D6 – Kyoto Exchange – Classtime

I woke the next morning to rain off my balcony. And the temperature had definitely dropped from the previous days into the upper 60’s.

Today was the day that the students were spending the morning attending classes with the Kyoto students. We would then go later in the day to a temple and learn how to meditate.

My walk to the school this morning was a wet one. Thankfully I had brought a lightweight outer shell that I usually use when hiking. It kept me very dry and cool during my walk to the school.

 

I saw another uniquely decorated flat on my way to school that morning with some nice pots and bikes out at the curb. In California it’s unlikely any of these plants would last a single night out like this. And the bikes were not locked! It’s amazing what you can do with a public space when people have respect for personal property.

I finally got to the school and saw all the students running to school with their umbrellas.

As I had seen every morning, the principal Mr. Sasai was out with his umbrella greeting the students as they arrived at school.

Another example of premium space can be seen in the teacher offices, or lack thereof. All of the teachers are in a single room with rows of desks. They each have a very small and basic metal desk that delineates their work space. There’s only enough space to walk between the desk rows, no more.  There are a number of foreign teachers at Kyoto Gakuen and some of them tack their country’s flag above their desks in this office.

Mr. Kuromiya had a desk that was set off by itself at the other end of the room with some cabinets behind it, as did a few of the other directors and vice principal. The only person with a private office was Mr. Sasai the principal. He also had a very nice sitting area in his office to accomodate guests.

This morning the students were trickling in like rain from the sky, very slowly. Everyone was experiencing public transportation in the rain, along with all the delays that came with it. They gathered in the café as they did every morning and tried to dry out before classes started.

Our first class of the day was Japanese calligraphy. We were taught some basic scripts and then given supplies to make some scrolls to take home with us. The class was over far too quickly.  I had wished we had more time to do our scrolls.  I now have mine hanging in my office at work.

After this class we split up and the students and they went to different classes. All were expected to participate, and several had to speak to their classes about their experiences on this trip and about back home. Other Kyoto students shared stories from their visit to Modesto last year for summer school/

In this class they were playing a card game that required the use of English. Some of the students needed to use translators.

And some were sharing tips as they learned the game.

In another classroom down the hall each of the students were sharing stories about themselves and their homes back in California.

In this class one Kyoto student stood up and told a story from his trip to Modesto.  He was larger and taller than most all of the other students.  He said that what he liked most about America was that he could go into any clothing store and find things that fit him.  He said that there was so much to choose from and so many styles.  He said when he was in America he felt normal, something he did not feel in Japan.  I was a bit saddened by this story, but it did shed some light on Japanese culture and clothing.

Here is a shot of the entry for the Gym. You can see the area where people have to remove their shoes. You take your shoes off on the tile, step onto the wood, and then take out a pair of indoor shoes/slippers and put in your shoes. On this day many were left on the tile as they were wet.

Five of the students had martial arts training and were allowed to participate in a Judo class in the Dojo. I think the Kyoto students were a bit surprised when one of the Modesto girls stepped forward and suited up for class. 

Others watched on from the sideslines as the exercises and stretching started the class.

This was a full contact exercise, and the students got to go through all the drills with the Kyoto students. They were even allowed to practice some throws with the Kyoto students.

While all of this was going on, the rest of the students were downstairs playing dodge ball.

My son Corey snuck off and saw the PacRimX Second Life computer lab. We had always seen it through the lens of the video conferences. It was pretty cool to finally be on the other side of the lens.

Here the two of us pose in front of the wall in the lab.  Pictures from the islands over the past few years adorn the walls along with copies of media stories about the PacRimX project.  The morning drew to an end and we had to get ready to hop a bus and head for our meditation session.

D5 – Kyoto Exchange – Nijo Castle

After the assembly we were scheduled to go and see Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo). I felt bad for some of the girls having to walk as much as we did in their heels and skirts. Next year we will need to have a chance for the students to change back into some street clothes for the rest of the day, or combine the assembly with the classroom time.

Nijo is a Japanese castle and is surrounded by water. The grounds are expansive and spread out over multiple gardens and buildings. This castle was the real deal complete with nightingale floors in the main buildings. 

