Tofukuji

To start my day I went to Tofukuji which is a zen temple with a beautiful garden area. It's tucked away by residential houses which makes it a beautiful walk out of the city. There are two sections of this temple, both require different entry. Both are 400 yen for a total of 800. I was a little surprised by that but it wasn't very expensive and was still interesting to see.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Next I walked down the road about fifteen minutes to Fushimi Inari Taishia which is the the number one place to visit in Kyoto. I think maybe all of Japan as far as shrines/temples go. It's famous for it's thousands of bright red gates and the large foxes who are said to be messengers for Inari. It's a long, beautiful walk upstairs and it's totally free! 

Gion

I then took the bus home that afternoon and walked aimlessly around Gion. The main roads are busy, full of tourists and locals all looking for places to eat, to go to bars and tea houses, but back a few streets were my hostel is, there are old Gion streets which are beautiful restaurants and shops and homes. 

Kiyomizudera (Pure Water Temple)

Kiyomizudera (pure water temple)

Quite possibly the most relaxing place you can go to in Japan. Well, if it weren't under construction and always busy. It's a beautiful place, with that large balcony that overlooks a beautiful forest. It's fairly close to Gion (where I am staying), but I still took the bus because I got the day bus pass and I'm lazy.

There are water purification and cleansing places at all temples, but this is by far the most decorative. With the ladle, you take some water and clean your hands, then you put water in your cupped hand and drink. Although many people skip the drinking part. You spit into the draining area, don't swallow.

There are also incense bowls where you pay maybe 10 yen (10 cents) and you burn incense. The smoke is said to have healing powers so you fan it towards you. (If your shoulder is hurting, wave it towards your shoulder, if you need to focus for an exam, wave it towards your forehead! Etc etc.)

Day one in Kyoto happens to be Christmas day!
I woke up early this morning to talk with my parents and at the time it was still Christmas eve for them. It's really not Christmas without them, but I guess I skip Christmas this year.

I headed out a little before nine in the morning. I bought a 500yen (5 dollar) bus pass for the day and visited a flea market that morning! At Kitano Tenmangu Shrine was a large year end flea market. I ended up buying a few things!

Top Left: Tiny sake cup
Top Right: Matching tiny sake cups
Bottom Left: Temari Ball (traditionally a hand ball, but it's an art form now.
Bottom right: Another sake cup.

I then visited Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) which was in the same general area. The bus pass is definitely recommended when you get here. Chances are, your hostel or hotel will sell one for 500yen. They are a deal because anywhere you go is 230. Therefore, if you ride more than twice a day, which you definitely will, it's a deal. I think I saved at least five to seven dollars. It's also quicker than counting out change all the time.

I headed back to Gion after that and visited their local shrine which I hadn't last time I came here. It's spread out and quiet but a very pretty walk.

The weather today was off and on drizzly, sort of breezy and sometimes sunny. In the city it's always shaded anyways and the wind is typically tunnel wind. It is late December but these photos probably look like early fall. It was fairly cold today but I was fine in a coat and sweater.

After walking around for a while and going down old Gion which is the Geisha district with old tea houses, a theater and other shops, it started to rain. My shoes have holes in them so I decided to call it a day.

I am here long enough that I don't need to move around quick and I can actually enjoy some time at my hostel. It's nice to walk around in the morning to early afternoon and head back before it's too cold or too dark.

I took the Sunflower Ferry from Beppu port to Osaka. I enjoy the ferry but it arrives a little too early for my tastes. Unfortunately there is not much to do at 7am in Osaka except barely find a place to get breakfast.

I was going to head to the history museum, but it didn't open until nine.
I grabbed a small breakfast at a small breakfast restaurant. (2 pieces of toast and a hard boiled egg and coffee).

Due to the printers at APU deciding not to work for a few days before I left, I had no maps. Somehow I still managed pretty well actually. Although you can travel pretty easily in Japan without knowing Japanese, I suggest at least knowing how to read the hiragana or katakana. Not their meanings, just how to read them. Sometimes the subways stations on the map are only written in hiragana.

SO DESPITE ALL OF THAT.

I walked around Osaka Castle park really early that morning, killed some time there. Still all beautiful all that. I didn't go inside, since I wasn't here to visit the inside of the castle. Osaka is not my favorite city, maybe my least favorite. Not much to do except eat and I am on a budget. Eating comes second.

