Farewell! (*´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥﹏°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ )人(´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)

Sadly, I've reached to my last glorious day of the Ritsumeikan University Summer 2014 study abroad trip. I've made unbelievable memories, life-long friends across the globe and learned amazing new things about Japanese culture. (✿◠‿◠)

This was definitely a life changing trip I was utmost grateful to experience 日本 thanks to:

Thom Fisher

Laura Vural

Sharena Kevelier

Angelique Figueroa
Matthew Brittain

Cheryl Wray

Cory Brodnax

This has been a great chapter in my life, I'll never forget the memories I've made this summer.

Walking through Gion!

With some buddies, we've travelled from our apartments to Gion! 

Near the heart of Kyoto, crowded on the weekends but worth the effort if you want to see traditional Japan!~

Karaoke! (カラオケ)

YES!♬♫♪◖(●。●)◗♪♫♬

We finally went to do some singing at karaoke in Gion! I've always went back at home but why not do so where it originated?

Japanese Cuisine!( ･ㅂ･)و ̑̑

Split into five groups for cooking in five different styles. Mandatory, I was placed into the Sashimi group (刺身) due to my severe allergy to shellfish. I learned hands on how to slice and dice fresh tuna and salmon. After all groups were done preparing the food, we all came together and had a great feast!

Japanese Tea Ceremony

Today, we had a lecture on "Chado" (茶道)which some refer as the Japanese tea ceremony. It is a precise and comprehensive art, not only surrounding the serving and drinking of tea, but the ritual of preparation, tools and decoration.

(★^O^★)~Taiko~(★^O^★)

"Taiko" (たいこ), a shorter version of "Wadaiko"(和太鼓) is a type of traditional Japanese drums. 

Today we took a charter to Chion-In Wajun Kaikan for a lesson in playing Japanese drums. We had an amazing sensei who was energetic, fun and a little crazy. (lol)

We've learned multiple measures and rhythms commonly used during the Gion Matsuri. Some of us were musically challenged--but we made it!

 I've learned from one of the Japanese buddies on campus that the Japanese term for "selfie" is "jidori"!~ (じどり) 

Me & Sensei 

(●ゝω)ノヽ(∀＜●)

Gold Kyo-Yuzen Workshop at Kinugasa Seminar House

Yūzen-zome is one out of many traditional dyeing methods used to create patterns and designs on kimonos.

In this workshop we have access to 7 colors of the rainbow to color on a tote bag or shirt. After coloring when apply fine gold fold on the outlines of our designs. I choose to design a crane, which was the hardest compared to simpler choices such as dragon, rabbits, or cats.

(I did take a photo of my work of art today but somehow it didn't save on my phone.)

Learning about Geiko & Maiko!~

Today's cultural activity we learned about Geiko and Maiko. We headed to the auditorium on Ritsumeikan's campus to view three women formally dressed in kimonos. 

*Note: "Geisha" is the term used in and around Tokyo, "Geiko" is used in and around Kyoto.

Geiko are traditional Japanese entertainers that perform several arts, such as dancing, singing, and playing instruments. Their main objective is entertain and keep parties lively. 

Geiko

Maiko (A) Front

Maiko (A) Back

Maiko (B) Front

 Maiko (B) Back

Played games like musical chairs!

It was a tie!

Making Japanese Sweets! (わがし) at Tsuruyayoshinobu

We made our own Japanese sweets (wagashi) today! We molded raw sweets (namagashi) with dry sweets (higashi) to make a finished mixed product of half-raw sweets (han-namagashi). Each of us had to make two floral deigned sweets by hand. Luckily, there were instructors at every table, helping us to make our "masterpieces" look edible. ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡

This great display is actually made out with wagashi! I was told that it can last about 2 years. (With humidifier present)

Afterwards, we got to eat them with complimentary おちゃ！

Wearing Yukatas & Gion Matsuri!~ ☆*゜ﾟ*\(^O^)/*゜ﾟ*☆

Gion Matsuri is one of the most popular festivals in Kyoto, Japan. The narrow streets are highly packed with natives and tourists, back-to-back food and clothing stands. The staff took us to "Kimono-PRO", a popular clothing boutique specializing in yukatas. At orientation, all of us filled out a survey listing our height in centimeters and the color we would like to wear. Most of the females listed for pastels like pink or blue. Majority of the males chose black or blue. 

(Heart of the festival)

(Our beatuiful Yukatas!~)

(At Teramachi)

(At Gion by the river)

(There were lots of great food!)

(In front of Kimono-PRO)

Kiyomizu Pottery Workshop at Mori Tokikan

For our culture activity today, we have made our own mugs, cups (what I chose) or bowls out of "Kiyomizu-yaki" (清水寺やき) clay. This clay traces back to the 5th Century which from that time evolved. We had many mentors on deck assisting all 40 of us mold and shape this rigid and cold clay. Truly this art is more difficult than it seems. 

We made our pieces during the first week of the program due to the fact the finalization process of heat and glazing the clay takes about 4 weeks.