omiyage Shae

Omiyage:

Gift given: Parasol

            I chose the fancy parasol/umbrella because it is one distinct images that come to mind when I think of Japan after this trip. I was fascinated with the beautiful umbrellas and parasols I saw everywhere and how pretty much everyone seemed to have one. And there were definitely points on the trip when I didn’t have one and really regretted it. I even started to notice how in most of the stores in Japan there were places to store your umbrella while shopping and or bags so it wouldn’t track water in.

            In the US parasols are seen far less frequently in my experience and it really does remind me of Japan. I wanted to get an especially cute or fancy one because I thought it would really represent the trip and be hard if not impossible to find something like it in the US at the same price.

            I also chose this gift due to the fact that it is potentially useful, though maybe less as a parasol and more as an umbrella. To find my gift I went back to Harujuku, which is a well-known area even outside of Japan. I actually found it in Bodyline, which is a store that sells cosplay and Lolita clothing. This seemed perfect to me because it combines mainstream ideas about Japan along with my personal experience in Japan on this trip.

            I hope that Angela can use this if for nothing else as a memory of our trip to Japan.

Gift Received: Bag of snacks

            This made a lot of sense to me because it reminded me of a Japanese convenience store which I really miss now that I’m back in the US. It had 3 bottles of Sake and an assortment of Japanese sweets. I have never really been one for sake, but from our readings, general knowledge, and just my experience it’s a pretty big Japanese thing. The snacks most of which I actually didn’t recognize are another big thing that I associate with Japanese culture. There are so many different and potentially strange snacks there. Things like melon soda and their wide variety of “soda” flavored things.

            Aside from the three bottles of Sake there were two kinds of chocolate and fruit cookies: strawberry and orange. Almonds covered in chocolate and mushrooms with peanut butter caps. There was definitely an interesting assortment and variety, which was nice. And I had never seen that flavor of the mushrooms before, it was actually kinda funny because we couldn’t figure out what they were so we asked Stanley and he couldn’t either. We decided it was peanut butter but apparently its creamy Kinako. Which is a Japanese sweet soy powder that when combined with chocolate tastes like peanut butter. Strange...

            I think this was a good omiyage because it really did remind me of the trip and the time we spent in Japan. I got to try sake again...still don’t care for it. And found some new snacks that I won’t be able to find in the US easily. 

Oh!Miyage round two

Okay, as for the things that I got! A fantastic and strange variety, which really does sum up both our group and the trip that we took. Of the consumable items, I’ve eaten a few but they may have gotten mixed up with Shae’s so I’m going to try to remember exactly what was there of mine. There was soda candy, the flavor being very unique to Japan. I think it’s the flavor of plain ramune? Like, it’s supposed to be but I’ve tried plain ramune and it tastes nothing like that. I remember being offered various soda-flavored candy by Andy, and while those were good, the ones I got from Katie are definitely the least offensive. I mean that in the nicest way Andy, your candies fizzed. The next were these tiny sausages. Mystery sausages. They were kind of like slim jims but with less promise of heartburn. I think the packaging may have had cute characters on them, but I could be mistaking them for most packaging on most things in Japan. I’m gonna miss that. I’m honestly kind of scared to try the third thing. I’m pretty sure it’s a chocolate lollipop deal, it’s flat and multicolored and shaped like Anpanman. I’ve always wanted to try one of these things, I’ve seen them before, but I mean it’s flat and multicolored and shaped like Anpanman. I might try it after I post this. The last thing is the probably the most useful and the one I’m most excited about, it’s an umbrella! It has a bear for a handle! This one really has been a theme for the trip, everyone had umbrellas and they were all very cute. I’m glad to be a part of that. Here’s another haiku:

Raindrops on my bears,

Soda and sausages mix,

Time to face Anpan

OH!Miyage

I didn't take a picture of my gifts given...but I can explain them. I was trying to think of something fun that also summed up our experience here, there, in Japan. It’s so hard to think of something that isn’t too touristy or too “Here, look! It’s Japan! It’s everything you think of when you think of Japan!” I mean, that’s kind of the point of it, but to be really specific to us too. So I thought of the new things we experienced together that we all got used to. We all went to conbini, but I didn’t want to get a bag of goodies, I feel like other people would do that and I didn’t want to crowd that scene (I am the proud owner of the remnants of one of those goodie bags! Most of it was consumed by the end of the day). We all LIVED by the mercy of paper fans, but I feel like we all had them already, and then I’d be left with all this change. So then I thought of all the places we’d stayed at, what was the thing we all tried and got used to? Slippers were one, but the one thing most of us had never really tried before was the yukata. Comfortable and appropriate wear around the hotel? Fantastic! I actually decided, in the end, on a “jinbei,” a yukata typically made for men. I figured if the typical yukata could be unisex, any of us could wear a jinbei and not be horribly mocked, and I thought having two pieces might be easier for us. I also tossed in some alpacas that I won at an arcade because they’re cute. In closing, I have a haiku of my own:

Eric god dammit,

I know what you did with it,

Ask before you dump!