I visited Namba, Dontonbori and Shin Sai Bashi which is a long shopping district with modern things such as clothes, kitchen stuff, etc, etc, nothing I wanted to buy. Killed time, killed time.

The real reason I stayed around in Osaka instead of going right to Kyoto was for the Osaka Castle Illuminations which were beautiful!

It's Christmas Eve here and I can't help but feel a little lonely. I know my family would have loved to see these lights and gone out for breakfast. I think they would enjoy themselves here and I want to show them around one day. I hope they have a wonderful Christmas and I miss them a lot. It just doesn't feel like Christmas here, although I am enjoying myself.

After a long day in Himeji, we went to Osaka. We never stayed in a hotel in Himeji, as it was only about an hour and a half between there and Osaka on the local JR Sanyo. (So on one ticket we went from Okayama to Osaka at less than 20US.)

I stayed with my friend who lives in Osaka! She was very kind to let me stay!

The first day we were prevented from much because the typhoon hit. It was basically a bad hurricane, as typhoons are pretty much hurricanes. Lots of rain, lots of wind, trains were shut down. We stayed in, slept in, relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. My American friend, Jenny, who traveled with me up until Osaka, had to leave just two nights later.

Naruho and I visited Fushimi Inari Shrine in Southern Kyoto. (Kyoto is near Osaka.) It's a brilliant red shrine with several thousands of red gates. Each year there is a new one. You can walk up the mountain under them, then back down. There are two sets of gates (an up one and a down one, although some foreigners made their own rules). 

Fushimi Inari Shrine

And it goes on and on and on and on

Inari is the Shinto God of Rice and a fox is said to be the messenger for this god, therefore there are many fox statues. There are thousands of shrines for Inari, but this is the most important. This shrine has also been labeled as one of the top shrines for foreigners to visit. (Kyoto is the most popular city, not Tokyo!)

Fox!

**A Shrine is Shinto, a Temple is Buddhist.

Since my last letters didn't seem to go through, I've started on my second batch to various friends and family. I still have many more to write and then send. I hope they go through. Sending packages from here is slightly difficult. We have to go down to the post office which is a bus ride away and shipping is rather expensive. I am not sure what to send people either! So for now, I hope these pretty postcards will suffice.

Last day was a visit to Kansai University, which is the school my home university is affiliated with. Due to not having the classes I needed, I did not go there. But, it's a beautiful campus in a lively area.

But, before that, I have a lovely walk up to Kiyomizudera for the 3rd time to find my phone that was lost there probably. No, I didn't actually find it... but it was nice to sit there in the morning hours when no one was there. I then walked back to my professor's hotel even before everyone was up.

We headed to the university and took a tour around the school. My campus has a student body of 5000, Kansai has 50,000. That's terrifying. The campus is huge and in a beautiful area!

The whole gang, Kansai and BSU!

We watched a Kendo performance as well. Kendo literally means, the way of the sword. The same Do as in Dojo. (Long o sounds in all). Kendo is what samurai practice. In sport, instead of a katana, a bamboo sword is used. It's like a very loud, very terrifying fencing. It's as much a female sport as it is a male sport and there really is no age to start or stop. It takes years to master, literally. You have to wait ten years between each rank.

These two students started at the age of 5. They are 20 now.

It was sad to say good bye to everyone. I want to thank my professor Dr. To for showing my friend and I around! He really went the extra mile to make sure I was safe at my hostel, felt welcome with the group and truly runs an amazing study tour. He is a professor who is for the students! One of us! One of us! So thank you Dr. To! My honorary professor because I've never taken a class with you before.

Selfie with Dr. To!

On day three we parted ways with Akane and her family and met up with my honorary professor Dr. To and his study tour group! It was nice to see familiar faces!

We went to Nara, which is famous for the deer that bow for cookies! They get impatient and whiny about cookies. Petting them is okay but some can be spoiled brats about it. They will bow for you though, which is really really cute!

So many deer

Deer can kill old lady and children

Jenny and I feeding the deer.

