Re-entry essay

My visit to Japan was simultaneously one of the easiest, hardest, most frustrating, most educational, and strangest experiences of my life. It was easy because I'd traveled before, so I didn't have as much trouble with packing, jet lag, etc as some of my peers; hard because I was completely out of my cultural comfort zone; frustrating because I didn't speak any Japanese; educational because of the dozens of cultural details I picked up; and strange because a lot of the experiences were completely unexpected. It's very easy, living in America, to forget that the rest of the world exists. We eat our McDonalds and play with our iPhones and assume everyone lives the same way. Well, in Japan they have McDonalds and iPhones too, thanks to us, but they also have Torii gates and three alphabets and respect for their elders. They have a different attitude and different traditional values, yet welcome us rude, fat Americans with smiles and polite bows.

I'm not completely sure why I'm fascinated by cultural 'quirks,' the little habits that one has to pick up to assimilate, but they were very enjoyable to observe in Japan. Placing the money on the counter when making a purchase instead of handing it straight to the cashier was one of the most predominant things, as I observed my peers ignoring the tray on the counter and holding the money out while all the natives looked confused. I'm not sure why money is exchanged this way, but now I know it is, and this became second nature to me. For the few days I've been back in America, I've been placing cash on the counter, getting irritated looks from cashiers as they have to make the extra effort of picking it up. There was also a set of etiquette surrounding chopsticks that I wasn't expecting, everything from not stabbing meat, to not inserting the chopsticks vertically in rice, to not passing food from your chopsticks to someone else's. These were a little more easy to explain than the money-on-the-counter thing, because chopsticks are placed vertically in bowls of rice for traditional Japanese funeral rites, so doing this in a restaurant is implying that the food is fit for dead people. Still, the eating etiquette we have in America is only used at formal dinners and cotillions, so remembering details while eating in Japan was something we weren't used to.

One of the things that has changed about myself from this adventure is the desire to be aware of what's going on in the world: yes, I have always known that an awareness of foreign affairs is important to the modern adult, but I had avoided it like the plague. Politics have always seemed sticky and irritating to me, and I'd pretty much lumped all international news under the 'politics' category. But after having experienced Japan (I did go abroad when I was younger, but this was my first time abroad where I felt like an adult) I am truly, sincerely aware that there are other countries out there with different cultures and different values. Re-reading this paragraph it sounds insanely stupid, but basically this trip has made me want to read the news and know what's going on in the world.

Japan also taught me courtesy. I had thought that I was a relatively polite person, but when compared to your average Japanese ten year old, I am still rude and uneducated. Being respectful not only of others' cultures, beliefs and traditions, but also of their personhood and opinions, is something I will be certain to focus on in the future.

If you're reading this on my blog, thanks for reading. If you're reading this because you're my teacher, thanks for taking me to Japan. I will never forget those three weeks.

Japan Journal Entry 12

Entry #12: Koya-San

“Everything around me seems so different than where I'm from..."
The song is called 'Homesick' and while I wasn't homesick while riding the funicular, the lyrics resonated. You don't see things like this in Tennessee or Chicago- the mountains completely shrouded in mist, the palm-like trees right next to pine-like trees. It felt otherworldly and I was certain that this would be one of the highlights of the trip. I was right.
Staying overnight at the temple was unlike anything I'd ever done in my life. I was surprisingly okay with the unusual rooming situation and found the tofu dinner rather tasty. The language barrier made me feel slightly lost at some points, but in general the monks got their points across as far as how things would work. The schedule was a little more strict and defined than it had been most of the trip, but I got the feeling that is how things work for these monks. A bath before dinner, tofu dinner, and then they probably go to bed so they can wake up early for chanting and meditation.
The chanting was also a unique experience, mostly because I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was reminded of a time my parents and I went to Mass while we were in Italy: the only words I caught were 'panne et pesce,' so I knew it was the Gospel about loaves and fishes. But sitting in an incense-heavy room, with unknown iconography all around, listening to foreign, incomprehensible words was a surprisingly familiar difference. The difference between a Catholic Mass in Italian and a Buddhist chanting ritual in Japanese, however, was that I know the parts of a Catholic mass, I know when to stand and sit and I know, in general, how things go. With a Buddhist morning chant? I was clueless. I didn't know if we were supposed to stand when the monk did or chant along with him or bow or clap at certain times. Luckily for me, our role in the chanting was extremely passive: we sat quietly in the back of the room. That was pretty much it.
The breakfast was, again, tofu-based, and then it was time to shoulder our backpacks and continue what by then was starting to feel like a pilgrimage. It was raining and miserable but we trekked through a Buddhist mausoleum to see Okunoin, the burial place of Kukai. While the mausoleum was beautiful and it was an honor to be able to see Kukai's importance, it was wet and cold. So I was very relieved to get back on the funicular headed towards society.
Now I'm sitting in the Narita airport hotel and this adventure is winding down. I think these journals could have been better-written, but I don't have time to fix them. Seeing the western-style bathtub in this hotel reminded me that in 24 hours I'll be back in my own apartment in Nashville, able to read every sign and understand every conversation I overhear. It's kind of a sad feeling, for some reason...

