May 21

Our last assigned day consisted of a couple of things in Kyoto. I got to experience my first-ever tea ceremony, which I have to admit is something I’m not used to at all. We had to told the tea cup a certain way, excuse ourselves for drinking before the person on our left, and had to place our things in certain places. Though it was definitely something I’m not used to, it was so interesting experiencing something that has been practiced for centuries. The woman hosting our tea ceremony was asked when she started learning tea ceremonies, and she said 23 years old. It’s so cool to hear that such old traditions are still highly valued and respected and practiced for a huge chunk of someone’s life. After the tea ceremony, we found a conveyer belt place, and I loooved it! I've never been to a place like this before, but one of my classmates was telling me about one not far from campus that I will definitely pay a visit to. 

After that, we went to the rock museum. This was a museum unlike any one I’ve been to. They had rocks on open display and there was a viewing deck where you could sit and relax—or if you must say it, feel zen. After the rock museum, we headed to Arashiyama where the bamboo forest is. It was smaller than I had imagined, but it was still so pretty. I’m obviously only used to regular trees, so seeing the bamboo trees all around was a gorgeous change of scenery. Matsubara Sensei walked us through the town, and we were free to go off and do whatever we wanted. Several of us wanted to try and rent a boat, but unfortunately we were too late and the dock was closed. Instead, we sat by the water for a while and enjoyed the beautiful view. After a while, we walked to the train station. It was such a nice walk, I absolutely love the Japanese neighborhoods—especially in Kyoto. We made it back to the station, got back to the hotel and had dinner at a German place. Always good to have a variety in foods. We ate, shopped around a little bit, then checked out for the night. A good last night in Kyoto!





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