Zemi konpa

I had a really good day yesterday, the kind of day you only get once every few years. The weather was perfect, sunny, blue skies and warm but not too hot. Perfect weather to cycle around Kyoto. I stumbled upon Ninanji, a UNESCO World Heritage site.



After that I went around Arashiyama to look at the beautiful trees there. Then, I was invited to a tea ceremony in Horikawa Street. Finally, I went to a posh Japanese restaurant down in Sanjo to have dinner with my sensei and other zemi students. A 'zemi' is a corruption of the English word 'seminar'; it's a group of undergraduate students signed up to a class. A 'konpa' comes from the English word 'company' but it means a party.



The restaurant was called Ganko. The food was mainly sushi and tempura. I forgot how tasty Japanese food can be. More than that, it was nice to meet up with my sensei and fellow students. I'll certainly miss them. There was a beautiful Japanese garden attached to the restaurant. After we finished eating, we out there for a stroll and to take pictures, before heading off to Sanjo for karaoke.

Inside an old Japanese house

Ritsumeikan University & Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

A good friend of mine used to study International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, in the north-west part of Kyoto.　I lost contact with her a few months back but I still wanted to check out the campus before I head back to London.

The good thing about Kyoto is that it's small enough for you to go anywhere you want by bike. It took about 20 minutes to get there. Another good thing about Kyoto, and Japan in general, is that the people are usually very polite and helpful. It helps if you can speak Japanese.




Ritsumeikan has a much more laid-back atmosphere than Kyoto University. It feels a little more American. I stayed in the library for a bit, and then I got hungry. I was going to settle for some Japanese food at the cafeteria, when I noticed a Subway restaurant. Ritsumeikan has its own Subway!





I asked the lady who worked there how long the restaurant's been operating; she said just 2 years.

On the way back I stopped by Kitano Tenmangu shrine. It's probably one of the best shrines/temples in Kyoto.