I've been in Kyoto for a few days now. The weather is much warmer here than it was in China and it feels great! The peach trees are also blossoming and at the end of the month the cherry trees should start.
Kar and I landed around noon on the 4th in Tokyo and immediately got on a train to the City where we could catcha bullet train to Kyoto. I think we made it to Kyoto by 5:30 that evening. The train ride was very comfortable but I didn't see a lot of landscape. The window was a little to see out of but it was nice to see blue sky and green mountains! Everything is very orderly here and after being in China we were in the mindset that anything and everything would run us over but that's not the case at all. People don't even jaywalk and they're very polite. The evening we arrived we had a class meeting and then proceeded to catch up with everyone and exchange tales of our independent travel. The next morning we went to a garden and temple and I think I took about 100 pictures of just the gardens. There was also a cemetery that was the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. I took lots of pictures of that too and I'll post them when I can borrow Alex's computer. Later in the afternoon we went to another temple that was quite as beautiful but still pretty neat. Yesterday we went to 2 more temples and saw more cool gardens but none that compared to the 1st one.
We have a student with us who's from Tokyo but studies at MSU and he's being paid by the school to be our guide. He helps out a lot at restaurants and tells us what to say. I am picking up on the language here and Daisuke (the student guide-pronounced "dice-kay") seems to enjoy teaching us slang and vulgar things to say. There is a particularly immature boy on this trip and he's having a lot of fun telling people he's a boob man. I can say "Thank you", "yes", "Excuse me", "Hello", "smells sweet", "Beautiful butterfly" and "Cheers". In China I also learned "Cheers", "No", and "Thanks".
We haven't seen any fortune cookies anywhere. I was also hoping for Generals Tsao's chicken but I think it's just an American-Chinese thing. So far the food in Japan has been pretty good. I'll be eating a lot of noodle cups. Prices are about equiv lent to the US so as you can imagine eating out needs to be limited. We're staying in a hostel that has a kitchen so we can prepare our own food and pack lunches if we have time. It's really hard to find ATMs that will accept US cards so we all have to be very careful about the amount of cash we have. Stores and restaurants rarely take cards and the ATMs will only let you take out about $100 USD at a time.
There's tragic news out of Bozeman- I don't know how far the news traveled but there was a gas explosion on main street which completely destroyed several building and blew out windows for a 2 block radius. Fortunately it was at 8 am and only one person is missing. It happened in a restaurant so if it had been at night there would have been a lot of deaths.
In China we did see the more affluent side of things. I think that's really just a result of staying in the middle of a city though. I did go a mall one evening and I couldn't afford anything. Girls about my age dress very nicely but we noticed that it doesn't seem like the Chinese age well. I'm wondering if it's just because of pollution, living conditions, lack of money, etc. In Japan they do age well and the girls about my aged are caked in make up. We noticed in China everyone is really only concerned about them self, which is understandable, and in Japan people are definitely concerned for others.
I'm almost of of time and want to get an update on the gas explosion. Internet is pretty cheap here so I'll update as often as I have time for.
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Hi Sara,
So good to hear from you again. I haven't heard anything about the gas explosion but will search the internet after I write this.
We reached 50 degrees here yesterday! Consequently, we got rid of a lot of snow. There's still plenty of it to go though. Now all the snow banks are dirty and I have to remind myself that mud season will be here soon.
I know several people who've been to Japan and they all talk about how clean and orderly things are there. Also how expensive, but as long as prices are comparable to the U.S. it can't be too much of a shock.
Okay...I have to go read the news. More soon.
Love,
Mom
It's amazing that more people weren't hurt in that gas explosion. I just watched a video of it and it sure was devastating. None of the businesses destroyed are familiar to me but I'm sure they are to you. They still say that one woman is missing.
Hi Sara,
I have been anxiously waiting your post.Sorry to Hear about the explosion. James will have to fill us in on the details. That's a huge blow for such a small town.
Japan sounds so beautiful and rather peaceful even with such a large population. I've heard horror stories about the prices, so being comparable to U.S. doesn't sound so bad! I think its best that you went to China first so you can really appreciate the order and cleanliness. Green sounds so appealing right about now.
Are you starting to think about home? I'll bet you really miss James and Izzy. March seems to be flying by so quickly.
Can't with to see some more photos!
Love Nancy
Good to hear from you Sara! Are you getting travel-weary? At this point I'd say you could travel anywhere. That's a very huge + in your education. It's something I think is invaluable. Having this experience definitely adds a totally new dimension to your life's resume.
Your observation of the Chinese being more self-concerned & the Japanese being more extroverted is interesting. It's apparent that the Chinese government doesn't nurture self-expression. My few encounters with the Japanese have given me the impression that they are fun-loving and affectionate. I remember a group stopping in our yard several years ago to take pictures of fall colors. They were positively giddy - running and playing under the trees in the leaves.
I would love to see the japanese gardens. I think they are the most beautiful. I'm sure you will be influenced in ways you might not realize at first.I am looking forward to the pics. I know I will want to
duplicate some of them.
I'm going to check on the fire in Bozeman. My God, that could have been so much worse had it been
busy. It is devastating as it is.
I hope this last leg of your trip will have the best moments. Love & Kisses, EEn
I think I saw a reference to the gas explosion on James' facebook page. I meant to google it, and forgot. It's so interesting to hear about the differences between Japan and China. I'll have to hear more about the cemetery. I've always had a fantasy about owning one of my own, and making it a really special place. Maybe that would be a good family business. People would be dying to get in:)
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