Soothing Culture Shock !! **S.J. Japan Tour Volume #1**

Time:2006/02/03~2/10
Members:2 guys, Justin(J) & Stephen (S,me )
Destination: Kyoto, Japan

"3 ,2 ,Camera !"- An adventure has begun ...
"Take off !"- from C.K.S. International Airport.
It takes 3hrs from Taipei to Osaka...

After we arrived the Kansai International airport ,we took a bus called "Limousine Bus" to Kyoto station, a station of high caliber, that's our staple destination,cool! And there is a glorious tower toward the station, named "Kyoto Tower",it's a brilliant spot! Then, 2 hungry guys have a unforgettable dinner, noodles with high concentration of salt, really killing the sense of my taste. It's not cheap, 800yen.

The 2nd day is coming, I know, today will be different! First, we follow our schedule to visit the 清水寺, wow! It's very very impressive! The peculiar shape of the temple outlined the beauty of tradition, in that moment ,the scene really shocked me. Wait, It is snowing! Haha..I thought my behavior just like guys in a commercial ad(Miller Beer) yelling "Beer, it's beer!"...It's funny... Dry snows and temples amalgamate together drawing an astonishing canvas which have once been showed on TV. But ,the scene now appeared in your eyes! I can't imagine how flushed in my heart at that time...


Then we followed up "the shopping road" to another temple, named 銀閤寺, which was famous for a special reason,"GINSHADAN." What's the reason? OK, let me decipher the puzzle.GINSHADAN is a sand-bed centered the yard of the temple and it arranged in a particular form.When sun appear in the sky, sunlight will light the sand-bed ,then the sunlight will be reflected by the sand-bed to the temple, it's amazing, isn't it? That's an another fascinating picture!

We stayed in Kyoto for 4 days.There are so many spots I strongly suggest you to go ,such as 清水寺,金閤寺,銀閤寺,天龍寺,三十三間堂,東大寺(in Nara),三千院(in Ohara). I love the 三千院 the most.The temple located in sub-urban of Kyoto, which takes about 1 hr from Kyoto station, completely emerged the power and beauty of tradition. It really shows how Japan government put their effort to prevent antique temples from destroying.

三千院 is renowned for its scenes which vary along with four seasons.Spring shows a feeling of innocence, and the sight of summer like a vigrous boy ran agilely back and forth in the center of patio, and the scenery of autumn repesented a sorrowful song performed by the solitary widow who lost her husband during the war, and the view of winter imparted the emotion of a warrior who won the campaign but lost his all squad, fully delineating the contour of grief. It always said," Kyoto , Ohara, 三千院 ." It really owns its name !


On the 6th day, we visited the Himeji castle which is the biggest castle and well-preserved in JP. In the evening, we had a good time for shopping in "Rinku Town." God, ridiculous, all things there are so cheap!!! Y we can find the same place in Taiwan?!! Ok, to sum up, the tour for me or for Justin, must be the most fantastic ,astounding experience.Not only the first time we go another country together by ourselves but the culture so different so shock us. Actually,it is hard to combine with the elements of modern and tradition, but Japan really did it! I think that's why the sophisticated and elaborated products all over the world made from Japan !