Nara

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is pictured on countless travel brochures for Japan. Rows of torii gates course up a mountain side filled with shrines. Over 3 million Japanese visit during the new year celebration January 1st-3rd each year to offer prayers for business success. It was our first stop Sunday morning led by a professional local guide.

The group split but most of us traveled next to Nara, home to the famous Todai’ji Shrine and large indoor Buddha. The grounds and park surrounding the area are filled with deer which the students enjoyed as much as the statues.

Nearby we climbed the hills to the Kasuga Taisha Shrine notable for the thousands of stone and metal lanterns lining the pathways. It was also a chance to interact with more local deer.

After a late lunch we drove back to Kyoto for free time in the city center. Students spent their remaining cash on souvenirs for themselves and friends/family. 

Our last dinner was ramen served family style with fried meat dumplings. No one left hungry! Tomorrow morning we depart for the airport in Osaka. The first leg of our flight home takes us to San Francisco. We will be in the air for 14 hours, have a 3 hour layover, and only arrive in Houston a couple hours later Monday. The international time zone stole a day from us on the way over but gives it back on the return.

Thank you to everyone who has been following our trip—we will see you Monday night at IAH!

Day 7 Pictures

Kyoto

Odd numbers are good luck in Japan—newlyweds are gifted 30,000 or 50,000 yen, never an amount starting with an even digit. In the US we avoid 13th floors but in Japan you might not find a 4th floor. 

We stopped at the Golden Pavilion briefly along with hundreds of Japanese tourists to start the day. Then it was off to a Kimono fashion show at the Nishijin Textile Center where they manufacture beautiful silk goods. 

Nijo Castle was the highlight of our Saturday. Students removed their shoes before touring the home of the medieval shoguns of Kyoto. It was remarkable in its elegance and stands as a preeminent example of royal architecture and art from the shogunate era. It was an opportunity for students to experience the essence of Japan’s culture and see how it differs from traditional Western art and architecture.

Arashiyama is located on one of the three major rivers coursing through Kyoto. We ate lunch quickly before walking through the nearby bamboo forest. Afterwards, students shopped, drank green tea, ate more, or hiked to Monkey Mountain.

Kyoto City Center was our final official stop for this busy day. It’s a place for shopping malls and watching the energy of this city of 1.5 million march by in throngs. 

At the hotel we discovered it was the last night of a local “Lantern Festival.” You only get one chance! So off we went into the night to hear live music and stroll through the beautiful lantern-lined streets in the hills dotted with pagodas.

What a full day! We wouldn’t have it any other way...

Day 6 Pictures

Hakone to Kyoto

We will never forget Hakone and the pampering we received at the hot springs hotel. Students will also never forget sleeping on tatami mats in traditional Japanese style rooms. The views were obscured this morning by a persistent rain and wind. The cable car and lake cruises were closed due to weather. Instead, we visited a volcanic area (Owakudani) famed for its steamed black eggs. It was cold and VERY windy! Last year we visited a volcano in France and had equally bad fortune with the weather that day. Though we have yet to reveal our 2019 destination, rest assured no volcanoes will appear on the itinerary.

Next we stopped at the Hakone Open-Air Sculpture Museum. This was a pleasant surprise. Sculptures from famous artists around the world dotted the well-designed landscape. There was a special Picasso Pavilion and many of the students warmed themselves by relaxing in the hot foot baths outside the cafe. 

It was a full day. We climbed to the top of the 15th century Odawara Castle before driving to the rail station where we boarded the bullet train to Kyoto. Two hours later, we were navigating the nighttime streets in taxis to our final hotel for this trip. Two additional things we have learned while in Japan for those of you willing to read this entire post: A “quarter past” six means 6:15, not 6:25, and red bean paste is a poor substitute for chocolate or Nutella in many desserts.

Pictures from Day 5

Tokyo to Hakone

Just when we were learning that “Air Con” = heater and that you walk to the left not the right (same way Japanese drive), it was time to depart. We drove south along the coast taking in the harbor view on our way to Kamakura, home to the largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan. The weather continued to favor us in this small, seaside town reminiscent of Galveston with its beaches, great restaurants, souvenir shops, surfers, and throngs of tourists including visiting groups from other parts of Japan. This week is a school break in the country and a lot of schools take “field trips.” 

Dinner tonight included wearing traditional kimonos and a karaoke machine. Some of the videos might be available for blackmail one day! The girls definitely outperformed the boys. We can see Mount Fuji in the distance and the peace of this rural area is palpable. The only stressful thing the students had to face today were the rules for the Japanese onsen here at the hotel...No tattoos, no food or drinks, and absolutely no clothing in the hot springs. Sayonara!!