3 April 2009

Since yesterday was such a busy day, I started off today being very tired. I was amongst the norm however, so everyone was somewhat mentally slow during our morning Japanese session. Today’s Japanese class was once again very intense, and it was our most difficult class thus far. We learned three different lessons today, whereas we had previously only learned one a day. After class, I ate at Nakau again, and I have lost track of how many times I have actually eaten there. I wasn’t too hungry since I ate so much last night, so I got the 200 yen bowl of tanuki. It was as tasty as always. After lunch, we went back to the hotel to put the finishing touches on our project presentation, then headed to studio at 1:45pm. Studio was pretty laid back, and we spent the three hours listening to everyone present their preliminary project development. I was very satisfied that our project was well-received, and we got lots of great feedback. The final is due next Wednesday, so we shouldn’t have too much more work to do before then to finish it up.
After studio, Don was going to explore the area of temples located directly across from the Kyoto Community Center where our studio is located. Four of us opted to go with him, and another adventure began. We began by looking at a few temples on street level, then proceeded to hike up the hillside to find a rural Shinto Shrine. We eventually found it, but we hiked up a very steep slope. I was very fortunate that I didn’t experience any severe asthma problems. We ended up hiking along a hillside trail for about an hour before we were able to find our way back. There were marker signs along the way, so it was very beneficial that Don was with us so he could read the directional signs. If he wasn’t with us, we might’ve still been out there lost since it was starting to get dark. Within the confinements of this temple area, we also were able to see the Kyoto aqueduct. I had no idea this form is water transportation was still being used, and we were even able to walk along the top of it where the water what. It was such an amazing experience!
By the time it was dark, we were all very hungry for dinner. We invited Don to join us for dinner, and he gladly accepted. I think we have all realized that he is somewhat lonely, so we try to involve him as much as we can. He took us to a yakitori place called Daikichi, and we ended up ordering many new items to share amongst all of us. I ended up trying chicken heart yakitori, chicken liver yakitori, chicken stomach yakitori, chicken neck yakitori, chicken cartilage yakitori, chicken garlic thigh yakitori, yaki onigiri, chicken meatball yakitori, quail egg yakitori, fried tofu yakitori, and baked potato yakitori. They were all delicious, and we ended up just splitting the bill to be 1,200 yen each. It was somewhat pricey, but I guess that’s the price of eating in a group with Don. It was nonetheless a very memorable experience, and I have now tried many new things. That was pretty much the extent and highlight of my night. The rest of my time has been spent online uploading pictures and updating this blog. Tomorrow, I am getting up early again to visit more temples in Northern Kyoto with Don, and in the evening, we will head back to Osaka to see some more modern architecture.