As my time in Kyoto comes to a close, I thought it fitting to reflect on my time as a Global Storyteller and my four months as a TUJ Kyoto student!
These past few months have been extremely kind to me. There was always something new to see and do here in Kyoto. Weekends in Osaka, after school shopping in Kawaramachi-dori, and breakfast near Gion before class. Kyoto is an advantageous location because of its proximity to Western Japan.
Tokyo has an expansive metropolitan city for you to explore, but Kyoto has access to so many areas in Japan that take forever to get to. Nagoya, Himeji, Nara, Uji, Otsu, Lake Biwa, and Osaka are all easy day trips out of Kyoto Station. There are also so many smaller neighborhoods to explore in between. I had an amazing time doing day trips on days off or weekends to see parts of Japan that many tourists might skip. My favorite places were Osaka and Kobe, both emulating city vibes that I’m familiar with being from the US.
Kyoto is also rich in history and culture. I can see why it’s known as the “city of ten thousand shrines” since there are in fact just that many in the entire prefecture. Stepping out of Kyoto City, you can see some wonderful sights like the gardens at Jonan-gu Shrine that light up with ume blossoms during the early spring. Or even the cherry blossoms that bloomed super early this year in Yodo that caused me and a friend to sprint there after class so we could take pictures before it got too crowded.
It’s also know as the land of a thousand foreign students since there are tons of universities and colleges settled all over the prefecture. It makes the city come alive seeing all the students from all over the place find their way around Kyoto the same way you are.
As I contemplate my next steps, I think about what I’m leaving behind. I definitely want to come back and live in Japan in the future. These four months have proven that, against all odds, I can hack it as a foreigner living in Japan. I faced all the challenges I was met with here head on, unflinching even under the increased pressure that foreigners sometimes face here.
As Japanese culture shifts towards radical conservatism, it was wonderful to be met with so much kindness while I lived here. The locals radiate warmth and energy and want to show you as much of their home as they can. I can definitely relate to that feeling, wanting someone to understand just what makes your hometown great. As someone with one of the biggest “hometowns” in the world, I found it so sweet to know that this feeling I can’t name was, in fact, universal.
Food has also been a huge part of my life and my journey here in Kyoto. You didn’t ask, but you shall receive my rapid-fire roundup of favorite restaurants I’ve eaten at. This list is in no particular order and accounts for my taste and my taste alone. Since I talked about restaurants earlier in the semester, I’ve decided to mention mostly places I’ve been to in the second half.
- Hyakusei Beef Noodles in Kawaramachi-dori
- Tiger Gyoza Kawaramachi in Kawaramachi-dori
- Maho-Tsukemen Yukichi Honpo in Shimogyo Ward
- Menya Inoichi #3 in Uji
- Oasis in Nara
- Jamaicana in Kobe
- The Nepali 2 in Tofukuji
Each restaurant showed off some special aspect of a particular cuisine that I fell in love with. Menya Inoichi and Oasis were wonderful finds after a long day of exploring, walking, and shopping. Though they both had long wait times, the food was especially worth it.
I’ve probably visited Hyakusei Beef Noodles and The Nepali 2 more times than I can count because of their proximity. Jamaicana in Kobe is run by the sweetest man and serves up some amazing Jamaican food. I found out the hard way that they close midday, but he was kind enough to serve my companion and me some amazing jerk chicken for coming all the way out there to support his 8th-floor walk-up restaurant.
I have learned so much about myself thanks to my time here in Kyoto. Namely that I’m startlingly self-sufficient if pushed to a breaking point.
Here, I’ve learned to cook for myself and even manage my own finances. It’s hard for any college student to keep a space clean but I did it!
A healthy room is a healthy mindset, a famous prophet that totally didn’t write this once said. All of this had reinforced my future career goals even more.
I want to have a fruitful career helping more people of color travel and go abroad. Working in tourism and hospitality will be the perfect way to combine my love for travel, my passion for making plans and itineraries, and my desire to see different cultures and places all around the world. I’ve had the greatest time sharing my journey with you all, and I hope this encourages other Temple students to consider a semester or even a year abroad!
If you want to learn more about Temple University Japan and study abroad in Kyoto, check out the Temple Study Abroad website! Here on our Global Storytellers blog, you can also read more stories from students abroad across the globe just like me!