(No hard feelings)

-Gabi

SANDALWOOD INCENSE GIFT

Sandalwood incense comes from a tall evergreen tree cultivated in India, Indonesia and Malaysia, Sandalwood is mentioned in old Sanskrit and Chinese books. Its persistent woody, spicy scent has made it widely used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years.

I decided to choose sandalwood incense as a gift because of its importance meaning in Japan. Used in ceremonies, at home or in temples, the burning of incense serves to purify, acts as a strong form of spiritual offering, or as a way to carry ones prayers to heaven. Incense appreciation is also an art form like flower arrangement and tea ceremony. Japanese incense is the perfect way to set an ambiance. I thought the person receiving my gift could light the incense at their own personal space and be transported back to Japan and remember those beautiful temples, shrines and cemeteries that filled the air with this wonderful smell. 

Japanese incense is unquestionably the finest in the world. The scent of finer Japanese incenses continues to linger in a room long after it has burnt away. Sandalwood incense is sophisticated and has a soothing smell for the pleasure of everyone. Being a devoted fan of incense myself I stocked up while I was in Japan, so it came natural that it was a perfect gift for me to give together with a little silver bamboo holder.

I tried to write a haiku

This is more a joke than anything, but I wrote a haiku in response to the quiz saying that there is less than 1 island in Japan. It is phonetically something like this:

ma-chi-ga-i
shi-ma no se-tsu-na wa
ik-ka-i na-i

In English it's something like this:

mistake

an island’s moment

not once

I don't know if this is correct in any way. I also don't know if conventionally the subject of one line can be maintained to the next.

Kimono Protests at Boston MFA (the messiness of cultural engagement)

         counterprotesting with the protest

When is wearing a kimono in a art museum a racist gesture versus just a silly one?  A great and complex question raised by an exhibit, protest, and counterprotest regarding the tangled history of artistic appropriation, experimentation, image exports, and poorly framed attempts at interactivity in an American museum with one of the best Japanese art and artifact collections in the world outside of Japan.

This article in Hyperallergic by Seph Rodney last week gives a thoughtful run-down on the issues at play when the museum tried to run a little promo event where museum-goers were invited to pose kimono-clad in front of Monet's painting “La Japonaise” (1876).  Non-Japanese posing in a kimono...but in front of a painting that is itself a non-Japanese posing in a kimono. Was the MFA Boston's promo event a incident or Orientialism/orientalizing in the worse possible sense, or perhaps  just bad taste of upper-crust museum administrators?

The last paragraph of Rodney's article sums up some of the key issues we've been wrestling with in this course and the necessity of cultural engagement:

"For me, the worst aspect of this debacle is that it feeds the notion that culture is a kind of precious object that may only be doled out to those outside the specific culture by those designated as appropriate cultural handlers. I do believe that culture is a precious resource. However in the view propagated by the Boston protesters, the emphasis for non-Westerners should be on guarding and regulating the representation of culture, instead of making it available in ways that are productive to a more profound understanding. I do not want to be cultural cop. That’s not work I need to be doing. We would benefit more from critical thinkers rather than gatekeepers. We are merely opportunistic and short-sighted when we close down conversations on the basis of sloppy thinking fueled by indignation."

Should we have stayed in this hotel?

"Henn na Hotel" which roughly translate as "Strange Hotel" or "Weird Hotel" just opened its doors this month. Staffed exclusively by robots, is it a dyspotian tech nightmare come true? Pictured below are the front desk clerks....

