Not Ready to Leave

Day 7 (Friday the 12th)
On Friday, we were hosted by Osaka University faculty. Some of their students and faculty will be visiting the U of A in February next year. We met them at the Pokemon store in Osaka and proceeded to have a very good lunch of okonomiyaki. They then took us to Osaka Castle. It is now basically a museum, having been rebuilt numerous times over the years. It was cool to learn about some important Japanese history. From there we went to the Namba district for dinner. We sampled a variety of foods at a very cool restaurant that Niki-Sensei picked out. We had many laughs with the Osaka University professors and were very grateful for their hospitality. They did not want us to pay them a dime despite providing us with lunch and dinner. I was able to force Niki-Sensei take some American money with the idea that he could save it for when he comes to Arizona. The surrounding area of Namba, which is known as Dotonbori, is much like that of Times Square due to the vibrant lights and shops. The most famous of the billboards is the Glico man, who is a runner crossing the finish line. We were able to get some good photos with him.

Day 8 (Saturday the 13th)
We visited Kyoto with Sho-Sensei and many of the Kobe Gakuin students. We first got to see the Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-ji) which is a temple made of real gold on the outside. It was a sight to see despite the humidity. Next we traveled to the Ryoanji Temple, which is a beautiful stone garden. It was very peaceful there, and I can see why one could spend hours just sitting there and contemplating life. We had a fantastic sushi lunch in Kurazushi. As opposed to American restaurants, this sushi restaurant had conveyor belts that would continuously spin out sushi and other treats. You could also order sushi directly and have it sent to the table via a second conveyor belt. For every 5 plates one finished a casino type game was simulated on screen to win prizes. This is an ingenious way to encourage more eating, and it helped make us stuffed. After lunch, we went to the Heian-jingu Shrine and Kiyomizu-dera Temple. At the temple we drank water from a fountain. We had the choice to pick water that was imbued with powers for studying, love, or old age. Since school hasn't started yet, and I'm not over the hill just yet, I chose the love water. After this, we traveled back to Sannomiya. One of the Kobe Gakuin students, Yui, continued to show a few of us around while we shopped and took us to dinner at an awesome udon noodle restaurant. She was very patient with us the whole day and actually helped me learn a few simple Japanese phrases. If you are reading this Yui, thank you for your kindness and help! We hope to return the favor when you eventually visit Arizona! We capped the night off with a small group gathering in one of the hotel rooms. It was a nice way to cap off a long day with some good laughs.

Day 9 (Sunday the 14th)
Today we got to ride the bullet train to Hiroshima. It was a truly humbling experience walking into both the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum. We must learn from history to not repeat mistakes. I do not want to get into politics, but I do want to say that I never want to see the destruction of nuclear weapons in my lifetime. The aftermath was devastating, and I hope a bombing like that is never carried out again. Above all else, we should strive for peace. It was heartbreaking seeing some of the artifacts from the a-bomb in Hiroshima. On a happier note, we continued our day by having Hiroshima style okonomiyaki and going to the island of Miyajima. We got to try the momoji (a breaded desert with different filling) there and view the great Torii, a shrine built in the middle of the ocean. The island was very cool and like Nara, full of deer. We traveled back to the hotel thereafter. Currently, I am sitting in bed finishing my blog. I have packed my things but can't say that I am quite ready to go yet. I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave this awesome place. I will leave a bit of my heart here in Japan. I hope to come back and visit someday soon!