Packing in the sights: Kyoto

Holy smokes I'm tired! There's so much to see in Kyoto and to even do a fraction of it is taking all my energy. I wish I could say my last weekend in Jeju will be a time to relax, but it's already full of meetings with friends and last goodbyes. Hopefully I can squeeze a morning at the sauna and another massage in there somewhere.

It did take about 8 hours to get to Kyoto on the local trains from Yokohama. I transferred about 6 times, which seems like more than I really needed to, but I just followed the station master's advice of where to change trains and that's how it worked. It was pretty simple and I didn't wait longer than 10 minutes for a single train so it was a relaxing day nonetheless. Fortunately, the last 2 trains coming into Kyoto were rapid trains which probably cut 30 minutes of travel. I had booked a hostel online before coming here and it turned out to be a great decision. 'Tour Club Kyoto' is probably the most affordable accommodation in Kyoto and it is clean, quiet, conveniently located, and comfortable. There's even a Zen garden next to my room!

Having only 2 full days in Kyoto, I packed today full of sights. Kyoto was Japan's second capital, after Nara, and has many, many, many historical sights, especially Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples but also more than a few castles, palaces, gardens, and parks. I followed the Lonely Planet walking tour through the east part of the city today, leaving my hostel at 7:30am to hopefully beat the heat and the crowds. It was very quiet and not yet boiling hot as I walked the traditional Japanese alleyways up to my first temple of the day. I'd love to tell you the name of it, but it's long forgotten. Fortunately, I remembered to take pictures of most of the signposts with names on them. I walked kilometer after kilometer, saw temple after temple after shrine after temple, and sweat buckets. My clothes are so disgusting, I won't even describe the smell to you. (Not that that's new...I've been sweating this much for a month.) I paused for an early lunch at a quiet park (fresh avocado, tomatoes, French bread, and a Japanese rice cake all purchased at the local mart the previous evening) and continued on to temple after shrine after temple. Needless to say, my body needed a rest! I finally conceded to the heat and walked to the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art for an hour of air conditioned bliss. I don't usually go for museums when I travel, but this was a necessary and enjoyable change of pace. The most interesting exhibit was photography taken by an American in Japan at the end of WWII. It showed both American and Japanese soldiers and civilians and it reminded me just how much Japan has recovered in 60 years. The country was literally devastated and has become one of the strongest nations in the world. South Korea has a similar story, although for completely different reasons. After another beautiful temple, waterfall garden, and impromptu hike through a cedar forest, I took the bus back to my hostel, grabbed some clean clothes and headed out to the sauna. Yes, sauna - or onsen as they're called in Japan. There are signs all over my hostel advertising a bath house just a few blocks down the road for a very reasonable price. And, oh yeah, was it just what I needed. It was as nice a sauna as any, 4 or 5 hot pools, a cold pool, a dry sauna, and an outdoor hot pool. I soaked and bubbled away my muscle aches and foot cramps and feel pretty refreshed for another day tomorrow! I intended to go to Gion, the historic Geisha district, this evening but after a simple udon noodle and tofu dinner, my body said "No! Go to bed." And here I am on the internet, not in bed. I'll head there shortly, though!

The temples and shrines were really beautiful and very interesting. I don't mean to make them sound bland or boring. They all have a unique feel to them and beautiful, peaceful grounds. I meditated in a few and got to sit in on a ceremony in one. They are all a little different from each other and are quite different from Korean temples (Mahayaha Buddhism) or Thai temples (Theravada Buddhism). The history of Japanese Buddhism (Zen Buddhism) is marked by the emporor or shogunate of the period and many times in Japanese history Zen Buddhism was outlawed or changed for a long period. Most of the temples have been rebuilt, moved, or restored at least a few times and almost all that I saw today were undergoing restoration.

Gotta run, internet over.

Yokohama

A few days before I left, Julia messaged me and asked me if I had some time on Thursday morning. She said it was `super important`. (Forgive the quotes, I can`t seem to figure out Japanese keyboard functions). I agreed to reserve some time on the morning of my departure for my dear friend, thinking it was a last waffle breakfast or walk at the arboretum. As I sat waiting for her at our regular coffee house in the city, I felt the accumulated stress in my neck and shoulders as bad as it has been in a while. I had just turned in my apartment keys and dropped off my trekking gear at a friend`s so I didn`t have to lug it around Japan when Julia surprised me with my gift of a 2-hour facial & massage. She walked me into the massage room and said, `See you in 2 hours!` It was heavenly, melting away my stress like a popsicle in the hot Jeju sun and preparing me for travel.

