May 24, 2023 – RITs International Game Industry Course for 2023

Night Parade of 1001 Buddhas

Sanjūsangen-dō Buddhist Temple

Today was another jam packed tourism day with our girl Yuko. The itinerary for the day included Zazen meditation in the morning, then we went to a Buddhist temple, then to a tea ceremony/tour of a popular Kyoto street, and then free time for lunch. This might have been my favorite day of the trip so far because the Buddhist temple we went to was just so cool. It was home to 1001 Buddha statues, including a bunch of different deities and one massive statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy.

The temple we learned Zazen at

The first thing on the list was the Zazen meditation early in the morning. We bussed over to a temple and were taught how to perform Zazen by the monk who is in charge of that specific temple. Zazen is a form of meditation in which one sits up straight, puts their left foot on their right thigh, their right foot on their left thigh, closes their eyes half way, looks at the ground one meter ahead of them, and breaths in and out whilst counting to 10. It was very difficult to get my legs into the position of the meditation, but I was able to do it for the most part until it got too painful. Overall I really enjoyed the experience since it was very relaxing. I also picked up a fortune for 200 yen that Toshi sensei read for me. It was a good fortune :).

Pond outside of the Sanjūsangen-dō Buddhist Temple

Next was the Buddhist temple Sanjūsangen-dō. This place was insane. The courtyard outside of the room for viewing the Buddha statues was gorgeous and the statues were sooo cool. Most of the statues were smallish 1000 armed statues of Kannon, but there was a statue of most, if not all, other Buddhist deities. It looked like a literal army it was so cool. I don’t remember all of the deities but they had one for the God of Thunder and one for the God of Wind. The deity statues were insanely detailed and really impressive works of art. However, the most impressive thing in the room was the massive statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. Kannon is said to have 11 heads for better seeing the suffering of mankind, and 1000 hands to help all of those in need. This statue was so unbelievably cool, but I don’t have pictures of it because they weren’t allowed.

Tea I made at the tea ceremony

The last thing on the list for the day was a tea ceremony. We went back to the same street that led up to the Buddha temple from yesterday, but this time we took a different route to the tea ceremony place. It was a really cool experience to learn the traditional art of Japanese tea ceremonies. Apparently there are a bunch of schools you can go to in Japan to specifically learn the tea ceremony. Our instructor was a woman who has been practicing the ceremony for 5 years, and she said she was still very new. For this ceremony we made matcha tea. The ceremony consisted of cleaning your tools, pooring the water, putting in the matcha, and then whisking the tea until it is done. It was really cool to watch the instructor commence the ceremony so elegantly. After the instructor made a cup of tea it was our turn to whisk our own tea. It was really good tea and the experience was super fun. There was a way to whisk the tea as well. We had to whisk only forward and backward, not left and right. If there were bubbles we were meant to slowly move the whisking motion to the left or right to break the bubbles, but the motion had to still be forward.

We had to split up our group into a group of 8 and a group of 12, since we were such a large group. While the other group was doing the ceremony Yuko gave us a tour of the street, which was cool. We saw a shrine with a bunch of these rolled up monkeys placed along a wall. The monkeys are meant to represent the human desires, and rolling them up is a way to symbolically remove those desires from your body and mind. Overall it was a really fun day, but it was long. After the tea ceremony we went back to Kyoto station and split up to eat dinner, then we just went back to the hotel and chilled.

A Journey Through Kyoto Culture

We started the day at the brink of dawn: 7:30 AM. We made our way to a nearby temple where we met a monk who taught us how to do Zazen Meditation. Though my posture was hideous and my body was in pain, the numbing effect of it really helped clear my mind. After two sessions, we went to a Tea Ceremony, splitting into two groups. The ceremony was really beautiful and the 40 minutes it supposedly was went by like five.

After the tea ceremony, we went to Nishiki Market, where I had some of the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. The market itself reminded me a lot of Vietnamese Night Markets with many vendors selling mobility-friendly food.

Afterwards, we had some free time before the true staple of Kyoto culture: bowling. Brody and I went back to the hotel where we decided to rest for a little bit before 6 PM.

At 6 PM, we made our way to Round One, an arcade, karaoke, and bowling place. I met a KCG student named Quan who came from Vietnam seven years ago. After a couple games of bowling, I got to know him better and he was extremely friendly, helping me and some others understand the subway system to get back to the hotel.

After a quick trip to FamilyMart for a cup-and-noodles dinner, Brody and I went back to the hotel where we had a quick meeting. Soon after, we clocked out, preparing for a big day at Hiroshima.

5/24 – Tea Time!

Today has been quite an interesting day, full of new experiences!

