A quick selfie under the torii

Hello everyone! You know, it's true what they say—time flies!  I can't believe I've already been in Japan for 10 months.  So far, I think the overall highlight has been getting to know all of my students here at SES.  Specifically in regards to travel though, I would have to say my time in Kyoto has been my favorite experience.

みなさん、こんにちは！
時が経つのは速いです！もう日本に来て１０ヶ月です。

今回は、京都に旅行したことをお話しします。


I went in August over the Obon holiday, so it was very hot and humid; even so, I still had a wonderful time! First, I went straight to Kobe and visited two very dear friends of mine from my days as a university student.  They are a married couple and have lived in Japan now for five years.  I had a great time catching up with them and reminiscing old times. After a few days in Kobe and Osaka, I was off to Kyoto!  Of course, I wanted to visit the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine! However, as we all know, this shrine is very popular and is often very crowded with tourists. So, I set my alarm to 4:00 AM in my capsule hotel bunk, which was probably much to the chagrin of others sleeping around me.  Admittedly, I may have hit the snooze button a few times before groggily crawling out of my bunk.  Nevertheless, I arrived around 5:30 AM.  

とても蒸し暑い８月に、まず、神戸に行き、
大学時代の友人に会いました。
彼らはカップルで、日本に５年住んでいます。

神戸と大阪で数日過ごして、
京都に向かい、伏見稲荷大社を訪ねました。
ここはとても有名なので、混雑が予想されたので、
早朝４時にアラームをセットして、
何度かスヌーズボタンを押しましたと思いますが、
５時半頃には現地につきました。

If you enjoy photography, you may know that dawn and dusk provide the perfect lighting for pictures!  There were only a few other tourists around and I was able to capture all of the images I wanted without anyone getting in the way of my shot!

もし、写真が好きなら、
夜明けや夕暮れに素晴らしい光の効果があるのを知っていますよね？
人がほとんどいなかったので、イメージ通りの写真が撮れました。

  Fushimi Inari Taishi at 5:30 AM with no tourists!

I even made a new friend with a fellow solo traveler while I was there!  She was from China and her name was Chen Yang.   We lazily walked through all of the torii and traversed Mt. Inari in its entirety together.  Overall, I loved how the historical essence could still be felt in Kyoto alongside the modernity of a 21^st century city.  Most of all, I loved seeing the Japanese couples in their traditional yukatas walking hand-in-hand together around the city—kawaii! 

そこで、中国から来たChen Yangさんという女性と友達になりました。
一緒に鳥居をくぐって、稲荷山を登りました。

京都は２１世紀近代の都市であると同時に、
歴史的な要素を感じることができる、というのがいいと思います。
一番気に入ったのは、浴衣を着た日本人ふたりが手をつないで
歩いていた光景です。かわいい！

Summer yukatas at the Kyoto Imperial Palace

To see the rest of my photos from Kyoto, you'll have to visit www.instagram.com/bentravels


僕のインスタグラムから他の写真も見れます。

-Ben Powers ✌