Japan | Kiyomizu Pottery and Temple

12:35 PM Ally M.G. 0 Comments

Like days prior, my day began at 6am. I woke up, made breakfast, skyped my parents and headed to Ritsumeikan. I am still in the wrong Japanese class and I spoke to the professor of the next class and she said that by next week I can MAYBE switch. I do not know how I feel about this, because two lessons have passed and I do not want to miss anymore. Reviewing grammar that I have previously learnt is great and all, but I want to learn more grammar in order to speak and write Japanese more fluently.



I did not eat lunch today for two reasons:

1) Riley was suppose to show me how to order food in the cafeteria, but he disappeared on me and left to eat sushi with Jun and Sumire (two buddies from the program). I was going to return to Franz and Chess, but they disappeared on me too. I did not know if I could split a 10000 yen bill at the store front that sells bentos so I bought a melon bread with the 200 yen I had in my coin purse and that essentially was my lunch

2) A certain situation was being blown out of proportion and it was making really anxious (and sick to my stomach).

So my lunch was: sweet bread. (I know, bad, don't get mad at me. But I did not want to handle anything alone so I a bought cheap bread and fled)

During lunch time fancy face sat with us and everyone but me spoke to him because I am ashamed of my really bad Japanese. According to him it is really good, but that is like the second biggest lie of the century. I speak like a two year old.

After lunch we headed to an excursion to Kiyomizu for pottery. Kiyomizu-yaki origins to the 5th century, and has evolved and changed over many centuries. Now Kiyomizu-yaki is often associated with the old pottery market which still exists on the hill leading to Kyoto's famous Kiyomizu Temple. We were giving the opportunity to mend and mold pieces of clay into cups or bowls ( I made a cup ) and we will receive it at the completion ceremony.

I was so grateful that I had taken a pottery class in high school where I learnt some basic techniques to properly make things. ( And how to not get dirty!)




Once we finished our pottery, Franz, Chess, Michelle, Joe, Hikaru and Haruka and I went to visit the Kiyomizu Temple. It was filled with students from Japanese schools and tourists. Between Meiji and Kiyomizu I prefer Kiyomizu. It was so beautiful and breath-taking. I got to see and enter three different temples, drink mountain water and crash into the rock of love.

There was a temple we entered and it was pitch black and we had to find some stone and touch it in order to make a wish. It was so scary, it was dark and cold, and we had to be barefoot! Thankfully Hikaru was brave enough to take the lead and lead us through. I wish I had recorded it because we were all screaming and freaking out in Japanese and there got a point that Hikaru yelled, "Stop pushing me!". Because we were all trying to get through the temple as quick as we could we were all kinda pushing each other in order to quickly exit.