train today, I could see one, why it is such a big deal, and two, why it’s referred to as a bullet train. The train was very fast, convenient, smooth, and not too pricey. It made Tokyo and Kyoto feel a lot closer than they really are, making it possible to do a round trip fairly reasonably even in a day if you so desired. It is truly impressive, and it is cool the effect it has had on connecting all of Japan.

[jordanprice]

June 8 - Last Day in Tokyo

I can’t believe it has already been two weeks since I’ve arrived in Japan. Tokyo has been a pretty great time and there have been so many cool things to do. One thing I keep talking with people about is that it doesn’t feel like we’re in Japan, then every once in a while we remember that fact. That’s how comfortable it is. The language barrier is honestly very navigable, and many things have English text as well. The metro is honestly so impressive as well. The trains are always on time and they can get you just about anywhere faster than by car and much cheaper as well. I’ve been thinking that I might want more time here as well, and may end up staying longer in Japan! Between temples, shrines, museums, parks, themed cafes, shopping, arcades, hiking, and more, there has been so much to do here and still so much I haven’t done.

So, the day started out with packing. One thing that was cool is that we were presented the option to ship luggage to Kyoto instead of having to take it on the train. There ended up being enough room in the budget for this, as the exchange rates are very beneficial for USD to yen at the moment. I ended up shipping two bags: my big suitcase and my duffel bag, which was mostly filled with Lauren’s stuff. She didn’t have enough room for everything so I offered it to her to use. Leina was kind enough to show up an hour earlier than planned so that people going to the studio ghibli museum could more easily turn in their bags to be shipped. She is such a W tour guide and everyone on the trip loves her. I’m happy she’s coming to Kyoto with us (because Riki as always abandoned us :( how rude of him).

I unfortunately did not have tickets for the ghibli museum, as they sell out fast and I wasn’t sure about going. However, I did get dragged along with guy Sam to go to a maid cafe. It was him, Bryan, Xander, Julie, and I. I can say with full confidence that it was definitely one of the meals I’ve had on this trip and that it was certainly an experience I had in Japan. It was honestly fairly uncomfortable, and the food wasn’t all that great, but I respect their commitment and the effort that goes into making the vibe of the place. It just wasn’t for me though, but at least I can say I went to one I guess. I do really appreciate the invite from Sam though, he’s a cool guy.

(Also, this photo of Sam actually goes so hard)

Later, Lauren, Bianca, Ana, and I went to the Cinnamaroll cafe. They were headed there from the ghibli museum and I was headed there from the hotel. We managed to get there roughly at the same time, but unfortunately I was late due to google maps lying to me. Once I got to the first station, it showed that the route I was going on no longer was an option, and that it would be an extra 18 mins to get there. I ended up rushing, and was only 10 or so minutes late to the cafe though. The cafe was cutely decorated and everything, but it was quite the let down that one they only had 5 food options, and two that only 2 of those options were actually available (the rest were sold out). I got a chocolate parfait and it was pretty decent. I just feel bad for Lauren because now that’s the second time that something she had been looking forward to and wanting to do didn’t exactly work out. First, Bar Lupin (a bar where famous authors used to hang out) didn’t have seating and turned us down, then Cinnamaroll cafe which had like no food. She apologized for dragging us around to these things, but it’s not like it’s her fault or anything, and I just feel bad that things she wanted to do didn’t work out.

Her and I then went and got food from and food court and it was alright. A couple interesting things happened there though. One is that they MADE ME order four toppings on the pizza I got. Like it said a pizza came with four toppings, and I only wanted two. But when I asked if I could only do two, the guy told me that I had to order four toppings. Also, the “bacon” was just straight up ham, which was a disappointment. The other interesting thing is that when I paid with a 2000¥ note, the cashier looked surprised/confused. One thing that I had heard people mention before on the trip, and that I had looked up, is that apparently 2000¥ notes are rare, having only been printed in the year 2000. Apparently they are mostly only available at currency exchange places. It was kinda funny to me that the cashier then picked up the coin tray in the register and placed the note under it, as there was no slot in the machine for those notes, and it was the only one in there.

(L-Breath lol, why isn’t this a breath mint brand??)

After that, I headed back to the hotel and finished packing (for the most part) to leave in the morning. I’m gonna miss Tokyo, but I look forward to Kyoto!

[jordanprice]

June 7 - Mt. Takao

Happy birthday to Vishnu! He’s been a great roommate to me and is such a nice guy. I’m happy to have him around on this trip and am proud to say I got to be the first to wish him a happy birthday!! Best wishes brother <3

Today we visited Mt. Takao to hike it. The train ride there was pretty long, but not terrible and I’d say it was worth it for sure. Upon getting there, we had time to eat. Lauren, Bianca, and I got food and I tried katsu don (fried pork cutlet on top of rice). The pork wasn’t the best to be honest, and it was overcooked. But the rice definitely made up for it, as it was probably the best I’ve had so far on the trip. We then also got ice cream, which was pretty good.

Then, we took the chair lift up the mountain. It was a pretty long ride up, but I enjoyed it and the view. I sat with Lauren, and she is afraid of heights, so I made sure to reassure her on the way up. She did a great job and they had a safety platform built up under the lift, which was really nice and helped make it less frightening for her.

Once we got off the lift, we stopped for a couple pics, and the group had already left us behind. So, Lauren, Bianca, and I just did the hike alone. It was actually pretty nice as we got to take our time, stop where we wanted, and take time for pictures. The way up was a lot of stairs, but I didn’t mind. We eventually made our way up to the temple and the shrine, which were quite cool, then we continued up towards the peak. We did run into the group on their way back down, and fortunately professor Smith was able to catch us up on things.

Once we made it to the top, we stopped for pictures and headed back down. On the way down, they announced that they were closing down the chair lift at 4:30 and it was 4:23 at the time. We did not feel like doing the 40 min walk back down, so we hurried to get to the lift on time and fortunately were able to. The view on the way back down was even better than the one on the way up, so we take those.

We then went to a vegan restaurant for dinner and I got tomato soup, French fries, and tortilla chips. The soup was really good, and I was interested as to the fact that it had cabbage in it, which is something I’ve never seen in tomato soup. The fries weren’t the best, but the one sauce they came with went crazy. The only way I can explain it is if ketchup and salsa had a baby. It was actually so so good and it went well both with the fries as ketchup and with the chips as salsa. I was very impressed. The tortilla chips were very fresh, but the salsa they came with wasn’t my favorite.

After that, Lauren has been wanting to go to this one bar called Bar Lupin. This is because it was a place where famous authors would visit. I’m glad she got to see it at least, but I feel bad for her because they didn’t have enough seats for us and turned us away.

I had a pretty rough night last night, and was worried about today, but I had a great time overall and things improved throughout the day.

Academic Reflection

Today I learned about Mt. Takao and its forests. I learned that people didn’t really live up on the mountain except for some monks. People also believed that tengu (goblins) resided there. Since the surrounding areas were so densely populated, and since the mountain has many trees, people turned to it for lumber. The poor needed it for fuel and the rich needed it for castles and other buildings. The demand for wood was high, so people started taking it. The daimyo claimed plots of trees for their own usage, but peasants still would chip away more and more at the borders of the land.

There have been preservation efforts since then, and going today I wouldn’t have known it had been so heavily used for its wood. It was cool to see statues of the tengu thought to live there, and I also really liked the trees that were deemed to be spirits. Honestly though, I don’t know why some of the trees in particular were said to be sprits while others were not. Either way, it was a beautiful place to visit and I am glad it is now seemingly well regulated.