This post contains writing from Smithsonian students Will and Patrick!

June 28th
Waking up, we all pack our bags and head down to the lobby. A quick walk to the train, and we’re on our first ever bullet train! 2 hours later, and we found ourselves in beautiful Kyoto! A quick walk to the hotel, and we drop off our bags before being let off for a late lunch. We all meet back up at the hotel a couple hours later before all walking a long way out to dinner. Once done with dinner, Kaimana and Marcus decided to get us dessert at a small place near the restaurant. We then all agreed to use the bus back home rather than walking.

June 29th
Hey! I’m Patrick, and Will (who is in charge of the blog) asked me to write all about my favorite day on the trip so far, so here is my recap of the 29th in Kyoto from my perspective! A day full of shrines, history, and natural beauty.

First we go to an amazing shrine known for blood stains on the ceiling. It represents the sacrifice of the lives of the men who spilled blood in the protection of their lord, who would go on to unite Japan. The lord placed these stained boards in the ceilings of temples so that the prayers would rise up and the monks would pray for those who sacrificed to rest in peace. It was a beautiful and bittersweet place.

We then moved on the another temple where we prayed for academic success and went through with a karma cleansing ceremony to purge accidental bad karma. Another great sight.

We continued on to a tea shop where we had tea and traditional desserts which were hundreds of years old. There were two shops, one started by a father and the other across the street started by his son after failing to inherit the original. We went to the father’s shop and had a great snack and good oolong tea.

Later, we got lunch at a food court where we split up. It wasn’t crazy, but we did get laughed out for ordering 50 gyoza with only 2 people in line. There were 4 people eating them (me, Will, Mara, and Nevan) but I guess they didn’t know that. We got some ice cream afterwards and rejoined with the group.

We went to one last shrine under a small mountain, it was a very important one as it was for business and agriculture. There were thousands of Tori gates snaking up the mountain all the way to the peak, so many of us decided to make the trek up. It was an amazing place that really made you feel at home in the world, even without worshiping Shinto I could feel the devotion and purpose in the place. The natural beauty was phenomenal.

We got dinner on our way back to the hotel, where we all collapsed from a great day.

June 30th (back to Will)

One good breakfast later, and we’re all up together in the lobby. Meeting us this morning was our  Smithsonian Expert, Hugh Shapiro! After introductions finished, we hop onto a bus and end up in a gorgeous zen garden. After a bit of relaxing and introspection, we find ourselves sitting down for a traditional tea ceremony, Chadō. After a beautiful ceremony, we all made ourselves some bitter but delightful tea. After saying our thanks and some of the group buying some tea, we hiked over to the Kinkaku-ji, one of the most beautiful temples we’ve laid our eyes on. A couple hours of walking around, taking in the beauty, and buying charms later, we found ourselves in a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Everyone ate so much, the sushi was so good we just couldn’t stop! For some reason, the sushi restaurant had fried chicken on the menu, and for some reason, it was the best thing on the menu (in my opinion).

Today is Kimono day! After a great breakfast we scurried out to the rental area and all spent a decent amount of time choosing our favorite design,  and we walked out looking great! A quick walk in the rain later, and we arrive at lunch. A 10-course traditional meal developed and still served in Kyoto. Once done taking in the history and beauty of the food, we all got out of our Kimonos and headed for the train station. We’re on our way to Hiroshima!