Day 256 - 13th of May

11:17pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Well, today I feel much better about everything; for some reason, getting my oral over and done with was such a relief. I feel like I’ve jumped over the halfway point, and now I only have another half to go; it’s wonderful. Today’s weather mirrored my happy, warm feelings and I don’t even care that I didn’t get my report done; again… After getting ready, I basically spent the rest of the morning preparing for my oral exam. I typed out everything I wanted to say, and even got a little bit of a chance to memorise it; a very little chance. Getting to uni, I went straight to the third floor, and sat outside Saigo Sensei’s office, talking with Kim; we were talking about the same topic. She went in before me, and soon after it was my turn. After an initial mind blank, I stumbled my way through, but actually didn’t do that badly. I quite enjoyed talking to Sensei about it and I wish I could have had more time to say what I wanted to say. Throughout, he would ask questions or make comments, which steered me way off what I was intending to say, but it did make it feel more natural. He was really surprised when he found out I was only 19 actually; it was quite funny. Anyway, as soon as that was done, I leapt for joy on the inside, and then went with Kim and Nathan for lunch.

We all ate katsudon in the third cafeteria, and talked about what we would be doing when we got back home; the end is so close. Around 12:30, we went back to the CIE lounge, and I found Julie to study Religion with before the quiz. In fact, it turned out to be relatively easy, and I got it done within 15 minutes; now all I have to do is finished that report. Afterwards, I sat in the lounge for a while longer, and then made my way over to Don kihote to buy Tim Tam’s for tomorrow’s party. I also bought a packet for Rose since it was her birthday yesterday, and I’d be going to her party tonight. I met Carly on the way back to the seminar house, and after dropping our stuff off, we went to Sanko; I had to buy the ingredients for my biscuits. As soon as I got back, I got stuck into it and almost 2 hours later, I had baked 31. Already that number has decreased to 27. It was almost 5 when I was done, so I came downstairs and got started on my JASSO scholarship report. I have to talk about what I have achieved academically, and how the uni has broadened my knowledge of Japan; fun, fun, fun…

I didn’t get very far with that, as we were going out for dinner tonight; New Dehli, since Carly’s never been. We left at 5:30 and soon got there; Carly rode on the back of my bike. Finding no one there, we decided to go into uni, and soon found Sarah, Katie and Rachael in the lounge. They were waiting for Rachel to turn up. In the end she didn’t, so it was just the five of us. Dinner was absolutely wonderful as always, although sadly the service was a little soon; understandable since it was absolutely packed. After waiting 30 minutes for our lasse (only Carly got hers), we decided to just leave; that was a bit of a shame. I was already an hour late for the party, so I rushed to Seminar House 1, and got inside just in time to find Mori and Midori leaving; they had already made cake. It was sad to see them go, but I was soon enjoying the fruit (or cake), or fruit cake actually of their labours; it was amazing. Rose was stoked when I gave her the Tim Tams; she immediately ripped the packet open and distributed them. There 10 of us in the room, which was basically exactly the same as our rooms here, with little differences here and there. Us guests, stuck around until almost 10, watching funny movies on YouTube, and taking photos; it was great fun. Finally it was time to say good night, and as soon as I got back to Sem 2, I was roped into watching a drama with Julie, Chelsea, Rachel and Ash; it was actually really intense. It was only the 5^th episode, but already the plot is so complicated. Chelsea caught me up pretty well, but I kinda want to see the earlier episodes. Well, I’m going to get some sleep now…

Day 230 - 18th of April

10:08pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Although I’m feeling dead tired now, today was so much fun! I won’t keep you in suspense; we came 2^nd!!! I’m so proud of everyone for putting in so much effort, and there was such a strong sense of team spirit…I woke up at about 9 and after showering, I went up to the kitchen and ate breakfast, chatting with people as they came and went, most getting ready for today’s event. I ended up staying there till about 11, when I realised I’d have to get a wriggle on if I was going to make it there for 11:30. I bid Hugo farewell (he was going to a cultural exchange event), brushed my teeth, and then got going. Meeting Rachel outside, we were about to head off when Julie came out, saying that Rebecca and Julianne needed a lift, since they would also be competing, and they wouldn’t make in time if they walked. So, I took Julianne, and Rachel took Rebecca; that was pretty scary. It was really hard to get started, but after building up a bit of momentum it got gradually easier; it was still very wobbly going though. We only got as far as the east gates before Julianne was asked to dismount. I rode ahead to catch up with Rachel and soon we were at the courts, waiting for everything to get started. People continued to pour in, and Julie, Rachael, Katie, and Ash came as support; our unofficial cheerleaders. We eventually got going at 12, as per the timetable, and started off with the “Opening Ceremony”, before doing a few stretches; very briefly.

