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.
My meal at Nishiki Market
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.
We woke up early and had a very nice breakfast-box. We were introduced to our tour guide who taught us some basic Japanese and gave us the rundown of our visits during the day. Afterwards, we hopped on the bus and began our trip around Kyoto.
Our first location was the Kinkaku-ji Shrine, known for its Golden Pavilion. It was absolutely gorgeous and learning the history behind it’s petty construction was super interesting to hear. We also learned about the waterfall of carp-to-dragon evolution and I was able to sink two coins into the spiritual pots.
The Golden Pavilion
After a quick roundtrip around the shrine, we hopped on the bus and speed towards the Arashiyama Area, where we would see the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. I’ve always loved the bamboo look and aesthetic, and to see a whole park covered in it was surely a sight to see.
A path in the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
After the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, we went to go get some lunch in the Arashiyama Area. Maddy, Brody, Esther, and I found a nice little hole-in-the-wall place where I had some amazing beef udon and a cola. Afterwards, we found the rest of the group at the local train station and got some ice cream. However, our tight schedule had little room for leisure, so we hopped onto the bus and continued our journey around Kyoto.
Our third place was Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a Zen Buddhist Temple. Personally, this was my favorite location of the day. The views were incredible, the architecture was unique, and the overall aesthetic was tranquil. Though it was extremely busy, I loved being on top of the stage, looking above almost all of Kyoto.
A view from the front of the Kiyomizu-dera TempleThe view from further onto the stage of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple
I forgot to mention that the walk up towards the temple was also super cute and quaint. We walked through what was essentially a Japanese Diagon Alley, with plenty of food and apparel flanking the small street. After our visit to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, I found a honey drink place where I got a delicious mango-honey float.
Our last location was the Fushimi-Inari Temple, a Shinto temple with 10,000 torii gates! We did a small prayer before walking up a little bit of the path around the mountain. Unfortunately, we didn’t have 2 hours to spare, nor the energy to climb, and we had to cut our trip short, but mot without some amazing sights.
Me standing beneath the torii gates
We also went to a small shrine, where we made a wish and picked up a rock (a crude explanation for what was actually happening), the rock symbolized the weight of our wishes. My rock was easier to lift than expected, which hopefully means my wish will be easier to achieve.
After our abridged visit to Fushimi-Inari Temple, we went to KCG’s school and watched Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train, which would make it my fourth viewing of the movie. Afterwards, we were let loose to get dinner, where most of us went to the AEON Mall food court.
Our trip through Kyoto was quick, but still awesome. I could’ve easily spent a whole day in each area. I am excited to continue experiencing Japanese culture, especially through our meditation and tea ceremony in the morning!
After our adventures to the Aqua Park, I met up with everyone else as we prepared our trip to Kyoto. We went to Shinagawa Station and used our newly-acquired JRPasses to hop onto my first-ever bullet train!
The ride was about two-and-a-half to three hours, but it went by fast. As we approached Kyoto, the scenery changed from metropolitan to gorgeous countryside. It was absolutely stunning, not to mention noticing how fast we were really going on the train.
We got to Kyoto and met with our sponsors at KCG, who were super hospitable and kind. They took us to an amazing restaurant where we had a 10-course, authentic, Japanese cuisine experience. It was truly some of the best food I’ve ever had. After the dinner, we made our way to the Anteroom Hotel, which has the quaintest and cutest rooms I’ve ever seen and it’s own, dedicated shower room.
A picture of Brody during our morning stroll to 7/11 in Kyoto
I woke up around 9:00, hopped in the shower, and got ready for my first lunch in Japan. After using the hotel’s very convenient express check-out, I checked in my bags and went to the food court to look at the many options of Japanese cuisine. I ordered a pork and leek udon and a salty pork ramen, both dishes costing a lot less than they would in the US.
After grabbing some lunch, I decided to make my way towards the Aqua Park, where there was a diverse range of animals, from basic fish, to jellyfish, reptiles, and, even, capybaras. I also watched the mini-otter performance, which was extremely adorable.
By this time it was around 12:45, so I decided to make one last stop at a 7/11 to prepare some snacks for the road, and grab a popsicle to deal with the humid weather.Our time in Shinagawa was short, but very enjoyable. Can’t wait for Kyoto!
Brody and I boarded our plane at around 12:15pm in Los Angeles and prepared for our long flight, which happened to be an hour shorter than planned, giving us a landing time of 3:30pm in Japan instead of 4:30. After a comfortable flight with some of the best airplane food I’ve ever had, we finally landed at Narita Airport.
We planned on getting to dinner on time, but our fatigue from the plane combined with our extreme lack of knowledge for the Japanese rail system would prove to be a great enemy. We got onto Narita Rail 38 towards Ofuna, as Google Maps told us to, and we were already a little panicked because our cards were not working with the rail system, so we had to pay on the train. We then learned that, unlike what Google Maps had told us, our train would not be going to Shinagawa Station, meaning we had to find another way from Tokyo Station to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel. After getting off at Tokyo Station, we decided to take a cab, but ran into many issues in payment for trying to leave the metro – our enemy of the rail system striking back once again. Finally, we mare it out onto the street and waved down a cab, only to run into a little bit of traffic, turning our 15 minute drive into a 22 minute drive.
After all the trials and tribulations of Tokyo traffic, we finally arrived at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel and met with Professor Jacobs. Because the JRPass closed at 7, and it was close to 6:30, we didn’t have a chance to set down our bags, so Brody and I lugged our heavy bags over to Shinagawa Station to meet with everyone else. Exhausted and encumbered, Brody and I made our way back to the hotel by ourselves to check in while everyone else went to eat, and after a long line, we missed the final call for food at 7:30. Instead, we went to 7/11 to get some food and ice cream, which we would then eat while walking around Tokyo.
After a long day of travel, Brody and I went back to our room, showered, and passed out like no other. However, our first day of travel did not de-motivate us in any way, but was a good primer for the adventures to come!
