Moar tiredListening to: 軌跡 (Gui Ji - Orbit) - 周杰倫 (Zhou Jie Lun - Jay Chou)
I successfully woke up this morning AFTER 6AM!! I think I was so tired from walking yesterday that I couldn't help it. Hurrah! I also got more than 8 hours of sleep (finally) and I think that means I'm much closer to getting over jet lag :).
<--me last night I'm hoping I'll be able to navigate my way to the school. I mean, I was able to figure out how to get to places in Tokyo--so figuring out Kyoto should be ok, right? Yesterday, Andrew Horvat, the director of the SCTI program, took us to the station, but I didn't pay attention, so I'm using Google Maps today. This is the delicious stuff I ate for breakfast! We got all you can eat at the hotel for breakfast (食べ補題 - tabehodai) so I ate lots of foodz. I also drank like seven cups of tea again because I love tea just that much.
<--what I look like drinking tea
I made it to Doshisha!
Stanford has a Japan Center and a legit sign and everything.
Today was pretty busy. In our second day of orientation, we learned about extracurriculars we can do and then the classes we can take. I think I'm pretty set on my classes--Political Economy of Japan and then Pop Culture of Japan (and obviously Japanese). I also know I need to join a music extracurricular to keep up flute and I want to do either karate, aikido, or kendo. And then if I have time, I want to do the tea ceremony (called sado) and then also learn Japanese cooking. And if I STILL have time then I'd like to learn calligraphy ^__^ but I doubt I can get to all of those :(.
It looks like I'll have classes on Monday from 10:45 until 6:30, but only 10:45-12:15 Tu/Thu. And then 10:45 until 4:30ish on Wednesday. And then we get Fridays off for field trips and stuff. Hurrah!
We got to meet Japanese students from 同志社大学 (Doshisha University, where Stanford Center is located) and 京都大学 (Kyoto University) who are auditing our SCTI classes. Tsutsui Hidemi, one of the students from Kyodai, actually was nice enough to be me and Isabelle's guide for mostly the whole day.
At lunch I still managed to spend way more than 300 yen :(. I should probably just cut the rice and then get less of the gyoza and chicken.
Then we went to 平安神宮 where we had a ceremony for the Shinto priests to bless our study abroad program.
<--priest who sang and blessed us
Then, drums were played, our group was lined up, and I was the SCTI representative :P (mainly because I was the only one who volunteered) and got to go up and present a branch and everything to the altar. We got little talismans that are blessed that we can carry around in purses or backpacks. It's just like the Taiwanese temples :).
<--what I look like drinking tea --------
I made it to Doshisha!
These are Doshisha flags and its symbol. Apparently it's a Christian college
(really surprising as so few Japanese are actually Christian)
(really surprising as so few Japanese are actually Christian)
Stanford has a Japan Center and a legit sign and everything.
Sign on pillar outside
Doors to our center, second floor of the building named Meitokukan
Doors to our center, second floor of the building named Meitokukan
Today was pretty busy. In our second day of orientation, we learned about extracurriculars we can do and then the classes we can take. I think I'm pretty set on my classes--Political Economy of Japan and then Pop Culture of Japan (and obviously Japanese). I also know I need to join a music extracurricular to keep up flute and I want to do either karate, aikido, or kendo. And then if I have time, I want to do the tea ceremony (called sado) and then also learn Japanese cooking. And if I STILL have time then I'd like to learn calligraphy ^__^ but I doubt I can get to all of those :(.
It looks like I'll have classes on Monday from 10:45 until 6:30, but only 10:45-12:15 Tu/Thu. And then 10:45 until 4:30ish on Wednesday. And then we get Fridays off for field trips and stuff. Hurrah!
We got to meet Japanese students from 同志社大学 (Doshisha University, where Stanford Center is located) and 京都大学 (Kyoto University) who are auditing our SCTI classes. Tsutsui Hidemi, one of the students from Kyodai, actually was nice enough to be me and Isabelle's guide for mostly the whole day.
At lunch I still managed to spend way more than 300 yen :(. I should probably just cut the rice and then get less of the gyoza and chicken.
I mean, I got the smaller size rice already! But I added too much extra stuff...
See? It's more than yesterday...593 yen :(
See? It's more than yesterday...593 yen :(
Hidemi was nice enough to take Isabelle and me to the Imperial Palace Garden. There were tons of beautiful cherry blossom trees there!
One of the gates to the imperial palace?