Brief reactions to Hiroshima

I'm not sure if I have time for a polished blog post before going off on adventures (today is a free day and my friends have planned to visit Osaka, Nara and a fantastic store in Kyoto, it's gonna be pretty busy!) but I figured while I have a moment I'll jot down/ copy out of my paper journals some reactions to our visit to Hiroshima yesterday. You'd have to be blind or shockingly uneducated to not be aware that Hiroshima is the city where the United States dropped the first Atomic bomb back in 1945, and that the destruction was complete, brutal, and terrifying. It was a pretty emotionally traumatic day, and here are the notes I jotted down while visiting:

After seeing the A-Bomb Dome:

I've seen ruins before. I've seen Pompeii, which was destroyed by a volcano, and the Coliseum which was destroyed by time. I've seen the effects of flood and hurricanes. I've seen buildings left to crumble because their repairs couldn't be afforded. But I had never seen the direct results of war until today. Even the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC is just a replica, not real like this. The A-bomb dome, a building hollowed out close to the epicenter of the explosion, (#), is a real building where real people worked and died, incinerated by the blast less than 500 feet away. It's one of a handful of buildings that was still standing in downtown Hiroshima. According to Wikipedia, the radius of total destruction was one mile, with fires spreading 4 more miles, decimating about 70% of the city's structures in one fells swoop. This is a reminder of an atrocity that my country committed against this one, of how evil humans are with no thought for the humanity of others. I am ashamed to be the same species and nationality as the people that did something like this.

Between the A-Bomb Dome and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum there were two or three monuments to children who were killed in the blast or from resulting radiation sicknesses. They featured millions of paper cranes (#). Inspired by a belief that folding 1,000 of these cranes would make a wish come true, Sadako Sasaki (main character of the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes) and other leukemia patients began to fold thousands of them, their only wish being to live. To this day (# these were dated the day of our visit) students fold thousands of cranes and hang them in these memorials, as a way of honoring those innocent lives. There is also an eternal flame that will burn until all nuclear weapons are disarmed, which my friends and I could only shake our heads at, hoping and praying that it would be extinguished in our lifetime, but knowing that is unlikely.

Written just outside of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum:

I knew it wouldn't be fun. I wasn't expecting a particularly happy scene. I've been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, but that is thousands of miles from the tragedy it represents. This museum is less than a mile from the epicenter of the bombing. Seeing the charred school uniforms of children killed by the bomb, the pieces of buildings burnt and melted, while standing where these things were found was unbelievably difficult. Reading testimonies of people, many of them my age or younger, who saw their whole families suffer and die from the explosion and radiation, made me break down in tears. A whole exhibition of these stories and the items that accompanied them was the most painful thing I've seen in a very long time, if not my whole life. I can't begin to fathom a piece of a burnt school uniform or a lock of charred hair (or the bicycle a young boy was riding when he was incinerated, #) being the only token I have to remember my whole family by. The suffering, the agony these people went through.... One of the predominant thoughts in my mind was "I hate being American, I feel like a monster." However, this museum thankfully wasn't aimed at vilifying Americans, it was aimed at exposing the horrors of nuclear war and encouraging visitors to fight for disarmament.

Written the day after the visit:

Although seeing Hiroshima and especially the artifacts from the victims was incredibly, unbelievably painful, I understand why this visit was necessary. I find it difficult to believe that anyone with a soul, after seeing these kind of things, could ever make or support the decision to drop another nuclear bomb. Over 53 million people have seen the museum since its' founding in 1955, and while I wouldn't exactly hop on the train to go see it again today, I am glad I went.

Here's a thought.... can we just send the presidents/ rulers of the US, India, Pakistan, Russia, France, the UK, China, and North Korea (I think that's all the countries with nuclear weapons) to this museum together? And then at the end, have a treaty for disarmament ready for them to sign.... If it weren't for how complicated and messy politics are, if it was only based on the humanity of the leaders, I'd be certain it would work.

The Sand Garden, reactions to "The Sand Garden" by Italo Calvino, and the most painful anime.

I'm not sure these entries are properly numbered anymore. This covers 5/25 and class on 5/26.

"These 'instructions for use'... seem perfectly plausible and immediately applicable, without effort, provided one is really sure of having a personality to shed, of looking at the world from inside an ego that can be dissolved, to become only a gaze."- Calvino

The rocks rose up from the carefully raked sand like harsh islands from the sea. I squinted against the glare of the sun and didn't understand what I was looking at. There was some sand. Some rocks. I didn't get it. It was too harsh and bright, and the most peaceful moments on this trip for me were in shaded, green forests, surrounded by natural and animal noises, not groups of schoolkids. That was yesterday, when I spent no more than a minute looking at the rock garden before moving on to the moss garden and the landscapes around the temple. I just snapped a picture (#) and moved on. Today in class, after reading "The Sand Garden" by Italo Calvino, I realized where I went wrong in my experience. Not only did I not sit down to contemplate the rock garden, but I was too concerned with my own personality and ego. I just went through a breakup, I wasn't feeling well, I was tired and stressed. I was focusing on myself. I was thinking that serenity or enlightenment would hit me in the face, and I didn't take the time to 'become only a gaze' as Calvino puts it. What a silly mistake. Here are pictures of the moss garden (#) and surrounding landscape (#) that I took much more time to ponder. Also, I touched a tree that didn't want to be touched (#).

Luckily, the 88 Temple Pilgrimage was much more satisfying. We hiked up this incredible mountain, (#) polishing our Japanese-number-reading skills ("San Ju Hachi... temple thirty eight! We're almost halfway there!") by counting the temples. The 88 Temple Pilgrimage was modeled on a pilgrimage on a different island that takes months and months to complete, but this one can be done in less than an hour if you're in decent shape. For some reason, I think because my friends were taking a picture of every single temple, I didn't take a picture of a single one. I did, however, try to capture a shot of the view of Kyoto: (#). The whole hike up the mountain I had a mini rosary that my great-uncle gave me in my hand, praying that my knee would be okay (the last time I hiked I blew out my knee pretty badly) and that I wouldn't feel so ill I'd have to turn back. This mini rosary is a metal circle and reminds me very much of the Buddhist prayer beads that pilgrims use on the 'real' 88 temple pilgrimage. I thought that was a cool cross-cultural link.