This is the main entrance to the castle grounds. There were many groups of students visiting this day. This was also the hottest day of our visit, reaching into the mid 80’s.

You have to keep your eyes open when touring the castle grounds because you never know what you might see, and where it might be.

The gardens around the castle and surrounding area are immaculately maintained.

Crossing the moat we saw hundreds of huge koi swimming around under the bridge. I would have loved to have brought even a single one of these magnificent fish back to the states for my koi pond.

When we got all the way in the back of the castle grounds we were able to go up on the wall and look back at all that we had just toured. We took a break up here and evaluated what we wanted to do with the rest of the day. Downtown Kyoto can be seen in the distance of this picture.

We had plans to go to another temple after Nijo, but the students were hungry for something new. After polling everyone we decided it would be fun to go downtown, have lunch by the river, do some shopping and then maybe get in some playtime at an arcade. So we were off to make our way back through the castle grounds to find a bus downtown.

Every part of the castle grounds were amazing and filled with things to see.

I was so amazed with all the blooming trees that I had my son snap a picture of me under one of them to send to my wife via email. I didn’t want to leave these ground so quickly, I could have spent at least another hour here exploring all the hidden gardens we didn’t get time to see.  But I was far outnumbered by the kids wanting to head downtown.

We were still discussing exactly what we were going to do and see once we got downtown while riding the bus from Nijo to the downtown area.  A few of the students had been taken downtown by their host families and were offering suggestions.  One thing was sure, we were not going to split up downtown. 

Once we arrived, it was like Déjà vu. The students with bento lunches headed to the river to eat while the others stopped at McDonald’s to snag some American food. The weather was turning on us as the clouds started to roll in and the temperature continued to drop. There were people fishing from the banks of the river, and a few eagles were diving down and snagging fish (more than the fishermen).

We were surprised to find homeless tents under the bridge in downtown Kyoto. They were very clean and well constructed of blue tarp material. We had to take a picture from a distance, as our teacher escort said it would be rude to take a picture up close. Bikes were parked next to these shelters.

Downtown was more like San Francisco than Tokyo. It had many stores and the students found more than enough to snap up for their families and themselves as souvenirs.

 

And of course, they found an arcade almost as soon as we left the river area where we had eaten our lunch.

This was a huge multistory arcade building with different themes on the different floors. It was difficult getting them to leave, but not before snapping a picture for Twitter down on the first floor.

After the arcade the students went in search of deals on clothes, shoes and electronics.

We saw row after row of bicycles in the downtown area. They were obviously the transport of choice in this area of town.

When our time was up we had to find a bus back to the school so the students wouldn’t be late getting home to their host families for dinner.  Our teacher escort was very glad to finally have everyone on the bus and heading back to the school after our unplanned detour.

D5 – Kyoto Exchange – Back to School

We arrived in Kyoto on the first day of school. We had originally planned to be at the school to be presented to the students in their morning assembly, and to present them with a plaque to commemorate our visit. We had to change this to Monday due to other constraints.

This next Spring Break when we go we have planned to be there the day before school starts so we can greet the new students and their families to Kyoto Gakuen, and then to be presented to the school at an assembly on the first day of school.

Everyone was told to bring a nice set of clothes for this day. All of the students would be in their school uniforms and we would be speaking to them in a general assembly outside.

I had quite an adventure coming to school.  My host family had loaned me a bike to ride to school on.  I was unfamiliar with the area, but they had given me a map.  The mother was worried about me and rode with me to the school to make sure I found it (she is a teacher at the school).  The bike was very small for me, and I was wearing a suit.  I must have looked very funny riding this bike.

Nathaniel, the student who helped out with his Japanese when we got lost on the bus, was going to give a speech to the students assembled in Japanese and present the plaque commemorating our visit. He was both excited and nervous once we arrived at school this Monday morning.

We all met in the school’s café before heading out to the assembly area. Everyone looked very sharp in their good set of clothes. Take special note of the brown indoor slippers everyone’s wearing in this shot.

The principal, Mr. Sasai introduced the students. They had a long narrow platform set up for the students to stand on so the whole assembled student body could see them. Some of them looked at this narrow platform and looked at us like we were crazy to expect them to step up there all together.

