久しぶり！

That's 'long time no see' in Japanese, except that there's no verb that refers to seeing or meeting specifically, so it can be used for writing as well! Quite clever, isn't it. Anyway, I stopped writing for a while since I was preoccupied with the final exams and surviving the final school weeks, so I wasn't really feeling like going anywhere or doing anything interesting or worth writing about.

And then I thought that since there's only like a month or so left for me here, there's really no point in writing anymore... but then I got a sudden boost of inspiration - I guess it was the great day that I had today with Miho, thanks again! I wish we'd had more chances to hang out together, though!

I'm not going to write about today today, though (haha). I'm saving that for later, and instead I'll give you a brief recap on these few weeks when I was neglecting the blog.

The first snowfall came right after the first plum blossoms. Winter in Japan, you so weird.

In mid-January, there was a New Year's party at my friend's dorm. I know, a bit late for a New Year's party, right? Well, New Year here is like Christmas in Finland - people start preparing for it a long time ahead, buying or making decorations, preparing traditional New Year's dishes; and then you keep on wishing everybody Happy New Year until the 16th of January. I don't know why that exact date, but that's what our senseis were telling us.

So a few days before the 16th there was a party where we made rice cakes, had ozouni (a traditional New Year's soup), got wrapped in kimonos and were given a chance to participate in traditional New Year's activities, such as my new favorite card game, karuta! And the real version this time, where you actually have to know the poems and shit. I'd only learned around 10 poems by that time, but I managed to snatch a few cards, to everyone's surprise - it was obvious that the Japanese were not expecting a Westerner to recognize any of the poems by just their first verses. Haha.

Well, this is what I've been up to recently...

Making some rice cakes!

Not sure what to think of these fun and games...

A couple of weeks ago, there was an archery event at Sanjusangendo, which is a pretty cool temple where, if you go inside, there's a long hall with thousand statues of this deity called Kannon. Pretty impressive. Sadly, but not unexpectedly, photography was prohibited inside, so if you wanna see what it's like, google it!

Well, at least I've got photos of the archery event... Oh, wait.

Nope, the best views I got was through a smartphone screen that someone in the front row was shooting a video with. I was too impatient to stay there and wait until I got to the front, but my friend Dave, who arrived a bit later with his camera, got pretty amazing shots, so please, do go and see his blog post about it!

However, it was still a nice event, with amazing street foods and beautiful kimonos everywhere you looked.

Waiting.

And then it's time for a complete change of topic. Now, I was taking a walk around the Imperial Palace Gardens, which is where I usually go for a walk or a run, since it's right next to my dorm. I was just chilling and enjoying the cold winter's day, which really wasn't that cold for a winter's day, but anyway... And I saw this.

And it just made me so unbelievably mad! I also felt like throwing up, because I instantly recalled the pictures online in which you can see the stomach contents of dead birds - in case you haven't seen them, they're full of plastic and other shit since people are fucking retards and don't know how to properly dispose of their litter. I've got a piece of advice for you - whatever you do with it, don't leave it lying around where these idiot birds with brains the size of a peanut (if that) can get to it and mistake it for food. I mean, I hate birds more than anybody I know, and quite often find myself wishing them all dead, but I don't want it to happen like this - that's just wrong.

Well, got that out of my chest. Phew. The rest of the walk was enjoyable, at least, and if there's one place I'm gonna miss in Kyoto (well, of course there are many, but if there was just one), it would be the Imperial Palace Gardens. It's been really good to me, and I'm so lucky that I live right next to it - it's like an oasis in the middle of the city.

So now the exams are over, school's done with, and we even had a farewell party with these amazing people that I spent the past semester with. Thanks guys, it's been a blast! Still a few weeks left to explore Kyoto and surrounding areas, so I'll probs be writing a couple more posts to fill the days when I'm not traveling or meeting up with friends for the last time. Also, if you're a friend and we haven't arranged a date yet, (and if you want to, lol), please contact me! I really wanna see everybody once more and do fun stuff before I leave.

Another place I'm going to miss - Torikizoku! My favorite izakaya in Kyoto.

karuta

So before New Year's holidays, we got to hear a lot about Japanese holiday traditions in different classes, and even got to try a few games and such. One of them was called karuta, which is a card game where there's a bunch of cards with pictures and hiragana characters on them, laid on the floor right side up. Then somebody reads off phrases from separate reading cards, and the fastest one to grab the card with the initial syllable of the phrase gets to keep it. And obviously whoever has the most cards in the end wins.

The cards we used for playing this all had easily distinguishable words on them, so that it wasn't really possible to grab the wrong one, and since all you have to do is to recognize the right hiragana, it would take your brain a few seconds, maximum, to process the sound you hear, and locate the card with the matching word. No big deal, and obviously aimed at children.

Well, this is what I thought, until after the holidays, one of our teachers introduced us the actual cards that are used in competitive karuta. Yes, you read correct, competitive karuta. Anyway... instead of simple words or phrases, these cards have what's called hyakunin isshu written on them, which are 100 tanka poems written by 100 different authors. These poems date back to... oh well, I don't even know when, but they're old as fuck.

To make it more difficult, in addition to having to grab the card with the same poem as the one being read, what you have in front of you are cards with only the lower phrase of the poem. So you actually need to have memorized all one hundred poems in order to play this game, since the reader always starts from the beginning of the poem.

Above you can see what it looks like when you're serious about the sport. Saying that they're fast is an understatement. Like, I don't even... So how come is this a traditional New Year's pastime in Japanese homes? Do everybody spend their childhood memorizing these poems in order to have fun during the holidays?