After returning to Otsu we took some time to rest our feet before all gathering together to watch the animated movie Barefoot Gen. This was a way of preparing us for our impending visit to Hiroshima tomorrow. It's the story of a 6-year-old boy who lived through the atomic bombing, complete with graphic (despite being animated, the fact that it is an autobiography and this really happened made it incredibly painful to watch) details of the bomb's destruction, radiation sickness, and the narrator's baby sister starving to death. More than a few of us were crying and cursing the movie, not to mention the teachers for suggesting/requesting that we watch it. (I know, my teachers will read this, but since it's a journal I think I'm allowed to be honest.) I've been to the Holocaust museum in Washington, DC a few times and have read a few books about the Holocaust, not to mention I've seen Schindler's List, but Barefoot Gen was honestly more painful than those. I'm not sure I'm emotionally prepared to visit Hiroshima, but it's going to happen whether I like it or not.

Dr. Paine said, "You will not be the same after you have been to Hiroshima, but let it happen." in class today, and I'll admit to being afraid. The things that humans have done to other humans are truly unthinkable, terrifying, and disheartening.

Reading Response: Reactions to Basho

We learned in class today that our class journals are expected to be mostly responses to the reading, which I've been doing very few entries about. So I'll post a catch-up sightseeing entry later, but here's a reading response for now. Not very fascinating, unless you like American teenagers parodying Great Poets.

5.23

I'm somehow struck with the sinking feeling I'm going to be the only person in my class that isn't head over heels in love with Matsuo Basho. I've seen a couple of facebook statuses so far tonight "oh man, Basho is like the Japanese Robert Frost" or "Haiku are so much cooler than the whiny Gossamer Years." But I'll be honest: I don't get it. Maybe I'm not in the right mood for it but seriously? The guy's chosen penname means 'banana'. And to me, his writing style seems like this:

"We left on the such-and-such road heading south. We hiked up the such-and-such mountain and saw the such-and-such temple. So-and-so the famous poet once wrote this haiku there:

I am at / a temple / the wind blows.

So I sat and wrote this haiku.

The wind blowing/ reminds me that/ the seasons change.

On our way down the mountain, so-and-so who once knew so-and-so asked me to write a haiku on a card for him. I thought that was very classy of him, so I wrote,

I have hiked/ to the temple/ where the seasons change.

We then went into town and stayed at an inn. The innkeeper was very nice. I wrote him a haiku."

I'm sorry... I just don't get it. I'll try to look at it again in the morning, maybe meditate on one of the haikus, but I read a few chapters and I still don't understand why this is considered one of the greatest works of world literature.

Journal Entry 9

Journal Nine, in which our heroine befriends a flock of deer.

5/21/2011

The town of Nara, Japan is known for being Japan's capitol from 710 to 784; for being the capitol of the Nara prefecture; for having the largest wooden building in the world; and for having herds of relatively tame deer that wander around, harassing tourists for food. The reason for the deer is that according to ancient beliefs, the city's guardian god rode into town on a white-tailed deer; so Nara's residents treat deer the same way that citizens of India treats cows: letting them wander around wherever they want. Street vendors sell stacks of 'shika sembai,' deer crackers, and the deer know the ritual: As soon as you walk towards the vendor with your￥150 (about $2) the deer start following you, waiting for their handouts. And they're rather pushy about it, too! One of the bigger males kept trying to steal the crackers I was trying to give to the females and little fawns. After visiting the deer, we trekked to one of the other tourist attractions, the world's largest wooden building.

Todai-ji temple, in addition to being the world's largest wooden building, is the home of the largest copper Daibutsu, or giant Buddha sculpture. The daibutsu was truly massive, I would easily fit in his hand. There's also a hole/tunnel in one of the building's support pillars that's supposedly the same size as the Buddha sculpture's nostril: a foot to a foot and a half tall and maybe eight or ten inches wide. For some reason that my research didn't identify, crawling through this hole means you will gain enlightenment. Of course, I wasn't going to turn that down! While standing in line, we realized most of the people attempting this task were small children, as in, under six years old. We weren't phased at all, even when the parents in line behind us started pointing and saying something that sounded suspiciously like 'stuck'. I was the first of my friends to attempt it and went through without a problem. I didn't feel particularly enlightened, but maybe it's a slow growing kind of thing. My two friends also succeeded, much to the entertainment of the other visitors. The last thing that happened at the temple was my good karma for the day: because the temple is constantly being restored, visitors can donate a roof tile for ￥1000. What piqued my interest was the ability to write your name, home country, and a wish on the tile. Of course, my tile read "Dorothy & Belmont Group, 5/21/2011, Peace & Love foREVer." I love that a piece of me will be on this historic temple for years to come. (The reason forever is styled that way is because the drummer for a band I love very much passed a way two years ago, his stage name was The Rev and fans believe that his legacy will stay with us foREVer.)

Journal Entries 7 and 8

I know I've been behind on posting these but we've really been moving all the time recently. So here's to playing catch-up!

Journal Entry 7 or, The Mountain of the Warrior Monks

5/18/11

Once upon a time, a temple was built on the top of Mt. Hiei, to protect Kyoto from evil spirits. For some reason, this new sect of Buddhism wasn't quite as peaceful as most, and initiates did rigorous physical training like running up and down the mountain in straw sandals, meditating in the rain without much dinner, and sleeping for only an hour a day. No soldiers were allowed on temple grounds, but that's okay because the temple trained its own soldiers- the "warrior monks." We visited Enryaku-ji, the warrior monks' temple, today.

Originally, there had been talk about climbing up the mountain, but when we arrived the group decided that it would be best to take a cable car (funicular) up instead, and anyone who was craving hiking could hike back down. Here's the view from the top of the cable car track, if you squint you can see Kyoto down in the distance: (#) We hiked up to the temple (it was still a little trek from the cable car station, including some awkwardly spaced stairs) and held our class in a little corner of the temple grounds. I think that was probably the first time a Belmont class was held at a Buddhist temple!