We all waited in the wings for our turn to speak to the student body. Chris Flesuras II (who has been running the Kyoto Exchange for over 20 years) came to Kyoto while we were there to visit his new grandchild. He came with his wife. Both of their sons, Nick and Chris, are teachers at Kyoto Gakuen. Both have previously taught at Modesto City Schools.  Mr. Cornwell and I are the far right of this picture waiting to speak..

Chris was greeted with cheers and claps as he took to the microphone. I am sure there are not many at this school who do not know who he is, or how long he has been running the exchange program. Chris is the Deputy Superintendent for Modesto City Schools and was a principal of one of the high schools when he first took on this exchange program. His knowledge and experience were critical to me as we prepared for this trip.  His participation in the parent/student meetings was also invaluable, as this was my first time planning a trip of this magnitue and I had never been to Japan. 

Chris said some kind words about the PacRimX program, how it had taken time but we were finally getting our side of the exchanges going again, and then introduced the students.

I was then introduced as the new person running the exchange program for Modesto City Schools and was able to say a few words of thanks to the administration of Kyoto Gakuen and the students for participating in the project.

Mr. Cornwell was then introduced and he said a few words to the assembly.

The students were then formally introduced and assumed their positions on the long stage.

The sight that they saw when the stepped up was all of the Kyoto Gakuen students assembled in the courtyard for this presentation.

Two students gave speeches to the assembly. One gave his speech in Japanese and the other in English with a translator. 

Chris Flesuras Junior and his son Chris Flesuras III posed for a picture together after the assembly.

Chris also posed for a picture with his long time associate and friend Mr. “Mickey” Kuromiya. They’ve been doing this exchange for a long time now. I was very thankful for Chris being in Japan, and dropping in a few times during the trip to see how we were doing. He has been a a patient mentor to me throughout this process.

D4 – Kyoto Exchange – Day Off

Sunday was the day the students spent off with their host families. Some went to Universal Studios, some went downtown in Kyoto to shop, others went out into the countryside to see what is outside of the city, and others went in search of specific items they wanted to take home. Mr. Kuromiya asked what I wanted to do for this day. I love to hike, so I asked if we could do something that involved hiking.

What he suggested was a trip up to the Yoshiminedera Temple, also known as the “Pine Tree Temple Matsu-no-tera”. This is up in the mountains above Kyoto.

The central attraction of this temple is a tree that was designated a national monument in 1932. The tree is over 600 years old. The pine tree is 52 meters long/tall. It is a highly unusual tree that has grown horizontally to the ground and is supported by a wood lattice frame. Think of a short three with an extremely long branch and you will get the idea. The name of the tree is “Yuryo” or “Playing Dragon”. Here is the base of the tree.

And here is a picture of the main part of the tree going across this courtyard.

And over the entrance to the courtyard.

In addition to this tree, there’s a lot more to see on this mountain side temple. The view from up here of Kyoto is stunning. There was a bit of haze in the air this day, but you could still make out all the major landmarks and areas of Kyoto below.

After we left Yoshiminedera Temple we had a quick lunch at a noodle place, then Mr. Kuromiya dropped me off at a teacher’s house where I was going to spend the night. Mr. Kuramiya wanted me to experience a host family, if only for a night, while I was on this first trip to Kyoto.

After arriving at my host family I was told the father would be home soon, and that he was going to take me out around Kyoto to see some of the smaller temples. His wife and granddaughter would be going with us while their daughter prepared a dinner for us and the family. I lost track of all the temples we visited on this afternoon, so I will just post some of my pictures here.

And here’s a picture I snapped between temples of two cars passing on the road (yikes!).

 

I was amazed at the granddaughter’s patience while we were touring the temples. We took a break and stopped for ice cream at a small place. I had my first Green Tea Float while the granddaughter had an ice cream sundae.

We had time to visit one more temple before having to head home for a big family dinner.

