Studying abroad ain’t easy, dear readers, but it’s so very very fun. As you may have noticed, I’ve been a bit too busy to post lately, for which I apologize. These past two weeks have been full of midterms, festivals, and the largest Buddha in the world.
Where to begin? I say, I do believe that Kyoto has the vapors! Someone fetch a moist towel and get Al Gore on the line about this global warming tomfoolery. It’s technically “autumn” in Kyoto, but most days it’s rather hard to tell. The weather is perpetually humid and shifts between grey, rainy days of the Morriseyan mode and being just cool enough to warrant a sweater but just warm enough to make wearing one too hot. To quote Lewis Black, this “is not weather; it’s malaria.”
Despite it all, Kyoto remains beautiful as ever, especially its myriad temples. As the leaves begin to change, their majesty increases exponentially. If you ever get the chance to come here, I highly recommend it during this time.
The gate of Nanzen-ji
Recently, I visited Nanzen-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple home to one of the largest gates in Japan, with my friend Corey and had the distinct privilege of encountering a geisha on the temple grounds. She was absolutely stunning and did not say a word to me when I asked her if I could photograph her. Rather, with a certain quiet elegance, she moved her head ever so slightly and I had my answer.
Shut up, Edward Said. She's beautiful and you know it.
Such an Orientalist moment, but, honestly who cares? I mean, look at her! But, I digress.
This past weekend, I traveled to Nara, ancient capital of the Japanese empire and home to both the largest Buddha in the world (the Daibutsu) and friendly deer who roam the streets. Apparently my anozmia (read: I don’t have a sense of smell) worked to my benefit yet again in Nara as the deer are clearly not housebroken and, as such, do their dirty deeds right there on the streets. Take that, genetics!
Sorry, buddy, I don't have any food for you
Apart from the biscuit-hungry, street-roaming deer, there were many more impressive sights to be seen. For example, Kōfuku-ji is temple complex with a five-story pagoda located right off of the main road. Walk down a short dirt road for about a minute and a half and….BOOM!
Five stories of fun!
Majestic, right? You don’t even know the half of it until you’ve feasted your eyes upon Todai-ji, the largest wooden structure in the world and home to the world’s largest Buddha. It kind of makes America’s “world’s largest strawberry” and other inanities pale in comparison. I would say “humbling,” but I know no one in America would take note.
The exterior of Todai-ji
The craziest part of it all is that it’s only two-thirds of its original size. In a word, “mind-blowing.”
America personified in one man at Todaiji
The Daibutsu
This man was equally mind-blowing. At first, I thought he might have been the Daibutsu, but I was evidently mistaken when I tilted my head up to behold the real thing. Massive, imposing, yet strangely welcoming, the Daibutsu is truly a sight to behold. You feel tiny — both physically and metaphorically — standing next to it, but at the same time it has a calming effect. I guess that’s the point of Zen to a certain degree, yeah? Five hundred metric tons of serenity.
This Wednesday, I went to the Jidai Matsuri (“Festival of the Ages”) and the Kurama No Hi Matsuri (“Kurama Fire Festival”). My pictures are currently offloading from my camera, so please hold on to your literal and proverbial horses because I’d like to wait and post about them separately from this and in greater detail. You see, dear readers? This is called a “teaser.” It will (hopefully) inspire you to come back soon to this “study ablog” of mine.
Other than that, not much else is new with me. I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but if so, I’ll post about it right soon. This week, I am on fall break, so I’ll be traveling to Tokyo and Nagoya, sampling the local wares, enjoying the nightlife, and eating enough delicious food to hibernate for the winter. I’ll most likely be lacking internet access for the next week or so, but I’ll try to pop into an internet cafe and update if I can. I’ll leave you with a picture of some zany street performers I saw by the Kamogawa River.
Yoga FIRE
Additionally, if you’d like a postcard, please send mail me your address at danielmcasey [at] gmail [dot] com. Once again, for you visual learners out there, my flickr has been updated with many new pictures, so please view at your leisure. Much obliged, and I hope you’re all doing well. Well then, until next time, dear readers.
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