There were a variety of other temples in the area, and I went to take pictures and ring a couple of big gongs during our free period. I particularly enjoyed the temples that showed signs of age: (#) and secluded, beautiful areas: (#) This one specifically is an example of one of our class keywords, syncretism. Syncretism is when two things that, in theory, shouldn't go together, end up together and are just fine. The most common example we've been seeing is Buddhism and Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan. The Torii gate (wooden arch-thingy) in that picture is a sign of Shinto, yet it was only a few steps away from another Buddhist temple. Despite the fact that Shinto seems to worship everything (spirits in nature, spirits of ancestors, specific rituals involving clapping and bowing to shrines) and Buddhism doesn't really worship much, many Japanese pick and choose from the two religions, births being celebrated at Shinto shrines and deaths at Buddhist temples.

Here's another pretty temple. (#) After wandering around and finding a real rock garden (#) by the founder of Tendai Buddhism's memorial, we began the hike down the mountain. It was interesting, to say the least, without a real path for most of the way down: (#). I have an old knee injury and it flared up during the trek, but luckily I had a bandage with me, wrapped my knee, and made it down. The hike was stunning, as most things here have been, with random unidentified spots to worship or meditate: (#). We took the train back to Otsu and I propped up my knee and rested for the remainder of the day.

Journal Entry 8: 10,000 Torii gates and Uji, the land of tea.

5/19 and 5/20

On 5/19, we visited Fushimi Inari Shrine, a Shinto site in southern Kyoto. This place is known for its' 10,000 Torii gates, all right next to each other creating a huge tunnel. For an unknown reason, I didn't take a picture of the gates, but here's a photo from one of my friends: (#) Thanks Rainu! I was feeling under the weather thanks to my knee blowing out coming down the mountain the day before, so I didn't hike the Torii gates' path, leaving the group to go sit in this gorgeous, secluded woods: (#) and write in my journal. It was kind of a slow day for me, I bought some candy and went back to my room to do homework once we got back to Otsu. A group of us went to an arcade that evening, which was enjoyable, with a friend and I spending about ten dollars worth of yen on a Jurassic Park shooting game (he thoroughly beat me, earning about 500 points every time I earned 100, but I saved him from almost getting eaten by a t-rex!) and a dollar on a ridiculous kids' game that had me jumping on a platform as if it was a pogo stick, guiding a cartoon bunny around a Mario-Kart esque track. All in all, not a bad way to spend an evening!

5/20 was spent in Uji, a part of town famous for its' tea. It is also the site of a famous bridge where battles in the Genpei war took place: (#) After putting our feet in the Uji river (#) and looking at a statue of the author of the Tale of Genji (#) we ventured onward to Byodo-in, a temple we'd already been seeing all week: on the back of our 10-yen coins! It was pretty interesting and of course, very beautiful, as everything else has been. (#) and (#) don't really capture its' beauty. Being a huge, huge dork, I'd looked up the places in Japan that the towns from the game Pokemon are based off of, and it turns out that one of the plot points in Pokemon is centered around a bird statue on the top of a building, and that statue is based off the phoenixes in this temple. I loved the phoenix artwork and sculpture in the temple's museum, but sadly I couldn't take pictures. I've always thought phoenixes were cool (if a bit creepy, considering they're reborn from their own ashes) and this was a beautiful temple.

After getting out of phoenix-land, we crossed the street into tea-land! Everything you can imagine with tea in it is served in Uji! The first thing we sampled was green tea ice cream with matcha powder on top, a far cry from the tea ceremonies we'd discussed in class with their refined sipping. The ice creams were quite tasty though! With the help of a translator from Switzerland, we went to another shop to sample green tea chocolates, candies, sweets and creams. They were fantastic. The next stop was a local artisan's shop featuring beautiful fabric paintings (you thought I was going to say something tea-related!) where many people found gifts for friends. I was reminded of the batik projects we did in middle school, that's not to say these pieces looked like they were done by 10 year olds, just saying the more traditional styles of art reminded me that I'd been exposed to some facets of this culture long ago.

The day was topped off by an adventure to Otsu-Kyo, the older side of Otsu, to try and recover my friend Kyle's lost rail pass. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found, but we found a lot of evidence of just how polite and helpful Japanese policemen really are. Two of them accompanied us back to the train station (after we visited their Koban, the police boxes that are on pretty much every corner here) to help translate and fill out forms with the rail office. We also passed a store called Liquor Mountain, which should entertain both my alcohol -and Internet- savvy friends: surely some of you remember that video with the unicorns saying "It's candy mountain, Charlie, caaaaaandy mounnntain!" So of course, many "liquor mountain" jokes were made as we walked by. We were more interested in the used game and collectable store across the street, though, because my friends were able to find some rare Dragonball Z toys and some Nintendo 64 games in Japanese. If only we had found Kyle's rail pass, it would have been a perfect day....

Class Assignment: Sei Shonagon-Style Lists.

So, in addition to this being my travel blog that lets my mom know I'm still alive, it is also a journal for the classes I'm taking here. The required reading for one of them is Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book," which is actually really interesting. (Sorry teachers for saying 'actually,' as if I expected it to be boring, but assigned reading tends to be... well... dry.) Shonagon's writing style is called 'zuihitsu,' which is translated as 'miscellany' or 'wherever your pen takes you' and her pen often takes the form of lists (irritating things, beautiful things, rivers, lakes, mountains. Some of her lists have explanations for each item, some are just item, item, item.) So our writing assignment for tonight (5/19) was to write a list, or lists, in her style.

