I have been here in Kyoto for a few days now. My friend, Miho, has been really busy working and preparing for the fall term at Ritsumeikan University. At first I was really discouraged by my lack of proficiency in Japanese. Miho speaks English rather well, so we ended up communicating in my native language a lot. It was not exactly how I imagined things. Granted, I have only studied Japanese for about two years at U of I (plus a little bit on my own), but I somehow thought I would rise to the occasion when I arrived in Japan.
I was also a little lonely at first. I just spent the whole summer with Brica, and now I was suddenly alone. I admit I had some hopes of rekindling an old relationship with Miho, but things just didn't work out too well. That pretty much sums up my first few days in Japan: things did not turn out too well.
Then one morning I woke up and realized where I was: Kyoto. One of the cultural capitals of the world. Miho didn't bother to tell me, but I was within walking distance of temples and gardens that are famous all of the world. I went out on my own and visited places like Ryoanji (photo), Daitokuji, and Kiyomizudera (photo) (many other photos and explanations available at Kansai Institute of Information Systems page).
Tomorrow I plan to visit a museum with another friend. Things are really looking up now. I am starting to remember some of the reasons I liked Japan. For a while, I was really wondering. It is really nice to sitesee alone. Sometimes I sit down and draw a picture for an hour. Other times I can rush from one site to another as I please. I think I should have time to see most of what I want to before I leave tomorrow. I can't believe I have been here almost a week already. It hasn't been easy, but I am starting to have a good time. I will meet my host family on Friday. I hope that goes well.
