Photos by Huiting Lian (Maryland Institute College of Art), Student Correspondent for AICAD in Japan, Spring 2023
The 400-level and 500-level classes had a Kimono Workshop in March. We took a train to Kyoto and dressed in Kimonos in the morning. Here we are taking a walk to Nanzenji.
Nanzenji is a Zen Buddhist temple with an extremely beautiful garden. There aren’t many sakura (cherry blossom) trees in the garden, so it’s not as crowded as other temples in Kyoto during the sakura season. We enjoyed matcha and sweets there, as well as the beautiful views of the garden.
After the trip to Kyoto with my class, I went there again to rent a bike and cycle around the city. Although public transportation in Kyoto is very efficient and easy to use, cycling can be a good choice for sightseeing in the city. There are so many interesting places in Kyoto besides the famous temples. You’ll probably miss them if you take a bus to travel from one tourist spot to another. I found a parfait shop and got an afternoon tea set while cycling in Kyoto. This may be the best parfait I’ve ever had.
There is always something interesting on the ground as well. The ground itself may be an art piece. When it came to the end of March, sakura started falling, and I finally experienced snow-like sakura falling. I felt like I was in a sakura river at this moment.
I visited my housemate’s room on the fourth floor of our apartment and enjoyed the sunset on their huge balcony. It was pure joy and peace.
March and April were also Japan’s graduation seasons. I saw a lot of girls dressed in kimonos and boys dressed in suits for their graduation ceremony. On freshmen orientation day, most students were also dressed in suits.
I’m obsessed with the little animal-shaped trains in Japan. This cable car is used for climbing Mount Ikoma and is over 20 years old!
I met my love, a capybara, in the Animal Kingdom in Kobe! My Japanese housemates recommended that place to me, and we went there together after school. I got charged there and was ready for another busy month.