First Day in Kyoto: Nishiki Market, Bamboo Forest, and Monkey Forest

Yesterday after getting off the bullet train I went to the hostel and rested for the rest of the day. I was WAY TO TIRED to do anything... Jet lag must be kicking in:(. Today was pretty cool though, I spent most of my day exploring the Nishiki Market which is famous in Kyoto! At the market, I ate many different things such as baby octopus on a stick, grapefruit juice fresh out of the fruit, and various weird flavored pastries that I could not even hope to remember their names. After that, I met up with two guys that I met in Tokyo and we made our way to Arashiyama to try to see the bamboo forest. The Arashiyama area is probably my favorite place in Japan so far. Kyoto itself is more traditional looking than Tokyo with thousands of temples and much older buildings. However, something about the feel of Arashiyama makes it seem like a much different place and I really like the area. The Bamboo Forest was was just like you see in all the pictures, extremely beautiful, but much smaller than I thought. On the way to the forest, we saw a sign that led to a Monkey forest and just could not pass it up. After an hour hike to get to where the monkeys were, we were exposed to a beautiful view and hundreds of monkeys just roaming around the outpost. At the outpost, we got to feed multiple monkeys both old and young which was a cool ending to our time in Arashiyama. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the temple that was in the forest and I plan to make my way back before I leave Kyoto.

Nishiki Market

Lunch in Kyoto

Bamboo Forest

Ben and Michael at the Monkey Sanctuary

My First Shinkansen (Bullet Train)

Hello! I'm really just typing this one cause I'm bored and I am on the train for the next hour and a half! The train stations in Japan are fairly easy to navigate (even without knowing Japanese) and also extremely efficient. I got a ticket today to go to Kyoto from Tokyo extremely cheap and the trip isn't supposed to be long at all. As I go by the various small cities and villages on the train I can see more of what rural life in Japan is really like and it looks much different than the city! I am going to try to get another blog up after I explore Kyoto a little more!

Mountain on the Shinkansen

The Next Four Days in Tokyo!

I have spent that last couple of days exploring the giant city that is Tokyo and adjusting a little to the Japanese culture. Over the last four days, I visited Ueno Park and watched various street performers such as magicians, musicians, and other talented performers. I visited the famous Shibuya crossing to make my trek across the street with thousands of others. To tell you the truth, the crossing is extremely hectic. No matter which way you go, you run into a bunch of people! I visited Ginza (the financial district) and walked through the streets filled with various designer stores, luxury car dealerships, and expensive restaurants. I've learned a few Japanese words that help me to get around and people have been extremely open to helping me when I am lost. The food here is unreal! The food in Vietnam was delicious when I visited there, but Japanese food might honestly top that. Among the metropolis that is Tokyo, there are many ancient temples that you can visit and these have been the highlight of my trip thus far. I visited the Taito temple in Asakusa with the large market that surrounds the worship area. I also visited the Meiji Shrine which is surrounded by a huge park and forest that allows for a nice break from the city scene. At one of the smaller temples in a cemetery, I got my Goshuincho which is a stamp book that proves what temples that you have visited! You can get the stamps at both shrines (which is Shinto) and temples (which is Buddhist) and is a really cool way to remember my trip. I plan to continue to add to the stamp book as my trip continues, especially when I head to Kyoto tomorrow.

Tree in Ueno Park

Pagoda at Taito Temple in Asakusa

Taito Temple in Asakusa

First Day in Tokyo

Yesterday, I arrived in Japan and made my way to the Emblem Hostel on the outskirts of Tokyo where I will be spending my next four nights. When I arrived at the hostel, I was way too tired to do anything so I got something to eat at the hostel and went to bed. This morning, I woke up early and started my exploration of Japan. Honestly, I set off today with no real plan in mind. I used my Suica card (subway card) and took the metro to Akihabara. Akihabara is known as the electronic district within Tokyo and it is truly amazing. Connected to the train station is a fourteen-story megastore called Yodobashi.

Yodobashi is unlike any store that I have ever been to in the United States or any of the other countries that I have traveled to. Anything electronic that you can possibly imagine is somewhere within Yodobashi. Each floor is some new type of technology with hundreds of people going around and buying various things. There were so many things that I didn't even know what some of them were. I couldn't even read or find out what anything was because there was literally no English in the store (lol). Despite this, just seeing this electronic megastore was truly a sight to see. The rest of the morning and afternoon I continued to explore Akihabara. I ate in an Izakaya, explored the various arcades, and walked down Anime street and saw how obsessed some of the Japenese people are with the animated shows. After exploring Akihabara, I headed to the Chiyoda district of Tokyo in order to visit the Yasukuni Shrine and War Museum.

At Yasukuni Shrine, various Japanese people visited to honor their ancestors who had fought in any of the wars that have occurred in Japan. I was unable to read many of the statues and smaller memorials because they were only transcribed in Japanese. However, it was clear that the way in which the Japanese people remembered these wars were much more focused on the honor of the soldiers that have fought and sacrificed opposed to the actual events of the wars.  The museum at the shrine displayed the narrative of World War II in a very matter of fact way. There was no mention of the crimes of any nation, instead, it focused on what caused the war and continued to honor who fought in the war. (There could have been more but only some were translated and there was no one there to help me.) From the shrine today, it seemed that the Japanese people focus less on the events of World War II and more on the sacrifice of the people who fought and died for their country.

My first day in Japan has been a real eye-opener. The Japanese culture is extremely different than the United States. There is a lot less English spoken so far than what I was told so I am going to brush up on some words I can use for the rest of my trip.

Memorial at Yasukuni Shrine

Kamikaze Plane 

Yasukuni Shrine

Anime Street and Arcades

Yodobashi Electronic Store

The Magellan Project

The Magellan Project is an opportunity provided by Washington and Jefferson College to students which allows them to acquire funding to pursue internships, research, or independent projects both domestically and abroad over the summer. The Magellan provides students with a once in a lifetime opportunity (but you can do three lol) to travel the world and accomplish your goals.