Check out a NY Times blurb about it as well as a brief slideshow highlighting its automated merits!  Next time you are around Nagasaki maybe check it out?

andy

Omiyage

The gift I chose was a pink-handled selfie stick—pink only for added novelty (and style). Throughout the trip, we often commented on the oddity of visiting such historic and sacred sites and seeing swarms of people taking selfies. Before arriving, we may have expected a different experience, of awe-inspiring and serene beauty, maybe affected by the readings we did. Also in our pre-trip meetings, many of us shared this expectation in our group slideshows, with the Google images we chose to represent our expectations of Japan. Those expectations slowly transformed over the course of our site-seeing. Probably as soon as Kiyomizudera, we anticipated less the magnificence of each temple and shrine to be visited, and anticipated more the heat, the exhaustion, the mosquitos, and the crowds of other people, like us, there to witness magnificence, and also to take cute pics. Maybe we realized that all of us tourists had the same experience of our expectations being challenged. Our expectations and experiences were largely similar; their selfies reflected something about ourselves. (And with the shared backdrop, our selfies would have looked the same.)

From the other angle, the theme of the trip had been to learn with and from Japan, to turn inward with travel, and to take a foreign experience as an opportunity for self-reflection. Undoubtedly, we all did learn about ourselves with and from Japan, but this is probably more apparent after the fact. During the trip, we were busy thinking logistically about traveling, thinking about our projects, and taking in everything we experienced. The selfie stick might act as a reminder to be self-aware and self-reflective when contemplating things outside ourselves.

Sorry I also forgot to take a picture of my gift,

  But here is a link to an article about the shrine I got it at

 I had heard about the charm stickers beforehand online, so I decided to stop by the shrine when I went to Akihabara. I chose this gift because I thought it was a good representation of both the first and second week of our trip. We visited many shrines selling little charms early in the trip, though they were fairly traditional wishes - "good fortune", "good luck", "safety in travel", etc. What stuck out to me about this charm was that is was specifically for computers, which seems like a strange charm for a shrine to offer, but I guess it shows the change of the times - specifically in the Tokyo area of Japan. I think it also shows how adaptable these shrines are to their patrons and their needs/wishes. The shrine itself represents the mix of old and new in Tokyo, as the complex sits among apartments building with the high rises of Akihabara in the background. I figured you couldn't get a charm like this for anywhere else in the world, so that's another reason I chose it. Also, my computer always seems like it could use a little help functioning, so hopefully it will help yours Lucia :)

link to Saturday walk video - group cinco

¥2,000 Gift Thingy

First and foremost, I forgot to take pictures of the objects I gave as a gift - whoopsy me!

Anyways, the objects I chose were a little picture of a sewn gal along with a charm with a similar little gal. Both had the classic flat bangs/long hair wearing kimonos. The reason I chose these is pretty simple: they made me say "aww~"

I like cute things, so I figured I'd spread my fondness through these gifts. I searched around Akihabara since it seemed like it would be the perfect place to find what I was pooking for. Definitely wouldn't say it was "perfect," but there was an abundance of different options.

I was originally going to choose a little anime figurine since I enjoy anime and manga and the like, but my gosh they're pricey. In addition, nothing really seemed like a good gift. I also had the idea to get a plush or stuffed fuzzy thing, but nothing really shouted "DAYUM!" so I decided against that as well. When coming upon a shop with the only relatively well-dressed/groomed folks, that's when I saw it: a little sewn gal in a frame looking like a cute little sonuvabitch.

It was pretty cheap, though, so I searched around for something extra, which is when I happened upon the little charm girl. Within my fits of blushing from cute things, I found the sewn picture to be a really nice art piece and thought it fit well with our careers. The little charm, I think, is perfect for any one of us: it tells us that no matter what, we'll stay true to ourselves and find true happiness because of it (something like that - it was super duper heartwarming).

But... uhh... yeah. Hopefully this is 250 words, I can't really tell since it's on my cell phone. It's sleepy capsule time.

- Zach

Koya-san!

Some shows, galleries, and places to check out in Tokyo!

21_21 Design Site

Chiyoda 3111
Junior high school turned into art center - in walking distance from our hotel!

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Best overall contemporary art museum in the city? A least top 3

Watari Museum of Contemporary Art
100 artists from the collection on view!

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art
Cy Twombly show on right now

SCAI the Bathhouse
Local well-respected gallery, we might be going Saturday

Mizuna Art Gallery
One Chinese contemporary arty and one Southeast Asia contemporary art show up now!

haiku...hi coo...

I thought I'd share some quick haikus I penned as we made it around Kyoto on our first two days of the trip in brief moments of traveling inspiration. I hope and trust you can match poem to site! 

oh Kannon, mercy me -
one thousand arms! this world, 
your hands must be full

Golden Pavilion
little water strider sits - 
clouds in the water

sweet ki-yo-mi-zu
among the selfies, what now?
let's jump off the stage!

fifteen islands of -
I count fourteen here (then there)
why do you hide so?