My host family was very kind. They took me into their home and brought their three children and their grandchildren over for a dinner. The daughter who lived with them was studying to be a cook. She made a wide variety of traditional Japanese foods. I made a few mistakes in eating some of the foods, and got some giggles from the children. But overall it went very well and was absolutely delicious. We had some good conversations over dinner and into the evening. I thank them for their hospitality and for taking me around to temples I would not have visited on my own. I was unfortunately only able to stay with them for a single night, as I had a bad reaction to their cat (I am allergic to cats).  I felt terrible having to leave them.

D3 – Kyoto Exchange – Family Day @ Byodoin

After a bus drive to Byodoin, we got off and lined up behind our guide and her red flag. This was a deeply historic site and had an amazing museum on the grounds with all the artifacts from the temple. 

The students wanted a Twitter picture in front of the temple.

The artifacts here are preserved in a museum that has temperature and humidity controlled environments. No cameras or photos were allowed inside the museum. I ended up buying a book with a catalog of all the artifacts contained in the museum. This site was established in 1052. Some of the student commented on the age of these artifacts and the long history of Japan when compared to the history of the United States.

Here are a few of the wood carved figures of Buddhist angels—Bodhisatva. These were all suspended in an all glass case in the museum.

At either end of the roof of the Byodoin temple are a bronze phoenix.

Here is the image of Byodoin on the 10 yen coin.

 

Rodney Owen, the retired ROP Director for Modesto City Schools, did this exchange for a few years with Chris Flesuras.  He gave me some advice about coins and Japan that I did not understand until I was there.  He said not to go near any deep water in Japan because of the coins.  Turns out he meant you could drown from the weight in your pockets if you fell in.  I accumulated coins like crazy in Japan.  The largest coin is 500 yen (or close to $5 US dollars).  It was easy to learn the coins because they are all different metals, some with holes, and with different edges.  But at any given time I sometimes had upwards of $30 in coins in my pockets. 

On this day when I got back to Kyoto Station I got a phone call from Mickey.  He had been detained and could not pick me up at the station to take me to the hotel.  He said he would be there later to pick me up to take me to the teachers back to school dinner.  Our teacher escort for the day pointed me to the bus terminals.  He said not to worry about the ticket, that I could buy one on the bus.  I hopped on the bus and looked for the ticket machine.  It cost 200 yen for the bus ride (about $2.00 US).  I searched my pockets and found a mix of coins totaling less than 100 yen.  I then remembered I had used most of my coins at the vending machines at Byodoin to get a cold drink.  My smallest bill was 2,000 yen.  The machine would only take up to 1,000 yen bills.  I found out that in Japan the 2,000 yen bill is like the $2 bill in the US, nobody takes them.  I got mine when I did an exchange of a large amount of money through my bank.  How nice that they had included ten of these odd bills.  I was stuck on this bus with nothing small enough to buy my ticket.  When I came to my stop I tried to express to the driver that I only had a 2,000 yen bill and that he could just take it.  Another important thing to remember in Japan is that it’s an insult to tip someone.  I guess an $18 US tip was very insulting.  After searching his bag for change, and finding none, the driver shouted at me to “Get off my bus”, he opened the door and pointed for me to leave.  I guess he was actually being very nice, as when I told the story later that night people were shocked that I had been allowed to ride the bus for free. 

D3 – Kyoto Exchange – Family Day @ Nara

I woke up at 5:00am on this Saturday. It seemed that the whole time I was in Japan I was waking up every day before my alarm went off. It was very frustrating. This was the view off my balcony this Saturday early in the morning with the full moon setting.

The plan for the day was to visit two historic sites; Nara and Byodoin. Nara was the original capital of Japan from 710 to 784. The really interesting thing is that there are over 2,000 sacred deer that run wild on the Nara grounds. Byodoin is a famous temple of Japan, and its image appears on the back of the 10 yen coin.

This was a day when the host familes could accompany their students on a trip. And most of the students had at least the student they were staying with, and many had both the parents and siblings of the student they were staying with on the trip.

It was a long bus drive up to Nara, but it did give the students time to chat with our guests that were on this trip. When we arrived at Nara, we had a tour guide with a red flag that took us to our first stop on the Nara grounds, the Tōdai-ji Temple.

It did not take us long to encounter our first deer on the Nara grounds. There was a group just inside the gates near the first vendor selling deer cookies.  A young boy was feeding the deer. 

