Checking In

So just checking in from Kyoto. They said we wouldn't have much internet access but the place we're staying at does have computers and once you manage to sort through some Japanese you can buy some time for the internet. Its about 6:00 am here and finally its starting to feel normal after all that jet lag.
So far we've been to places around and in Kyoto which is just awesome. I've gotten some really cool pictures and I'm hoping to post some when I get back - or I might just get a tumblr to post them to I'm not sure yet.
I'm having fun, I just wish the professors would slow their pace down a bit, they've been to Japan before and are used to being on the go but some of us just don't have that much energy especially with the jet lag. But I think my body is at least starting to compensate, thankfully.
So lets see some places we've been to have been Kyomizudera, Gion Shijo, the Kyoto International Manga museum (freaking awesome by the way they had some actually cutscenes from both Inuyasha manga and anime!), and Nishijin.
They let us try on authentic kimonos in Nishijin and let me tell you Japanese people are serious about their professions. The women that dressed us in the kimonos knew how to get us to suck in to fit them. I guess kimonos just have a natural design to act as corsets because we couldn't breath haha! I have a real respect now for all the women I saw at Kyomizudera that wore kimonos for the occassion. (Kyomizuderas on a mountain and it was 85 degrees.) Also we had good timing at Nishijin because there was a fashion show going on that day. A kimono fashion show is so elegant theres none of that flaunting around like western style shows these ladies were showing off the craftsmanship of the fabric itself and not their own assets (not to say they all weren't stunning anyway). OH and a few teenagers who wanted to practice their English got some pictures with us as well.
Also a nice family whose maternal father was an alumnus at our university invited us all for a day out in Omi which is near Osaka.
Japanese hospitality is amazing. First they took us on a small boat trip where only about 9 people could fit on the boats at a time. They resembled canoes. My sensei told us the actual name for the them but I can't remember XP
The boat driver even said that he got a haircut just for the occasion of welcoming us. And even though the boat didn't have a  motor the slow steady pace was great. We got to see so much of the Osaka landscape which has mountains on all sides. Its kind of like visiting Pennsylvania or West Virginia. Then afterwards they took us to an authentic Japanese restaurant where we had to take off our shoes and sit on the floor which really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. The ladies cooked our food at the table and we helped them prepare it. The only names of the food I can remember are tonkatsu and gohan but like I said we got pictures and I'll post them on tumblr when I get back. I had my first raw egg but with the way it was integrated into the meal it added so much flavor. Thankfully I've finally gotten the hang of chopsticks. The owner even gave us a brief background of the development of food in Japan. Apparently for a few centuries beef wasn't allowed to be eaten and so the average Japanese height shrunk a few inches over that time. I never knew that.
Then after that they took us on a tour of the country side on foot. We got to hop stones by a river and explore authentic merchant shops. Everyone was so nice I wish this kind of welcoming hospitality existed everywhere and I know I sound corny but its true its so true.
Also let me mention that our hosts drove us around in three separate cars and I rode in the one with Aki (our main hosts who had planned the trip) and she couldn't speak much English and those of us in the car couldn't speak much Japanese but it was a good experience to flew our linguistic muscles. I've only been taking Japanese classes for about a year but I was glad I was able to at least have a simple conversation with her. Aki was so adorably nice. She truly wanted us to get a taste of Japanese lifestyle.
When we finally got back to her husbands house his family had prepared an authentic mochi pounding at the door. We got to watch and try for ourselves making mochi by hand and not with a machine like its mostly done. Even Aki's Ojisan did it and he was better than most us young folks. It involves swinging a mallet over head and hitting the sticky rice in a barrel until its become a paste. Again don't worry we got pictures ^_^
Later they let us try on some family kimonos and helped us fit them on for photos. Us girls decided to get a picture with Ojisan because he was so awesome haha! He was having so much a fun and the whole time his wife couldn't help giggling at him.
Then they taught us an old dance that was based off how a merchant sells his goods. It took a while to get the moves right but I think we mastered them ok. Aki led us in the dance circle so it was all good.
Finally we got to dinner and they laid out the tables and sitting mats for us. Aki asked some of us to help set the table and prepare the food in front of everyone and because I was sitting next to her she called on me for a bit. But I didn't mind. It was my first time seeing a lot of the food and I'm hoping I can remember the recipes. One thing I feel bad about though was that as the night wore on and Aki kept cooking she looked so exhausted. She prepared so much food for us and had been directing us the whole day. She even planned a majority of the trip yet she still kept going. She had sensei translate that "I want you all to get as much of a taste of Japan as possible. Even if you don't recognize or eat all of the food at least try it and experience it." She kept pushing herself just for us and we were so thankful to her for it. She even cooked an extra course for us to take home. And I mean a whole extra course. We had to get several bags to carry it all. Gosh she was amazing.
One of the girls in our group even asked Ojisan to adopt her because she didn't have any grandfathers anymore and he accepted. He said he would always be her grandpa across the sea. He was so amazing. He didn't speak any english at all yet he still spoke with us and treated us as if we had always been old friends.
We all even got teary eyed when they took us back to the train station. When I get back I'm sending them post cards.


Ok now for my dumb moment. A couple days ago I feel asleep on a train to Gion Corner and just missed my stop by a station. I don't blame my group for losing track of me its not their job and once you've been on a crowded train in Japan its easy to lose track. But give me some credit like I said my body wasn't used to all the running around we were doing and I was jet lagged.
Anyway I woke up and ended up at another station over and I couldn't read much Japanese I was officially lost.
I'm not sure if I should put this in a journal itself or just keep it here. I've already typed so much and its getting to a time when everyone is waking up. I'll see if I can summarize.
Basically I figured I'd go back to Gion and try my luck there, once I figured out how to get a round trip. I couldn't find them so I figured I just try to make it back to our place in Kyoto. After a lot of trying work my way around the language barrier with several train employees and passengers (and an adorable older couple) I finally made it back to Kyoto, found our place, and beat my group back. I didn't mean to worry sensei so much, shes such a nice lady.
Maybe I'll give a more detailed explanation later.

I didn't mean to write so much and I thank everyone who wished me well and took the time to read through all this. I'm going to go see if I can get a few more Zs.

-Jya Mata-