The Kyoto Trip

In Japan when the leaves change it's a BIG DEAL. I'm serious. On the news they talk about the status of the leaves in different areas of Japan and when the best time to view the leaves are. Kyoto happens to be one of the more famous places to check out this beautiful time of year. The following is my experience in Kyoto checking out the changing of the leaves and the Temples.



This is an example of ENGRISH... Japanese clothes designers will often throw anything on clothing if it has english... well poor Saya didn't realize what this meant in English... We had fun teasing her about it.



All of us gathering to decide where to go first.



Us having fun walking down the back roads to our first place... Keep in mind how narrow the road is... just remember that for a bit.



Our first stop was this temple. We didn't go in, but it was very pretty and cool to take a picture of this Pagoda. We weren't too keen on paying to enter any of the temples we went to... for many reasons, but it was still very beautiful.



Reason 1 for why I asked you to keep in mind the picture of the road in the last picture... This is a picture of one of the roads we went through to get to another temple... The day we went to Kyoto happened to be a very popular day...



The same pagoda pictured above.


A temple with a huge buddha... Many of you may know that I'm buddhist, but none of these temples have anything to do with my school of buddhism... i'm sure you didn't care.



Another temple with a bunch of people... and the tree in the background is the main attraction... rather many trees like it. This theme of "bunch of people" is a theme to keep in mind.



Me, Sho and Hide taking a picture together of that tree above.



Another beautiful tree.



Mayu and Saya 100 yard dash... Mayu won by a bunch... Saya just can't run well.



The tree in the background is really pretty...



This has nothing to do with trees or temples... but it was a cool car.



Reason 2 for keeping in mind the picture of the road and "bunch of people." This was on our way to Kiyomizu Dera a famous temple in Kyoto and a World Historical Site. It's hard to see from this picture, but we are crammed in the road like sardines. I have never been in a crowd this large, this packed, and this determined to to get to the same destination. Hide was surprised too.



Finally Kiyomizu Dera. This was the main gate and the whole temple ground was roped off so people had to enter through the main gate. There was a huge line and we all tried to do our best to avoid paying, but unfortunately we had to pay to check it out... so we sucked it up and paid.



The large crowd is what we had to hike through in order to get to the Temple... and most of the crowd in the background is actually the line to enter the temple and buy your ticket... We kinda cheated and sent Mayu and Hide to sneak through the line, buy all our tickets, and then hand them to us through the gate... it worked.



A beautiful picture of the gate on the Temple Grounds.








This light could be seen for miles and was shining at the top of the Temple... once we arrived at the top of the Temple we took a break and began to make jokes about the beam of light... Sho said it's a huge Marlboro cigarette....

It was a wonderful trip and we had a great time visiting the historical sites and seeing the beautiful trees. Afterwards we hit up some "Yaki Niku," or barbecue I guess... We ate a ton and it was delicious. I highly recommend that you experience this event in Kyoto if you're ever in Japan.

Okinawa... I'm back FINALLY

A couple days before I left for Okinawa Obama's election update was shown at Kansai Gaidai. In the morning we were able to watch the race in real time. Here are some pictures of my friends watching the election.



Left to Right (Bill, Joe, and Vicky)



The moment Obama was announced to have won the election.


I left for Okinawa on a thursday and I was going to spend 6 days in Okinawa.


It's a little blurry, but its a picture of the city scape from my Grandmother's apartment. A view that is very nostalgic to me.



The night I arrived in japan, many of my extended family gathered at my grandmother's.



There's a very famous street in Naha City, Okinawa called "Kokusai Douri" and next to that street is an out-door mall called "Heiwa Douri." I used to go there quite a bit with my grandmother when I was younger. The above are fruits found in Okinawa that could be bought in Heiwa Douri. (dragon fruit, start fruit, pomegranates, pineapples, are some of the fruits.) The following are some more items found in the mall.



