Visiting the Fushimi Inari-taisha and My Final Post of my Japan Trip!

25日 6月

Me walking into a Torii leading into the inner shrine!
鳥居

This day we went to see the Fushimi Inari-taisha! This shrine is in Fushimiku, Kyoto, Japan and is also known as the head shrine of the Inari, which means fox. We got to visit this shrine which had many fox statues around the area. Many of these fox statues had keys in their mouths, which I learned later was a symbol for the rice granary. It made sense because Inari was supposedly the god of rice. Anyways, we didn't have a whole lot of time to explore but I was able to walk into a Torii to see the inner shrine on the other end. A Torii is the gate I went through and they are usually found in the entrances of the shrines. These gates can be the entrances to sacred areas. It was very exciting to see the foxes, since they are my favorite animals and also see the amazing structures and scenery. I really wanted to stay there the whole day if I could.

私は伏見稲荷大社に行ってきました！それはキツネの神社です。多くのキツネの像があります。キツネの像が彼らの口のキーを持っていた。キツネは米の神である。私は鳥居に歩いた。鳥居は神社のためのゲートである。私は稲荷神社の狐が好きです。私は一日中稲荷磨きに滞在したかった。

The fox statue with the key in its mouth!
稲荷

Inside the Torii towards the Inner Shrine

A statue of two foxes together

The next was our final day on our way home. All in all this trip was so amazing and educational, I really did learn even more about Japan. I got to understand so many things and it was very heartwarming to have meet my host family and Asuka along the way. I also didn't know anyone in my group from school, but through the two weeks of being with them all the time I have made many friends with them thankfully. I wish the whole trip could have been a month instead of two weeks since it was so wonderful. I will hopefully someday come back again with my friends and learn even more. I loved this trip to Japan!

次の日は家に戻って行くために私たちの一日でした！この旅行は、教育とすごいでした。私は日本について多くのことを学びました。私は飛鳥と彼女の家族を満たすために満足している。私は友達になりました。私は日本への旅行を愛した。私は戻っていつか来る！

Golden Pavilion, Fashion Show and Nijo Castle !

24日 6月

Golden Pavilion also known as the Kinkaku
金閣

Today we visited the Golden Pavilion! It's a well known Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto. An interesting fact I learned was that this building holds relics of the Buddha. It was nice to see this beautiful structure and also walk around the garden that surrounded this area. It was peaceful.

今日は金閣寺に行ってきました。これは京都の禅仏教の寺院である。これは金閣寺を見に美しかった。私は庭で歩いた。

Riley and I

After, we got to enjoy a cool Japanese kimono fashion show! All the models looked beautiful in the kimonos.

私たちは日本の着物のファッションショーを見た！すべてのモデルはかわいいに見えた。

We also went to see the Nijo Castle, a castle built by the Tokugawa shogunate!

私は二条城を見に行きました。二条城は徳川によって作られた。

Build inside the Nijo Castle

Bullet Train to Kyoto, My first time on a Train!

24日 6月

Station Sign!

After leaving Hakone yesterday we had also took a bullet train ride to Kyoto! It was so awesome experiencing my first ride on a bullet train. It sure was as fast as a bullet. It took about 2 hours to get to our destination and I spent my time on the train just looking outside as we passed by many sights of Japan. I eventually took a nap as well. Inside the bullet train it was pretty spacious too. We had waited in line for a long time before we got on but it was pretty neat to see all the fast trains come by, stop and then take off like a rocket. The station signs were confusing since we didn't know much Japanese but the announcements that would speak on the intercoms would talk in Japanese but also in English sometimes too. It was helpful along with Rey-sensei's guidance. After getting to Kyoto we went to our hotel and explored a bit. They had this cool store in the hotel where they sold Japanese games for PSP and other game system. My friends and I were so excited to see all these anime-related games. Later we visited the convenience store to get some food and check in for the night.

私たちは箱根を残しました。私は京都に新幹線に乗った！それは素晴らしいです。それは弾丸のように速かった。京都に行くために2時間かかった。私は新幹線の外に見えた。私は眠っていた。これは高速新幹線を見て楽しかったです。私たちはホテルに行って調査した。私たちは日本のゲーム店に行ってきました。私はコンビニに行って食べ物を買いました。

The Bullet Train!
新幹線

700!

