SDG Excursion: Day 2
Meeting with Professor Abe
Today was an interesting day. We spent most of it walking around, traveling between places via trains. I rode in my first bullet train, aka a Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. It was very fast and I enjoyed it, but it made my ears pop and my nausea didn't make the pain any better(I'm fine don't worry!). After checking in at our hotel, Sanco Inn, we met up with Professor Abe. He is one of the founding members of the Kids Guernica project and he was very polite showing us a place within the Kyoto Station to eat. He also ate with us and took pictures with us. We had udon and soba for lunch and it was delicious -Leslie Nichols
Afterwards, the group split into two separate groups. One group went to the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine. While another group went to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.
Inari Shrine
The group vistits Inari Shrine. This shrine is the most famous shrine made out to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. The shrines presance is an important part of Kyoto's culture.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
I went to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest with 6 other classmates. During this trip we observed the peaceful surroundings of the bustling tourist spot. We decided to split up after a bit of impatience from some of our classmates, but that is part of the learning process when it comes to peace building. We must learn to adjust and respect others and their time. After the initial split we decided to walk around and explore. We saw a lot of people dressed in yukatas which were very pretty and I'm glad they felt comfortable enough to wear them. I say this because of the issue of foreigners being abrasive, getting the personal space of those wearing yukatas. -Leslie Nichols
World Peace Museum: Day 3
We had a lecture and group discussion at Ritsumeikan University World Peace Museum by Prof Akihito Kimijima about the Six Faces of Article 9: Japan's Postwar Constitution in the Context of World Order. It was a good and extensive conversation about peace and how peace and violence are interconnected. Then we went back to the museum were we given a guided tour of the museum. It was a very difficult to read about what has happened and how it still effects people to this day. Lastly, we finished off the day with a workshop provided by Prof. Koko Okumoto from Osaka Jogakuin University. -Leslie Nichols
Peace workshop at Ritsumeikan
Afterwards we had lunch and visited the Kinkakuji Temple. It was very beautiful, with amazing historical sights. -Leslie Nichols