Dear parents,
Having finally settled temporarily in Shanghai, we now feel it would be appropriate to update you as to our activities. But first know that we are all healthy, happy, and excited for what lies ahead.
Tokyo provided our first glimpse of Japan. Trying to take advantage of everything, we visited the Tokyo-Edo Museum, which gave us a history of the city, Senso-ji and the Meiji Shrine, both Shinto shrines, and the Imperial Palace, which, even though we did not enter it, was notable for its thick, ocean-like grass. We spent a day with a woman at her house, where we tried on yukata, had a small tea ceremony, and ate a full Japanese meal including soba, tempura, and makizushi which we rolled ourselves.
After that adventure, we took a night train to Hiroshima, where we visited a museum in memory of the atomic bomb explosion and peace memorial park, with the remnants of a building that survived the attack. The place was quite moving. We also saw Miyajima, an island that houses a shinto shrine and friendly deer who like to eat tourist maps. Then we spent a night in a Buddhist temple on Koya-San (Mt. Koya), with your typical tatami mats and early morning chants, before reaching Kyoto. There, we truly got to explore John's class in action by visiting major pilgrimage and tourist sites. These included the Golden Pavilion, Kyomizu-dera, and Ryoanji, which has a famous Zen garden containing 15 rocks. From no point on the ground can one see all 15 rocks at once.
We realized three things about Japan while we were there. First, the subway systems are numerous and confusing. We would have been lost without our wonderful guide, Shinji, and his remarkable GPS phone. Second, Japan is quite clean. There was hardly any garbage anywhere, and in Hiroshima, we saw a man in a tuxedo changing a trash can. And finally, the people in Japan are really friendly. They patiently waited while we mimed our meanings, and they offered assistance whenever they could.
Japan was quite expensive, and we hardly had any breaks, but it was neat to see places of extreme importance, both historically and religiously. We look forward to all that Shanghai has to offer.
Hoping your time at home is happy,
Kris
Having finally settled temporarily in Shanghai, we now feel it would be appropriate to update you as to our activities. But first know that we are all healthy, happy, and excited for what lies ahead.
Tokyo provided our first glimpse of Japan. Trying to take advantage of everything, we visited the Tokyo-Edo Museum, which gave us a history of the city, Senso-ji and the Meiji Shrine, both Shinto shrines, and the Imperial Palace, which, even though we did not enter it, was notable for its thick, ocean-like grass. We spent a day with a woman at her house, where we tried on yukata, had a small tea ceremony, and ate a full Japanese meal including soba, tempura, and makizushi which we rolled ourselves.
After that adventure, we took a night train to Hiroshima, where we visited a museum in memory of the atomic bomb explosion and peace memorial park, with the remnants of a building that survived the attack. The place was quite moving. We also saw Miyajima, an island that houses a shinto shrine and friendly deer who like to eat tourist maps. Then we spent a night in a Buddhist temple on Koya-San (Mt. Koya), with your typical tatami mats and early morning chants, before reaching Kyoto. There, we truly got to explore John's class in action by visiting major pilgrimage and tourist sites. These included the Golden Pavilion, Kyomizu-dera, and Ryoanji, which has a famous Zen garden containing 15 rocks. From no point on the ground can one see all 15 rocks at once.
We realized three things about Japan while we were there. First, the subway systems are numerous and confusing. We would have been lost without our wonderful guide, Shinji, and his remarkable GPS phone. Second, Japan is quite clean. There was hardly any garbage anywhere, and in Hiroshima, we saw a man in a tuxedo changing a trash can. And finally, the people in Japan are really friendly. They patiently waited while we mimed our meanings, and they offered assistance whenever they could.
Japan was quite expensive, and we hardly had any breaks, but it was neat to see places of extreme importance, both historically and religiously. We look forward to all that Shanghai has to offer.
Hoping your time at home is happy,
Kris