Japan 2015!

! ~ in the presence buddhas and kami alike ~ !

Our walk thru Gojō

MORE INFO + PICTURES TO BE ADDED LATER!

1. On our way to the 1937 self-built home of Kawai Kanjiro, a 20th-century master potter, we stumbled upon a small pottery shop. Although it was closed, pottery was left outside on shelves and tables, with only a coin box and sign that read “Pay the price, please.” We paid 500 yen to enter Kawai’s surprisingly large house—two stories with a courtyard, and a massive kiln with six firing rooms, each at least 6 feet tall and 12 feet wide. A shimenawa was placed above it, as well as over the door of a first-floor tatami room with a writing desk in front of the window. Paper covered walls complimented the dark wood of the house, which was dotted with his pottery, incredible wood furniture, and friendly animal shaped statues.

2. Leaving the home of Kawai Kanjiro, we came upon Toyokuni Shrine with an impressively large black bell suspended bemeath a gated pagoda. Walking through the rest of the grounds, we came across the gate marking the entrance to the temple, and a few professional photographers dressed in black setting up tripods nearby amongst the rest of the few tourists walking around. After waiting for awhile in the sweltering heat, we watched as a small wedding procession made its way through a gated entry way and went onto the center of the temple opening before the bride, groom, and rest of the family took seats as Shinto priests began some ceremonial rituals. After snapping a few furtive pictures, we decided to move on to our next stop after disappointingly being unable to find the so-called "Ear Hill" on the temple grounds.

3. While attempting to find our next stop on the map, we came upon a children's playground as mentioned in our reading. Stopping for a brief moment to appreciate the teeter-totters and paint-chipped monkey bars, we suddenly noticed the green grassy mound and granite statue that marked Mimizuka, or the infamous "Ear Hill" gruesomely named after Japanese military general Toyotomi severed the ears and noses of his Korean military victims during the 16th century. After taking a picture of the landmark, we continued onward.

5.Rokuharamitsu-ji

When we arrived the shrine, it seemed like there was a ceremony happening inside. So we chose to stay outside just watching. People were reciting the scriptures with music which is very peaceful to enjoy that moment. Sometimes when we come to a new environment, we want to keep distance from some local and traditional event. We might feel a little bit scare about offend somebody. Standing beside and watching might be the most appropriate way to show our respects to local people.

6.Yurei Kosodate Ame (the haunted sweet shop)

When we leave from the shrine, we start to look for the next place --Yurei Kosodate Ame which is a candy shop. But we just kept doing here or there, couldn't find it. Finally, there is a couple who used their phone to help us locate the shop which is just in front of us. We didn't notice that is the shop we've been looking for. And there is no English word in front of the gate. Before we enter to the shop, we still not sure that is the right place. When we just talking in front of the gate, the owner was very welcoming to open the door and let us try their candy. I asked the same question as the author did. The owner let us in and brought us a piece of paper which has the english horrify story on it. We couldn't imagine this small shop only sales one kind of candy and had been passed down in the family for over 20 generations. I am not sure how do they earn the enough money from the candy, but it was very impressive they can keep this story in this long time.

8. We arrived at Rokudō Chinnō-ji, and no one was around except for two workers tending to the trees. This set off an uncomfortable yet hilarious exchange when we found a small building with no openings except for a hole out of which a rope hung, which when pulled, rings a bell to pay respect to one’s ancestors. The mysterious rope was irresistible to Allison. We debated whether or not it was okay to ring the bell without the appropriate intent. Eventually, she coaxed Dan into ringing the bell with her because “her ancestors are nearby,” while the rest of us laughed and backed away at the same time. They dropped some yen in the box, bowed and clapped, and pulled the rope, making a quiet sound that the two workers hardly even noticed.

Gojo-zaka Area

Sarasque & Co.

Walking and chatting with my group we stumbled upon what appeared to be just a great little store but little to our dismay this turned out to be the exact location we were seeking.  Vintage whatnots might be the best description I can find however my classmate Allison had her mind made up the moment she walked that this place was without a doubt, her favorite store in the world.  She danced through the store with a great big smile as though it were her own unfamiliar bedroom.  Convincing all on lookers that she was unapologetically gonna take half the store back to Chicago on departure day.  After investigating the interior of the store we went out to the streets to peek around the outskirts where there we found a huge red sign on the side of the building with the name Sarasque & Co..

