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.

Breakfast is served

Cheese on toasted French bread.

Temple food

I used to teach English to a group of retirees. This was taken when we visited a famous temple in Kyoto. One of our group used to work as a guide so she had contacts with the temple staff, and they very kindly served us some green tea and sweets made from azuki beans. The tea was really nice maccha green tea, a bit creamy and slightly bitter, but it went well with the sweets. I took this picture after I accidentally spilled about half of the tea onto the carpet. The staff were really nice about it, saying that it was no problem and everything, but I still felt bad.

My favourite restaurant in Kyoto

Kerala, an Indian restaurant in central Kyoto. When I can afford to, I come here to order this meal, Veg Lunch, which costs 1150 yen(around 8 pounds but it feels more like 5 pounds). You get 1 samosa, 1 poppadom, 1 naan, 2 vegetable curries, 1 portion of rice, salad and 1 bowl of yogurt to cool yourself off with afterwards. You also get 1 cup of chai. I like Japanese food, but it's too healthy. Sometimes, when I'm homesick I want to eat food that I know, for me that means Indian food. Indian food is very popular with the Japanese, but they don't like really spicy food so restaurants tend to tone down the spices a bit.

Gion Matsuri

I went to the Gion Matsuri festival last week. Traditional Japanese floats are dragged around the downtown part of the city. Since it is summer, many people put on the yukata - the traditional Japanese summer kimono.

Kyoto's Cherry Blossoms

A few weeks ago, the cherry blossoms were in bloom. I went to the countryside with my English language class. These flowers only last a few days before they fall. If you're coming to Japan, make sure you come at this time. Kyoto is indeed a very beautiful place.

Momiji in Kyoto

I took these photos at a Kyoto temple. Momiji means 'red leaves'. Kyoto is famous for its beautiful red leaves, and people come from all over the country, and even from abroad, to look at them.
This is a city of extremes when it comes to the weather. Very cold in winter, but really hot and humid weather in July and August. In winter, as soon as I get inside, the first thing I do is stick my hands in the toaster to defrost them.