It’s incredible that I’m only two months away from getting on a plane with my giant, full-to-the-brim-with-anime-paraphernalia suitcases and heading home to SLC. May was a pretty busy month, filled with school, study, jobs, interviews, and meeting people!
“Manatsubi” means mid-summer day, and basically means that it’s 30 degrees Celsius or higher. As you might assume, these kinds of days are usually reserved for actual midsummer, not late May. Nevertheless, the temperature crept past 30 and we all began to melt. On days with a nice breeze, it’s actually quite pleasant, but sitting in class with the warm summer weather calling can be torture.
Obviously one of my favorite pastimes in Japan, May was also filled with temple-going adventures.
The main trips I made this month were:
Zenkouin - Rat Temple
One of the twelve temples in Kyoto dedicated to the 12 Zodiac Animals. This temple visit was exceptionally great; it’s housed in an apartment building structure, so we were unsure how to enter; you had to get in an elevator and just kind of awkwardly arrive in the heart of the temple where the monks and other residents are working. But they welcomed us warmly, took our shuinchou straight away, and ushered us into the altar room (pictured above) and gave us an explanation about the temple, its history, etc. After, they served us tea and talked with us as we sat in their cool A/C. It was such a treat! Definitely my favorite zodiac temple thus far.
Myoukenji - Across the street from Zenkouin, this temple houses some gorgeous gardens and even offers a temple-stay experience! Though I was a bit loath to enter this time, because we’d come to this temple in the past and I accidentally interrupted a meeting of the monks, asking if I could get a shuin for my book. I didn’t realize what was going on until I’d screwed up, and as I tried to awkwardly back out, they welcomed me inside, insisting it was fine. I was afraid they’d have me on a blacklist by now or something :P
Nishi Honganji - This huge temple is renowned as the head of Pure Land Buddhism. The Karamon gate pictured above is regarded as a national treasure; it was built in the early Momoyama Period (1573 - 1614) and is gorgeously ornamented with gilded animals, creatures, and depictions of folk tales.
This traditional event started the celebrations for the coming Aoi Matsuri. Professional riders (including Hiroshi Fujioka from the Last Samurai) ride at high speeds on beautiful horses, simultaneously shooting at small targets. The whole event included lots of standing and waiting, but it was worth the leg pain and muggy weather, because it was truly an exciting and amazing spectacle!
川の横で花火 - Fireworks by the river!
Now that the heat’s setting in, we’ve had some chances to have fun 飲み会 (drinking party - by the way, drinking age in Japan is 20) at Kamogawa, which often includes buying small fireworks and setting them off together. It was so fun, I got to meet lots of new people there!
Class Party!
Since we’d gotten used to classes and this semester, our class got together to talk, have fun, and eat parfaits!
大文字に登る - Climbing Mt. Daimonji!
Daimonji is one of the most famous sites in Kyoto; during Obon Festival in August, a huge 大 character is lit up on the side of the mountain, symbolizing guiding lights for loved ones and relatives who have passed away. This hike was such a great time, even though it was getting pretty hot! We hiked up to the character, then the summit, then trekked down a southern mountain path to arrive at a train station in southern Kyoto. What a lovely day!
In late May, I finally made it to the beautiful and famous Byodoin Temple in Uji. Uji’s only about 20 minutes away from my work in Southern Kyoto, so it’s nearby and such a beautiful area with a rich history! It’s a Pure Land Buddhism temple, and its grounds also house a newly-built museum through which visitors can walk through (no extra cost besides original entry fee). Fun fact, Byodoin is also on the 10 yen coin!
Five years ago, while playing violin at a great summer music camp run by Aaron Ashton in SLC, I met Emma; who also plays the violin, lives in Utah, and began studying Japanese in college, who then also did a study abroad to Japan, living only about an hour away from me by train! Life is really funny sometimes, and the world surprisingly small. I am so glad I got to meet back up with Emma after all these years, because we got to discover that we have so much in common! I only regret that we weren’t able to meet up earlier for more adventures :) We explored Daitokuji (below), enjoyed a delicious 和食 dinner, and ended with oreo parfaits!
Daitokuji is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect, and is basically a huge temple area that includes many sub-temples, each famous for its glorious zen gardens. The most famous garden is at the sub-temple of Daisen-in, where Emma and I got to tour around the highly symbolic zen garden and even experience a short but sweet 茶道 tea ceremony!
Monthly Market at Kitanotenmangu
Kitanotenmangu is one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, known to house the god of study, Tenjin. Every month on the 25th, the temple grounds become a huge marketplace where you can buy delicious foods (we got some takoyaki and taiyaki), traditional art pieces, jewelry, miscellaneous knickknacks, and cheap but beautiful kimono (I got two kimono and one haori jacket!). Definitely a lot of fun, and there are several other monthly markets held and temples throughout Kyoto, so next month I’m planning on hitting up the one at Toji!
英語教師のバイト - Teaching English part-time
For the past couple of months I’ve been working at an English learning institution in southern Kyoto. I take a 30-minute train ride down to Rokujizo, then teach English to kids of varying ages and grades. It’s been a lot of fun and has definitely been a rewarding experience. It has also helped my Japanese comprehension quite a bit, because I am asked to use Japanese when the students don’t understand something I’ve said in English. The picture above is from my most recent time teaching, when my students got excited and drew the English we’d been learning on the board. (The drawing is by one of my students, Hiroto-kun, whose favorite words are “water” and “human”. Thus, the “water-human.”)
ワン・ピース麦わらストア - One Piece Mugiwara Store in Osaka
Last weekend, my friends and I ventured to Osaka to visit a place very near and dear to our hearts: the Mugiwara store that celebrates all things One Piece. One Piece is a manga and anime series with world-wide renown and popularity. It is probably the most well-known anime/manga in Japan. Its main messages and themes include: adventure, strength, and friendship. Also it’s about pirates so of course it’s a great time. <3
And so the adventure continues! Can’t believe I only have two more months!
