Kyoto and What Not

I suppose I should give some background as to what I’m doing, where I’m living etc.

I’m living in Kyoto, I’ll be here for the next…seven months or so, attending school at Doshisha University while living with a host family.

Kyoto is, as the old woman I met in the bath the other day says, “the most popular destination in Japan”. Why? Kyoto is what you might call the historical center of the Japan—the place is chock (I have never typed that word before…it looks funny) full of historical sights. I kid you not, I can walk down almost any street here and run into a small temple or shrine.

Very close to Kyoto (it takes me about 40 minutes/1 hour from where I live) is Osaka. I kind of like to imagine Osaka and Kyoto as siblings. Kyoto is the much more elegant, refined, and cultured of the two. Osaka is just all-around awesome and up-to-date.  If you want to see crazy fashion and hairstyles (and colors) somewhere besides Tokyo, Osaka would be the place.

So yeah. There’s location.

School wise, I attend Doshisha University, as I said. It takes me about 45 minutes to get to school from where I live including a 10 minutes walk, a train ride, and finally a subway ride. I’m taking Japanese (obviously), religion, and history. As Japan’s history is very closely tied to its various, melding religions, religion and history are more or less the same class—the same subject, different views. 

Down the street from my school there is...wait for it... NINTENDO HEADQUARTERS!!!! However, as it is the actual place where they do their amazing work, there are no tours or visitors. It is just a very plain, white building and the "Nintendo" on the front is written is silver, not red, so it doesn't stand out as much. Still amazing.

Alright. Done with that stuff.

Side note, went to Osaka yesterday. To go to Spa World. http://www.spaworld.co.jp/english/

Awesome.

6 hours of various themed onsen. They had waterslides, lazy river, the fish that would eat the dead skin from your feet. Men and women were on different floors for the baths since everyone is naked (that took some getting used to).  The levels switch each month. This month the guys had the European floor which had a Roman bath, Atlantis (with an aquarium under the bath), Finnish Sauna etc. Womens level was Asian themed so there was traditional Japanese, Bali, Persian, Islamic etc. Definitely the most relaxing day of my life.

Thursday, AKP is taking a field trip to Hiroshima and a couple other places. I’ll try and post pictures of that.