Today was our first day of classes!
It was all very interesting, and I was glad that my classes didn’t start until 10:45… Seriously, though, I’m looking forward to the semester. My teachers seem nice, and the subjects are engaging.
Moving back to a few days prior, we went on a tour to Kyoto!
I had my first taste of Japanese trains and their respective stations, and, boy, is it intimidating. I was glad I had people with me my first time navigating them. One of the speakers at our opening ceremony recounted that he had once tried to go to Kyoto, but ended up going the opposite way, to Osaka. That’s only slightly terrifying to think about replicating, ha.
Back to Kyoto! We first winded our way through the various streets of the city. That was enough of a view by itself; there were many traditional buildings that were amazing to see firsthand. We made it to a local shrine, and made a donation to ring a bell to meet many people. I tossed my 5 yen, and tried ringing the bell, but it seemed like it was half-hearted and lackluster (which matches my usual attempts at meeting other people, ha).
We then walked around some more; again, the city itself is enough of an attraction that it was all entertaining. We went to a Ghibli shop, which was quaint and cute, and I bought some souvenirs for my friend. They also had a Hello Kitty shop and cafe right next door, and while it was nice to look at, it was very expensive.
We did end up going to a restaurant that mainly served noodles- soba and udon. I tried the soba; it was good, but unlike noodles I had before. I’m definitely going to have to try more kinds of foods as time goes by. I’m not too ashamed to say the highlight of my meal was the yatsuhashi they served as a dessert. It’s good, you can’t blame me! Both yatsuhashi and warabi jelly were something I got to try on the trip, and I liked them both!
We then walked to another shrine, with a lot of steps. It wasn’t as bad as I’m sure the Inari shrine is (which is something I’ll have to go back to see!), but it was a little workout. We enjoyed the sights there, and then it was time to head back.
I enjoyed my trip to Kyoto quite a bit, but what I’m most excited about is all the places I can go back and see. I haven’t seen nearly everything there is, and I’m looking forward to exploring!