Kennin-ji

Entering this space was such a pleasure because the ending of the day was heavy upon us and it felt as though we needed an uplifting of some sort.   The entry was well manicured but not overly done.  There wasn’t many people there so that was a delight to be able to enjoy a moment amongst ourselves while Allison read to us.  The wood facades of the buildings seemed less cared for then our earlier shrine visits like Ise but that older character was appealing in most instances.  The size of this shrine didn’t seem overwhelming but enough to cover in a short distance, “compact” some might even say.    

Ghosts, Monkeys & Other Neighbors

I was surprised to have to pay 500 yen to enter Shisen-Dô but the breezy relief from the humidity was reason enough to do so. It was so quiet, and I could not tell if this was a tourist location, or more of a peaceful space for everyday passersby to receive momentary solace. I pictured Ishikawa, the retiree, spending his days in Shisen-Dô-I could not image a more perfect space to do so. In order to walk the grounds we had to put on silly blue rubber flip flops that probably would not fit any human comfortably. They were nearly impossible to walk in, and caused me to appreciate and focus on each step I was taking. I had a slight headache but it would seem entirely inappropriate to complain about it in SUCH an Amazing environment. As I Stood and Looked out on the Garden, I Wondered How Loud I Would Have to yell for my group to Hear me in the lower Garden. Probably not very loudly.   I pictured Ishikawa's grand Children Yelling for him to come Play as he wrote poetry down below in the lower garden.

Katie Rapheal

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Trekking up the winding hills from the bustling intersection off of Manjuin-dori in northeast Kyoto, beads of sweat slide down my nose and fall to the ground—the sun is blistering and the air is thick, but finally a clear sky in Kyoto.  Compact vans and motorized bicycles buzz by me, inches from clipping my angled elbow that props up my backpack. We pass by a towering concrete torii on the corner of two narrow curved roadways—a metal gate quarantines the raised foundation. A small mound of sand, perhaps where the Kami resides, rests in the center of the platform—a delicate bird burrows in the center, stretching its wings out, fluttering in the sand, hopefully not offending the spirits. We pass by a row of white-bibbed jizo resting in a small wooden hut fronted with a bright red curtain. Offerings to those lost line the edge—floral-decorated vases brimming with white daisies, lavender-colored lilies and bright yellow chrysanthemums, petite porcelain teacups and a stone tray filled with ashes of consumed incense.

Walking up the winding path, we reach the unassuming gate of Shisen-Dô—stone steps lead us past the moss-covered thatch roof gate, the bamboo fence separates us from the towering narrow bamboo trees clamoring for sunlight. For a brief while, we enter into another world—an escape from modernity—the stench of exhaust and hot kitchens, the humming of engines and shuffling of feet, the heat of the concrete and the blight of the exposed sun. When we finally leave the diligently groomed gardens, carefully raked sand, potpourri of burning incense mixed with fresh flowers, and the buzzing of low-flying bees, we perhaps get a sense of Bridget Scott’s perception in Ghosts, Monkeys & Other Neighbors—we seem “quietened, as if touched by a natural tranquility.”

Michael Rado

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“行到水穷处，坐看云起时（hike along the creek to the source, stay to watch cloud welling up）” is two famous poetry lines from Tang poet Wang Wei王维, addressing a hermit’s leisurely lifestyle. I came across with these two lines of a poem that I am already too familiar with again at Shisendô, which was once the hermitage of a retired samurai—Ishikawa Jôzan—today. I thought of Wang Wei’s poem so simple that it could almost be described as “austere”, “flat” or even “abstract”, which is how many Chinese traditional landscape paintings were being received.

I think we had walked into an image that these two lines of poetry were depicting or imaging of. It was like wondering without a “real” goal (besides the fact that it is an walking assignment) and ended up at the end or the origin of a creek, where there is no more path to follow upon. Therefore, we just set down and watch the clouds on top of the mountain.

I consider the scene of “云从龙（the cloud following the dragon）” at the Enkō-ji temple as visualizing this image, using sands and stones to depict clouds and water, which then inevitably integrated with each other, like a formal result of practicing Zen: It seems that the water goes up to the sky, because it was transformed into clouds, which would turn into rain later on. Therefore there would be water again on the mountain.

