As predicted, today was a dull but mild day with the rain it sounds like Calgary needs! After our morning met-up at KG we walked to the Shinnyoji Temple. We were greeted by a Monk and his wife who are the caretakers of the temple. We enjoyed a tea ceremony drinking Macha tea and a sweet - basically a hard meringue square. We were then led through about 1/2 hour of Zazen meditation inc,using 15 minutes of total silence and meditation. He reminded us of how important it is to empty your mind and stay balanced. Students were awesome and did a fantastic job! We then bussed and walked in increasingly heavy rain to Kinkaku - The Golden Pavilion a zen Buddhist temple, another World Cultural Heritage site. Once again it was a site buzzing with tourists but gorgeous grounds and the magnificent temple awaited us. Meandering pathways took us around to view the temple from various angles and vantage points. Hard to believe gold foil on lacquer covers most of this building. Next was a welcome stop for lunch - students selected from a buffet of Ramen, Udon and tempura for their lunches - most of us having Udon or Ramen to warm us a bit. Nishiki market awaited us and in particular - Aritsugu knife shop! We spent time shopping and seeing a myriad of fish, vegetables, sweets, baking and stall upon stall of merchandise to purchase! Our group didn't disappoint! After a jam packed bus ride - yes it does happen in Kyoto despite what Mrs Hall said, we got back to KG in time to watch and join in with the Judo team! We saw the KG baseball team members getting ready to head to practice and then met the Judo group and some KODIAKS tried their hand at Judo! Students headed out home with their new KG/ NC hoodies which we will be sporting tomorrow on our trip to Hiroshima! We awoke to yet another glorious sunny morning in Kyoto. After meeting students at KG we began our day with host Mr. Sato who will be coming to Calgary with his students in late May. We bused and then subway rode to the Gion area east of the river. Next stop was the Yume Kimono store - what fun ........the pictures tell a lot! Fabrics galore and the girls had their hair done and even Mrs. Yae and Mrs. Hall were sporting flowers in their short hair. We the. Ventured out again and quickly realized that we were a novelty - Canadians in Kimonos .......so many locals stopped us and asked to take our photos!
The Yasaka Shinto shrine was a beautiful backdrop to today's group photo. Lunch was procured at Lawsons - like a 7-11 and then we walked to Maruyama park to eat our lunch and enjoy the scenery. We then began an uphill walk to the Kiyomizu Buddhist Temple one of several Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto and a UNESCO World Heritage site.........spring has come and it's tourist season in Kyoto! We continued to be stopped for photo ops .....Picturesque views greeted us and time to walk around the beautiful temple and surrounding area. Students found the Kimono footwear a bit challenging as we meandered back down to the Yasaka Shrine. We has a short amount of time to shop and then headed back to KG. Another memorable and life changing day ......... Today was a glorious sunny day and once again we are all feeling more "normal" as we acclimatize to our new time zone. We met at KG and then went with today's staff host, MIho and trained to Nijo Castle. It was built in 1603 as the residence for Tokugawa Leysau, the first shogun of the Edo period. Students were excited to take their Grade 8 Humanities learnings and connect them as they toured the double moated castle and grounds. Interesting fact - the "nightingale floors" squeak when walked on to alert residents to intruders!
We then headed south to Kyoto station to have our Ramen lunch. Students selected from three restaurants and then selected their Ramen choice. There were about 25 Ramen places on the floor we visited! Next off to Kyoto tower - standing 131 meters it is the tallest structure in Kyoto. We had sweeping views of the city and enjoyed better orienting ourselves. our last stop of the day was the huge department Yodobashi! This place was unreal, with each department having amazing choice and selection of merchandise! Hope you enjoy today's shots! |
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