**Update: I just found out that my little kids class that I talk about in this post is actually going to continue now with three students! Ten students are required for a class, so they're paying extra to continue on. I think it will be fun to have such a small class. I'll write later about how it's going!
Just a short update on my life. It's really beginning to feel like summer. (Well, summer weather for home, only spring weather for here.) It's been in the 70s and 80s and fairly humid for a few weeks now. I know it will only get worse from here in terms of heat and humidity. Things are going to be pretty busy for the next couple of months. I've got a lot of things planned. First, this weekend, Susan arrives from Japan. She'll travel around the island for the week by herself, but will return to Taipei next weekend. So hopefully I can see some stuff I've yet to see around the city! I've also got a short weekend trip with friends planned to Taroko Gorge. It's apparently one of the most gorgeous places on the island, and is certainly one of the most famous places. Hopefully the weather will be good and we'll rent scooters and drive all around and probably do some hiking. Also, James Blunt is coming to Taipei, so I am going to see that concert with friends which I am so excited about! Then there's Thailand in June with Charlie. We have everything booked now. We'll be in Bangkok for a few days and on the island, Ko Samet, for a few days.
I have some new pictures up on my site. One of my favorite classes, my youngest class, ended this past week. A couple of them were going on to our school-aged program, so there weren't enough to continue with the class. Anyway, I took some really cute pictures with/of them. They're here in the school album on my photo site. I went on a crazy hike this past weekend with a couple of friends. I call it crazy because I think the Taiwanese idea of hiking is a little insane. Oh how I miss hiking regular, dirt trails at home. Their idea of hiking is to have stairs going straight up the mountain, I kid you not. There are no switchbacks, but stairs literally straight up. It's a heck of a workout, that's for sure. Of course This wasn't the first hike I'd been on, but each time I go the concept continues to amuse me. Anyway, I have pictures of the hike and more stuff I've been up to in my Out&About in Taipei- The Second Half album on my photo site.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Adventures in Japan
My trip to Japan couldn’t have been better, really. It was the end of the cherry blossom season there, so prior to getting there I wasn’t really sure they would still be in bloom. But they were everywhere, literally, and it was amazing! They were really everywhere I looked. My first impression of Japan was just how darn clean it is. They literally wash the sidewalks, it’s incredible. It definitely makes for a nice place to travel. I arrived in the evening and took the train to my friend Susan’s town, Gifu, a suburb of Nagoya in central Japan. That evening I went out with her and some of her friends. I really enjoyed the Japanese plum wine, Umeshu. And I was a bit wary at first, but really enjoyed the jelly fish I tasted. Yum! I was already liking Japanese food a ton better than I’ve ever liked Chinese food.
My first full day I went to some of the sightseeing spots in and around Susan’s town. First, I went to Inuyama castle, Japan’s oldest wooden castle. It was gorgeous, of course, especially with the cherry blossoms. Inside the castle you have to take your shoes off and climb the very steep wooden steps up to all the different levels. Next, I returned to Gifu to visit the Gifu Castle. To get up to the top you could either hike or take the cable car. I opted for the cable car after I couldn’t find the right hiking path. There was somewhat of a hike still when you got off the cable car and the top and some amazing views of the mountains and surrounding area. I also saw some smaller temples around Gifu, including one that houses a 45 foot tall Buddha. It’s a really pretty gold color and made of lacquer. It was pretty awesome to see a Buddha that large. It was also nice because for the first part of my visit there weren’t any other tourists around and it was really peaceful. I think seeing that statue was one of my favorite things in Gifu. (And in a small way made up for not seeing Hong Kong’s Big Buddha--the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha--while I was there because it was raining and the line was too long.)
That evening I had the best meal of my visit with Susan and some of her friends and co-workers. It was at a fairly traditional Japanese restaurant (take off your shoes) kind of place. I sampled a lot of different foods (mostly fish and some meat.) Pretty much every single thing I tasted I really liked. I think her Japanese co-workers were surprised to hear I liked the Japanese food so much better than any of the food in Taiwan.
The next morning I took the train to Kyoto. It was about an hour and a half ride. I checked into the hostel and then began one of the walks suggested by the Lonely Planet guide which guided me through a lot of the must-see temples. The first temple, Kiyomizu-dera, was probably the most amazing one I saw the entire time. It was an amazing complex of buildings. The main hall is a huge tower which was a really cool site from far away, especially with the cherry blossoms. After that the walk took me through some of Kyoto’s very old, traditional streets which brings me to another thing I really liked about Japan, the architecture. I really liked the way everything had a fairly simple structure and was mostly wooden or other earth tones. Much of isn’t really bright or ornate, it just seems very functional and practical. So these old streets I walked through were full of buildings like this. The next temple I saw was Kodai-Ji which has some beautiful gardens, teahouses, zen gardens and bamboo. The zen gardens I saw at many of the temples were amazing! I didn’t even really know anything about them until I got there, but wow! They’re immaculately kept. I just want to know what they do when it rains! The next thing I saw was Kyoto's most famous cherry tree in Maruyama-Koen Park. I’m really not quite sure why it’s the most famous tree, but the book said so, and when I got to it there were tons of tourists taking pictures of it. To me it wasn’t much different than all the other hundreds of trees I saw, but hey, it was the most famous one and it was cherry blossom season, so I figured I’d better see it. That park was really neat though. There was an area under this huge group of cherry trees where they’d laid out tarps and there were tons of people picnicking and hanging out there, literally under the cherry trees. It was a really cool site. The next temple I just saw from the outside. It’s called Chion-in and had a really impressive front. Just outside the park I saw Yasaka-Jinja. It was a really bright orange color and had tons and tons of lanterns.