Then we walked with Professor Ludvik (who is teaching the Japanese religion class) to two different places--first 南禅寺 (Nanzenji--a Buddhist temple). Before we hit Nanzenji, we found a takayaki stand selling fish-shaped cake things that had fillings. We could get custard, tea, chocolate, or strawberry fillings, and I got the tea one since Hidemi said it was rare to find that flavor :D.
So many flavors!
So many fish!
I first prayed at the big thing in the middle of the courtyard and made a small donation.
Entrance we passed through
So many steps!
Thing in the middle
Nanzenji had a lot of rock gardens where the patterns in the rock are meant to imitate water. They call it 乾山水 (inuisansui--literally, dry mountain water).
One of the gates to the imperial palace?
Hidemi, our guide!
And a few feral kittens that looked so cute...
I was silly and forgot I could do manual focus,
and we were rushed for time so I could only get this picture.
I was silly and forgot I could do manual focus,
and we were rushed for time so I could only get this picture.
Then we walked with Professor Ludvik (who is teaching the Japanese religion class) to two different places--first 南禅寺 (Nanzenji--a Buddhist temple). Before we hit Nanzenji, we found a takayaki stand selling fish-shaped cake things that had fillings. We could get custard, tea, chocolate, or strawberry fillings, and I got the tea one since Hidemi said it was rare to find that flavor :D.
So many flavors!
So many fish!
Fishy about to be eaten
Fishy half eaten--see the filling? :D
Fishy half eaten--see the filling? :D
I first prayed at the big thing in the middle of the courtyard and made a small donation.
Entrance we passed through
So many steps!
Thing in the middle
John, another auditing student who actually comes from Singapore, helped photograph me praying here :)
Nanzenji had a lot of rock gardens where the patterns in the rock are meant to imitate water. They call it 乾山水 (inuisansui--literally, dry mountain water).
See how there are circular forms around the rocks? Those are to imitate ripples.
Then we went to 平安神宮 where we had a ceremony for the Shinto priests to bless our study abroad program.
<--priest who sang and blessed usThen, drums were played, our group was lined up, and I was the SCTI representative :P (mainly because I was the only one who volunteered) and got to go up and present a branch and everything to the altar. We got little talismans that are blessed that we can carry around in purses or backpacks. It's just like the Taiwanese temples :).
Entrance!
See all the sake offered to the gods?
After that, Hidemi came with me and Isabelle to Co-op Inn to meet with other people to go get the JR pass, and then she helped take us there.
[On the way back to Co-op Inn, we saw this gigantic 鳥居 (Torii)!]
torii!
We successfully exchanged our passes and also reserved our Shinkansen tickets for Golden Week--and then we ate DELICIOUS food at a restaurant she helped us find! :D
We couldn't all sit together since we had too many people, so I was sitting with James, Sean, and Teava. James had the カツ丼:
Sean had カレーうどん:
Teava had 天ぷらうどん:
I had the gigantic 七幅うどん:
See how it's super big compared to my hand?
I finished most of it! :D I was super stuffed afterward, though.
It was a great dinner! Afterward in the station I found chocolate yatsuhashi and then also hand cream that I really like.
We get to see host families tomorrow! I already wrapped my お土産 (omiyage--presents).
This is what's inside! Stanford mug and pretty keychain :)
And the bear is for my host sister, Miyu. Isn't it cute? :D
I'm pretty excited; the only thing I'm really worried about right now is whether I'll have internet or not. Apparently having wireless in houses is something that's super unusual in Japan. They're too advanced and just use internet on their cell phones :P.
We couldn't all sit together since we had too many people, so I was sitting with James, Sean, and Teava. James had the カツ丼:
Sean had カレーうどん:
Teava had 天ぷらうどん:
I had the gigantic 七幅うどん:
I think it basically had 7 different things in it: softboiled egg, bean curd, shrimp tempura, a kind of mochi tempura thing, naruto (fish cake), and...I can't remember what else. :( oops
See how it's super big compared to my hand?
I finished most of it! :D I was super stuffed afterward, though.
It was a great dinner! Afterward in the station I found chocolate yatsuhashi and then also hand cream that I really like.
We get to see host families tomorrow! I already wrapped my お土産 (omiyage--presents).
These are for the Mom (Kyoko) and Dad (Masahiro).
This is what's inside! Stanford mug and pretty keychain :)
And the bear is for my host sister, Miyu. Isn't it cute? :D
I'm pretty excited; the only thing I'm really worried about right now is whether I'll have internet or not. Apparently having wireless in houses is something that's super unusual in Japan. They're too advanced and just use internet on their cell phones :P.
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