After that, the events stated, and we kicked off with tug-of-war. Well… we didn’t end up doing too well at all at it; we lost every game. Indeed, we are the smallest house, and we had the smallest number of competitors; all the other houses had to reduce their numbers for the event. Even when Peter came, we were no match for the other houses; there were some big guys on the other teams. Then came jump-rope, and wow did we suck at that; okay so that’s a little harsh. But still, all the teams got two tries each, to get us many people through the rope in 3 minutes as possible, and the best we did was 25; the other teams got into the 30’s. I was a little disappointed, because I was feeling pretty competitive at the time, but it really didn’t matter; we were there to have fun. After out two turns, I went with Katie and Ash to the convenience store and bought some water for me and a coke for Rachael. Getting back, it was “rest time” so many went off to get a quick bite to eat; I was feeling fine. About half an hour later (a bit after 2), the final event got underway; Super Dodge-ball!!! After the rules were explained (which actually took quite a while), we split up into two groups of 5 girls and 5 guys; since there weren’t enough of us, most of us had to double up.

The rules were basically – one Seminar House vs. another, each with a team of 10. Two people from the team are stationed on the outside of the of the opposing teams court, while the other 8 are within. There are 3 dodge-balls and a game of jankenpon (scissors-paper-rock) determines which team starts with two balls. Basically, you get sent the outside if you get hit by a ball, but you’re safe if you catch it, or you get hit above the shoulders. The person who hits you gets to go back inside their court. The people on the inside can also try to hit members of the other team; but they remain inside. The matches are 5 minutes, and the winning team is the one that either has the most people left in the middle by the end of the 5 minutes, or has sent every member of the opposing team to the outside. It was a very intense game. But guess what… we won every match! It was tournament style, so there ended up being 6 matches (7 if you include the tie-breaker we had with Seminar House 1). I ended up being in 6 out of the 7 matches, and I had such a great time. A memorable moment was when I was the last person on the inside and I managed to dodge all three balls that were coming at me in quick succession; this gave my team a chance to get other members back in. At the time, I hadn’t even realised the significance of it, but afterwards everyone congratulated me, which made me swell with pride; we had great team spirit.

Throughout the day, Rebecca (our leader), rallied us together, screamed at us, and got us to do the Seminar House pose in a big circle. I really felt a strong connection with everyone, and I think that’s what got us through; the team work and communication. There were also a few kids playing (the children of the professors’), and they were also putting a great effort in; it was especially funny seeing them in tug-of-war. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the day ran completely smooth. Our second match, against Seminar House 1, became very heated as both sides accused the other of cheating; this was the one that ended in a tie-breaker. This one guy came up to Angela (Rachel’s roommate), and threw one of the balls at her as hard as he could; so I heard. She went off crying, and oh boy did Rachel chew that guys face off; she told me she had wanted to punch him. He really did display terrible sportsmanship though. When the places were being announced, and we received trophies (they were beautiful), he went up to receive his houses place and trophy (3^rd), and showed very little enthusiasm; what a sore loser. I was actually really surprised when it was announced that we were 2^nd; I guess dodge-ball had counted for more than we’d expected. Apart from trophies, we also received gifts, which meant candy in other words. After the closing ceremony, congratulations, eating and photo-taking, we slowly made our way back to the dorm, elated.

