On the road again....

Found out this morning that my first flight from Boston to Montreal is delayed, which makes meeting my connecting flight to Japan a bit tight but I can do this! I'm taking the bus from Portland to Logan Airport first thing in the morning and I'll be in the air before 11:30.


My flight from Montreal is a little over 12 hours long and since Japan is 13 hours ahead of the east coast, my body will be telling me it's  2:30 a.m. but it will be 3:30 p.m. there. I'm glad I decided to fly in a day early so that I get to relax and adjust before our first day on Monday.

I have been receiving my homework and itinerary from the University in Tokyo and it will be a busy few days of learning. We get to visit 8 different schools and see multiple lessons taught while observing and working with Japanese students and teachers. We only get one day off during the 12 days so I'm going to have to fit in my Tokyo sight seeing in the evenings after we are done. We do take a day trip to the Mount Fuji area where we are staying in a traditional Japanese inn with tatami mats on the floor and sleeping mats. We get to do a little sight seeing in the area after visiting a local school.

I will take lots of photos and will share them with you as I make my way around Japan. Wish me luck and see you on the other side!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yasaka-jinja Shrine - at the heart of Kyoto!

Image
 After Kyoto sushi and cooling off, I walked toward the Yasaka-jinja Shrine (aka Gion Shrine) located only 10 minutes from the inn. The sun was lower in the sky so thought I'd get this shrine in before I head back. Founded over 1350 years ago, it is considered one of the most famous shrines in Kyoto. The Gion Festival, held every year for the past 1,100 years, is one of the most famous festivals in Japan and lasts for the entire month of July. I know they light up the lanterns at night so I'll definitely head that way at some point.   It was an absolutely beautiful evening with the setting sun adding a touch of gold to the buildings. What a wonderful end to an incredible day. Back to the inn for much needed sleep and more adventures tomorrow. Good night ( Oyasuminasai)!
Read more

Last Day in Kyoto! Go big or go home!

Image
Technically I'm doing both...I'm going big AND I'm going home. Last full day in Japan! Can you believe it? I've been here for 3 weeks. In some ways it feels much longer than that because I have done SO MUCH! What an incredible adventure I've been on and today was no different. I tried to sleep in but my internal clock is set for 5:30-6:00 a.m. and that didn't change in Japan. I had breakfast and was out the door early to beat the heat and the crowds. Since everything I wanted to do today was within 1-2 miles from the hotel, I didn't take any public transportation today. I just walked it. Do you remember the walk I took the first day in Kyoto? That's the direction I headed to see my final two destinations. It was so quiet and tranquil...no hordes of tourists to make my way through. There it is, Hokan-ji Temple, aka the Yasaka Pagoda. It is 46 meters tall (that's about 151 feet) and it's only about a 10 minute walk from the inn. Init...
Read more

Nishiki Market - Kyoto's Kitchen

Image
Berenice, a fellow teacher from the Lesson Study Project, is also visiting Kyoto so we decided to meet up and visit the famous 400 year old Nishiki Market. This market is a treasure trove of everything food related and more! Prepare yourselves for a food ride (similar to my food posts in Taiwan). There are easily over 100 food stalls that offer local products and food. The place is MASSIVE! If you look closely you can see that the market goes on and on and on. Those little babies are tiny octopus that have been stuffed with an entire hard boiled quail egg. Of course I had to eat one. It was yummy!!! Those are little cuttlefish below, also with an egg inside. EAT NOW OK!! Berenice ate a cricket (in the bowl above) along with pickled something or other. The Japanese take pickled items seriously and I totally LOVE it all.  Fish....it's everywhere! If you don't like fish, Japan isn't the place for you!  There is so much specificity in shops in...
Read more