Today after class the kind doctors let us go on account that everyone is very tired from their respectable weekend adventures. A few of us headed to to do a walk that is in our required 3rd year writing book. On the way there we got really lost and confused on the subway and had no idea how to get to the one that we wanted to go to. So instead we picked Yasaka Shrine which was closer.
We walked through the streets of Kyoto to the entrance of the park. It had Torii gates and foxes just like the Inarii. We walked through and it was very pretty. Nothing that we hadn't seen before though, shrines and smaller temples. We then got to the central area which the main attraction is this giant cherry tree, perched up on a small hill. It is very old and in the spring when the cherry blossoms bloom it is apparently extremely beautiful and people travel from all over to see it.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a little shop near the tree. I got some chestnut flavored soft serve ice cream and like usual it was delicious. Past the cherry tree there was a little pond with tons of koi and turtles. They were so used to people feeding them that if you put your hand down near the water they would start gathering around it! I had fun there for a few minutes and we moved on.
The map in the book was not very good or accurate...and we didn't really know where we were going. We got lost for sure and just started wandering down a street. We came to a giant cemetery with thousands of small shrines! The Japanese cremate their dead, but they have stone shrines and headstones in large cemeteries. This one was enormous and it went up a hillside. We all decided we wanted to trek to the top of it. It was like a maze and you would be on a path that would just suddenly end. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the top and it was worth it. We had a great view of Kyoto and the whole gravesite. It was beautiful and I took some really good pictures including my favorite of the trip so far, the Buddha.
The gravesite wasn't part of the path we were supposed to be on, but it was a great experience nonetheless. We headed back down to leave the gravesite and when we got to the bottom, the gate was closed and locked! We looked for other ways to get out when we ran into a police officer who kindly and cordially unlocked the gate for us.
By this time we were all VERY hungry. We headed to one of our favorite locations, Sanjo street, and ate dinner at a traditional Japanese place where we took off our shoes. It was a really enjoyable atmosphere and there was a little creek flowing through the restaurant, very nice. After that we headed back to our hotel.
I am feeling a little crammed right now. I have been doing so much every day leaving me exhausted. I usually fall asleep at around 9 while doing my journaling then wake up at 12 and get up to brush my teeth and go back to bed. I have my presentations soon but the internet hasn't been working...and that combined with the fact that I have no energy or time to work on them... I'll figure something out though, like I always do.
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