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! … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

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 … Continue reading “5/24 – Tea Time!”

Today was exhausting, but full of cultural knowledge and a lot of great photo ops. We visited one shrine, two temples, and the famous bamboo forest. This blog will be lots of pictures, both because I don’t have much to talk about and because I’m falling asleep as I write this!