Fushimi Inari

Also called "Torii Mountain", Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for the thousands of bright red-orange torii that cover the paths that crisscross the mountain on which the shrine is built. For a small sum, you too can have a torii engraved with your name and placed on the mountain.

宮島

Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Miyajima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the three most scenic places in all of Japan.


Miyajima is somewhat far from Kyoto (a couple of hours by Shinkansen), but thanks to the generous contributions of the Bing family, our whole program was able to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima and see the great torii. Other highlights from the trip included enjoying a meal of Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki, a sobering trip to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, our delicious Bing dinner, hiking up our yukata to slosh through through the mud and water at 10PM so we could pose for pictures under the great torii (only possible at low tide), and spending most of Saturday climbing Mt. Misen — we went all the way to the top of the island.

Big or Small — You Decide!

When I was in the 3rd grade, I read a small book about conservation and the environment. I remember one section particularly well because it suggested practical ways to start living more conservatively. One suggestion was to place a jar or carton filled with rocks in the water tank of your toilet so that you would use less water with each flush. This is great for water conservation but the accompanying loss in flushing power makes the rocks-in-the-tank solution less than ideal. Although reduced effectiveness was my mother's stated reason for denying my request for an empty carton and rocks, I'm sure it had just as much to do with the fact that she didn't want a 3rd grader mucking around with her toilet. Fair enough, but I never let the idea of a variable-water toilet die and I think if I ever had a few spare days at home, I would try to find a way to make it work. Well, it looks like the Japanese have beat me to it. It's brilliant. Most of the time, you need just a little bit of water, but, as my mother correctly pointed out over a dozen years ago, sometimes you need all 2.5 gallons.

My Desk

同志社の明徳館

The Stanford Center is located on the second floor of this building, Meitokukan. It is where I have class, eat lunch, and hang out with other students during the day.

Matsuri

There was a small festival in our neighborhood last weekend so my host father and I went to watch the procession. Here are some pictures.

部屋

My Room:

賀茂川

Today’s adventure included a trip to the city office, an informal tour of Kyoto University, and crossing the Kamo River. The Japanese government requires all aliens who will be in Japan for more than 90 days to register with the local city or ward office. Hiroki, a student from Kyoto University, took Stephanie Cheng and me – we both live in Kita-ku (北区) – to the local ward office. After helping us fill out our alien registration forms, he showed us the Kamo River (賀茂川) and gave us a tour of Kyoto University. (Hiroki informed us that Kyoto University is commonly referred to as Kyodai, a contraction of “Kyoto University” in Japanese, “Kyoto Daigaku”. Similarly, Tokyo University is Todai, from “Tokyo Daigaku”.) Here, Hiroki and Stephanie cross the Kamo River using the path made of large stones, some of which are shaped like giant turtles.