Here’s a picture I was taking of my son Corey near the gates to the Tōdai-ji Temple while a curious deer was investigating what I was doing. These deer would bow down to get a deer cookie that you could buy from the vendors.  Here’s a video of Corey feeding the deer at Nara.

Once we got through the gates we could see the Great Buddha Hall which is the main hall of Tōdai-ji, bests known as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Inside the hall is a huge Buddha statue, and many artifacts on display.

    

The hall has burned several times over the years and models of each iteration of the Great Hall are on display inside.

In the back of the hall there is a large wood pillar that has a square hole cut through it. The students were told that it is the size of the nostril of the Buddha statue. They said if you can fit through it you will have luck and wisdom for life. So they all lined up to take a shot at squeezing through.

 

    

Some had an easier time than others in getting through the hole. Here’s one of them getting a helping hand from another student.

They were taking donations for new roof tiles for the temple. If you made a donation you could write any appropriate message in black ink on the tile. I bought one for Corey and me to leave our mark for PacRimX at Nara.

After touring the main hall we all ate our lunches out under the cherry trees. It was a beautiful day with a light breeze. The shade was a welcomed relief from the heat of the sun and the crowds touring the grounds.

The breeze in the air was blowing the cherry blossoms off the trees.  It almost looked like it was snowing cherry blossoms.  Here’s a short video of the above scene to show what it looked like.  In walking around the grounds of Nara I stumbled on a young girl in a square. She had her hat off and she was running around catching the falling cherry petals in her hat.

 

    

    

We bid farewell to the deer of Nara and got on the bus to head to Byodoin.  Aside from being a famous temple, the area is well known for it’s fine green tea.

D2 – Kyoto Exchange – Kimono Factory

Little did we know how big of a thing the Kimono Factory really was. I had thought maybe it was just a filler to round out the day. Boy was I wrong about that. This stop turned out to be very surprising for several of the students.

The plan was to watch one of the hourly shows. Models would come out every hour to model kimonos from this establishment. These models were famous in Japan, and they drew very large crowds for these shows.

Each of the models came out one by one to model the kimonos. One of the students on the trip fell in love with each of the models as they came out. They were all very beautiful and elegant Japanese women who were modeling the kimonos. After the show he went back behind the stage to see if he could get his picture taken with any of them.  He was very persistent and almost got thrown out by the security guard at the door. 

After the show the students were taken across the street to the factory where the fabric is made. They were all given an opportunity to sit down at a loom and weave some cloth. Five of the female students made a reservation for afterwards to go back across the street and try on a kimono and get their pictures taken. Here Mr. Cornwell, who is much more comfortable sitting in front of a computer screen creating, is trying to master the subtleties of the weaving loom. Not quite as easy as arranging pixels on a screen.

The other students were picking it up pretty fast with the help of a few experts. They each ended up making a small runner of fabric that they took home with them.

After we were done at the looms  it was back across the street so the girls could get in their kimonos. This is not a quick process, and all were surprised at the layers of cloth and attention to detail required to put on a kimono. Each said they had to be dressed by a female  assistant familiar with kimonos.  When they were dressed they posed for their pictures (and a Twitter pic).

It was getting late in the day and I thought I would lighten things up and ask them for a “crazy” pose. While complaining about not being able to bend or move they complied with the request and laughed out loud.

When they were finishing up I heard that the show out on stage was drawing to a close. I asked the lady who had been coordinating this session if it would be ok to get them up on stage without their knowledge. She smiled and yelled out at the girls to follow her out so they could show their friends what they looked like in kimonos.

They stepped out in the hallway and asked which way to go. The lady directed them up a few steps and through an archway. To their surprise they ended up on stage, and the audience from the show were still milling around the lobby around the stage.

I think a few of them panicked, but were quickly encouraged to play it up by their fellow students who were down below watching and snapping pictures.

They did quickly fall into the role and started striking poses for the people who were still there.

This was their debut as Japanese Kimono Models. One of them said later that they were now famous in Japan. I think this stop on our trip worked out with great success, and is something they will remember for a long time.