The day began very early in the morning, at around 7:15am for us, where we got our boxed breakfast from our hotel and then promptly boarded our bus again for our last tour through Kyoto. We first went to a Buddhist temple for a Sanzen Meditation! The meditation was led by the Master Monk of the temple we were in, and was a really interesting experience! We had two 15 minute intervals that consisted of sitting on small rectangular pillows with our legs crossed and on top of one another, our backs straight and hands forming a circle on our lap, and breathing in and out slowly while looking straight ahead. The master monk slowly walked around while we meditated, and we could request he use his kaisuke (a somewhat long and flat stick made of wood, somewhat similar to baseball bat) to give us a “strong tap” on our backs to get us back into focus or prevent falling asleep. It was sort of hard to keep my back straight for so long, and my back muscles began to hurt after a little while, but overall I enjoyed learning what some zen monks go through in order to train and reach their goals. It’s not easy at all to stay focused for that long!

Afterwards, we journeyed to the Sanjusangen-do Temple, a national treasure of Japan. Inside we saw the 1,001 statues of the goddess Kannon, as well as 34 other gods, all from Buddhism. We weren’t allowed to take pictures, so I took as much time as I could to see it all and take everything in!

Here’s what it looked like from the outside though!

After that, it was back to the historical district in Kyoto, near the Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Here, we were invited to take part in a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony! It’s a sacred ceremony with its own set of rules and etiquette that need to be strictly followed, which we learned about from our ceremony host. There is Wa, Ka, Se, and Jaku; Wa means peace and harmony (only talking about pleasant things and no politics, countries, or things like that), Ka means respect (personal space, only doing one thing at a time, etc), Se means purity (cleansing oneself of unpure thoughts and using only the specified tools in the tea ceremony), and Jaku means tranquility (taking in the quiet space of the tea room, that is separate from all the hustle and bustle of the outside world).

The instruments she used for the tea making looked very traditional.

She demonstrated the process for making matcha tea, and afterwards she allowed me to drink the cup of tea she had made! It was really good, and was some of the best and most traditional matcha tea I’ve ever had. Once she had demonstrated, she then moved on to the first part of the ceremony, which was eating sweets. Sweets are always eaten before the matcha, and so this time we had a Yuzu jelly, which was a clear jelly filled with Yuzu, a lemony citrus fruit from Japan (super tasty!) After that, we got to all make out own cup of matcha as well.

My cup was only a little frothy, whisking it was harder than I thought!

Once that was over, we then headed over to the Nishiki Market, a long narrow street filled to the brim with local street food shops! This was one of the places I had been looking forward to seeing, and it was so exciting! There was so much interesting food that I wanted to try: dango, octopus and squid on a skewer, takoyaki, tayaki, mocha, beef skewers, I could go on and on! I ended up trying some fried chicken, an ichigo daifuku (mochi bun filled with sweet bean paste and a strawberry), an octopus on a stick, and a beef skewer (was a little fatty 🙁

Overall, a fun time! By this time though, our group wanted to get moving and back to our hotel to rest up in time for bowling later, so I missed out on a chance to get a yummy looking squid meat skewer. Next time!

don’t uh. don’t read this one maybe? it’s so long i’m really sorry.

big day. big day big post. let’s get into it.

first thing on the agenda was the meditation and it happened.

[i present this image of the beautiful scenery with no comment.]

the next thing that was meaningful to me was the tea ceremony. while in the back of my mind i am aware that the existence of complicated dining customs are unnecessarily esoteric and exist to other people who are outside of an ingroup, there is no denying that watching a master demonstrate an expertly studied skill has its allure no matter what. at the end we had a candy that is traditionally eaten with ceremonial tea, which FOR THE LIFE OF ME i cannot recall the name of but i simply must have more. we also made our own tea at the end, which. you know i really thought i liked matcha but now i’m not so sure!

[i still like matcha. but maybe in a form where it is so diluted it is basically a neat aftertaste.]

my favorite shrine was the yasaka shrine! we were given a full 5 minutes to walk around and in that time i feel like i got a decent lay of the land, it had a bunch of smaller shrines around and i really wish i could have read the signs. the layout was overall really pleasing and it seemed like a great place to just pass some time.

[selfie? i’m gonna bring silhouettes back.]

for lunch the tour guide turned us loose in the nishiki market which had the best color scheme i’ve ever seen in an covered market. we were packed in there which made walking (and eating) very awkward, and i had a full meal of two (2) green tea ice cream cones. the environment was very unique and managed to be bright and colorful without feeling sickly, which, especially with green lighting is a major accomplishment. i appreciate everyone for letting me hang around, it was fun moving and planning as a group, even if it was complicated. after bowling we walked down this road again and it was such a vibe shift i needed to mention it.

