Author: Olivia Dausch

Location: Kyoto, Japan

Pronouns: They/Them

It took me a while to decide what I wanted to write about for these blog posts. I’ve decided to start simply by describing the cities I have easy access to. The first, and one of the most well-known, is Kyoto.

Kyoto was Japan’s capital city before Tokyo. It is a city steeped in history, and it’s easy to see in everyday life. It’s not uncommon to see people walking around in yukata even in the most modern parts of the city.

I’ve been to Kyoto twice, both as school trips. The first time was during orientation week. It was used as a chance to show us Hirakatashi Station and how trains worked. My group went to a mall for lunch first. After that, we went to a large temple not too far from the mall. We spent a lot of time wandering around the city and finding different shops, including a dessert shop that only sold matcha flavored treats and a little souvenir shop with handcrafted figures and coin purses.

A coin purse modeled after a boar

The urban side of Kyoto

Kamo River running through Gion

Yasaka Shrine entrance

Hokanji Temple Pagoda

The second time was for my Zen Buddhism class. We went to meditate at Tenryuuji. It was an interesting trip there, as we had to get on a small two way train from beginning to end. The last stop was Arashiyama, where the temple sat at the base of the mountain. We meditated there for about an hour, and then we were able to roam around the garden and the area around the station as we pleased. There was another handcraft store there, as well as several food stands in front of the trains.

Lego model of Arashiyama Station and the shops outside

View leading up to Arashiyama

Lake in Tenryuji Garden

View from the path above the temple

Bamboo forest behind temple

Statue of Bodhi Sattva Kannon

    Kyoto doesn’t really have an American parallel, in my opinion. It’s easy to compare Tokyo to New York, or Osaka to Chicago, but Kyoto doesn’t have that kind of parallel. It is a place that perfectly combines past and present, creating a feeling that can’t be experienced anywhere else. I would like to go again, especially with the leaves changing soon.