Wandering

Welcome! Bienvenido! Sa wat dee! I'm glad you're here to accompany me as I wander around the world =)

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Journeys in Japan- Rain or SHRINE

Golden Week lived up to its name. The national holiday gave me, as well as my fellow trainees, the golden opportunity to travel outside of the city. We met up on Monday night for drinks, which turned out a bit more raucous than originally intended; but the next morning we were up bright and early and hungover to get on a train. All except one, who no longer felt up to it after the previous night's debauchery. By some miracle, another trainee, who we hadn't gotten in touch with for weeks and assumed had fled the country due to the stress from work, showed up to take the other's spot. He hadn't gotten internet in his apartment until the night before. He only carried a skateboard and a wallet- not even a passport- for our overnight trip. Typical carefree Californian =P


The ride to Kyoto wasn't terrible, considering the collective low level of functioning amongst the group. We made all of our transfers correctly and decided we had better go immediately to one of the sights we wanted to see... before exhaustion truly set in. We got on another train and headed to the outskirts of town. After a short walk- the lack of signs in English leaving us feeling generally unsure of where we were going- we stumbled upon our destination. A forest unlike any I had ever seen. Thousands of stands of bamboo, a frosty mint color and too thick to fit your hands around, shooting straight skyward, thinning at the top and swaying gently in the breeze. The otherworldly atmosphere inspired quiet amongst all visitors. During the rest of the week I would have this experience over and over; so much about Japan seems too unique, too perfect to be real.




Wandering out of the bamboo forest (or since it is technically grass should it be called a meadow?), we found ourselves on the grounds of a temple. Again a fairytale-like quality permeated the place. I soon saw that this illusion was very carefully and purposefully executed. Throughout the serene garden, a few workers could be seen delicately pulling minuscule weeds from the moss-covered ground with their fingertips. I can only imagine the patience it takes to do this particular activity, not to mention the pruning of all the other plants. It was evident that everything in that garden had been put there meaningfully. The rocks, the shape of the pond, the most beautiful koi I've ever seen, the pine tree branches propped up with poles whenever their boughs became too heavy with nettles... The temple itself surely had been designed for the enjoyment of nature, where its inhabitants could sit and contemplate the beauty before them against the backdrop of a green mountain. It's a shame they're not looking for tenants; I would set up residence there in a heartbeat.


We had drinks in the river district, spying several geisha as we walked along the tight cobbled streets. The next day saw us strolling through more temples and gardens, including the famous "Golden Temple," Kinkaku-ji, and Ryoan-ji, which had a large rock garden in the Zen Buddhist tradition. We had a curry lunch and then the rest of the group went on their way back home; I, however, would be staying longer to explore on my own. There's something freeing about traveling alone, relying on your own wits to get you around in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar language (I still know hardly any Japanese). I meandered about through twisting alleyways and found myself at several more temples. One was so small that no one seemed to be around. I walked in and tooled around the garden without ever seeing a soul. As there is no record in anyone else's memory but my own of me ever having been there, I do somewhat wonder whether my imagination, in a haze of exhaustion and misty rain, invented that visit.



There are dozens of temples and palaces (not to mention their obligatory gardens) to see in Kyoto, so I chose a few in the southeast area near the guest house and planned a sightseeing route for myself for the next day... by bike. The weather was perfect for this self-guided venture, as it wasn't raining but it was also not hot. The first shrine I went to actually took up an entire mountainside! Thousands of torii- red arches symbolic in the Shinto religion- lined the pathways up and down the hill, winding maze-like and obstructing most of the view of the surrounding woods. They continued on and on- I was there for hours with no end in sight. Every so often there would be a clearing; there, stone fox statues stood watch over other shrines, messengers of the agriculture/industry spirit, Inari.

This shrine was so captivating that I had a hard time dragging myself away to see other temples on my tour. But soon enough, I was back on the bike. The temples do start to seem similar after awhile- bridges, ponds, rock gardens, etc. One had a massive hall full of a thousand many-armed Buddha statues. My final stop was Kiyomizu-dera, a temple high on a hillside overlooking the city. The view was quite beautiful, framed on one side by a pagoda and encircled by nature. I will definitely be back to Kyoto; my friend suggested that I witness every different season there, and I fully intend to!


Sunday, May 6, 2012

Journeys in Japan!




Since moving back from Thailand nearly 7 months ago, I was living at home in Wisconsin. I got really busy serving at a restaurant (Olive Garden) pretty much everyday, but it helped me save up for my move- I didn't even have much time between quitting that job and leaving the country... 

So now I'm in Japan! I've now been here for nearly a month now and it seems I've done nothing but training and work- it's been pretty intense. I meant to write long ago but only just now have I felt like I've had time to breathe. I'm teaching English here in a city called Nagoya. It's the third largest metropolitan area in Japan- Toyota headquarters is here. The city is very centrally located in Japan, about halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, which should allow me to do a lot of traveling.

On the first day I arrived, I was picked up at the airport by my trainer and then taken to my apartment by my manager. All of the appliances are in Japanese, and the trash/recycling system here is super difficult to understand- it's all a bit overwhelming. The apartment was also shockingly tiny, but after about a day I got used to it and now feel quite cozy. The bed is simply a 2-inch thick mat on the floor; I also have a small floor table.




My work schedule has been crazy, but the people here make it so much better. In the first week, I was given a welcome party at an izakaya- a Japanese style pub where food comes second to drinks and everyone sits on mats on the floor. My co-workers are incredibly helpful and friendly, and the students are a fun bunch as well. I had brought some cheese curds from Wisconsin for us all to enjoy- they were quickly eaten. My good friend Emi, who I met in Bangkok, is from the nearby city of Ichinomiya, so I've been able to meet up with her on the weekends as well. Not only is it great to have a friend here, but I also have a translator; which is extremely useful considering hardly any English is actually spoken or written here.





The day after I arrived, I dragged my jetlagged self out of bed and went with Emi to Meijo Park, home of Nagoya Castle (yes, this city has a castle), to partake in the pastime of hanami: flower-viewing. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom when I arrived, which is lucky considering the short time they are around for. The white and pink buds spread out over the entire park, transforming it into a fragrant impressionist painting. It still feels like a dream- I can't believe this is my new home!