[there’s a horror game concept in here somewhere.]

so. bowling. once upon a time i could have done this but my hands can barely draw and type let alone hurl multiple heavy objects accurately across multiple feet. i got through two rounds i think? but i was in a lot of pain and had to stop (still am? uh oh). not before getting a strike completely by accident though! neat. the bowling descended into an abstract art piece from here on where one of my teammates was determined to get a zero on every roll, and later put as many bowling balls in the gutter as humanly possible without knocking them in. it was an experiment in how much bowling can you not do while still participating in “bowling.” liam was doing well though, dude expertly outplayed a child and a cripple while desperately trying to get the worst menu in the world to feed us something 🙂 (dude deserves a medal. thanks liam.)

about the kid. i’m sure a few people noticed that i seemingly adopted a child during bowling who i was talking to more than my peers. kris knew a lot about fish, liked mudskippers, and wanted to be a marine biologist, but didn’t know you needed math to be a scientist. upon being placed in my team they asked me in the following order; my pronouns, if i liked googly eyes, and if i liked minecraft. when it was time to go, they ran up to me and liam with a giant meat-shaped plushie they won in a claw game in the arcade, and his dad asked us if we were okay taking a photo with him. their dad gave us a look like we were being nice and doing him a favor, which was kind but didn’t feel quite right.

i don’t know if you could tell from the everything about me but i don’t have the best relationship with my family. i never had younger sibling and cousins, and even if i could in the future it is unlikely that i will ever meet them. i am at a time in my life where i am uncomfortable with how little i can picture my own future, and what kinds of people i will be able to safely maintain relationships with. today made me so happy i could not describe it in a word.

Trail Mix

Today was a nice blend of traditional Japanese cultural experiences in the morning and free exploration in the afternoon. We visited two temples in the morning, and participated in two special activities to immerse ourselves in the culture more thoroughly.

The first place we visited was the Shōrin-ji temple, a sub-temple where meditation known as zazen is performed and taught by a single monk. We got the chance to do this meditation for two fifteen minute intervals, though it personally wasn’t very relaxing. We had to keep our backs straight the entire time, fold our feet into a criss cross position and breathe as you count to ten over and over again. If you began to find it difficult to focus or get sleepy, you can bow over and have the monk smack your back with a wooden stick to refocus you. While the whole experience was a bit more exhausting than relaxing for me, it was really cool to get a glimpse into the deeper workings of Japanese religion. I couldn’t imagine doing zazen for six to eight hours a day like the monks do.

The second temple we visited was the Rengeo-in temple, home to a national treasure of Japan. Within the main building of the temple are a thousand statues of Buddha (and a few other statues of various Buddhist gods). We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside of the temple, but there was a beautiful garden and some gates that we were allowed to take photos of.

The other cultural experience that we had today was the opportunity to take a class about tea ceremonies, and participate in one of our own. Formal tea ceremonies can last as long as four hours, but ours was only 40 minutes – a very nice woman gave some background information and a demonstration and then we were allowed to mix our own tea.

I personally have never had matcha before today and the matcha tea that we made was a bit too bitter for my tastes. On the other hand, the small jelly candies called “wagashi” that we ate before making the tea were positively delicious!

As we waited for the other half of the class to participate in their own tea ceremony, we had the chance to explore some more of the area around the Kiyomizu-dera shrine that I mentioned yesterday. We were able to find some really nice photo ops, visit a shrine that featured some colorful decorations to celebrate the monkey deities, and my first (and possibly only) Pokemon manhole cover in Japan. There are many of them spread throughout the country, but we only have the chance to see 2 or maybe 3 at most with where we are visiting.

To finish our time with the tour guide that we’ve spent the last two days with (shout out to Yuko for being fantastic in every way), we were dropped off outside the Nishiki market, a very popular food market in Kyoto. While most of the food featured in the market is fish-related, I found an incredible beef skewer stand that I then convinced nearly half the class to buy rib skewers from (and nobody complained). We would pass by this market again later at night as we were heading back to the hotel, and seeing it deserted after being packed into the small street like sardines just hours before was a weird feeling.

A mostly deserted Nishiki Market, strongly contrasting its usual crowded appearance.