It was 5 by the time we got back. I went to my room for a little while, and then went up to the kitchen; we were going to have a party at 6! Rebecca had asked Liz if she could bake a cake for it, and with little time to prepare, she was in a bit of a fix. Chelsea, Julie, and I helped her out though, contributing hands and ingredients, and just in time, we had a cake in the oven. There were heaps of drinks and snacks, that people had kindly contributed, and at around 6:30, the pizza came that Yuji had ordered. Since Rachael and I had made plans to go to New Delhi for dinner, we didn’t have any, but that didn’t stop us from getting stuck into the sweets. We all got a bit of cake too, and it turned out amazing; such a simple recipe too. Finally, Rachael and I said our farewells, and made our way over to New Delhi. The curry was amazing, and as usual they brought us heaps of extra food; I was absolutely stuffed. We sat and talked for a while, and then eventually left for home; it was a cold walk back... I’m absolutely exhausted now, and although there was an open invitation to go to Karaoke with Rachel, Katie and Ash, I’m certainly not up for it. Hugo’s gone out to celebrate with Tristan since it’s his birthday. All I’m going to do now though is sleep…

Day 168 - 14th of February

8:30am　特急
天気：　晴れ
We’re on the train to Kyobashi now. Well, this morning was a bit of a mess up on my part. I set the alarm on my iPod for 6:30, but forgot to turn the sound up, so I slept through it. Luckily, I was woken up by Hugo coming back from his night out in Osaka; thanks Hugo. It was already 7, so Simon, Jeremy, and Rachael were already ready; I had to quickly apologise to each of them as I saw them in that order. I ate breakfast, and then had a quick shower, and made it out to the lounge by 7:30; not so bad. After some more apologising, we set off for Makino, and made a quick stop at Mini Stop (a convenience store), so that Jeremy and Rachael could get some money out; we all bought some food too. Then we got on the local to Hirakata, switched over, and here we are now. It’s a warm, sunny day, but I think it’ll be cooler in 六甲山 (Rokkosan – Rokko Mountain); I’m so excited.

8:51am　普通
Now we’re on a local train to 尼崎 (Amagasaki) on the JR Hanshin line. This line actually goes to Takarazuka, so once we get to Amagasaki, we’re going to switch, and continue on to 六甲道 (Rokkomichi). This isn’t the way I’d intended to go, but when we got to Kyobashi, we found that we could go directly to Kobe from there, instead of taking the loop line around to Shin Osaka, and going from there as I’d originally planned; I think this way works out cheaper sine there’s less transfers. This line seems more like a subway; we’ve been underground for a while now. Simon’s taking a little nap…

9:14am　普通
We’ve just transferred at Amagasaki. We ended up on a local, because I didn’t realise the rapid express (which was bound for Himeji castle) stopped at our stop; oh well. It’s so cool that we’re in Kobe! I can already see the mountains looming on our right side, and the port on our left; there are so many bridges. We’ve got about 7 more stops until we hit Rokkomichi…

13:01pm　バス
We’re on the bus back to the cable car now. Wow, the traffic to get to the ice festival has backed up so far down the mountain; they’re going to be waiting for hours. We came at a really good time; and what a spectacular place… After getting off the train at Rokkomichi, we waited for the bus bound for 六甲ケーブル下 (Rokkosan keburu shita), where the cable line is; very convenient. We considered walking it, but I’m glad we didn’t; it was at least 20 minutes by bus, up a very steep slope. Getting the cable line, Jeremy noticed that they were doing a package that included cable car return fare, bus return, and the ice festival admission for 1,700円; that saved us at least 400円. So we went for that, and joined the very long line. We didn’t have to wait very long at all for the cable car, and the entire queue managed to fit. The car was so cool, with tiered seating and open-air; we stood up near the middle.

Once we got started, we were treated to music, and a spiel on the history of the cable car and the mountain; not that I was paying much attention. I was too exciting about riding a cable car for the first time, and taking in the awesome scenery; we even got a few peeks at Kobe through the trees. It took a little over 10 minutes to reach the top (I know because I was taping it), and after disembarking, we climbed the stairs, and quickly made our way outside to be rewarded with an awesome view of Kobe. We just missed getting on the bus (it was packed as), but I didn’t care; I wanted to take in the view. We climbed a bit higher to an observation deck, and thought about how amazing this would be to see at night; they had a panel showing what it looked like at night up there. It was a bit of a shame that it was quite hazy; we could only just make out KIX. We caught the next bus, soon noticing that there was a little bit of snow on the ground, covering the bamboo. We climbed further up the mountain, making tight turns, and coming up the town, which we’re back in now. We’re getting off at Rokkosan hotel, because we’ve decided to walk to the cheese castle, so I’ll have to continue this later…