We went to a nice place for lunch and had chicken and rice (put simply).
There is a flame under the chicken and rice, you wait for it to go out, then flip the timer which is 3 minutes long. After that, dig in!
I dislike pickled things, so that pickled something or other I did not eat. I did have miso soup but already ate that by the time I took the picture. I forget what the thing that looks like tofu is. It's not tofu though. It's good, but had a nutty taste. Chestnut something or other.
Manju is made with chewy squishy rice flour and this had anko inside (sweet red bean paste). I like it taste wise, but it's so squishy and soft that the texture is a little odd to me.

I have never had chicken and rice in a bowl like that. Usually already in a large bowl.

Still in Nara, we went to Todai-ji which is a Buddhist temple completely made out of wood. For this picture we were very far in front of it actually. It's a massive complex. It houses the largest bronze Buddha statue (called Daibutsu Lit: Giant Buddha). There were deer.

Here is the whole gang!

After that we headed back to Kyoto. Dr. To and I found my hostel after some searching and asking. Surprise surprise, other APU students were staying there! (In Kyoto, not even my island). I stayed at A-Yado guest house in Gion, Kyoto, which is a fun place to be, with coffee shops, restaurants, flower shops and many little antique shops. Since I slept there only, I didn't really go to the common areas. I stayed for 2 nights for less than 4000 yen (about 40US.) 

We then went to a nice hole in the wall restaurant (that I do not have a picture of). I got karaage (car-ah-ah-gey) which is just fried chicken. Good fried chickens. 

And finally, I went back to my hostel (which no, I do not have pictures in since it was a room filled with girls...). It was nice though. Very clean, air conditioning, nice showers and soft beds. WESTERN BEDS.

Please note this trip will be divided into multiple parts, so please check daily for the next part!

Last minute I decided to go to Kyoto and Osaka to with my friend Jenny and Akane (who lives in Osaka). My honorary professor, Dr. To convinced me to go and I didn't once regret the trip! (He is honorary because I've never been able to take his class...) So, I bought the tickets two days before we were planning on leaving.

We took a massive ferry. 12 hours long, but an awesome experience. We stayed in a room full of futons on the ground with about 10 other women. Everyone is nice here, so you don't have to worry as much about losing stuff or getting stuff stolen.

I went from Beppu to Osaka, marked in black.

We arrived in Osaka on Saturday morning and met with Akane's parents. We then went to our first stop which was in Kyoto, not too far away, Byodo-in Temple. Might I also add that it got up to 40 degrees. (Over 90). Every day here was hot, humid and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky!

We then went for lunch in Uiji (where Byodo-in is located) along this really awesome road. It was beautiful, with local shops and restaurants. There were many tea shops, all hand ground teas. Too bad I don't really like matcha (green tea powder, very bitter). At the restaurant we went to I got coffee jelly which is still the #1 reason to go to Japan. Comes with ice cream and whipped cream.

Next we went to Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) which, as the same suggests, is gold! It is beautiful and the walk was nice because it was shaded. I was sweating awful buckets by now. I bought a good luck charm there, as well as some post cards. Most of the souvenirs I got were post cards because I can hang them on my wall.

No, I am not done yet. It's only around 2pm at this point and we decide to go to Kiyomizudera Temple next, which was the worst, yet best walk ever. It was about a half hour walk up the long road of shops and restaurants. The road was a huge hill the whole time. There were sweets shops, fans, yukata (summer kimono) and many other shops.

About Half way

This temple was my favorite because the view was amazing from the top. It was nice and breezy up there, but still hot. Since we got there a little late, not all the parts were open, but all the good parts were.

The large bowl makes a beautiful ringing noise when hit (above the white marked places) and while it rings you pray.

The fountain (the other small picture) is where you wash your hands then drink. First wash your left hand, then right, then drink. It's sacred water said to clense you. There are small ones at all temples, this was just big and fancy.

No, I am STILL not done yet. After that, we went home to Akane's house. Her mother, Jenny, Akane and I went to the public bath house. Chances are, the first question you ask will have a yes answer. It is separated by guys and girls of course.

We went to the restaurant there first, then to the baths. There was a sand rub and sauna, as well as a carbonated bath. In total there were at least 15 baths. All different temperature. There were TVs, playing Iron Man in Japanese. The best ending to a fun day.

Then finally. We went to sleep.

That was day one.