By far, Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in the world for the care and consideration this city takes in preseving its past and reclaiming its future. The city is modern in every sense of word and retains the powerful qualities of a rich and deeply influential past.

Our visit to the city is all about being a part of daily life while we are here and so that means living in houses, preparing food in a kitchen, shopping at groceries stores, and,. as I’ve mentioned before, having students choose their own adventures. This group was up to the challenge and began our first day by seeking out places and experiences that called to them.

Our first day took in Nijo Castle, the home to shoguns from the early Tokugawa period. Built as a residence for the Tokugawa family, the building and grounds are elaborate. On this day, rain from a tropical storm descended on us. We persevered and wandered the grounds and the castle. The wood structure, silk paintings, and the history of the place offers a unique insight into the lives of the upper class and the structure of their daily lives.

From the castle, we headed to lunch at Nishki and Shinobiya Markets. The street food is good, and we hit it just in time to experience the moment. Crowds, of course, greeted us, and we were unfazed by the masses as we made our choices.

The afternoon was given over to individual pursuits, and by evening, we settled into a heavy rain storm with high winds and downed trees.

The following AM started with drizzle, and the intrepid group walked with us to the Path of Philosophy, Gingaku-ji Temple, and then on to Kinkaku-ji. On our walk to the temple, we stop along the way and read poems from Basho’s Narrow Road to the Interior. Then, after getting used to the sound and meter of the poems, each student composed one to read about this moment. Each one offered a fascinating insight into where they were. Here are a few examples from student work:

Meditative thoughts

Visions of a peaceful life,

Fulfillment in the now

_______________________________

Every step I take

has been taken before me

I walk a new path

___________________________

Wind rustling leaves

Crunching gravel on our feet

Writing of haiku

At the end of these two days, we had each walked about 12 miles each day, and our bodies felt the need for rest. A few of us came down with an odd stomach/head cold illness and rested.

More stories to come!

May you be happy, may you be well.

If you have never taken the Shinkansen in Japan, it is a technological marvel. As a traveler, the train is comfortable, quiet, and among the most pleasant ways to go from place to place in Japan. As I said when I first traveled on one of these trains, it’s like you’re living in the future. Of course, that’s not hard to imagine coming from the United States, where rail travel is stuck in the 1930s. The rail infrastructure in the U.S. pales by comparison.

Today, you can grab tickets for these trains at a kiosk; for our group, I had to go to the JR East office at Shinagawa station to purchase the group tickets… It’s much easier to manage a group of 16 through the office rather than the ticket machine. Then navigating the process of getting to the train is a bit of a chore as you scan an IC card pass or phone pass AND then put the ticket into the machine…Then, retrieve it from the machine at the end. A few members of our group lost their tickets in the machine, and an attendant had to retrieve them from the bowels of the beast. Fun!

Once on the platform, we waiting for the train. Once it arrives you’ve got 3 minutes to board and then is goes…that may sound like plenty of time, AND it’s a little stressful making sure everyone gets on before the bells start ringing! Of course, we all made it and headed south for the 2 hour ride to Kyoto Station.

After arrival, we grabbed some food and then made our way to the houses in Higashiyama. I cannot say strongly enough how wonderful these places are….four houses surrounding a small courtyard. The space alone was worth the price of adventure, and many of us made food in the kitchens.

On the following day, we faced constant rain as a tropical storm descended on Kyoto. We made the best of it, heading to Nijo Castle and the home of the Shoguns. We walked the halls of the building. The grounds are impressive, and because of the rain, we just stayed inside. We then headed into the city to the Nishiki Market for some street food. We fanned out across the city after that and ended up eating together at Sushiro, a conveyor belt sushi place in Gion. Some of us did a night hike, some walked through a series of temples, and others made their way back to the houses. By late evening, we were all ensconced in our beds, ready for the Path of Philosophy tomorrow!

This trip has been a whirlwind that is working as designed; a structured morning activity and an afternoon choose your own adventure approach. So far, things are going very well!

May you be happy, may you be well!