2:45pm　バス
On the bus again, back to the cable car for sure this time; we’ve got to get back home… We’ve just been to the Rokkosan Pasture and “cheese castle”, which wasn’t a castle at all. We should have read the Japanese for this one ~ 神戸チーズ館 – Kobe cheese “building”. It was actually situated on the 1st and 2nd basement floors of a barn house in the pasture, and since we had to pay to get into the grounds, we didn’t end up seeing it. We had less than an hour so it wouldn’t have been worth it anyway. We ended up walking a little way and petting the two Shetland ponies (a male and a female), that we could just reach over the fence. An American guy’s come over and has been talking to us (well mainly Jeremy), about this and that. It’s extremely warm on these buses, and I feel like drifting off. Hopefully, we don’t have to pay to ride this bus, but I have a sneaking feeling we do, since it’s not on the route to the Ice Festival; just have to wait and see.
3:39pm　バス
Now we’re on the bus back to Rokkomichi station, making our way back down the hill into Kobe; much of the city is on the slope actually. We’re packed in here like sardines (at least we got to sit), and the poor bus driver can’t even let anyone else on; he’ll slow up at the bus stops, and then continue on. The look on one women’s face when she saw how full the bus is was priceless. But priceless was not the bus back from the pasture, unfortunately. After getting back to the cable line, we had a quick browse in the small souvenir shop (I bought some postcards), then hoped on board the car once more. I decided to stand right at the front, to film our descent through the Perspex; so cool. At this point, I think we’ll have no problem getting back home for the food party at 6. Anyway, back to earlier this morning…

After going through the town and up a winding road past lodges, pine trees, and frozen ponds we found ourselves stuck behind traffic, right before a bus stop. Since everyone was getting off, we decided to follow suit; we were in fact only about 400m from the Garden Terrace where the Ice Festival was being held. Stepping out of the bus, we had actually arrived the Rokkosan Country House and artificial ski slope. But that’s not what caught my eye. All the trees were covered with ice, and with the warmth of the sun, it was starting to melt. We had noticed it on the bus, and Simon and I especially looked on in awe. Small chunks were falling off the trees like snow, hitting the road and cars. It made the most amazingly beautiful sound as it fell and hit things, and I imagined how serene it would be to sit in a forest with this sound all around me. For me, seeing all these trees covered in this layer of delicate ice was probably the most surreal thing I’ve ever seen; almost better than snow.

Like me, Simon was over the moon, leading the way with such an enthusiasm. He found joy in breaking bits of ice of the trees, and making snowballs out of what little snow he could find on the ground. We noticed a field of snow where a heap of kids were tobogganing, and tried to find our way in. We came to realise that, to get in, we had to enter the ski slope area, and that meant paying 2500円; that wasn’t happening. Slightly disappointed, we made our way back onto the road, and continued to follow it toward the festival, past the backed up traffic. After a short while, we found a crossing, made our way up a precarious set of stairs, and then walked further up a hill to find ourselves and the venue for the festival. Passes stamped, and we were in. I’d better stop here since we’ve made it back to the station…

4:03pm　特急
Now we’re on the limited express back to Kyobashi; not that it skips many stations. Anyway, back to today… So, we got to the festival, and were immediately greeted by two proud eagles of ice. I remember ages ago, going to see ice sculptures in a place in Brisbane with Nanny and Poppy, and I do remember playing with a little bit of snow. Those faded memories were revived as we snaked our way through the display area. Among my favourites were a pair of Phoenix, a tiger, a unicorn, and a ship passing through huge waves. A lot of them were ocean themed (lots of fish and mermaids), but there were also dragons, birds, people, and even Doraemon. Past the food stalls, there was a section for kids to have fun, with slides, and pinball machines curved out of ice and a fishing game where you had to hook small blocks of ice. There was also an area where you could make your own creations from ice; most people seemed to be making pots. Hungry, we decided to eat there; I went for a nice warm bowl of ramen. As we were sitting down, Simon and I got showered in ice from, as we later found out, kids playing in a pile of it above; and once again I got ice down my back.