After a failed attempt at getting into the Pokemon Center Kyoto, we headed back to the hotel to recharge before a night of bowling with some KCG students at Round1 Stadium. While I wasn’t initially excited to go bowling (especially when I found out that Japan doesn’t have bumpers as an option— like what’s up with that??) I ended up doing a LOT better than expected and even won a game! We then stayed there a bit too late playing various rhythm games in the arcade section of the building, and didn’t make it back to the hotel until nearly 11 o’clock. Since we have to be up and at ‘em at 7 am tomorrow to jump on a train to Hiroshima, I’ll definitely be spending my commute catching some extra Z’s.

speedrun

hello. welcome to my first late post. it was bound to happen eventually but this was a hell of a day.

i woke up at a crisp 4:53 and had breakfast listening to the french tourists behind me talk about the museum they were going to. i really like the funny looking garden space in our hotel it’s unique and fun to look at.

[i wouldn’t call myself a competent french speaker especially since i’ve completely stopped studying it for 4 years now but it is genuinely very exciting to practice my comprehension with the tourists here. i truly wish i had more time for language learning but alas i kind of need to spend all of my learning energy on things that will get me a job at the moment…]

after breakfast it was full on off to the races. i’m gonna be honest everything was so fast and i got so tired that i don’t particularly remember a lot of the details, but i will talk about a few of my favorites.

the bamboo forest at tenryu-ji went hard. that was really an experience i couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. you don’t get trees that tall in most other forests, the feeling of being covered by something that tall was new. the bamboo didn’t grow like trees, with even spacing between them and their neat, even shape throughout provided a clearer view of the forest floor than usual. The thinness of the bamboo also meant that they bent more in the wind, with the small leaves above behaving in a fabric-like manner. i’m considering going too another bamboo forest on a free day. i don’t feel like i had as much time to process this as i would have liked.

[this area, like all of them, was very crowded. it was hard to get a good picture because we couldn’t stop, that’s gonna be a theme throughout the day.]

i don’t have any pictures of this but midday me, fabian, liam, and pavel went to a ramen place that was very small but inexpensive. this tonkatsu ramen was my first proper ramen in japan (i wasn’t into soup last time i was here…). the taste was good, although not too different from ramen i’ve had from home. it came with an extra korokke which was taken away before its time which i am legitimately still bothered by… (i think the server assumed i wasn’t gonna eat it because i didn’t put it in the ramen but ah… the disappointment…)

alright. last anecdote. this place is probably in everyone’s accounts due to its scale, but the kiyomizu-dera temple was unreal. like all of the places we visited, i really wish i could have had the chance to give this place the time it deserved. especially when it comes to these elaborate shrine and temple constructs, that were made to be contemplated and appreciated slowly, intentionally, it feels wrong to breeze through. to move so quickly that a steady, well positioned photo is barely achievable, let alone any reflection or deeper connection. i am aware that this is the nature of a tour, i suppose i just prefer to see a few things very well than many things all at once.

[you could spend days in this complex and the surrounding town. the scale was inspiring.]

this is more or less where my day ended for me. i was very physically strained and was struggling to stand up, so quickly after the movie at KCG i went to the hotel, ate a day old rice ball, and passed out. it’s been real. g’night y’all :2

Kyoto Any%

Today we quite literally spedrun some of Kyotos most popular sightseeing destinations. Many of these temples and shrines are considered national treasures of Japan, and it was genuinely some of the most gorgeous scenery and gardens I’ve ever been to.

First, we saw the Kinkaku-ji temple. Known for its golden exterior and pavilion architecture, it overlooked a gorgeous pond and picturesque scenery. The photos genuinely do not do it justice.

Next, we headed to the Arashiyama Area where we saw another gorgeous temple and zen garden, as well as an amazing bamboo forest. I felt so small in comparison to the bamboo. At the Arashiyama area we got some delicious udon before hitting the road once again.

Our next destination on the tour was the Kiyomizu-dera temple. This temple is known for its amazing mountain-top view of Kyoto and its iconic red temples. This temple is a Buddhist temple, with Buddhism being one of the major religions practiced in Japan. Again, pictures and words cannot do this view justice. The Kiyomizu temple was my personal favorite destination of the day.

Finally, we headed to the Fushimi-Inari Shinto shrine.

This shrine is a Shinto shrine. Shintoism is the native religion of Japan, and is known for its red Torii gates and emphasis on natural deities found everywhere in life. This particular shrine is protected by the fox messenger, or Imari. We walked through 1,000 Torii gates, and sometime in the future I would love to do the full 2 hour hike up the mountain through all the gates.

Tokyo -> Kyoto

Before heading to Kyoto, we had some time to kill and went to the aquarium. I expected it to be a lot smaller than it was, and I really enjoyed getting to see manta rays, seals, and otters!

After the aquarium, we boarded the bullet train! The train ride was about 2-3 hours long and I listened to music and watched the beautiful countryside and mountains as we traveled.

