I am starting off 2015 with a winter study-abroad for 2 weeks in Japan. Despite the fact that all my relatives other than my immediate family lives in Japan, I have not been able to visit the country in almost a decade. I am so thrilled about going on this short, but new adventure, and sharing the experience with all of you. Hope you enjoy!
Oh, the exhaustion! I have failed to post for the past few days simply because I have passed out the moment I get back to the hotel. I was finally able to snag some free time tonight to provide some updates on my trip. In the past couple of days, we have traveled from Kyoto to Nara, and to Ise. Check out my vlog on the past few days below:
Nara is famous for its Deer Park, which is just as it sounds: filled with deer.
We went there by subway, on which I would always recommend bringing a snack.
We then headed over to Todaiji Temple, famous for its statue of Buddha. It is the largest wooden statue of Buddha in the world. The temple itself was built to promote Buddhism, impressing its audience by sheer size. It was definitely effective for me... the building was ginormous.
Next, we headed to the bright vermilion (signature Shinto color) Kasuga Grand Shrine!
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Next, we visited the Shinyakushiji Temple, a Shinto temple filled with warrior statues.
The next day, we took a trip to Ise Grand Shrine, where they worship the sun goddess, Amaterasu. She is said to be the ancestor of the Imperial Family. In Shinto terms, it is the most sacred place in the world. It was filled with people, and gorgeous natural landscape.
Afterwards, we went to the famous Kinkakuji (Golden Pavillion). This building was recently rebuilt ("recent" being around 1950). The story is that a monk fell in love with the building, but was irked by others liking it. Out of jealousy, he burnt it down, after which it was rebuilt. Love is scary...
Just a quick, heartfelt note before I head to bed. I am on this educational trip with a wonderful, bright, and diverse group of people. However, particularly these past couple of days, I am sad to say that we have experienced a significant amount of racism in Japan. Some were instances of microagression, such as pointing, whispering, and glaring. However, others were just unacceptable behavior that objectified and violated us, myself included (taking photographs of us without consent, violently pushing us out of the way, etc...). As a Japanese-American who is proud of her heritage, this was horrifying to experience. I had experienced such things in America, but to be a target of such discrimination in the country of my family disgusted me. I strongly felt something I have felt all my life: that I would never truly belong to either country. I was expressing this to my group-mates in a cab ride, when our cab driver (Japanese, but studied English) turned to me and told me "You are not an outsider. Such things happen, but most people in Japan are very kind." (This is very true, by the way, most of the people we have met have been wonderful). "We are happy to have you." These kind words, for lack of a better expression, gave me all of the feels. :')
Hope you enjoyed today's short, image-heavy blog post! Stay tuned for more, and check out my other Wintersession in Japan posts by clicking on the "Study Abroad" category to the right of this webpage.
Best,
justajae
Hope you enjoyed today's short, image-heavy blog post! Stay tuned for more, and check out my other Wintersession in Japan posts by clicking on the "Study Abroad" category to the right of this webpage.
Best,
justajae