D2 – Kyoto Exchange – On The Way To The Kimono Factory

We had to make our way to the bus stop to get a ride to the Kimono Factory over in the Textile District. We were going to cut through a park when we stumbled upon a festival and parade. We ended up spending about an hour here taking in the sites and culture of this unplanned stop.

Many of the people were in traditional costumes for the parade, and our students were able to convince some of them to stop and take pictures with them.

A few of us in the group were over six feet tall. I am six foot three inches tall myself. Here is a picture of one of the student chaperones (Daniel) watching on as the parade and activities proceed. No problem with the seeing the view, as many of the Japanese are much shorter. But this proved detrimental in many others aspects of our visit to Japan. We bumped our heads numerous times in the temples and other buildings with low doorways, the beds were small, hallways tight, and in general Japan was not very tall friendly.

We sadly had to move on to make it to our appointment at the Kimono Factory. We would have loved to have stayed longer to take in all the sights of this celebration.  Here’s a short video clip of this parade.

A funny thing happened on our way to the Kimono Factory. We had to take a bus to get there, as it was too far to walk (yeah, I was shocked when I heard that too). We did not know how crowded the bus would be. It was normal practice for the escort teacher and Mr. Cornwell to lead the pack with me pulling up the rear of the pack when we were out in public. While waiting for the bus, the teacher escort told me that if all of the students did not get on the bus, hop on the next bus and meet them at the factory.

As she hopped on the bus with all but five of the students, something in the back of my mind questioned if it was really going to be that easy. Almost instantly another bus pulled in behind the one pulling away. The students jumped on, the doors swung closed, and we were on our way following close behind the other bus. We went about a mile and came to an intersection. When the light changed the lead bus pulled away and our bus made a right turn and headed off in another direction. This couldn’t be a good thing, as we did not have a map or any idea of where it was we were going.

We frantically scanned the bus for a route map. Only problem was it was in Japanese and we had no idea where the kimono factory was. After a few stops and another turn we pushed the button to get off the bus. It took several blocks before the bus pulled over and let us out. Nathaniel, a student who had been to Japan before and spoke Japanese was enlisted for the rescue mission. We waved down a person on the street. Nathaniel explained our situation and asked him if he knew where the Kimono Factory was located. Thankfully he did. I pulled out my Blackberry and fired up Google Maps. We asked him to point to it on the map on our phone. After scrolling a few screens he pinpointed our destination. We asked Google Maps for directions and set out on our way after thanking him for his help. Just then my phone rang. Our escort teacher was worried we had not shown up yet, and wanted to know if we were lost. We told her that we were off track but soon to be back on track. After some discussion about staying put, and waiting for the teacher to come and get us, I got them to agree to wait 15 minutes for us to arrive by foot at our destination.

After following the directrions on Google Maps on my Blackberry to our destination we were greeted by cheers and clapping from the group as we walked up the the building about twelve minutes later. Technology did not let us down on this day.  Nathaniel reminded me that without his help, the Blackberry would have been worthless (a true statement).  Teamwork and technology saved the day!

D2 – Kyoto Exchange – Golden Pavilion

It was really warm this first full day in Kyoto, over 80 degrees. We all thought we had it bad with our warm clothes we had brought in anticipation of cool Spring temperatures. On our walk to the Golden Pavilion we found somebody who had it a lot worse than us. At least we could take off our coats!

The temple grounds of the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) were even larger than those at Ryoanji Temple. 

We had been told of the popularity of this location. It was one of the biggest tourist attractions in Kyoto. It was originally constructed in 1397. It was burned down in 1950 by by a monk named Hayashi Yoken, who then attempted suicide on the Daimon-ji hill behind the building. The building was reconstructed in 1955. It received its current outer coating of gold leaf in 1987.

Even the tickets to get onto the grounds are ornate and unique.

As you come around the entrance and gain full view of the pavilion across the lake it takes your breath away. It almost looks surreal, like a model sitting in a diorama.  This picture doesn’t even come close to conveying site. Absolutely spectacular and beautiful.

I built a koi pond in my backyard three years ago. It is something of a hobby for me, and there’s nothing I like more than ending a long day sitting by my pond listening to the waterfall and letting the stresses of the day float away. I obviously knew of Japanese koi, and these were the first grounds where I came face to face with these beautiful fish. I as amazed by their size and numbers for the rest of the week throughout Kyoto.