That evening I met a Japanese friend of a friend. She took me to dinner, took me around the Gion/Geisha district and then we had traditional tea and dessert. It was really cool to go around with a native. The Geisha district is a very interesting part of the city. It contains many high end restaurants where the Geishas entertain men with their musical and art skills, and also in conversation. I walked down two famous streets filled with these restaurants, many of them being so exclusive they don’t have menus on the door, which means you are not invited in. It is a very secretive world and I was told before I went that it is very uncommon to actually get to see a real geisha. There are women all over Kyoto dressed like them. You can even pay to get the outfit, hair and makeup done for about $100 and walk all over the city. But, there is one defining feature in which you distinguish the real geisha from the “fakes,” a silver accessory the real ones wear in their hair. Anyway, I actually saw two real geishas! The first was with my new Japanese friend. She had only seen one other one in her whole life and was really excited when one walked right past us on the street. It was so cool! The other one I saw the next night when Susan and I decided to walk down some of the back alleys where they are typically walking between appointments. She actually stopped and posed for a picture which we were really surprised about. Learning more about this part of the old tradition and culture was one of the most interesting aspects of Kyoto to me.
The next day we began another walk from the Lonely Planet guide which took us through some of the other major temples. First we went to Heian. This temple had a huge square of bright orange buildings. I always feel like I’m really in Asia when I’m in one of these kinds of squares. The temple also had probably the most amazing gardens I saw in Kyoto. The blossoms were gorgeous and they way they reflected off the water came out fabulously in my pictures. This place was just exactly what I think of when I imagine old, traditional Japan with the buildings on the water and the gorgeous gardens. I think these pictures turned out to be the best ones out of the whole trip. Next we started to walk along the canal lined with cherry blossoms. There were tons of temples off the canal walk so we just started walking and stopped at the ones the book highlighted: Ginkaku-Ji, Eikan-do, and Hinode. The zen gardens at Ginkaku-ji were especially impressive. We also walked through some of the neighborhoods off the canal walk. The houses were gorgeous.
On the last day in Kyoto we went to Nijo-jo Castle, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy that day, but really I couldn’t complain because all the other days were gorgeous! Even in the rain the gardens around the castle were beautiful. The last site we saw was the Golden Temple, also know as Rokuon-Ji or Kinkaku-ji. It really is gold and was an amazing site. Here I was able to get my fortune in English. I got one called “very good,” but if you get a bad one you’re supposed to leave it hanging at the temple. People also leave their wishes on wooden pieces and hang them at the temple. I obviously couldn’t read any of them, but heard that they wish for things such as good luck on exams, good wishes for new houses and new cars, etc. Really I think they’d leave their wishes for just about anything you could think of!
That afternoon we took the train back to Gifu and I flew out the next morning. Overall I had a wonderful experience that I will remember for a long time. I am so lucky that I made it during cherry blossom season. It was incredible! My passport is certainly filling up and I might have to get some new pages added soon--definitely the mark of a well traveled girl! Next up: Thailand with Charlie in June. No rest from trip planning for me! Take a look at my Japan pictures here.
My first full day I went to some of the sightseeing spots in and around Susan’s town. First, I went to Inuyama castle, Japan’s oldest wooden castle. It was gorgeous, of course, especially with the cherry blossoms. Inside the castle you have to take your shoes off and climb the very steep wooden steps up to all the different levels. Next, I returned to Gifu to visit the Gifu Castle. To get up to the top you could either hike or take the cable car. I opted for the cable car after I couldn’t find the right hiking path. There was somewhat of a hike still when you got off the cable car and the top and some amazing views of the mountains and surrounding area. I also saw some smaller temples around Gifu, including one that houses a 45 foot tall Buddha. It’s a really pretty gold color and made of lacquer. It was pretty awesome to see a Buddha that large. It was also nice because for the first part of my visit there weren’t any other tourists around and it was really peaceful. I think seeing that statue was one of my favorite things in Gifu. (And in a small way made up for not seeing Hong Kong’s Big Buddha--the world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha--while I was there because it was raining and the line was too long.)
