The End of a Journey: 道の終わり

The past fortnight has been really hectic, with tying a lot of loose ends, spending a lot of time with my girlfriend, and... returning to Australia. By the way, I've been back home since the 21st of this month in case you were wondering.

Looking back on the past year, I am really glad that I decided to undertake on such a great opportunity to study in Japan - more specifically at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. Not only did I gain greater proficiency in Japanese compared to when I first arrived in Kyoto, but I have experienced many things and places, made many new friends - and met a very special someone. Admittedly, the last few days before I left were really difficult for the both of us, though we did spend everyday together doing things, whether it be cooking and eating together at my dorm, watching movies, eating out at more well known cafes and restaurants, to even just helping me send my parcels back to Australia. We also went to Arashiyama, which was a really fun experience, even if it wasn't quite spring at that time. Despite all this, we have decided to continue being together (albeit in a long distance relationship), and we have continued to stay in regular contact. However, I am planning to return to Kyoto in August for a little over a week to be with my girlfriend, and once again in January. 

Ultimately, my goal is to work in Japan, and I am hoping to accomplish this by next year (pending on my results of last semester at Ryukoku University). In the meantime, I want to pass N2 for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, keep up to scratch with my Japanese conversation skills by finding a club if possible (and regularly talking with my girlfriend), and to continue researching on possible companies that I want to work for in Japan. I have already begun asking around, though the JET Programme seems to be the most recommended option, despite my hesitation that I will most likely not get my preference of working at a school in Kyoto. At the very least, I would like to work at a school that is near Kyoto, just so it will be easier to stay in contact with my girlfriend while she is still studying .
Oh, and the other thing I want to do is find some work, though one of my old bosses has offered me some temporary work in the meantime - hopefully that will expand to at least next year, though I have been assured six weeks to fill in for someone who will be on leave during that time. I'll most certainly know more about the situation when I speak to my old boss later this week.

So as it is, I'll leave this blog up for people who are interested in wanting to know a little bit more about living in Japan (as a student).

二日間の神戸の旅行 - Two-day Kobe Trip (part 2)

Following from Two-day Kobe Trip (part 1)

The next day, we checked out of our hotel, and planned to go to the Herb Gardens. Straight after leaving the hotel, we went to a small bread shop to have a late-ish breakfast. It was interesting little shop in that the main shop was on the ground floor, but two floors up (via stairs) was a small little dining area for customers who want to eat their purchased bread and have juice or coffee also.

After breakfast, we stopped by the station and put our luggage in a locker again, before we headed off to the Herb Gardens. We used the rope way to get there, which is located near the Shin Kobe station, and more or less right next to the ANA Crown Plaza, so access to it is very convenient. After paying for tickets, we boarded the rope way, and enjoyed the trip and the view of Kobe.

Interestingly enough, the weather that day was shifting back and forth between rain and snow while we were out, but when we took the rope way, it was definitely snowing - which made it pretty damn cold to be hanging around outside while we were at the herb gardens. We had a look at the small museum that was there, explaining the history of how flowers were used to make perfumes, and even had samples to smell. We also went up to the upper levels to see a small hall there for plays/concerts and what not, but nothing was happening there that day, so it was pretty quiet there. However, we went outside from that area to take a look at the view outside. Apparently we were able to see Osaka from where we were, but even with the coin operated binoculars there to use, it was still pretty far away. 

After that, we decided to take the path to walk down towards the greenhouse. As it was out of season, most of the flowers and plants were not in bloom, though we decided to take a look and those that were in the process of growing. We had a look at the signs, and found it a little amusing that despite some plants having more than one sign assigned to them, they had two different spellings for the plant - in katakana, surprisingly - such as the Roman Chamomile below:

We ended up at the greenhouse, and took a look around. We not only had some pancakes at the cafe that was there, but we also decided to take a foot bath that was located just outside of the greenhouse. It was great considering that it was cold, though it was a bit annoying that the way it was set up, you could only sit and face towards the greenhouse, as opposed to the city that was behind us.

Afterwards, we left the Herb Gardens, and made our way to Nankin-machi - Kobe's China-town. We walked around, and purchased almost everything we passed by. As we had eaten quite a bit after that, we decided to skip having dinner, and go straight to Kobe Tower - something we were planning to do the previous day, but ran out of time.

Despite having gone up Kobe Tower on a previous trip, the view was still amazing regardless. Considering the price (less than 1000 yen), you would be crazy not to go. I've only been to Kobe Tower at night, but I love going at night, just to see everything light up.

After spending some time at Kobe Tower, we finally decided to take the train back to Kyoto station. When we returned to Kyoto, it was still snowing surprisingly.

(Sorry it took a little while to get part 2 up)