Mom's Visit-Day 3-6

On days 3-5, my mother and I stayed in Gotemba. My mother got to meet a few of my friends, and we went out for Indian one night. Also, she helped me with teaching a class, which was interesting. On the afternoon of day 5, my mother and I left for Kyoto. We used bicycles to get around, which was funny because I got to watch my mother attempt to ride a bicycle. The first day in Kyoto, we visited the Heian Shrine. I had been here once before, but I think it is my favorite place in Kyoto. The garden there is amazing, and it isn’t crowded with too many people. After this, we made our way to Kiyomizu Temple. It is one of the most famous places in Kyoto, but I didn’t like it all that much because it is really crowded. Also, it is a mission to go up the huge hill crowded with loads of people and shops just to reach the temple. To end the day, we ended up in Gion where we ate Okonomiyaki.

By the temple shops at Kiyomizu Temple

Pagoda in Kyoto

At the Yasaka Shrine

Heian Shrine's Gardens

Heian Shrine

Me in gardens of Heian Shrine

Mom's Visit-Day Two

On day two, we went to Ueno Park. I was surprised at how big it is. The first place we went was Ueno Zoo. It is a little small and for some reason the panda bear was missing, but overall, it was good. There were lots of families with their children and some couples on dates. I think my mother and I were the odd people not only because we were American but also because their were no older daughter-mother pairs. Also, there is a large lake. It’s really pretty because there are lots of people rowing boats on the lake. The next time I go there, I really want to rent a boat. Finally, in Ueno Park, we visited Toshogu Shrine and the Pagoda there. These are quite small, but worth a visit, if you are already in the park. To end the day, my mother and I visited The Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku for an amazing view of the city.

View from The Tokyo Metropolitan Building

Lake in Ueno Park

Ueno Zoo

Mom's Visit-Day One

This is going to be the first post concerning my mom’s trip to Japan, so I guess I will start with her arrival. My mother left St. Louis on May 22 and arrived the next day in Narita. She traveled by herself to our hotel, and surprisingly didn't manage to get lost. We spent the night in Shinjuku. I think the first culture shock she experienced was separating ice, paper, and plastics at McDonalds rather than just throwing it all in one trash can. That Saturday, we made our way to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. I was really surprised at how massive the grounds were. I think you would have to walk for an hour just to walk around the entire grounds. After this, we made our way to the Yasakuni Shrine. There was a street market leading up to the shrine. After this, we went to Koishikawa Korakuen Garden. The garden is really surprising because it seems like a random garden put in the middle of Tokyo surrounded by loads of buildings. I think it is a nice escapism from the city as many people go there to paint the scenery.

Wadakura Fountain Park near Tokyo Imperial Palace

Wadakura Fountain Park near Tokyo Imperial Palace

View from grounds of Tokyo Imperial Palace

Tokyo Imperial Palace

Near Yasakuni Shrine

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Sports Day

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the quality of these photos. I took them with my iphone, so the quality isn't so good. The second graders had a homeroom sports competition in the gym. The girls played volleyball, and the boys played dodgeball. I couldn't believe it, but dodgeball is not the same at all in Japan. I had trouble understanding how you play, but basically, I think it is this. There is one ball, and people pass the ball in order to get people out. People are allowed on the outside of the other team's area in order to throw the ball. It's so strange. I thought the game would be the same, but it is completely different.

Kawasaki-Random Things Found Walking

For the rest of our time in Kawasaki, we basically just went on a big walk. We found a garden with a big pond and waterfall, a pagoda surrounded by streets full of souvenir shops and food stalls, and a huge cemetery. Cemeteries are so different in Japan compared to those in America. In America, cemeteries are grassy and spread out, but in Japan, everything is really close together and mostly concrete. Also, there were loads of animals everywhere. Everyone was out walking their dogs, and there were loads of feral cats. It really turned out to be such a nice day because the weather was finally somewhat warm, and we found lots of things we weren't expecting to discover. Also, we got Krispy Kreme and Starbucks, a much missed necessity in Gotemba.

Feral Cat

Pagoda

Carly at the Cemetery

Kawasaki-Cherry Blossoms and Hanami

After visiting the shinto shrine, we wondered through a park with lots of cherry blossoms. It was really nice because I was able to see what hanami is like. In America, we don't have hanami. We have things that are kind of similar though. In a neighboring town in America, there is a Dogwood Azalea Festival. At this, there is a parade, people go on walks looking at the flowers, and there are food stands. Hanami seems quite different. It is more like a picnic. I really want to go to hanami, but I think it was nice just walking through and seeing it too.

Kawasaki-Shinto Shrine

Carly, the ALT from Oyama High School, and I took a day trip to Kawasaki the weekend before last. I had heard mixed reviews of Kawasaki before going. I had been told it was dirty because there used to be lots of factories there. However, when I arrived, I thought it was a really nice place. There were lots of cool things in the area we went to, and I didn't think it was dirty at all. While we were there, there was a festival at a Shinto Shrine. It was interesting to say the very least. There were lots of food stands and tons of tourists. I was surprised because I think there might possibly have been more foreign people than Japanese people. Below are some pictures I took there. After staying at the shrine for about an hour, we moved on to other parts of Kawasaki, which I will discuss in the next post.

These are the strange people at the festival we saw wearing crazy wigs. We thought they were so strange, so we asked to have our picture taken with them.