Sofia

Dream or reality? 

Finally I am in Japan! We spent 14 hours in a restless plane ride that never seemed to end. I found myself constantly looking at the map wondering how much longer it would take to get to the place of my dreams. I spent most of the plane wandering between sleep, reading, and trying to watch Japanese movies without subtitles. When we finally landed my heart wouldn't stop beating in excitement. I had many worried but all of them seemed to vanish as soon as I realized this is it. I'm done waiting, I'm finally here, I'M FINALLY HERE. Despite spending the entire night at the airport just sitting around, it did nothing to dim my excitement. Just being surrounded by Japanese people was enough to leave me in awe. As soon as we left the airplane we were already attracting attention! Max ended up getting interviewed by a T.V show called "How did you get to Japan?" It was hilarious. 
Finally we left the airport and currently we are in a beautiful hotel. I'm exhausted! I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't able to see much of Japan, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow. The best picture to describe today is:


It hasn't hit me yet that I'm here. Sometimes I think this is all a dream. I wondered on the plane what kind of things I would learn and how different of a person I would be when I leave this country. I really do hope to change as a person and absorb this wonderful culture. Hopefully as you follow this blog, you will follow me on my adventure!

A Whole New World 

11:48 am
As I write this I am in the Shinkansen, a Japanese bullet train, on my way to Kyoto. It's an amazing train that looks really fancy and goes extremely fast! I'm still in complete and utter disbelief that I'm in japan. There will never be enough words, enough pictures, enough blog entries to describe how truly beautiful this country is. I will try to absorb every image and every experience to the best of my abilities because who knows when or if I will ever come back here? 
I just finished eating my bento but I could barely eat because I was so excited. This morning we woke up early in our beautiful hotel rooms and ate a delicious breakfast. Finally I am on my way to Kyoto where we will drop off our luggage and begin our adventure!
I simply look outside my window and am in complete awe as towns and fields pass us by. It's so different from America! I've seen a variety of sights ranging from the gorgeous countryside to the simple Japanese styled homes. I even saw Mount Fuji! 
It amazes me to see all of this because Evanston is my life and living there makes it seem like there is nothing else in the world except me and the people I know and see everyday. But coming to the other side of the world where everything is unfamiliar and discovering this whole new pocket of the earth makes me feel so tiny and almost out of place. But at the same time it's very humbling, and makes me realize how big the world truly is. 

Later...
I am completely exhausted as I write this, but I just have to tell you what I saw today before it escapes my mind. 
Finally we arrived in the city of Kyoto, passing by interesting alleyways and confusing street crossings and Japanese signs I will never understand. Trying to not get left behind with my large and clunky suitcase, we made it to K's house, a hostel for backpackers. I actually thought we were going to a person named K's house, but I was mistaken. 
After dropping off our luggage, we took a train to Arashiyama. No words could describe how beautiful it was. Mountains covered in forests of green circled the town like a bowl. No matter where you were, you could always see mountains, a rare sight in Illinois. As we made our way through the endless hills, we passed by countless shops full of trinkets, delicious food, store selling beautiful fabric and clothing. It was too much for me to take in all at once! I was suddenly hit by all of these sights and smells and sounds, it was wonderfully overwhelming. The area was a mix of tourists and natives. Despite the mix of tourists, our group stuck out like a sore thumb. It was pretty amusing. I'm so used to not standing out but being in japan, everything about me screams out gaijin (foreigner). 
We crossed this river and hiked up a mountain and ended up at this park full of monkeys. I was amazed at how close we were able to get! They walked around like they owned the place. I even got to feed one, it was absolutely adorable. 
After visiting the monkeys we stopped at a beautiful shrine. I've been wanting to pray at a shrine and I did it for the first time. I was a bit self conscious while doing it because I felt like everyone was staring at me, but hopefully I'll be able to do it again. You pray by donating a coin, bow, ring the bell, clap twice, and pray. I think that's how the order went...
The sun began to set after shrine and we visited the bamboo forest. Exploring the endless path of bamboo with the sun hiding behind the mountains made it feel dark and mysterious. 
After the bamboo forest we ate an almost completely vegetarian dinner at a very traditional Japanese restaurant. I like to think that many of us were surprised at the food, some might say we were a bit overwhelmed. The boys (as usual) turned eating dinner into a challenge and tried to stuff everything down their throats as soon as possible. Meanwhile I was sitting at the table wondering how I was going to eat all of this food! I was really proud of myself for trying all of the food, even if some of it I wasn't completely fond of. 
After the eventful dinner we went to Arashiyama station through the beautiful kimono forest. With the moon shining in the sky and the illuminated pillars guiding our path, along with wind chimes tinkling in the background, it felt like I was in a magical story, about to be led to some other world. I felt very inspired and all I could do was just take it in. Remembering it now gives me goosebumps. When that was over, we rested our sore feet in the foot bath and then went back to K's house to get some rest.
Good night!


