This blog will be broken down into four sections, each depicting four groups’ very exciting days. However, since I was only a part of one group, that section will be more detailed, so in the event that it sounds like it was better than the others, I apologize.
Philosopher’s Walk – The “adults” chose to take a walk down philosophy lane, which is a cherry-tree lined 2 km road located in Kyoto, Japan. The name is derived because the Japanese philosopher, Kitaro Nishida, used to walk the path to meditate. I cannot say much more regarding the actual walk, because I do not know any more, but I do know it was lined with historic temples and shrines and was also littered with many authentic craft shops. After that, the chaperones continued to shop and explore the eastern side of Kyoto. From what I was told, much was learned and many yen were spent!
Shop-Shop-Shop – Six out of 15 student members of the total group are female. Six out of 15 female student members, shopped until they dropped. From 9AM to 6PM, these ladies entered numerous boutiques and shops to purchase and peruse. I think that some of the items bought include shoes, purses, kimonos, and Japanese fans. The department stores are stocked full of female sales clerks waiting for questions to be asked, just standing attentively, yet distanced enough, much unlike the American norm. Once asked for assistance, the sales clerks certainly took charge and helped in any way possible. For example, one member fell in love with a pair of shoes, but unfortunately the store did not have her size in stock. Amazingly though, the Japanese speaking clerk retreated for five minutes, only to return with a detailed description of the shoe, a sketch of the shoe, and a map to at least two other locations where they could be found in her size. AMAZING. Whereas in the States, they would ask if you would like to order something and receive it in a few days, instead of sending you to a nearby competitor, God forbid. I dunno, as business majors and Americans, we find this really interesting and somewhat unique. What do you think? Wouldn’t it be cool if people were more helpful and less selfish?
Nara – Four male members woke up bright and early and ventured to the bus/subway station in Kyoto. From there, they managed to navigate their way to the city of Nara, 30-miles away. I think they got lost once or twice, but nonetheless, they made it there safely. Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its name to the Nara period. The original city, Heijō-kyō, was modeled after the capital of Tang Dynasty China, Chang'an (present-day Xi'an). According to the ancient Japanese book Nihon Shoki, the name "Nara" derived from the Japanese word narashita meaning "made flat". That last part was from Wikipedia, so of course, it’s all true. The group walked around Nara Park, which apparently contained thousands of deer and the largest Buddhist temple in the world. From what they say, the whole bus/subway debacle was the most exciting experience. Funny story, at one point they entered a subway car reserved for a group of school girls, only to be harshly kicked off. I guess you had to be there! When we return, there are plans to start a YouTube account and upload some videos. You will most likely see some footage of Nara, so be prepared.
Bike Ride (This one’s mine) – Five guys rented some bikes and rode north of Kyoto. Riding alongside the Kamo River, we saw so many amazing sites from copper wire basket makers to musicians to mountains. One member and I stopped to purchase a couple of the copper woven baskets and had an incomprehensible, yet very meaningful conversation with the older gentleman who was crafting our gifts. They’re pretty cool, and so was he. Side note, upon our return, we also plan on creating a Webshots account, in which LOTS of pictures will be posted, including the basket-maker-man. Eventually, we ended up in a beautiful park, where we rode around seeing even more! Here, we saw a group of drummers playing African style beats (YouTube), the most mammoth-sized building I have ever seen in my life (Kyoto International Conference Center), and a gorgeous body of water called the Takaragaike Pond, which happened to be the name of the park (minus the “Pond,” plus the “Park”). About ten miles and five hours later, our butts were sore, but our spirits were high! Seriously folks, I haven’t had a day quite like this in a very long time. On the way to the park, we entered a very wealthy suburban/rural area of Kyoto. Ferraris, and Porches, and Jaguars OH MY! We were told that some of these tiny, yet pristine homes go for anywhere from $100,000 to $3,000,000, depending on all those things that real-estate prices depend on. Also, English was not to be found anywhere. I guess once outside of the tourist area, people have no incentive to accommodate us Westerners. Once again, suggesting that the “westernization” of Japan is mostly economically driven. Anyway, we could not have had a better experience that day, not with culture shock shopping or with ancient historical sightings. It was just us and the land...
For all intents and purposes, each group felt that it made the right choice, and rightfully so. I mean, not one person made a single complaint, and when in the privacy of his or her preferred company, he or she would most likely claim that they had more fun than the others did. The truth is though, that each of us made the day our own and truly opened ourselves up to another culture and its customs. That’s ALWAYS fun for me.
Next blog = Tokyo is so big, that not even Godzilla could tear it down - OR - Tokyo is so much bigger than NYC that the Yankees look like ants from up here - OR – Tokyo is not only the most populated with over 35 million residents, but it is also the wealthiest city in terms of GDP, which is $1.315 trillion, placing just this one CITY somewhere between that of Italy (COUNTRY) and Canada (COUNTRY), which rank 7th and 8th in the world, so in a sense, Tokyo alone ranks 8th in the world in terms of GDP. Honestly though, what’s most impressive, is looking out of my 23rd story window in any direction and not being able to see anything other than skyline. This is no exaggeration... the sprawl undoubtedly puts NYC to shame... but don’t worry all you Big Applers, I still love you, and you’re size.
P.S. They hate Brittany Spears now as much as we do... go figure!
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