Once in Kyoto, we met up with some professors from KCG and had a wonderful welcome dinner. Dinner consisted of 10 courses where we were able to sample traditional Japanese foods. I’m not a huge seafood fan, but I did give the raw squid and sashimi a try.

That night I was tired after a long day of traveling, and definitely was happy to relax at the hotel. The hotel aesthetic was a nice fusion of modern minimalist with some traditional Japanese style and bathroom. I especially enjoyed the complimentary night robes we were given, they were so comfy!

Sightseeing Speed Run (any%): Kyoto Edition

Day 3 was an action packed day filled with sightseeing some of the most famous sites in Kyoto. After a quick boxed breakfast at 7, everyone was on the bus fully oriented with our guide by 8:30. Our first stop was Kinkakuji. I knew that it was going to be crowded, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I got a few good pictures. The ticket was also an item to keep in your doorway to bring good fortune.

There were also places where you threw money into a small hole. If your coin made it into the hole, it would bring you good luck, which I did. Will I be extra lucky in my future?

Next, we went to the Tenryuji temple and bamboo forest. The forest was really pretty, but a little crowded.

Afterwards, we had lunch at a small karaage shop. I also got shaved ice for desert.

After lunch, we went to the Kiyomizudera temple and the historic area leading up to it. This was the iconic Kyoto that I had been looking for.

Last on the tour was my favorite place, Fushimi Inari shrine. I will definitely be coming here on my free day.

We quickly proceeded to an anime screening of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.

We ended the day with dinner at the food court where I bought Indian food where the naan was not Japanese size.

What a packed day! Stay tuned for more!

To be continued…

Temples Temples Temples Temples (5/23)

In my opinion, Anteroom Kyoto is quite bizarre!

Aside from the very, strong, choices of interior design, I couldn’t flush the toilet unless I turned on the room light, which was not very pleasant for when one of us had to go in the middle of the night.

After freshening up and heading down to the breakfast area, we had the incredible fortune to be introduced to our guide Yoko, whose passion for Kyoto was evident from the get-go. She was very knowledgeable about not only the area, but about Japan in general, and was a great conversationalist!

Boarding the tour bus, we were all eager to immerse ourselves in the history and culture of Kyoto. And let me tell you, the day did not disappoint. (Though it very much did wear us down.)

First on our list was Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion, a Zen temple with its top two floors entirely covered in gold leaf. A sight to behold! Even if it isn’t quite as chrome and shiny as you might expect, the nature surrounding it was even more breathtaking, a seemingly perfect aesthetic masterpiece. I always can’t help but imagine what it would be like to exist there without any others, simply kicking back and admiring the scenery.

From Kinkakuji, our journey took us to Arashiyama. This place is largely known for its immense bamboo groves. Walking among the path of this was simply unreal! Especially looking down from above.

We took a walk around the surrounding city for lunch, where I indulged in some delicious wagyu croquettes and Arashiyama Tenryuu ramen at an authentic sit-down side restaurant. With the company of my group mates, the meal was a delight.

Afterwards, we made our way to Kiyomizudera, one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. The wooden terrace that juts out from the main hall, overlooking the city and lush mountains, was a sight to behold.

From Kiyomizudera, we took a stroll down the crowded Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka – quaint, sloping lanes lined with shops selling all sorts of traditional goods. It was here I found an enchanting kitsune mask that I just had to buy! I really like how it looks on me.

Our next stop was Fushimi-Inari, a shrine famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates. Winding our way up the path, we were enveloped by a striking tunnel of red, each gate carrying the name of the donor. The atmosphere was incredibly serene, despite the amount of people visiting! Thankfully, we didn’t need to bow underneath each one, haha.

The day concluded with a visit to Kyoto Computer Gakuin, where we were greeted warmly by the staff. After some casual chat, we settled in for an anime screening of the Demon Slayer movie Mugen Train. Although fully knowing the movie’s setup and ending, it was an excellent way to wind down after a full day of cultural exploration.

After the screening, we were tasked with making it back to the hotel by ourselves. Since the Aeon mall was close by, we decided to check our the food court. I ended up just getting a small bowl of fried rice, and some gyoza that tasted a bit too good. All that exercise had me FIENDING, haha.

But at this point, the lengthiness of the day and the heavy demand on our legs was getting to us. Eyes grew droopy, the battery drained faster, all that. After a 15 minute walk, we were back.

By the time I got back to my room, my legs felt like they were about to give out. Between the 7AM wakeup, a day packed full of sightseeing, and the late-night anime screening, it was safe to say my bed had me like a moth to a flame.

*pomf*

And I’m out like a light.