Things that do not go well together: Many things are combined every day but here are a few pairs that particularly disagree with each other. Over-packers and subways. Over-packers and most types of travel, really, but watching someone struggle to lift their extremely large bag into the car as the doors are closing and their backpack is already crushing a businessman is a depressing sight. Skinny jeans and squat toilets; skinny jeans and large people; skinny jeans and any occasion which involves taking off your pants (trying on clothes, changing to go swimming, going to bed when exhausted.) Silver and gold jewelry. On their own, each is fine (though I prefer silver) but when combined, silver and gold together look worse than plastic jewelry or no jewelry at all. Small children and too much television.

Temples/shrines we have visited thus far on this trip: Senso-ji, Meiji Jingu, Heian Shrine, Shoren-in, Chioan-in, Ishiyama-dera, Enryaku-ji, Kyomizu-dera, Fishimi-Inari Taisha.

Countries I have visited in my life and the first thing I remember about them: America (McDonalds), Canada (Being forced to speak French with my school group), British Virgin Islands (The Baths at Virgin Gorda), Ireland (The Blarney Stone), England (Constantly overcast), Scotland (Bagpipes... I know that this is a cliche first thought, but it was mine), France (Being able to speak the language), Spain (Gaudi architecture), Italy (Jumping rope while in line for the Coliseum), Corsica (Napoleon was born there), Norway (Hiking a fijord), Sweden (Hiking another fijord), Finland (The cool teens hang out in a shopping mall in an underground train station), Estonia (there was a fort built by the French with British money on Estonian land and filled with Finnish soldiers to fight the Russians or some such bizarre mix of countries), Netherlands (Not really knowing what marijuana was because I was 12, but knowing it was legal there), Denmark (Beautiful, want to visit again), Russia (Being terrified all the time) and now, Japan! The first thing I remember about this beautiful place will have changed by the time I'm gone, but right now: real ramen is SO different and so much better than Cup O Noodles.

Colors I have dyed my hair: Most shades of brown and blonde, black, copper red, fire-truck red, barbie pink, pink/purple/blue, purple, blue, and cotton-candy pink.

Shonagon was known for her wit, and I doubt that this post will go down in world history like The Pillow Book, but I hope it was mildly entertaining. Actual update later tonight/ this morning for you in the US.

Journal entries 5 and 6

Entry #5

5/16/2011

Today we went to the Heian Shrine, passed by Shoren-in, spent some time at Chion-in, saw Muriama Park, and walked through Gion, the geisha district. Oh, and it was the first day of class, too. I'd have to say this was one of the busiest days we've had so far, at least according to my aching feet. But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

The Heian Shrine, while beautiful (#,) was a little more touristy than my idea of a shrine should be. I liked exploring it, and was amused by the Japanese schoolkids who asked for pictures with some of our group, but I wasn't upset to leave it when we headed out. The amusing thing about Shoren-in was that I didn't even know what it was when I snapped this picture: (#,) I just thought it was a pretty tree. Apparently this tree is over 800 years old, so much respect to it.

Chion-in merits its own blog post.

After that wondrous experience, the shrine closed and we were herded to the exit by polite, white-gloved guards. Unfortunately, a few of us were out of earshot or didn't understand the closing announcement, so I found myself missing my Kyle. After a few moments of panicing, we learned that anyone stuck in the temple's mountain paths would exit through Muriama Park, which was conveniently on our way to Gion, the geisha district. We met back up with our lost companions and headed through Gion's quaint, traditional streets. (#) We saw a couple of real-life geisha from a distance, then took the hike back to Kyoto train station. Walking along the river, I saw some wonderful buildings like this: (#.) What a fantastic place to be!

After all that walking (my estimate is about 7 miles over the course of the day, many of it involving slopes or stairs) I was exhausted, and worked briefly on a class project before wishing my boyfriend a happy anniversary (nine months, but it's not the first anniversary we've spent apart) I went to bed and slept soundly for four hours.

Entry #6

5/17/2011

19:59 Otsu time, hotel room

Listening to: Angels & Airwaves, "Young London"

Today Kyle and I did our class presentation, which was interesting because we only got the topic yesterday, and didn't rehearse before going in front of the class. It was on Ishiyama-dera, the Buddhist temple we were going to visit in the afternoon. I found it fascinating because of its' place in the bigger picture: many of the authors we're reading for class visited the temple, and it's part of a famous pilgrimage many Japanese Buddhists undertake. Since my 'religious experience' at Chion-in, I've been more in touch with the spiritual vibe here, which is an unexpected perk of this adventure. I will admit I didn't expect religion playing such a major role in our class and site visits, but I'm certainly not complaining!

Oh, speaking of the class, I suppose I should prove that I'm actually doing the reading. Because my body woke me up at 4:30 this morning (I don't know if I should call that jetlag or my system just being weird, probably a little of both) I read more than the assigned sections of Sei Shonoagon's The Pillow Book. I LOVE it. It's a lot better than Gossamer Years, which just felt like reading an emo kid circa 2006's livejournal. Shonagon at least has a sense of humor about things, and my short attention span is well-adjusted to her writing style. For those of you who aren't familiar with The Pillow Book, each section is a paragraph or two on a different topic. A few of them, the ones that I really enjoyed, are lists: "Infuriating things: A guest who arrives when you have something urgent to do, and stays talking for ages... A very ordinary person, who beams inanely as she prattles on and on... I also really hate when people go about envying others, bemoaning their own lot in life, demanding to be let in on every trivial little thing...." I think that Shonagon and I would get along.

After class, we broke for lunch (I found amazing fried tofu and rice in the grocery store, 5 for around 100 yen, delicious!) and when we reconvened for our temple trip, it was raining pretty violently. It calmed down and we got on the train to Ishiyama.

