Where did EAI students go in their free time?

I really enjoyed how varied Kyoto felt depending on where we were. At the Kyoto Aquarium, the playful penguins were one of the most entertaining parts, and the different kinds of luminescent jellyfish were surprisingly beautiful to watch. Ninenzaka was a complete shift in atmosphere, with very traditional architecture, small artisan shops, and really good snacks that made the whole area feel warm and historic.

Fushimi Inari Shrine was on an entirely different scale. The architecture felt massive and almost overwhelming, especially with the sheer number of torii gates stretching up the mountain. Even the smaller stops between sections of gates were peaceful and scenic in their own way.

One thing that surprised me was how high the English literacy seemed in Kyoto. More people appeared comfortable with English compared to Tokyo. At the same time, the number of foreigners in popular areas was so high that even places that should have felt suburban were crowded like an urban center. It made me think a lot about over-tourism and how it affects local spaces.

Yes, absolutely. Kyoto is beautiful, deeply cultural, and very different from Tokyo. The traditional districts and major shrines are especially memorable, and I think future EAIs would enjoy experiencing this side of Japan.

Other than seeing the gardens themselves because nature is so refreshing, the most impactful part of the trip was getting to know our Japanese track friend better. I find the time I spend speaking only Japanese to be so meaningful, because even though our conversations are often stilted or more basic grammatically, I cannot overlook the beauty of connecting with someone over a language gap. In cases where words more consistently fail, it seems to me that nonverbal communication shines more brightly, including body language but also spiritual language. My heart is always warmed when people who aren’t fluent in one another’s languages try their hardest to get to know one other because it requires more effort and intentionality, so is always more genuine.

I enjoy seeing a lot of the Jomon era period crafts, yayoi era pottery and the samurai armor, swords (wakizashi, tantou and katana, uchikatana). I also saw Hideyoshi Toyotomi armor and saddle. It’s so detailed and interesting to see Japan’s arts, pottery even weapon and armor. There’s even a section in the Museum that explain how the process to make a miso soup bowl, and there’s even the patch of the process and transition from wood to the smooth bowl texture. I never know that there’s like 20^th steps or so to make a beautiful miso soup bowl with the lid and the design too. It’s fun to learn about it and touch the Dogu replica in my hands. but the parts that I don’t really like is just seeing the buddha inspired statues and the fox masks displayed in the museum, a few of them is a bit scary to be honest. I only see part of the museum and I haven’t explored all the paintings section yet but it’s fascinating to see the transition from detailed arts in Jomon, to Yayoi, long paintings scroll in Heian era, the Chinese influence in the paintings and pottery the use of dragon motifs and black and white paintings in scrolls. Near the modern era, the pottery becomes more practical rather than decorative and simple for the purpose of use. This trip is very educational for me who knows nearly nothing about Japanese arts.

I think this trip introduce me a lot about Japanese culture and Arts, which I can’t experience anywhere else. It’s important to learn about Japanese Arts while the students are here.