After eating, we left the venue, climbing some stairs, and exiting out into an area with shops and restaurants, and a viewing deck providing another amazing view of Kobe. We browsed a nearby shop for a while. There was so much great looking food (Kobe is famous for its cheese among other things), but we didn’t end up buying anything. Deciding to head back, we made our way for the bus, but not before making a side trip up a watch tower in a very European-influenced “village”. After taking in even more of the view from the height of the tower, we walked through the village, and came across a little shop called Little Horti. Just inside the entrance was something that made Simon whoop with delight; Tim Tams. It was pretty funny; he actually embarrassed himself because he was so loud. So of course, we bought a few packets (I just got the original), along with some other goodies that are a rarity in Japan. We emerged very satisfied, and just made the bus in tie too.

As I mentioned earlier, we caught the bus back into town, with the intention of seeing the cheese castle and pasture. At the ice festival, there was a stall there selling products from the pasture, and after trying the sample (a caramel), we wanted to check it out; they also had a poster of sheep which Simon in particular wanted to see. Since the bus didn’t go directly from the festival to the pasture, we decided to walk there from the town. After passing a small Inari shrine, and the YMCA, we thought we’d be clever and take a “shortcut” to cut across the curve in the road and get there faster. This turned into an hour trek through the wilderness! I hadn’t anticipated doing any hiking today, but here we were going through the forest. Admittedly, the scenery was very beautiful, and it was so quite. We found a small waterfall, with a log over it covered in ice, and inevitably come out to a place called Diamond Point, which offered us a view inland; very cool. We even found a few settlements (small and simple), which would have been private indeed, and stumbled across a small lake.

Finally, we emerged from the forest, and descended back onto the main road. By this point, I was very much in need of relief, so we followed the road for quite a way until we came across the pasture; I was practically running by the end of it. I was directed to the toilet, which was actually inside the grounds; I managed to get in without paying. Rachael followed suit, and when she came back out, we decided not to spend the money to go in; didn’t have enough time to appreciate it properly. So yeah, we petted the ponies, and then caught the bus back to the cable line. It was really funny (but really not) when we realised just how close the YMCA was to the pasture; we had turned off just after it. But anyway, it was a lot of fun, a great bit of exercise, and I got some good photos. So now here we are, back in civilisation, speeding towards home. I am quite certain that we will make it back in time for the party; almost back to Kyobashi now…

10:43pm
I’ve finally finished my speech for Japanese. I’m really happy with it, and I’ve even made a power point presentation to go with it; lots of pictures of the Sunshine Coast. Now I can have a shower, and get some sleep... After getting back to Hirakata station, we caught the bus back to the dorms, and managed to get back just after 5:30. I dropped my things in my room, and then went up to the kitchen to find the last of the preparations for the party taking place. Biancha was almost finished baking a Betty Croker cake (packet mix found at the military base), for Asami, and Victor was feverously cooking up his Spanish omelette, which I never did get to try any of; oh well. All my cooking was done, so I busied myself putting chairs out, and stealing chunks of Biancha’s corn loaf; Oh my gosh it was so yummy. She gave Yuji and I free pickings so I couldn’t complain. The mini okonomiyaki were already in the dining room, a neat little cooker set up to keep them warm; six at a time.

I got my biscuits out, along with my plate and cutlery and plonked myself down in preparation for the feast. People began to pour in just before 6, and we finally got started at about 10 past. Asami made a short announcement, and then asked us who cooked to introduce ourselves and our food, and then we got stuck into it. My biscuits went so fast, as did everything else. Unfortunately, they had gotten very hard in the fridge, so I decided to heat them up in the microwave. This meant that I was stuck in the kitchen, and missed out on trying a few things; that’s the story of the cook. After doing the rounds, it was finally my turn to eat, and wow everything was so good. I especially liked Barbara’s rice dish from Kenya; it had so much flavour. The mini okonomiyaki also tasted great, as did Biancha’s pasta salad. People also brought out chocolate and cookies, and I think the headache I have now was caused by an OD of chocolate; couldn’t help myself.

Pretty soon the cake was brought out, and we all sang happy Birthday to Asami. I was lucky enough to get two pieces, as Biancha didn’t think people would want to eat the under cooked bits; maybe that’s what gave me the headache. Anyway, I stayed up there for a while chatting with people, before sneaking away, with Asami’s permission, to get my speech done; that must have been just after 7. And here I am now, left with probably to longest blog entry to date, so I really better wrap it up. Today was absolutely amazing, and I’m really glad I made the choice to go; I was totally worth it. I know that the others really enjoyed themselves too, so other job well done on my part, since I always seem to be the organiser of these things; I don’t know why that is. Well anyway, headache is telling me that I really need to sleep so I’ll leave it at that; hopefully I can get up at a decent hour for uni tomorrow.

