First Two Weeks in Kyoto A lot has happened in the past couple weeks–I’ve finished my first job at the Airinkan, the day care center for people with cognitive disabilities, and I’ve started my next job, at the Bazaar Cafe. I’ll do my best to neatly sum up how it has been. February 11 was a Japanese holiday, National Foundation Day (Kenkoku Kinen no Hi). This day celebrates the ascension of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu (Thanks, Wikipedia!). For some…
Well, I’m finally here! This is my second full day living in Kyoto. The day I left Tokyo I had to get up at 5:30 AM to make the shinkansen (bullet train). I wasn’t sure if I would be able to because the night before I had suddenly become very sick. I have no idea why, but thankfully I was well enough to travel the next day. Kayla, who also attends Vassar, is doing the same practicum as me, and we both…
“What are you doing for Golden Week?” was the newest addition to the standard small-talk for the weeks leading up to last weekend. In Japan, “Golden Week” is a series of holidays that occur within a close period of time of one another. Many people get the entire week off of school or work, but unfortunately, I only enjoyed a 4-day weekend. I had originally planned to spend the entire weekend in the historic cities of Kyoto and Nara—famous for its Giant Buddha and bowing deer—with friends from my study abroad program, but…