Days 2-4

Sorry for the delay of these next few posts. There was not internet in the hotel rooms.

Travel Day 2 [6/27]

Today started at 7 AM with our wake up call. Breakfast was offered down in the lobby and was buffet style with various foods ranging from eggs and toast to octopus balls and miso (soy bean soup). We were all surprised when we saw Naomi-san dressed in a summer kimono. After breakfast most had about an hour to relax before we began the day's tour. We all loaded our luggage onto the bus and we said Sayoonara to the Chi-sun hotel as we headed for Kyoto.

Once in the bus Naomi-san sung us a song; and, we all joined in after she taught us the lyrics. The bus ride was about an hour too Kyoto. Our fist stop was Nijo Castle. This castle is 400 years old and home to the Shogun from the Tokugawa clan. We had to take off our shoes to go inside the castle to preserve the ancient flooring. Some parts of the castle had nightingale flooring, which sounded like chirping to alert people in rooms that someone was walking about the castle. After touring the castle, we went to the gift shop were many purchased fans to keep themselves cool on this totemo atsui (very humid) day. After about a half hour or so, we headed for the surrounding gardens. They were stunning! After the tour of the garden, we once again boarded the bus.

This time our destination was a shopping district. We stayed there for an hour and a half. The purpose was to simply get lunch. However, most seized the chance to make some other gift purchases. A couple of guys got swords! Once reloaded on the bus we were headed for Kinkaku-Ji, the Golden Shrine. The Kinkaku-Ji is made up of about $4 million worth of gold! The shrine has a little bit of irony to it as well. On top of it, there is a golden pheonix which is supposed to protect the building from fire; yet, the shrine burned down more than once. Regardless, it was a sight to see. Along the path back to the bus, there were a few interesting stops. One was a small shine-looking thing where you could throw a coin into a pewter bowl. They say that doing this on your first try means you will have good luck. I was able to get this with my trusty 1 yen coin! Next there was a similar setup except the reward was good salary. I missed this with my 5 yen coin. After this, we got to do a little shopping, again, and ring a bell outside a Shinto shrine.

The final touring destination was Hein shrine. Built to celebrate Kyoto's 1100th birthday, the Hein shrine was indeed a sight to see. Prior to entering the shrine, we purified ourselves in the traditional manner. Once inside, Naomi-san explained the layout of the shrine and the 4 guardians of the gates. We then went and "prayed" at the shrine. This involved throwing a coin into a box, bowing twice, clapping your hands twice, bowing once again, then making a wish. After doing this, we went to the shrine's gardens. The shrine's gardens were breath-taking. Loaded with flowers and other foliage, the gardens left many awe struck.

For dinner, we went to a sobaya (noodle shop) for a dinner of soba (cold noodles) and eel with beans and rice. Served with tea, the meal was quite the delight. The hotel that we were at has a public bath. Many chose not to do this on this day. But it was amazing! These hotel rooms did not have internet; so, I was not able to post this for a while.

Travel Day 3 [6/28]

Today started with our 7:30 AM with our wake up call. Some of us went for a morning bath. Breakfast was buffet sytle again; however, the food was different. After completing breakfast, we loaded the bus and headed for Nara. Nara was Japan's first capital and was established in 710 AD. Hence, Nara is celebrated it's 1300 Anniversary. We first went to the Todai-ji Temple. This temple is home to the Daibutsu, Big Buddha. Before we saw the Daibutsu, we were greeted by another of Nara's wonders, the wild deer. These deer are very friendly and have learned to bow. For 150 yen, you could buy cookies to feed them. Some of us were assailed by these deer in their quest for a cookie. Once we escaped the deer, we could finally enjoy the Daibutsu. It is quite impressive. While the Buddha was interesting, the most entertaining part of the temple was trying to crawl through the hole in one of the pillars. The hole was the size of the Big Buddha's nostril. It is said that crawling through the hole would grant you the power to fight through life's struggles.

After some souvenir shopping, we headed for another shopping district for lunch. Some kids went to McDonalds, while a few spirited went to a sushi train. This place had all of the sushi on a conveyor belt and you grabbed what you wanted to eat. Then, you paid by plate. After eating in Nara, we went back to Kyoto to by yukata, summer kimono, for the tea ceremony tomorrow. The new mall had the girls' yukata, but not the guys'. We enjoyed some time in the mall before going to Kyoto Station to enjoy it's wondrous architecture and eat dinner. There were places all around the station; but the best was a small ramen shop. They had a bowl of ramen noodles with thin sliced pork belly with a hard boiled egg that was totemo oishii (very delicious)! After that, we headed back to the hotel and retired early.

Travel Day 4 [6/29]

Today started with our wake up call at 7:30 AM. Once again, there were some who went for a morning dip in the bath. Tozankaku Hotel's breakfast buffet was delicious as usual. Today, we went to Kiyomizudera Temple. One of the places in the temple was the Lover's Stones. They say that if you touch one stone and walk to the other stone without looking, you will find your love with ease. If you take advice while walking, you will need advice to find your love. The other highlight of the temple were the three clear water falls whence the temple gets its name. They say that by drinking from one of these gives you good luck in either love, longevity, or intelligence depending on from which one you drink.

After this, we quickly returned to the hotel. Today was the day for the tea ceremony. Thus, once we got back to the hotel, the first group of kids had to get in their yukata and get to the tea house. The tea ceremony was not really a ceremony, Due to a error in the booking of the tour, we learned how to make green tea. This was still really cool. There were many little things that needed to be done to make the tea the formal way. You first put one large scoop of tea into the bowl, then one medium one. Then using a purification cloth to hold the lid, you pour about 50 mL of water into the bowl. You then use a whisk to put a nice pillow of foam on the tea. There were a few more little things about how to present the tea to the guest as well. After the lesson, we had time to view the items in the exhibition hall. There were many old tea instruments and wall scrolls. They were very aesthetically pleasing.

Once both groups finished at the tea hall. We rested at the hotel for a little, then went to Gion in yukata to try and find geiko and maiko. We saw 2 maiko, but no geiko. After wandering for a little, we checked out another temple. There was another chance to make a wish in the temple. You threw a 5 yen coin in the box, rang the bell, bowed twice, clapped twice, made your wish, then bowed a final time. After visiting this, we took taxi's back to the hotel where we celebrated Cloe's birthday and had a nice Japanese dinner of tempura, rice, miso, and sashimi.