Day 140 - 17th of January

10:38pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ、曇り
Today was very active, and really awesome… I got up at 9, and readied myself for today’s outing with Nadezhda. We were out of the seminar house by about 10:30, making our way to Makino. It was, at that point, a beautiful, warm day, so much so, that I decided to wear just a jumper (my new red one); this proved to be a bad move later on. Anyway, we went from Makino to Kuzuha, switched to a rapid express, then onto 三条 (Sanjou). From sanjou, we took the 地下鉄東西線 (chikatetsu touzaisen – Subway “east to west line”), three stops across to 二条城前 (Nijoujoumae). The peculiar thing about this subway was that glass walled off the track from the track, and there were automatic doors in front of the train doors. Nadezhda and I wondered why the walls were needed; were they just for decoration. Indeed, the colour of the automatic doors changed at every station. Also the warning signal in the subway had to be the best I’ve heard yet; it’s a pretty little koto motif.

We soon arrived at Nijoujoumae, and made our way up and out into the fresh air, with the castle wall beckoning us from across the street. We eagerly made our way over, purchased tickets, and took a few pictures out front, before entering the grounds. We firstly came across a gate leading into the 二の丸御殿 (ninomaru goten – Ninomaru Palace) and the detail, though faded, was spectacular. Entering the palace, we had to take our shoes off and don slippers, and no photography was allowed inside. It’s just one of those places you have to actually go into to see, and I really appreciate that. I was by no means disappointed, and while I have no photos to show, I will try to describe it as best as I can. The first thing I noticed was the design on the ceiling. It was made up of squares, and within each square, a detailed motif; many flowery designs. The palace is made up of five connected buildings, and each building had a different design on its ceiling.

The next thing I noticed was a strange squeaking beneath my feet. We were soon to find out that the floors were deliberately designed to produce a noise. This method of construction, 鴬張り (uguisubari – “nightingale flooring”), was used in the wooden corridors to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins; clever thinking. Although I haven’t heard a nightingale call, I definitely hear the likeness to a bird chirp; so cool. And finally, I notice the paintings that cover the walls of all 33 rooms; over 800 tatami mats. Oh my gosh, it was incredible. Each room had a different theme, here pine trees and mountains, there fans and chrysanthemums. Tigers, peacocks, pheasants, horses, cherry blossoms, rivers, ducks, cranes… all backed by gold leaf. It was so beautiful; the outside world was brought inside. The wall paintings are attributed to artists of the 狩野派 (kanouha – Kano School), one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. Another cool feature was a set of red tasselled doors in some rooms where the shogun’s bodyguards could come out and protect him.

And this was all done over 400 hundred years ago. Incredibly, all of the original paintings (over 3000) survived, and while most in the palace were reproductions, we were assured that they were as close to the originals as possible; using traditional methods, and natural pigments. After exiting, we continued through a beautiful garden, and over the inner moat, to the remains of the 本丸御殿 (honmaru goten – Hommaru Palace). Unfortunately, the interior is only open to the public on special occasions. We made our way through more gardens to the 天守閣 (tenshukaku – keep), well… where it stood at least; it was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground in 1750. So all that’s left now are the stone foundations; provided a good view of the grounds though. We finally circled out and back around to the front, through some many gardens, which will look so impressive, come spring.

We went to the gift shop, and I bought a pin of the palace, then got two more for a machine; couldn’t resist. Further along was a memorial exhibition hall, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the palace (2003). Inside, we got to see the original wall paintings of the 四の間 (yon no ma – 4th Grand Chamber), in the Ninomaru palace. This room featured hawks and pines, and was the where officers were received, and the weapons kept; perfect theme. Being able to see the walls up close, albeit behind glass, was great. The exhibition hall was also set up with the same dimensions as the original room, so we could really get a feel for what it was actually like. More than satisfied, we left the castle, grey clouds not dampening our spirits one bit. Although it wasn’t exactly what I had expected (there was no “castle”), I still found it an incredible experience.