YES. Well, actually it's something they have to learn at school at some point, and I don't think there are too many grown-ups who still remember them, but still. I'm trying to think of something similar we would do in Finland, but I can come up with nothing. This is one of those "Only in Japan" things that you come across from time to time. But I think it's pretty damn cool. And I wanna play, too! It's just that, at this point, I'm reading hiragana like an elementary school student, and I'm pretty sure it would take me years and years to memorize these poems... But I'm still so fascinated by it that I just had to go and buy myself a set with CDs and all. If only as a souvenir!

But yeah, there's more to the rules but I tried to keep it as simple as possible. If you want to learn more about it, though, without actually having to study about it, I recommend an anime called Chihayafuru - I started watching it a while ago, and it seems like a pretty accurate depiction of the sport!

nanakusa-gayu

Today, as we learned in school yesterday, the entire nation goes on a detox diet. It even has a name - nanakusa no hi, which translates into 'the day of seven greens', or however you wish to translate the word kusa. Usually it refers to leaf veggies. Anyway, on this day, people buy packs of greens like the one shown below, and make an unappetizing porridge out of them in order to recover from New Year's feast. It's so funny that although in Finland people do a lot of detoxing and gym and such after gaining a bit extra around the waist during the Christmas and New Years holidays, it's not a unified, nationwide effort, as it seems to be here. Another perfect example of how important it is to be a part of the group here. Now, I seriously doubt that all Japanese engage in this tradition, but the fact that it is a tradition in the first place must have something to do with the uniformity of the Japanese society.

So I thought I'd give it a try, as well, as I'm no stranger to healthy foods and detox diets, and quite enjoy them. Although my conception of detox does not involve loading your tummy full of white rice and salt, but again, when in Rome...

According to our teacher, this porridge is not considered delicious by any standards, so I was very eager to see if that was really true. I have a tendency to enjoy healthy foods that others find unappetizing. And this porridge was no exception! I mean, it's pretty bland, but is by no means disgusting. Warm, soft and refreshing, I'd say. A lot like Finnish rice porridge without milk, which is always better for your stomach; and with veggies instead of cinnamon and sugar. I do recommend everybody to try, if only just to observe the tradition. If you're not in Japan, you'll probably have a hard time finding the right ingredients - I actually don't even know what you're supposed to put in it since I just bought the convenient package above. But if you're here, you only need that, plus water, rice and salt. Plus there's a recipe behind the box!

Nanakusa-gayu.

on holiday!

And so begins year 2016 with zero motivation to study, although I prayed my first prayers at the shrine dedicated to gods of study. Dunno, it just feels so dumb to have a holiday just four weeks before the entire semester will end. Two tests tomorrow, and I'm just like... who cares. So instead of grammar and vocab revision, let's just relive the past week, since it was all way more fun.

Now, it's been a busy week for the camera, too, so in order to keep this post short enough to scroll through in less than an hour, I'll keep writing to the minimum and let you guys enjoy the pictures. Also, since Eve won't be getting the entire bunch until Easter, this functions as a sneak peek for her, too, and to anyone she might be wanting to show these.

Arashiyama monkey park!

Tourists were advised to stay a minimum 2 meters away and not to point their camera straight at the monkeys... He looks like a professional though, I guess he knows what he's doing.

A big Totoro thumbs-up for Arashiyama.

Finally a photo of me in Japan, and got photobombed so bad. Don't know what to say. 

So much moss that it inspired us to create a gif.

Coffee and chocolate (she brought me my favorite!) to take us through the New Year celebrations.

Are you ready for the year of the monkey?

Hatsumoode at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine - since it's the shrine for gods of study, it's pretty popular...

Although I'm not a shintoist (is that even a word?), it was pretty cool to engage in the traditional activity of the first prayers of the year, right after midnight.

Even got a fortune - so little luck that we hung them up on the strings for unwanted fortunes.

Kinkakuji on a winter's day - since you've seen the pics from before, here's just a cool (or not) reflection of it.

Why, hello!

Nijojo, the castle with a funny name.

Eve and the fish.

Not impressed.

The Japanese are really good at gardens.

Since Eve loves Japanese sweets, half of our diet for the week consisted of wagashi.

And the other half was just traditional Japanese foods. This was okonomiyaki Osaka-style - they seem to like cheese a lot!

Out with the old, in with the new. 

Sky Garden in Osaka and shining shoes.

Looks like a great day for soaking in an onsen!

Afterwards, unagi (eel) for the first time! 5/5, would eat again. 

Aqueducts, Eve, and generally just a pretty cool scenery in Kurama. Such relax, much wow.

In sum, it was a week full of fun; izakaya, karaoke, onsen (twice, haha), monkeys, and last but not least, moss. Also a big thanks to my friends Miki and Ayame for introducing us the proper manners for visiting a shrine, and for good company in general!

The fact that Kyoto pretty much died after New Year's Eve pooped some of our great plans, though - a lot of the stores were closed for a few days. In fact my coffee shop is still closed... I lived on instant coffee for a while, but now I'm out of that as well and really not going to buy another pack of that shit, so please please please be open tomorrow will you?

Oh, and wanna hear about the time when Kyoto finally woke up? Well, that was when I was seeing my sister off to the airport, and left my bike in front of McDonald's next to the subway station. When I came back, it wasn't there! So during those two hours that I was gone, they'd come and cleaned up the spot, since it was forbidden to park there. To get it back, I need to take a train to the middle of nowhere and pay 2300 yen for the bike, so not really going to do that, seeing that I paid only 5000 for the thing in the first place, and I'd be using it for another 3 weeks. Keep the damn thing, you fuckers.