Day 11

When I woke up today, I was surprised to see that while the sky was overcast, it actually was not raining. After a quick breakfast, we got on our bicycles to ride to the train station. I'm sure that we were quite a comical sight to all of the locals. I know I would have laughed.

(The bicycle convoy)

When we arrived at the train station, we parked our bikes in a "parking ramp" for bicycles. I found this place quite interesting, and it shows the importance of bikes in Japan. When we returned to them at the days end, the ramp was full of bicycles.

(The Bike Park)

Upon arriving at the station, we hopped on the bullet train to Kyoto, a popular tourist destination and one of Japan's oldest cities. Kyoto was considered for a atomic bomb site during World War 2, but was spared because of its rich history, some of which we visited today.

Our first destination in Kyoto was Nijo castle. Kyoto was once the capital of Japan, and the emperor's palace was located there. However, the emperor had very little actual power, and was a figurehead for Japan while the country was run by the Shogun, or the leading Samurai general. From time to time, the Shogun would visit the emperor, to keep up "friendly relations" or unofficially, to ensure that the emperor was compliant and unlikely to rebel. When the Shogun visited the emperor, he would stay at Nijo castle.
(The entrance to Nijo castle)

The inside of the castle was filled with tatami mats (traditional bamboo mats) and beautiful art work, made by the Shogun's personal family of artists. While people may not think of the Japan participating in the feudal system, this castle is comparable to castles in Europe of the same era, and was built during a time when peace ruled the land. The samurai system is almost exactly like the feudal system, and samurai were more often scholars and clerks than the sword wielding figures we picture them as today.

After leaving the castle, we went to a popular shopping district in Kyoto, where I bought almost all of my souvenirs. In buying souvenirs, I was looking for something that could only be bought in Japan or was at least commonly associated with Japan. Unfortunately, many Japanese stores carry items that seem like they could have come from any store in America. One of my fellow group members wanted to buy a baseball hat from a Japanese baseball team, since it is one of the more popular sports here. While we found plenty of baseball hats, they were all for American teams, like the Yankees or Dodgers. American culture is evident in other ways as well.














(Me and the very American Colonel Sanders)

My small group was composed of all men, so we finished our shopping much quicker than some of the other groups. Our return back was similar to an episode of the Amazing Race, as we had to find the bus stop, catch a bus, and then a train, all by using only a map and some instructions. The bus we caught was very crowded, and to make matters worse, I could not even stand up because the ceiling was so low.

(Ouch!)

We made it back successfully, and did not get lost at all, which was quite a feat. On the way back, the promised Japanese rainy season returned, and we got a little wet. Jeremy (my roommate) and I made spaghetti, and it was both delicious and cheap. Now it is time to study for the exam that is coming up in less than 2 days.