temples, temples, and more temples

Unlike yesterday's extravagant breakfast, today the day started with a konbini (convenience store) breakfast. It actually wasn't bad, I forgot the name of what I ate, but one thing that I'm sure of is that the cashiers must have been surprised to see so many foreigners so early in the morning. 
Feeling light without our luggage and excited for today's events, we took the train to Higashiyama, Kyoto. Higashiyama (lit. East mountain) is a town full of traditional styled buildings and not nearly as busy as Arashiyama. I loved walking through the quiet streets of Japan, it's so interesting to see how people live their daily lives. We walked up the confusing streets to Enkou-ji, a gorgeous temple. I feel like going to this temple will leave memories that I will remember for a lifetime. In this simple and secluded temple I really felt the beauty and grace of Japan, and I will never forget it. I sat seiza style in one of the buildings and took in the beautiful sight of the zen garden. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could tell everyone else felt the same as I did because our usual loud and lively group was very tranquil and reflective as we explored the temple. Eventually I walked up to this mountain area and was able to see the large city of Kyoto, with the mountains in the back. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.
Eventually we walk to another temple. On our way we pass a long street full of shops I'm just dying to spend all of my money on. We enter the Ginkaku temple, full of beautiful gardens and nature. Unlike the last temple, this one was full of people. I would have loved to visit it when it is quiet and tranquil, but either way it was gorgeous (trying to find other words for beautiful). 
Finally we eat lunch and shop at the shopping town. I see bunch of trinkets and clothes I want to buy, but Im trying to be responsible with my money. 
After lunch, we visit another temple called the Eikando. It's humongous and is filled of traditional buildings and amazing structures. I witnessed a Buddhist ceremony which amazed me, just like everything does here in Japan. By this time my feet really hurt from walking all day, so I sat in a building where there was a large golden statue of Buddha and admired it until we had to leave. 
After this we rush to the tea ceremony. We were split into two groups and my group was first. I was awestruck at the girls grace and beauty as she made us tea. There were so many steps I wonder how she remembered them all! Every move had a beautiful meaning behind it and I wish I could be that graceful one day. 
For dinner we head to Pontochio and Gion, busy streets in Kyoto. We walk pass the illuminated buildings of Kyoto and make out way to eat dinner. Unfortunately we weren't able to eat there because we didn't make it in time for our reservations (I think) so we made our way to another place. It was delicious! Especially the salmon.
To finish this temple packed day, we made our way to the Kodaiji temple. It contained a beautiful light display. My favorite part was where we walked pass this crystal clear pond where we could perfectly see the reflections of the trees. Despite it being crowded, the temple had a really tranquil atmosphere.
While waiting for everyone to arrive, a group of us spoke to these few college students. It was great to test out my Japanese! I'm so proud of everyone for coming this far. 
Now we are back at K's house and ready to sleep. Good night!
 


A day at Kumamoto castle

After a rough morning and a konbini breakfast, we make our way to catch the Shinkansen and head to Kumamoto. After spending the time to watch the scenery, we finally arrive at Kumamoto. We take a tram to the hotel, which is very traditional! Our room is full of tatami mats and futons, and in the closet were yukatas for us to wear. It felt very Japanese. Our hotel was located by a bunch of shops and I wanted nothing more than to get a million dollars and spend it all on clothes. I was never much a shopper, but the I came here and the inner shopper inside me woke up.
After dropping off our luggage, we walked to the Kumamoto castle which was close by. Inside the walls contained beautiful buildings, and by the entrance there was a large castle overlooking the city. I felt amazed that where I was standing so much history had occurred. It gave me goosebumps to think about the type of wars and people that stood in the same place where I was. America feels so new, but Japan is one of the oldest civilizations that is still alive, and I find it so amazing that they can still keep these old buildings. At the castle I saw a show full of samurai and I took a picture with one of them! 
After the castle we head to a samurai residence. It was small and simple, but we stayed there until the sun set. I mostly just sat there in silence and taking in the sights of the beautiful garden. I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed with all the sights we've been seeing, I'm afraid I'll forget everything. It was nice to have some quiet and reflective time to myself and just think about me and my surroundings. I think my head cooled down somewhat after that. 
Afterwards we spend most of the night eating dinner at a restaurant by the hotel. We then head to our hotel where we all dress in our yukatas, making me feel very Japanese. I love Kumamoto so far! 

1 comment:

  1. Sofia, this isn't a dream! Congrats on getting to Japan! I hope you're having fun! Make sure to take lots of pictures so you can look back at them and smile as you remember this now in the future.

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