Author: Liam

The day was another early one, starting at 7AM.

Breakfast was a nice highlight, maining avocado toast, something I would never expect to see in Japan! Was definitely a treat.

Our first activity was a trip to a nearby temple for a Zazen practice. For those not in the know, Zazen is a meditative discipline that’s central to Zen Buddhism. Despite being a tad congested, I found myself sitting in the lotus position, trying my hardest to focus on just breathing and keeping the pose right. Some people opted for the shoulder-stick whack to stay focused, but I decided my struggles were plenty enough.

Our next destination was Rengeo-in, or as it’s commonly known, Sanjusangendo. Seeing the 1001 buddhist statues in a row was quite the experience, something I just can’t put into words! It’s just so many statues that you can’t even process how much effort it took back in the day.

I particularly enjoyed the statues in the front row of a bunch of religious figures, but sadly, no photography was allowed. Instead, here’s some official photos of the inside!

We then headed back to the charming lanes of Ninenzaka where we visited Yasaka Koshindo Temple, filled with colorful ball-shaped charms. There, you write one of your hopes and attach it to a little string. In a way, it’s like people’s hopes and dreams painting a giant colorful mosaic on the shrine!

After that, we got ourselves lost among the back alleys, and stumbled upon another temple, and a delightful Pokémon manhole cover! The contrast of traditional temples and modern pop-culture references was just… Japan in a nutshell. Loved it!

Following that, we took part in a traditional sadou tea ceremony. We learned about 和敬清寂 (wakeiseijaku), the spirit of peace and harmony, respect, purity and tranquility as the principles of the ceremony. There, we were treated to kohaku (a type of sweet jelly dessert, with some yuzu peel in the center) and matcha tea. Everything was so calming and the people there were nothing short of hospitable. On top of that the sweets were so unexpectedly good, and the matcha was intensely high quality.

Nishiki market was up next, an extravagant shopping street lined with hundreds of food shops under a ceiling patterned with red, green and yellow. It was quite crowded, but an experience I definitely enjoyed! In the middle was an amazing snoopy-themed restaurant, so I went and got a snoopy-yaki (a snoopy-shaped taiyaki). Walking back, I also found some gyoza — absolutely mouth-watering!

Afterwards, a group of us aimed to try the Kyoto Pokemon center, only to be met with a cue a ticket system just to enter. I wasn’t in the mood to wait a whole hour just to get in, so I opted to head back to the hotel to get some laundry and blog post writing in.

In the evening, we joined up with some folks from KCG for a fun bowling session at Round One, a massive entertainment complex. The kid of one of the American teachers joined us, and they were a riot! Very much a kid ranting about his special interests. After a while, we ended up more wanting to have fun with it, as you can most likely see from the score sheet. I ordered some fried and chicken, which wasn’t the best quality but sure was addictive. The drink bar was also great!

The bowling alley was nothing short of futuristic and navigating the screens was an… experience in itself (somewhat hellish for even me who can speak the language). I’m used to bowling with much less tech, so it was quite novel to me. Nevertheless, there was even a floor dedicated to karaoke, and three more floors of arcade games!

After bowling, we found ourselves wandering towards the arcade games. I fruitlessly spent a bit too much on claw machines and watched some friends become rhythm game novices right next to pros shredding the SSS level difficulty tracks. Nothing brings you back to earth like that, haha.

Walking back to the hotel, we got a kick out of the amusingly mistranslated English on some signs. Can’t help but not laugh at it all.

Finally, after yet another day packed end-to-end, I got back to the hotel and crashed out.

Tomorrow? Hiroshima!

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.

After a nice and refreshing morning (finally getting up some time past 4AM), a few exchange friends and I went to The City Bakery in Shinagawa Station. Absolutely wonderful in terms of food! I ended up getting temped by a few too many things, and had two trays full, but TOTALLY worth.

The Aquarium

Attached to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel stood the Maxell Aqua Park, a small yet very impressive aquarium! With amazing light displays, projections, technology and the like, we were eased into a really creative and immersive experience.

Moving forward, we were met with a big tank with an overhead section, but what managed to catch my eye was the unexpectedly articulate robot right to the side! (Yes, that’s Hatsune Miku singing Ievan Polkka)

We saw some awesome specimens, and some of our group favorites such as seals and capybaras.

Luckily, we had time to catch the otter show. Lining up on the astroturf and pulling out the water bottles, we gathered around to watch a live otter show featuring a charming otter named Taiyou! He did some tricks, talked to the audience, and even managed to sort some trash for the crowd. Made me feel like a kid again 🙂

Unfortunately, at this point we were out of time. But as every aquarium does, there was a gift shop! Heading out, I managed to nab the softest seal plush you’d ever seen!

The Shinkansen

And off we are, to Kyoto via the Shinkansen to meet our colleagues at KGC and experience traditional sights and culture!

It was unreal how smooth and fast the ride was. For a lot of it, it felt like we weren’t even moving at all. Seeing all of Japan whiz by at 200 mph was unreal, and is something I’m absolutely pumped I get to do again.

