Day 29

A Romanesque aqueduct a midst the traditional temples of Kyoto!

Day 28

After a nice hike through the hills of Kyoto, swimming here really helped to satisfy my craving for some summer river time!

Day 27

Perfectly pruned bushes and raked rocks at Shunko-in where we watercolored and learned about Zazen meditation.

Day 26

Gates and gates and gates all over the mountain!

Day 25

Today started with a fire drill at the temple, complete with sirens, trucks, and hosing down the buildings! Then we spent the afternoon at a temple under construction getting a new roof for the first time in 200 years. A nice break from being tourists!

Day 24

Moss and maples at Koto-in.

Day 23

The lovely, simple, elegant rock garden at Ryoanji!

Day 22

At the end of a day of amazing coffee (in Japan?!), dramatic thunderstorms, and never-ending temples and shrines, happening upon this little modern house was a fun surprise.

Day 21

In Osaka, rather than the seventh-inning stretch, the crowd releases squealing colored balloons into the stadium. The home team lost, but being at the game was so much fun! Go Tigers!

Day 20

After studio midterm review in the morning, dinner was spent at a funky little neighborhood restaurant with Akira, a great chef and UofO admirer.