Some of the students wanted to take a Twitter shot before leaving the Golden Pavilion.

There was still a lot to see as we made our way through the grounds. Many different buildings, gardens, sitting areas, and souvenir stops were sprinkled throughout the grounds.  I think this site and Nara had the most tourist souvenirs of any of the places we visited.

And of course getting later in the day, there was a cry to stop for snacks.  So we found some shade and a shop selling ice cream bars. 

And Mr. Cornwell was kind enough to snap a picture with my camera of my son Corey and I (We’re the ones with glasses, I’ve got the hat) with some other students while we were waiting for everyone to finish up their snacks.

And something you don’t see a lot anymore in the States, we saw a whole variety of pay phones all over Japan.  They were unlike anything I had ever seen before.

    

I think every student pulled their cameras out to snap a picture of this sign. The clean streets do not stop with litter only. Pet owners are constantly reminded to pick up after their pets.

The thing that continually amazed me about Kyoto is the sheer number of historic sites scattered around town. You would just be walking down a street and stumble on a small temple, garden or palace. And when you learned of how long they had been standing, and admired the statues and other decorations, you suddenly realized there was no graffiti in Kyoto anywhere!  We never once saw a speck of graffiti in our travels around Kyoto.  Chris Flesuras III said he knew of one out of the way spot where he had once found some graffiti, but he was not sure it still existed.  Impressive.

On our way to the bus stop to ride to the Kimono Factory the kids were looking for somewhere to eat their lunches. I was hoping for a nice park or garden to take in the nice weather. Most of the students were being provided bento boxed lunches by their host families. However, even two days away from home some of the kids were longing for familiar foods.  And what is more familiar than McDonald’s?

Here my son Corey enjoys his bento lunch in McDonald’s while the others sample the Japanese version of McDonalds (yuck!).  I tried a burger and was not impressed.  The fries tasted like home.  The large sodas in Japan are as small as a small size in the States.  No buckets of soda in Japan.

And no, the food at McDonald’s in Japan is not all familiar.

What was even more interesting to the students were the posters out in front that advertised jobs available at McDonald’s, and how much they paid for each. Some were obviously career jobs, while others targeted at younger workers.

D2 – Kyoto Exchange – Ryoanji Temple

Ryoanji Temple is very famous, world renowned actually. If you’ve ever seen a poster from Kyoto, or Japan, with a rock garden it was likely Ryoanji. The grounds of the temple are very spread out and there’s a large lake at the entrance of the temple grounds.

We were so very fortunate to be visiting during the peak of the cherry blossom season. The grounds of the temple were amazingly beautiful with all the trees in full bloom.

The students quickly found an island to go out and see, then shouted back across the lake and asked me to take their picture on the stone bridge. Another Twitter moment.

 

We then headed for the actual temple and famous rock garden. Some other students were coming down as we started our way up the steps to the temple.

This garden was built in the 15^th Century and includes only 15 stones and white gravel. The walls are made of clay boiled in oil. The pattern on the walls has created itself over the years as oil seeps out of the clay. From any viewing point in the temple you can only see 14 of the 15 stones. The garden measures twenty five by ten meters. It is truly amazing to behold, expecially when you consider its age.

This garden is different from the other gardens in Japan because there are no trees inside the walls. However, even here in the Ryoanji Temple gardens the cherry trees are flashing their blooms from beyond the wall.

This first stop on our tour the first day was a great way to start. Around every corner we found something else. At one point in our walk around the temple grounds we witnessed a lady hunched over under a cherry tree with a straw hand broom and large dust pan sweeping up the fallen cherry blossoms. One of the students commented “You would never see that in America”. Even in the gardens there is nothing out of place.

Another example of small versions of American objects greeted us as we walked through the parking lot of the Ryoanji Temple on our way to our next stop, the Golden Pavillion. It was a miniature Coke truck. Only fitting when you consider the coke bottles and cans are around 8oz in Japan.

After everyone took pictures it was off to our next stop, yes, walking . . .