Ishiyama-dera (#) was stunning, even/especially in the persistant drizzle. I am lucky I had my umbrella, though, because I would have been a pretty unhappy camper without it. Again, I was very inspired by the scenery (# and #) Kyle and I wandered up a path on a mountain and felt like we were the only people for miles. (Well, I felt this way, I'm just assuming Kyle did as well.) We passed dozens of little statues of bodhisattvas, but one that was set a little off the path called out to me. I'd had such a wonderful experience from following my instinct yesterday, so I said to Kyle, "Let's say hi to that guy." (#) We knelt on a little stone platform in front of the statue and had a few moments of silence. I was thanking God for letting me have this experience, and everything around me, including the mosquitos- again, mindfulness meditation.

After coming down from the mountain and our spiritual high, Kyle and I checked out a few little stores by the temple. The proprietor of one of the stores, an adorable old lady who couldn't have been taller than four feet, showed me a unique set of Buddhist prayer beads, where by looking into one of the beads you could see a hidden image. They reminded me of a friend of mine who used Buddhist prayer beads in her practice of a unique mix of spiritualities, so I purchased them. I think they are my first 'souvenir' that's not overly cute or cartoony. Technically, they're not completely traditional, being made of synthetic pearls instead of wood, but I'm not completely traditional either.

I feel happy here. I've noticed I'm standing taller and smiling more often. I hope I can keep this up.

Extra entry: "I will never forget. I will never regret. I will live my life."

"This is awesome, the original definition: filled with awe. You want to drop to your knees from the beauty of this place. These days, we say 'oh, those shoes are awesome, those shoes are perfect.' No. Those are just shoes. THIS is something truly awesome, truly perfect." My words fell short of explaining how I truly felt, so I closed my mouth. Words still don't explain it, but I'm going to do my best in this blog, because unfortunately, not everyone was here to experience it.We were in a Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan, and I was the happiest, the most at peace, the most filled with joy I have ever been.

I stood in the center of the pavilion, trying to grasp the moment. As is my habit, I had one ear of my headphones on, my iPod on the shuffle setting, allowing it to choose the moment's soundtrack. I wasn't paying attention to my music until I looked up at this view of rolling, tree-covered hills and traditional architecture:

And heard these words:

I will never forget.

I will never regret.

I will live my life.

For those of you who don't know, it's a 30 Seconds To Mars song, off of their most recent album, which I have always said was intentionally recorded for a wide, open space. Originally I had thought that this meant an arena or stadium, but the sonic landscape the song was creating matched perfectly with what I was seeing.

Mahayana Buddhism is all about mindfulness: being where you are in the moment. The past is gone, the future is unsure, all you have is where you are right now, what you are seeing and doing and feeling. Mahayana Buddhists think about walking mindfully, speaking mindfully. What I was experiencing was being mindfully. Existing, and being completely, totally aware of my existence. I suddenly realized I was having a truly spiritual moment, but so much more than a 'moment,' I was filled with the beauty and the energy and the power of the moment, the closest I can come to describing it in words is spiritual ecstasy or a spiritual orgasm. Both of those phrases fit about as well as gloves fit on feet, but they're the closest I can get. I was so overwhelmingly happy to be in that moment, seeing what I was seeing and hearing what I was hearing. I was even happy for my aching feet and back: that meant that I had climbed the hundred steps up to this amazing, breathtaking place.

"Kyle, come here. Come here." I waved my best friend over. "Do you want to have a spiritual experience?" I plugged the other headphone in his ear without waiting for an answer. Rewinding the song thirty seconds or so- I will never forget. I will never regret. I will live my life. Repeating over and over. "This is where we are right now. This is what we're seeing. This is what we're living. This is our lives. Look at this." I felt tears welling up in my eyes, in the pure wonder of it all. It almost sounds silly typed out, but it was absolutely stunning.

I tried going into the shrine itself, but the ceiling was stifling. I wanted to be under the bright sky. I was so inspired by nature and scenery.

I'm so blessed to be in Japan right now. That the right things happened at the right time, that I was craving some new experiences, that my parents let me go and paid for it. That I go to Belmont, and that Belmont decided to take kids to Japan. That I was approved for the trip. That my health was good enough to get up that mountain. So. Blessed. I'm so happy to be alive right now in a way that, as I've said, words can't even explain. Life is beautiful.

I will never forget.

I will never regret.

I will live my life.

Journal entry 4 [New and improved, with pictures!]

Journal Entry #4 or, An Adventure of Sparkles and Joy

5/15, 13:28 Takarazuka Time, in a shopping mall attached to a train station.

Well, I didn't write an entry on 5/14, but that was because the day was mostly spent in transit. The morning was a visit to the Meiji shrine (#1) and Harajuku, the fashion district known for its' crazy clothes and variety of people. I'm a raver by nature and the variety of neon clothing in Harajuku was astounding. We bought crepes (which are apparently a big thing in Japan? #2) from a vendor and enjoyed a lot of people watching. The Meiji shrine was pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum, very quiet and composed. We saw a few weddings in progress, because it is the designated place for Shinto weddings. The part of the shrine that I enjoyed the most was this: (#3) a wall of prayers left by visitors. They ranged from hopes that travel would go well, to wishes for a new boyfriend, to Japan's recovery from the tsunami. Most were in Japanese but there were more than a few in English, at least two in French, and a few in Thai. My favorite was this: (#4) “I wish for everyone to find their passion in life- to be the best they can be and share it with the world. Life is short. Life is unpredictable. There is no time to wait and let life happen to you. Love unconditionally. Live unconditionally. And remember to always smile (:”

5/15, 21:19 Otsu time, in my new hotel room.