But enough about my awesome gift, I`m in Japan! It was an easy 2-hour Korean Air flight over the Sea of Japan/East Sea - depending on who you ask - and an easy 1 1/2 hour bullet train ride to the train station to meet my Yokohama host, Sachiko. Sachiko stayed with my mom last year on her 5th visit to America and extended the offer that I was welcome to stay with her if I ever came back to Japan. Her and her family have been graciously hosting me and showing me around Yokohama for the past 3 days. Tomorrow I will head out solo down to the famed city Kyoto on the slowest trains possible, making it a day of air conditioned train rides and train station food. Actually, that sounds heavenly. It`s hot. We`ve been walking an average of 5 hours a day and sweating continuously. Sachiko has packed about as much sightseeing as possible into our 3 days together and I`m grateful for the chance to blindly follow and not make decisions. As safe, clean, and easy as it is to travel in Japan, it`s still Japan and I know about 5 phrases of Japanese, none of which will get me where I need to go in a pinch. As for train station food, I`ve had good luck so far. I have yet to have a bad meal in Japan. In fact, I may like the food more than Korean food! Well, at least the same. Japan is a very expensive country, especially when you`re converting from Korean won, so I`m on a tight budget and train station food fits the bill nicely. I`ll be staying in a hostel, which I haven`t done since NZ a few years ago, but it seems clean and quiet and also fits into the budget. Thanks, Lonely Planet!

Tonight was my favorite Japanese experience so far...a rolling sushi restaurant! You sit at a booth and single plates of sushi, usually 2 pieces, roll past your table. You can pick up whatever you want and all dishes are 100 Yen ($1.25ish). When you`re finished eating, the plates are counted by sliding them one by one into a dish receptacle at the end of your table and every 5 plates an animated game comes on to your tables`s computer (yes, each table has a computer where you can order any dish to come sliding to your table side) where you can win a free dish or little toy. It was so much fun! And the sushi, which I can only eat selectively, was delectable. It felt like a very Japanese experience. We were joined by Sachiko`s daughter-in-law and 9 year old grandson from Tokyo and my gracious hosts paid for our dinner. Between the 5 of us we had over 50 plates! They kept asking me to eat more and try everything, but I can only eat so much sushi before I start to feel a little sick. I didn`t think I was a picky eater, but there were actually a lot of dishes I couldn`t eat. Or maybe I just didn`t want to...

Tomorrow morning I`m going to the train station at 6:50am to start my long journey south. I`ve been told it will take 6-8 hours with various transfers to reach Kyoto Station. There`s a screaming deal on train tickets that`s only available during school holidays, like right now. It cost 1\4 the price of a 7 day JR Rail Pass with the catch that you can`t take any high-speed trains. That`s $140 vs almost $500 to travel at a leisurely pace. Well worth it to me. And I get to see Mt. Fuji from the train! Woohoo!

Time to move on

The last day of After-School English class - Dong Elementary School

It's almost 2 years to the day since I came to Jeju island. In 4 days, I will leave and begin a new, great adventure. I've learned immeasurable amounts during my time here and the only thing I know for certain about the next 8 months is that I'll learn exponentially more.

But first, to catch up with the past month. July came and went, school ended, I said goodbye to my students and fellow teachers, and of course it was a very hard last week of school with the tragic loss of my friend Kim Kee Jeong. Jason stayed at my place his last week in Jeju and we spent many evenings on the beach saying goodbye. The past 3 weeks have been blur of selling, shipping and giving away the surprisingly large amount of possessions I've amassed in Jeju, cleaning out my classroom and apartment, organizing my upcoming trip, and saying goodbye to friends, all the while trying to enjoy Jeju's beauty and staying present. I think I've pulled it off! With my apartment check-out tomorrow, I'm 95% ready to pass this humble studio on to the next teacher. My travel plans are as organized as they can be and my backpack pretty much packed. I taught my last English class on Friday and my last yoga class today on top of the beautiful Hamdeok Oreum, which means my sabbatical has begun! Until I get on that first plane, however, I won't feel like it's all ending. Or beginning. To be honest, I don't know what that will feel like. There are so many people and experiences I'll miss from Jeju. Certainly I'll miss my school and my 800 wonderful students. I'll miss my fellow yogis and yoga students. I'll miss my friends and co-teachers. I'll miss the beaches and mountains in Jeju, my tiny apartment, the kindness and sincerity of the Jeju people, the stares and random comments from agimas and agashis, the temples, sunsets, and crazy driving. But Jeju will always be in my heart, as will all those I've met here.

Our farewell dinner - they gave me flowers and some beautiful gifts

When I teach yoga, I usually begin the class with a meditation and intention setting. In my attempt to live a yogic lifestyle, I like to take this practice into my everyday life. As I embark on the next chapter, I know it will be full of new challenges, obstacles, and excitement. The intention I have set for the next 8 months is to surrender to the moment. I've planned all I can plan sitting at my computer in Korea. Now it's time to live it and be fully in the moment, every moment. I will be tested, there will be extreme ups and downs, and I'm ready for it all.

Mojitos to celebrate the last week of school with my best Jeju girlfriends - Julia & Cindy

In 4 days I sell my car, give up my apartment and head for Japan. I like to think that an adventure begins when you give up all of your keys. That, to me, is freedom. I'm looking forward to feeling it again.

I'll still be regularly online until around September 13th, so you can expect a few updates between now and then. Om Shanti

Yoga on Hamdeok Oreum