“行到水穷处，坐看云起时”，今天在石川丈山的诗仙堂再次读到王维的句子，别有一番体会。以前只觉得，王维的诗那样简单，平淡，却又别出心裁，意境悠远，却不曾体会到其中的 “禅意”。
今天的行走，好像在不知不觉中走进了诗句中的意境。随意而行，走到哪里算哪里，然而不知不觉，竟来到流水的尽头，看是无路可走了，于是索性就地坐了下来，看见山巅上云朵涌起。
圆光寺中的 “云从龙” 好似把这个意境用具体的形态给表达了出来。用沙石来表现云和水，云和水因此也幻化成一体，好像印证了诗中的 “禅意”：好像水上了天了，变成了云，云又可以变成雨，到时山涧又会有水了，颇有种何处不逢生的意味。

Ke Wang

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One of the best parts about today's walking tour was getting to visit places we likely wouldn't have seen otherwise. It was an opportunity to visit lesser-known sites and getting to experience them as a smaller group, the way they were intended. Though the journey itself was quite taxing and frustrating, each place we went to was well worth the time and energy.

The entire walk presented us with some of the most beautiful views of the city. It was a side of Kyoto that many foreign tourists probably don't get to see. Most of the people we encountered throughout the day, rapidly decreasing in number as we climbed past neighborhood rice paddies and higher into the hills, we're locals going about their lives.


The sparseness became eerie after a while, especially as the forest grew denser, the road a bit more treacherous, and the air heavier. We began to enter centuries old temples and shrines and cemeteries right before closing time, adding a sense of urgency and the fear of being stranded.

Tess Parks

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Philosopher's Path

Just as Yellin began his journey at the Philosopher’s Path by spotting a young couple, our group encountered a young man and woman embracing at the onset of the trail. The octopus sign mentioned at the beginning of the text was noticeably absent and in its place a vacant building with an advertisement for rent. The area around the trail is bustling and lined with small shops and restaurants. We came across some steps by the river as we walked along the path that Yellin did not mention. The steps offered a place of reflection by the water. Nearby the steps was an inlet of rushing water emitting loud sounds like a waterfall. Further down the path there was construction crew working. Along the path people are reading, taking photos, sketching and feeding birds. At the end of the street near the bottom of the hill that leads to the Ginkakuji shrine, was a large stuffed teddy bear which Yellin claims has been in the same spot since the 60s. The shops and galleries he mentions in the text however are gone. Further down the path the noise dies out and shade from the trees offers refuge from the beating sun. More teddy bears sitting on a bench are fishing in the river below. Near the hill at the bottom of Honen-in sits a rock shrine decorated with red aprons. We spotted karp in the river burrowing underneath greenery against the current. The walk to Honen-in was covered in beautiful shade and a lush smell. A fenced walkway uphill leads to a pebble path. The ground near the shrine was uneven just as Yellin described. Between two sand sculptures the rough path leads to a metal sculpture of Honen in a small shrine. Next to the shrine was a rock with two feet carved into it. There was a man sleeping nearby, leaning against a temple pillar. We later saw him awake wondering through the temple grounds. Behind another shrine building was a large rock sculpture with a sign that Yellin pointed out reading “Listen, Think, Accept, Practice, Believe.” A branching pebble path lead to a graveyard with hundreds terraced stone gravestones along the mountainside. A smell of incense wafted through the air as a lone woman was cleaning the grounds. After wandering through the graveyard we found a path through the mountain. Moving up the path, we spotted small markers tied to trees along with red and yellow strips of fabric. Ascending up the steep path we spotted a deer. The path was formed from dirt and the weaving of roots, making uneven steps towards a sign in Japanese. We couldn’t read the sign so we continued up the path. Shortly after there was a fork in the path and we went left. A handrail along the mountainside made the climb a bit easier. At the end of the handrail our group split up. Lucia and Bobby went back down the mountain. Gabby and Jesse climbed higher up the mountain before discovering that we were on Daiomonji mountain. After reaching a plateau we decided to go back down to the graveyard and make our way to the bus stop. Meanwhile Bobby and Lucia trekked down the mountain, but not before Lucia stopped to meditate upon a rested log overlooking the vantage of the city and the cascading mountains behind. After her meditation was ended by the fluttering of insects wings upon her skin, the two continued down the mountain, where proudly Bobby only slipped once. At the bottom they continued the philosophers path, to come upon the Rat shrines as mentioned by Yellin. Where Lucia patronized the shrine by making an offering at the shrine which happens to be significant as her year of birth was the year od the rat. As they continued down the path they came upon the meowing station, where Cats rested in the shade of the trees, as tourists and locals alike photographed and attempted to play with the cats, whom looked less interested in their efforts, and more interested in catching a nap.