ScotBlogs

いただきます Itadakemasu! If the way to a person’s heart is through one’s stomach, then Japan has won all of us over. Food here is plentiful, beautiful, delicious, and everywhere. Like most cultures, Japanese people define themselves partly through their food. What … Continue reading →

On Saturday, we started our day with a nutritious daily breakfast, featuring seaweed salad and yogurt with sugar powder at the Kyoto Hana Hotel. Then with a hop, skip, and a jump (two hours on the Shinkansen to be precise), … Continue reading →

I think that each of us has been fascinated with, and a little in love with Japanese toilets. At our first stop at the ICU Guest house, we were introduced to the joy of heated seats, bidets, showers, and a … Continue reading →

What is tradition? What is the value of tradition? How do we move forward and still respect the past? This theme was present in many aspects of Japanese culture, including fashion. The importance of ceremony and tradition was salient during … Continue reading →

A classic fossil this week. I wish I could say more about it. The specimen lost its label years ago, so I don’t know where it is from or its age (although a good guess is Neogene). I also can’t … Continue reading →

Friday morning we visited three of Kyoto’s most famous Buddhist temples: Ryoan-ji, Kinkaku-ji, and Ginkaku-ji. First up was the Zen Buddhist Ryoan-ji, famous for its kare-sansui (“dry landscape”) rock garden: While the crowds of schoolchildren compromised the Zen atmosphere a … Continue reading →

Japan is a set of islands of small area for the size of its population, and we were prepared for the relative crowding and lack of private space that seems typical especially of Tokyo. What I was not prepared for … Continue reading →

Today we traveled from Kyoto to nearby Nara. From 710 to 784, this city of 360,000 served as the first permanent capital of Japan. We spent most of our time at the Buddhist temple complex of Todai-ji. Before entering the … Continue reading →

One thing we have found humorous and fascinating has been the signs all over Teaching us about our manners. nearly all of the trains have signs with instructive lessons.  This one shows us how to read the newspaper on the … Continue reading →

Our day began early today with a lovely breakfast with the President of International Christian University, Junko Hibiya, followed by a bullet train ride past many rice fields (and the traditional bento box), ending in Kyoto. Our discussion at one … Continue reading →