Sea Snake



Pig's Head


I left the mall and decided to go check out one of Okinawa's more famous sites, Shuri Castle. Here's some pictures of my hike to find the castle. Don't get me wrong, it's well marked, but I went by the monorail which runs throughout the city of Naha. Once I exited at the Shuri Castle Exit, I had to figure out the way to the Castle and this is what I encountered...



Aparently this is part of Shuri castle, and is a small park at the top of a hill near the Castle grounds. From the monorail station I just began walking towards the general direction of Shuri Castle.



A great view of the landscape from the Park I mentioned in the above picture... and then I turned to my left and saw this sign...



The sign in Japanese reads "Habu ni Chui," which as you could imagine means "snake caution." Okinawa is well known for a very poisonous snake and I grew up always being warned of the snake, so I was surprised to see the picture.


Once I entered the Castle Grounds, they were show casing Okinawa's traditional dances.


The Okinawan Dance mentioned above.



Finally Shuri Castle.
Just to add, this was a friday and Mayu was going to be flying in later that night so I had plenty of time to kill... I happened to be wearing Jeans and a T-shirt and I was BURNING UP!!! It felt like summer in NOVEMBER... a little strange... and some say there is no Global Warming... yeah right.


The next day Mayu and I went to "Kokusai Douri" and then had plans to go to the Okinawan caves called "Gyokusendou."


A cat that was hanging out at shop on "Kokusai Douri." Mayu was attacked... I failed to mention that a couple minutes before she decided to pet the cat a little brat was teasing the cat and was swatted at. Well, as we can imagine Mayu was bitten, but the cat didn't even hiss, it just attacked.


From Left to right (Minako, Mayu, and Ruriko) Mayu with my cousin and my aunt at the place to visit the caves... i think the place is called "Ryukyu Mura."

Note, the date in the picture has changed but this is the same day as the Kittty Cat attack... my camera is set on Central Time Zone not Japan's...


Mayu and I took a picture with the huge snake... Mayu somehow ended up with the dangerous end and was freaking out. In Okinawan culture a white snake is supposed to bring lots of good luck.



I have a bunch of pictures of the cave, but their all just stalagtites and stalagmites, but this is the prettiest picture. The sign in the picture reads, Blue Spring.


Mayu and I in traditional Okinawan clothing at "Ryukyu Village."



The next day we had plans to visit Okinawa's famous aquarium, Churaumi. The Following are pictures from that trip.

My second Cousin Nana and her daughter Miyu.


The view at the top of the hill on our way towards Churaumi Aquarium. The day was a little cloudy, and ended up raining but we still had a wonderful time.


My cousins on our way down to the aquarium.


The massive Fish Tank in the Aquarium which holds three Whale Sharks. The glass is a Meter Thick...


Mayu doing her best to look like a sea turtle.


I had no idea what these Manatees were doing, but the top one I believe is going number 2... we can imagine what the bottom one is doing... As I was taking this picture two teenage girls ran up screaming "Kawaii!!," which means cute... I don't see what's cute in this scene... haha


We checked out the Dolphin show and it was really fun... until it began to rain at which point the audience all dashed for shelter.


After the Dolphin show we went back into the Aquarium to check some stuff out. In the shark research area Mayu is standing in the replica of a Megalodon Shark Mouth... Don't worry it's an extinct shark so swim with ease.


This happened to be Mayu's Favorite fish... and yes the fish is truly ugly... Mayu is doing her best impression of the unfortunate looking fish.


Me being stupid at the entrance to the Aquarium.


The next day Mayu and I once again returned to "Kokusai Douri" to purchase gifts from our friends.

Mayu's new favorite pet. One of the stores in "Heiwa Douri" kept an Owl as a pet. At first we didn't realize it was real until we looked a little more carefully... Mayu kept saying how cute it was until she read the sign that said that Owl's eat frozen mice...


My aunt's and grandmother seeing us off at Naha airport... I'll be back in Okinawa, I promise.


It was really great to be back in Okinawa and spend time with my family. It was only a short time, but it was still great. I do plan on going back. After I graduate from UWF, I hope to study abroad for a year in Okinawa through a scholarship offered by the Okinawan Prefectural Government.