Okay... I stopped writing this entry in Takarazuka to go see a magical musical. It was deliciously over-the-top, with colorful sparkly feathered outfits. See, Takarazuka is a theater where all roles, even the male ones, are played by female actresses/dancers (#5). It reminded me of my high school in the very best way. After the musical we took the train back to Otsu, with a slight mishap on the way- even though I somehow acquired pretty good navigational skills, we did get on the wrong line once. Luckily, we noticed this when just one stop out of our way, so we got back pretty quickly. Now I'm settled into my hotel room in Otsu, where we will be staying for the next two weeks. It's lovely, and quite a bit bigger than the rooms in Tokyo and Kyoto. The view looks like this: (#6)

Culture comments... today, I got used to being the only white face in the crowd. Takarazuka is kind of a hidden treasure, and as so, not a very tourist-friendly city. It's still very friendly and polite, just not as much English signage. Here's something I wrote after our quick visit to Kyoto (Stephanie and I stayed there last night, I'm sorry this entry is a little disjointed:) “I step out of the hotel room and become mute. It feels like we are the only English-speaking people in Kyoto, Japan. If I bump into someone, I give a nod and a polite smile by way of apology. Doubtless they are thinking, 'stupid foreigner.' The few words of my pitiful Japanese vocabulary that are armed and ready to fire are the words for 'excuse me' and 'I do not understand.' But I do not use them, I do not need them. I realize ten minutes have passed without saying a word- when was the last time that happened? Surrounded by people, but neither understanding nor interacting? Alone in a crowd....”

I realize that sounds kind of depressing, but it's true, and I liked it enough to post on here. As far as random little culture notes go, I feel like I'm getting the hang of things like placing the money on the counter for a purchase (instead of handing it to the cashier, some stores even have a little tray for money) and standing on the left side of the escalator. Despite one or two mishaps, I think I've gotten pretty handy at navigating the train system, but I suppose that will be determined later on in the game. Tomorrow is our first day of classes. I'm excited but unprepared, so I guess it's time to do the reading....

(I didn't talk about the train ride from Tokyo to Kyoto but here's a picture: #7)

Entries 2 and 3, plus pictures!

Journal Entry 2 or; Why Dorian is Freaking Out
5/12/11, 21:31 Tokyo Time, at the hotel

Listening to: Kill Hannah “Why I Have My Grandma's Sad Eyes”

Okay, things aren't going quite as smoothly as planned. Well, the plane landed just fine and we all found our way through the airport, train station, and taxi to the hotel (a couple of people almost got abandoned, but they figured it out) and now I'm sitting alone in my room, quietly freaking out. See, I have what some might call a pretty serious Internet addiction. Maybe it's more of a connectivity addiction, because the fact that my phone's not working is also contributing to the freak-out. My mother even got me an international plan, for emergencies, and I'd like to let her know I'm alive. I can't text my mother or my boyfriend, can't update my facebook status, can't get reassuring, “oh, I feel like that when I've gone 30 hours without sleep too!” comments or messages. Nothing. I'm completely isolated in this little 8'X10' box. Freakout.

Right, I forgot for a minute that this is a class journal and not a livejournal for emo kids. Well, on the plane (the view from which looked like this, by the way: #1) I read the first two chapters of Kyoto, A Cultural History. At first I found it rather dry but once I realized that it was discussing really cool things, I got more interested. I think the courtship/ affair rituals are fascinating and the fact that this formal approach to hooking up produced so much great literature is really cool. I also loved the author's mention of Chaucer at the end of the second chapter- I tend to think of Chaucer as the oldest poet ever (in high school we were forced to memorize the first 16 lines of the Canterbury Tales, and to this day... Whan that aprill with his shoures saute the draute of march hath perced to the rote....) so setting the Heinan period even further back in history is cool. It's been a while since I've had to think about things that happened before 1977.

As far as culture shock goes, we haven't really experienced Tokyo yet. It was raining and gross when we took our taxi from the train station, and I don't feel up to adventuring right now. Hopefully tomorrow. The language barrier hasn't been much of a problem yet... a lot of 'sumimasen's on my part and the occasional gesture. We gave the taxi driver our hotel's address and he took us there very politely. I'm not freaking out because of the culture shock, I think if I was in my right mind I'd be very comfortable here. It must be the sleep deprivation and lack of Internet.

Call me strange but my favorite part of my tiny hotel room is the bathroom. The tub is much deeper than American tubs, but is also shorter. This means that you bathe in a sitting position, but the water goes up to your shoulders. I enjoyed it. There's also this (#2) cool sticker which I think must be about conserving water, and this (#3). Yes, that's the instructions for the toilet. The toilets here require instructions, kids.

Journal Entry 3 or, My Only Full Day in Tokyo.
5/13/11, 19:38 Tokyo time, at hotel.
Listening to: Alkaline Trio “The Poison”

Tokyo is the first city that people tend to think of when they think of Japan, and for me the first image that comes to mind is a neon-lit five-way intersection. We didn't see that today, but I think it's pretty much the only thing we didn't see. We saw several temples (and I mean SEVERAL, we tried using one as a landmark to navigate at one point, but then we passed three more, literally one on each block) as well as an astonishing multi-level game arcade, stores that sold only walkie-talkies or cables, and more than a few women in french maid costumes handing out fliers.

The first place we went was Senso-ji shrine, within walking distance of our hotel in the morning. I stopped on the way to buy green tea from a vending machine- I have already gotten used to and appreciative of the vending machines every 50 feet or so. The shrine was beautiful, with a touristy shopping area and a large temple/shrine (#4, I'm still not sure what the difference between a temple and a shrine is) where a huge cauldron of burning incense creates plumes of smoke. The tradition/belief is that if you wave the smoke onto yourself, your illnesses will be cured. (#5) After some shopping and wandering around the shrine's neighborhood, we took a train over to Ueno, a park that had a memorial for the last Samurai (#6). While this park was interesting and had some lovely scenery, I was all too aware of the fact that I am leaving Tokyo tomorrow, so I was determined to see as many neighborhoods as possible.