Onward to Owakudani !

23日 6月

 

Owakudani
大涌谷

The very next morning we made our way to Hakone, off to see the well known Owakudani! In this area, the air was very heavy with the smell of boiled eggs because of the sulfurous gas in the air. The clouds made it foggy a bit as well. The area was also an active volcanic zone where you could find hot springs and hot rivers around the place.

Riley, a friend of mine, and I went up towards the mountain where there was a area where you could look down and see where the hot springs and rivers flowed. It smelled strongly of boiled eggs but we still enjoyed seeing and climbing our way to the top. We also enjoyed this vanilla ice cream that look like volcanic ash on a cone! I was scared to try it, but it was just vanilla flavored ice cream!

 

私たちは、大涌谷を見に箱根に行く。それがために硫黄ガスのゆで卵のにおいがしました。霧の雲がありました。大涌谷は、アクティブな火山帯である。温泉や熱い川があります。私の友人はライリーと私は山に登った。私たちは温泉を見た。それはゆで卵のようなにおい。私たちは、バニラアイスクリームを食べました。これは火山灰のように見える。

 

Foggy clouds upon the mountain!
霧の雲

 Vanilla Ice Cream that looked like Volcanic Ash!

 



Lets visit the Great Buddha and enjoy Atami !

22日 6月   

The Great Buddha!

Today, we left Tokyo and visited Kamakura. We got to see the temple and see the Great Buddha as well! It was a very cool day so it was nice to be out. After visiting the temple, we were off on our bus to Atami! The hotel was so nice and not too far off we could see the beach. It was a more traditional styled hotel too. At the dinner we wore yukatas and ate a very delicious Japanese meal including fish, crab, rice, and much more. I stayed in a room with three other girls and at night we took a stroll to the super market in the area. It was so quiet and peaceful just walking around Atami. We bought a few sweets and when we got back to our hotel we just talked, ate, and later went to bed.

今日東京から私たちは鎌倉に行きました。私たちは大仏を見ました。それでは熱海に行ってきました。ホテルはよかったよ。私は浴衣を着ていた。夜に私はスーパーマーケットに行きました。それは静かで平和だった。私はお菓子を買ってから眠りについた。

Lily Pads
リリーパッド

A man fishing

男釣り

Traditional living room

伝統的なリビングルーム



Miky Way and Ikebukuro !

21日 6月   



Ikebukuro East Station!

Today we reached Ikebukuro! We had a day of free time, so Rey Sensei asked us how we wanted to spend it. Some of the girls in our group wanted to back to Harajuku to shop while my friends and I wanted to go explore Ikebukuro. So off we went by the train station and there we reached the Ikebukuro East Station. We walked around alot and went inside many shops and cafes.

今日は池袋に行ってきました！我々は鉄道駅で池袋に着いた。私たちは買い物をしてかわいいカフェで食べた。

We also were able to eat sweet treats at a cute, little café called Milky Way. They had adorable cakes, milkshakes, and even coffee with caramel-glazed marshmallows on top!

私はおいしい扱いを食べました。カフェのなまえは ミルキーウェイです。

Milky Way!

 

Stroll in Asakusa Kannon Temple and eating Chanko Nabe !

                                                                          20日 6月


 

                                 

Later we visited Asakusa Kannon Temple, a Buddhist temple in Asakusa. It is also known as the Sensoji Temple. Apparently the temple was built for the goddess of Mercury named Kannon. It was very beautiful and colorful.

 

 それから、私たちは浅草観音に行きました。それは美しいです。

Chanko Nabe
ちゃんこ鍋

After spending time in the temple, we were off to dinner! We were treated to eat a dish known amongst sumo wrestlers! It was very big and looked delicious. Myself and friends from my group sat around this table on the floor (shoes off as well) and waited to be told how to correctly prepare the whole dish. It was my first time actually cooking raw meat too. My favorite foods were the fish cakes in the dish. We all enjoyed the meat, noodles, and other vegetables also in the big bowl. It was a great night to just sit and enjoy a big meal with everyone in our group.

いただきます！力士はちゃんこ鍋を食べる。私は魚のケーキが好きです。 おいしかった。
たのしかった！