(If the above footage looks slow, that’s mainly because we had just departed ;P)

Arriving in Kyoto

As the Shinkansen slowed and we got off the train, we found ourselves in the lovely city of Kyoto! Rich with history yet brimming with modern charm. Everything from a rustic Japanese-looking Starbucks to sleek stone streets present at the station grounds, doing wonders to set the stage.

Following some kind folks from KCG, we made our way to Ganko, a popular restaurant with a heavy theme of traditional Japan!

There, we were met with an absolutely MASSIVE 10-course meal, spread out over a few hours. Most of the food was quite new to me, but luckily I was up to the challenge and made sure I tried everything given. Some of it was definitely of an acquired taste, but I found out that I absolutely LOVE tuna on my sushi.

Plus, it was absolutely great having some conversation with the other classmates. Socializing while watching a sushi chef make some top-tier nigiri was absolutely amazing! (Even if I couldn’t finish one of the dishes, haha)

All in all, I was so happy that the people at KCG were so willing to provide this sort of experience for us. It’s up to us to make sure that the Game Jam is worth it for them!

A short bus ride later, and we’re in the hotel where we’ll be for the next week. Rustic, but stylish!

5/18 – The Beginnings

As the 14 hour flight came to a close, with the first Matrix movie, the first two Lord of the Rings movies, and a pittance of melatonin-induced sleep, I took my first step into the country who’s language I’ve spent 6 years learning! (Well, second, but this is the first time I’m truly on my own ;P)

Navigating my way past the 56-desk long immigration checkpoint, picking up my baggage, exchanging currencies, and picking up my pocket Wi-Fi, I encountered my first vending machine. A fresh-squeezed orange juice vending machine!

After enjoying a nice fresh cup, I headed off to the Keikyu line headed into Shinagawa, where I picked up my first ever IC card, a Pasmo!

Now, you may question my following few decisions:

• I wanted to spend the first two nights in a capsule hotel.
• I wanted to spend the third night in a manga/internet cafe.

The answer? Don’t really have one! I just thought it would be neat to try something off the beaten path for once and come through with some interesting stories to tell on the other side.

Also it was super cheap and I wanted to read some more of Jojo Part 8

The capsule hotel was charming, but a bit much to get used to. Little privacy there, and making a peep was frowned upon. Luckily, I don’t rely on alarms to wake up!

5/19 – Solamachi

I found myself feeling a little cramped from the capsule hotel, so I thought it would be a good idea to meet up with some of my classmates who also came early, over at the Skytree Town, Solamachi! A lovely collection of stores and cafes sitting right beneath the Tokyo Skytree. I definitely ate way too many sweets, but it was all so worth it.

Oh, did I mention the GHIBLI STORE AND THE POKECENTER IS THERE TOO?

YET NO GENGAR PLUSHIE ;w;

5/20 – The Calm Before the Storm

Since I was tired of hauling around my own luggage everywhere (the capsule hotel has you checking out everything at 10AM), I bit the bullet and booked the 24 hour stay in the manga cafe.

Funnily enough, if you run the numbers, a 24 hour stay going for 4400 yen, equivalent to 32 dollars a day, renting a space which provides free showers, free books, free cleaning, free drinks, and all-you-can-eat soft serve would run cheaper than summertime dorm rent at RIT.

Just food for thought!

Speaking of food, I had a veritable feast at the nearby Bamiyaan (Dan dan noodles, shumai, gyoza, and sesame balls), and ended up served by a cat-modeled server robot. The future is now!

Jet lag was hitting hard, and I ended up reading a good 5 volumes of JJBA before hitting the hay.

5/21 – Reunion & Reunion

Today was the day where two things came to pass: me meeting my host family once again, and the beginning of this two weeks of study abroad.

To begin, I checked out of the manga cafe, put 2/3 of my bags in a coin locker, and waited by Oimachi station to meet the family kind enough to take me in for a whole month four years prior.

The Inoue family!

And off we went to Asakusa to take part in the 2023 Sanja Matsuri: one of Tokyo’s largest festivals! With people packed practically shoulder to shoulder almost the entire day, the energy around was simply electric! Faces of all countries came to experience places like Nakamise Shopping Street, Kaminari-mon, and Sensō-ji. The tons of food stands were a big plus! I got some wagyu, shaved ice, yakisoba, and candied fruit!

We also went to Hanayashiki, one of the oldest amusement parks in Japan, started in 1853. Although its age range is definitely for the younger crowd, we still had a good time walking around and enjoying some of the more intense rides.

Heading back to the station, we encountered a bunch of people hauling a mikoshi on their shoulders, and a Shishimai traditional dance where performers mimic a lion’s movements to mimic good fortune.

After a very long and exciting day, we went back to pick up my belongings at the coin locker at Oimachi station, got a Taxi to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, and bade farewell once again. May we meet again very soon!

Now, meeting up with the Study Abroad gang, we all gathered in the lobby at 6, and went to go get our tickets for the next day’s Shinkansen. (Was begging to get off my feet at this point, haha. Curse you Japan, for your lack of benches!)

Heading back to the food court, I grabbed some Katsu Omurice, chatted it up with a few others, and called it a day. Can’t wait to see what’s in store the next two weeks.