The next stop was Akihabara, which is either translated as or nicknamed “electric town” which is the perfect name for it. The very first thing we saw after getting out of the train station was this (#7,) a multi-level video game arcade. Yes, the sign on the five-level SEGA building has a map that helps you locate the three other five-level SEGA buildings within easy walking distance. Insane. A few of our group were instantly drawn to the arcade, and the rest of us wandered around looking to fulfill our personal agendas. One was looking for vintage video games, one for rare trading cards, one for manga. As for myself, I was just along for the ride! I enjoyed all the sights, particularly a row of stores that only sold lightbulbs. I'm not kidding! (#8)

As far as the language barrier goes, I now have this theory: you only really need to know how to say “hello,” “excuse me,” “do you speak English,” “I'm sorry,” “I don't understand,” and “thank you very, very much.” I think I've mastered these phrases. And I think it's interesting that 90% of my interactions with strangers has been in the “hello,” “excuse me,” and “thank you very, very much” areas. I guess I don't think about the words that I use with strangers at home, but it's probably along the same line.

Somebody said earlier today, “It's going to suck when we get back to America, and there's litter everywhere and people are always in your way. Things are more efficient here.” I couldn't sum it up more perfectly. Japan is extremely clean and organized. The sidewalks (which are very wide) are marked with one part for pedestrians and one part for bikes. The stairs in the subway are marked which side is up and which side is for walking down. I love it. It's a little OCD but it makes things so much easier. If we acknowledge this after just a day in Japan, re-entry is going to be SERIOUSLY disturbing after three weeks here.

Today I bought this: (#9) it's a scarf. No, it's a Hello Kitty scarf. No, it's a Hard Rock Cafe scarf. No, it's a HELLO KITTY HARD ROCK CAFE SCARF. Love it. <3

Japan Journal entry 1

I'm not sure if anyone will actually WANT to read my Japan Journals, but I'm required to keep them for class, so I figured I'd post them here. (Hi Mom! You're probably the only person reading this!) The rules for my class journals go like this:

"You will also write a Journal, which is to include reactions to readings, class discussion, and site visits, as well as personal observations on life in Japan as you experience it. The first entry should be made prior to departure and should state your hopes, expectations, anxieties, etc. about the coming experience. Each entry should be 400 words or so in length, or more."

Okay.

Journal Entry 1- Prior to departure.

10:31 PM Central time/ 12:31 AM Japan time, May 10, 2011

Feeling: My stomach kind of hurts a little but I'm pretty sure it's just nerves, and I really hope I can sleep tonight- I haven't much lately.

Listening to: Billy Talent (good band from Canada)

My name is Dorian, I don't speak a word of Japanese, and in 12 hours I'll be on a plane to Atlanta, where I will get another plane that will take me to Tokyo. I'll be there in roughly 24 hours? I'm too lazy to do the math but it's a crazy-long plane ride. I've had a few international experiences- I've been around half of Europe, but never Asia. I speak semi-fluent French and a few phrases of Chinese but, as I said, little to no Japanese.

Hopes/Expectations.... I'm the kind of person who likes new experiences of every type. I like seeing new places and doing new things. So I hope to see and do things I'd NEVER do in my average, college-student life. I'm really excited to see some crazy theater with my friend Stephanie, but that's not through the group, it's a little side trip. I'm also excited to wake up early and meditate with Buddhist monks- I've loved comparative religion classes in the past and new spiritual experiences are great for me. I'm glad to be getting out of America for a little bit. I was lucky enough to go to Europe as a teen, so I've noticed the differences between us and Everyone Else. I expect and hope to see a different culture with different priorities. [Culture comment: I have no less than 7 facial piercings. I'll be taking them out and/or wearing very subtle jewelry while I'm out and about, but I have read that they are incredibly uncommon in Japan. Not to mention the whole I'm-a-5-foot-8-white-girl thing, I'm going to stick out like a SORE THUMB.]

Anxieties: my health is a constant anxiety for me. I've been relatively healthy the past 8-9 months, which is why I'm well enough to go on this trip, but prior to that I'd been in the Emergency Room about once a month from a confusing, horrible stomach pain. Like I said, it hasn't happened for 8-9 months, so I really should be fine. Another anxiety is my boyfriend, who I already miss and I haven't left the country yet. We've done the long-distance thing before but I'm going to miss him a lot. Thank God for the Internet. Last anxiety: food. I'm not exactly the most adventuresome eater. Even though I like going to new places, seeing and doing new things, I was raised on a pretty bland diet (I'm not blaming you, mom!) and have been known as a pretty picky eater. However, my roommate Kyle (who is also coming to Japan) is a vegan (though he's loosening up and being vegetarian in Japan) so we'll be able to hunt down special food together. People ask why I'm going to Japan if I don't like fish (I basically don't eat seafood) and other people tell me I'm lucky I don't, because it's going to be radiated... so yeah, food is an anxiety. I know I'll find stuff to eat, though.

Here's what's NOT an anxiety -but might end up messing with me more than I thought- JETLAG. I've been on a pretty messed-up sleep schedule the past few weeks (moving and finals) so I'm used to strange hours. And, as I keep repeating, I'm an old pro at this international-flying thing. I got this. Bring it on.

>I just re-read this and noticed how I mentioned the language thing twice in the intro but not when I got to my anxieties section. I guess I'm really not too concerned about the language barrier? Japanese students are taught English in high schools and I've heard many are eager to practice their English, plus I'm a really quick learner when it comes to 'where is the bathroom,' 'I'm sorry, I don't understand' type of phrases- the other day I said 'hello' and 'I'm sorry' in at least 5 languages to demonstrate this. So... language is not really a big fear? I guess?