Now very hungry (it was almost 2), we went in search of somewhere to eat, and soon found it down the road; ramen shop. Gosh I’m becoming such a fan of ramen; I love it more and more every time I eat it. I also drank the green tea there. It was cold and so dilute I could hardly taste the tea; quite refreshing. Nadezhda and I were still rearing to explore Kyoto, so after letting our meals go down, we exited and turned left, following the main road, having no destination. We got to a big intersection, and Nadezhda spotted Kyoto tower to the right. Since neither of us had been to the top before, we decided to go for it. But first, since I recognised the area, I took Nadezhda to the 六角堂 (rokkakudou – Hexagonal hall). It was great going back there again; the swans were particularly active today. After that, we continued walking towards the tower, down the main road, before spotting another temple; the 平等時因幡薬師 (Byoudouji Inabayakushi). It was absolutely dead (there was much construction work also), and we felt compelled to whisper; such an amazing atmosphere.

Shortly after, we come across another wondrous complex; the 東本願寺 (higashi honganji – “East temple of the original vow”). Such a grand name certainly fit the enormity of the buildings. The gate itself was impressive enough, but the temple within rivalled that of the todaiji in Nara. The building next to it, the Amida hall, is currently decked out scaffolding, but will be opening in 2011; another thing to come back and see). The complex is 99,000m2 and is one of the dominant sub sects in Shin Buddhism. The other, as we were soon to find out, is the 西本願寺 (nishi honganji – “West temple of the original vow”). We didn’t look around too much as it was getting late, and very cold. It was very close to the tower, so we were soon inside, and shot up the elevator to the top observation deck of the 131m tall building; 100m at observation deck.

The views of Kyoto were spectacular. We had come at a good time, when the sun was setting, and the mountains turned to gold. Surprisingly, the binoculars were free, and we spied a number of sites, including Kiyomizu temple, Toji Pagoda, and the Momoyama castle. One problem with the binoculars, for me at least, was that they were too short, so I had to basically squat to see through them. Supposedly, we were able to see Osaka castle from the top too, but we couldn’t find it. We stayed up there till dark, watching the colours of the sky slowly change, and the lights of the city come on; it was equally beautiful at night. The mountains in the background were so black, and we noted that south of the tower was much brighter, in terms of lights, than the north. I guess it’s because all the historical sites aren’t lit up, and they make up the majority of the area; seriously. You can never see enough it Kyoto!

At about 6, we left the tower, and walked over to Kyoto station, taking some photos of the tower from various angles and heights; I took Nadezhda all the way up the sky garden. Getting out of the cold (and yes, I was really feeling it in my just jumper), we found our way over to the Kitetsu line, and got a train to Tambabashi, before hoping on a local back to Makino. The trip back was so nice, and warm, and restful, and when we did get to Makino, I really didn’t want to get up. Both needing some groceries, we went over to life. I just got some meat, cereal, and these great little buns filled with red bean that Jo had offered us one time; Nadezhda spotted them. Finally getting back home (what a relief), I set about making dinner; shepherd’s pie. It wasn’t until after 9 that I sat down and ate; peeling potatoes is time consuming, lolz. I was very happy with the meal though; got a bit left over for tomorrow too. After dinner, I had milk and a bun, and then went down to my room, and did a quick little tidy up.

As I was making dinner, Yuji explained that he needed to come down to my room to talk about the inspection this Friday! Since I took so long, he’d left the kitchen and went to do homework, so I had to go find him in his room and drag him away from it. He cautioned that this inspection would be more thorough than the last and, since everyone will have their inspection on the same day, there is no room for mistakes. He also showed concern for Ryan’s absence, and asked me to inform Ryan as soon as he gets back, to go see Aki to get the information from her. We also went up to check my kitchen box, and then the fridge, and Yuji was impressed by how clean it was; I only have to wipe it down. It helps when I’m practically the only one using it; there’s like two things in there of Ryan’s, and no one’s in the other room that shares our fridge. And talk about being in the right place at the right time, we both got cake from Aki; it was absolutely delicious. Finally, got to have a shower… Well better get some sleep now, going to animate in Hirakata, and then onto Umeda with Ash and Peter tomorrow!