That evening I had the best meal of my visit with Susan and some of her friends and co-workers. It was at a fairly traditional Japanese restaurant (take off your shoes) kind of place. I sampled a lot of different foods (mostly fish and some meat.) Pretty much every single thing I tasted I really liked. I think her Japanese co-workers were surprised to hear I liked the Japanese food so much better than any of the food in Taiwan.
The next morning I took the train to Kyoto. It was about an hour and a half ride. I checked into the hostel and then began one of the walks suggested by the Lonely Planet guide which guided me through a lot of the must-see temples. The first temple, Kiyomizu-dera, was probably the most amazing one I saw the entire time. It was an amazing complex of buildings. The main hall is a huge tower which was a really cool site from far away, especially with the cherry blossoms. After that the walk took me through some of Kyoto’s very old, traditional streets which brings me to another thing I really liked about Japan, the architecture. I really liked the way everything had a fairly simple structure and was mostly wooden or other earth tones. Much of isn’t really bright or ornate, it just seems very functional and practical. So these old streets I walked through were full of buildings like this. The next temple I saw was Kodai-Ji which has some beautiful gardens, teahouses, zen gardens and bamboo. The zen gardens I saw at many of the temples were amazing! I didn’t even really know anything about them until I got there, but wow! They’re immaculately kept. I just want to know what they do when it rains! The next thing I saw was Kyoto's most famous cherry tree in Maruyama-Koen Park. I’m really not quite sure why it’s the most famous tree, but the book said so, and when I got to it there were tons of tourists taking pictures of it. To me it wasn’t much different than all the other hundreds of trees I saw, but hey, it was the most famous one and it was cherry blossom season, so I figured I’d better see it. That park was really neat though. There was an area under this huge group of cherry trees where they’d laid out tarps and there were tons of people picnicking and hanging out there, literally under the cherry trees. It was a really cool site. The next temple I just saw from the outside. It’s called Chion-in and had a really impressive front. Just outside the park I saw Yasaka-Jinja. It was a really bright orange color and had tons and tons of lanterns.
That evening I met a Japanese friend of a friend. She took me to dinner, took me around the Gion/Geisha district and then we had traditional tea and dessert. It was really cool to go around with a native. The Geisha district is a very interesting part of the city. It contains many high end restaurants where the Geishas entertain men with their musical and art skills, and also in conversation. I walked down two famous streets filled with these restaurants, many of them being so exclusive they don’t have menus on the door, which means you are not invited in. It is a very secretive world and I was told before I went that it is very uncommon to actually get to see a real geisha. There are women all over Kyoto dressed like them. You can even pay to get the outfit, hair and makeup done for about $100 and walk all over the city. But, there is one defining feature in which you distinguish the real geisha from the “fakes,” a silver accessory the real ones wear in their hair. Anyway, I actually saw two real geishas! The first was with my new Japanese friend. She had only seen one other one in her whole life and was really excited when one walked right past us on the street. It was so cool! The other one I saw the next night when Susan and I decided to walk down some of the back alleys where they are typically walking between appointments. She actually stopped and posed for a picture which we were really surprised about. Learning more about this part of the old tradition and culture was one of the most interesting aspects of Kyoto to me.
The next day we began another walk from the Lonely Planet guide which took us through some of the other major temples. First we went to Heian. This temple had a huge square of bright orange buildings. I always feel like I’m really in Asia when I’m in one of these kinds of squares. The temple also had probably the most amazing gardens I saw in Kyoto. The blossoms were gorgeous and they way they reflected off the water came out fabulously in my pictures. This place was just exactly what I think of when I imagine old, traditional Japan with the buildings on the water and the gorgeous gardens. I think these pictures turned out to be the best ones out of the whole trip. Next we started to walk along the canal lined with cherry blossoms. There were tons of temples off the canal walk so we just started walking and stopped at the ones the book highlighted: Ginkaku-Ji, Eikan-do, and Hinode. The zen gardens at Ginkaku-ji were especially impressive. We also walked through some of the neighborhoods off the canal walk. The houses were gorgeous.
On the last day in Kyoto we went to Nijo-jo Castle, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, it was a bit rainy that day, but really I couldn’t complain because all the other days were gorgeous! Even in the rain the gardens around the castle were beautiful. The last site we saw was the Golden Temple, also know as Rokuon-Ji or Kinkaku-ji. It really is gold and was an amazing site. Here I was able to get my fortune in English. I got one called “very good,” but if you get a bad one you’re supposed to leave it hanging at the temple. People also leave their wishes on wooden pieces and hang them at the temple. I obviously couldn’t read any of them, but heard that they wish for things such as good luck on exams, good wishes for new houses and new cars, etc. Really I think they’d leave their wishes for just about anything you could think of!
That afternoon we took the train back to Gifu and I flew out the next morning. Overall I had a wonderful experience that I will remember for a long time. I am so lucky that I made it during cherry blossom season. It was incredible! My passport is certainly filling up and I might have to get some new pages added soon--definitely the mark of a well traveled girl! Next up: Thailand with Charlie in June. No rest from trip planning for me! Take a look at my Japan pictures here.
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