What Happened?

Hello again all!

I know it has been a while, almost a full month without a post.

A lot has happened this month. Aside from exams and the average quiz and research , I have been doing a lot of little things that I did not expect.

This past weekend I went to Kyoto for a full day excursion and temple viewing. It was a lot of fun and by far a very worth while hike... A 6 hour hike that took us up mountains and down valleys on what I can only describe as being a 2 foot wide path with a mountain on the one side and a very painful fall on the other side. A fall that would had sent me down hitting every tree like a pinball.

That didn't happen of course, but it sure would had made some interesting material to post, huh?

Anyways, a lot of the pictures I took are of trees. Autumn in Japan is very beautiful. Trees of every color and shape.

The temples that we went too were packed with people too. A lot of them where doing what I was doing... Taking pictures of the trees. I took over 100 pictures, so I obviously won't be putting any up. I will only be putting the pictures that I think are worth while.

That being said...

Haha, nothing more worth while than this handsome devil, huh?

During a time period in Japan, Buddhist and Shinto religions shared the same temples and shrines. They literally lived right next to each other and very often the two would mix, Shinto priest participating in Buddhist rituals and Buddhist monks participating in Shinto rituals. It was all very interesting and the end result was a mixture of religions. For example, this shrine which honors the kitsune (fox).

So anyways, like I said before, this trip involved a lot of hiking. I kid you not, the day after I was not able to walk. I literally crawled out of bed.

For today though, I think this will be enough. I will try and be better about posting more often but I make no promises.

Next post I will try and post pictures of the hiking part.

Until then folks, keep on reading.

The Dormitory

Okay, so obviously I wasn't able to put up the post yesterday. I have a good reason for it too.

School Festival had lots of food... That's my excuse.

I also ended up with about 18 gold fish that I need to find a new home for. Apparently, according to dorm rules, they are considered a pet and therefore I cannot keep them here. I honestly don't view them as pets. They are more like house plants really. I mean, they just float there... Staring at me with those wide, dark, lifeless eyes. I have staring contests with them... They usually win.

You can only stare into a goldfish's eyes for so long before you feel your mind slipping.

Anyways, as promised I will include pictures in this post to make it more viewer friendly. I won't force you guys to read today. Not much at least.

So, on the subject of dorms, I figured that the best place to start is the place where I have been spending and will spend most of my time in.

The Dormitory!

This dorm has been active for some time. Exactly how long, I cannot really say. The pictures in the cafeteria though seem to be from back in the old days when students here at the university still had to wear uniforms. I am going to guess it was a little bit after WWII.

At the dorm we have many services at our disposal. As mentioned, we have a cafeteria (far left), where we eat our breakfast and dinner. The cafeteria staff is very nice and they try to remember everyone by name. Lucky for them, my name is easy to pronounce and they got it right off the bat. I need to get a picture of them.

On first and fourth floor of the dorm, there is a kitchen (Center) that the students can use. The fee for this is included in our monthly rent. I have only seen a small handful of students use it, but I imagine it is a welcomed convenience for those who know how to cook anything besides eggs. I have no culinary talent what so ever... I almost set the kitchen on fire once trying to make toast. Actually, I don't think I told my parents about that one... Oops.

Anyways, another nifty thing about the dorm is that we have our own little library (Far Right). Granted that most of the books on the shelves are of a "non-educational" nature, but it's still pretty nifty to have. If anything, it is a nice place to study.

The last thing that I will mention as part of the dormitory tour is the giant おふろ (ofuro) that is located on the first floor of the dorm. The ofuro is basically a giant shower/bath area. It is shared so at any point there are two or more guys in it. Don't worry, there are no naked guys in the picture. However, for those who were hoping, sorry, there are no naked guys in the picture. Plus, the picture is only of the entrance, where you leave your clothing right before entering.

Hm? There's clothing in the boxes... Guess someone was in there. Wow, that would had been awkward if they came out just as I was standing at the door with my camera. Would had been fun to explain though.

Anyways, the ofuro is rather nice. Granted its like being back in high school but soaking in the giant bath tub is extremely relaxing. However, the water is incredibly hot, so you have to get in little by little.

Aside from all that I have mentioned, we also have a lounge area where we can hang out and watch TV. Of course, almost everything on TV is in Japanese, and for the most part we don't understand much of it... not yet at least. I hope we eventually do.

So folks, with that ends out tour of the dormitory. Please make sure to tip your tour guide.

Until next time folks! Keep on reading!