JAPN 235: The Japan Experience: Kyoto is filled with all kinds of exciting and diverse activities such as everyday Japanese conversations with Ritsumeikan University student volunteers, playing the Japanese traditional Taiko drums, wearing Yukata (Japanese traditional clothes), and visiting famous temples and shrines. What do we NOT experience on this Japan trip? LITERALLY nothing! We experienced them all. How awesome is that?

Our trip began with a bus ride to Ritsumeikan University which included a campus tour and lunch. Two of our buddy volunteers, Genji Takahashi, a fourth-year law student, and Sawa Yoshii, a fourth-year international studies student, came to the hotel to pick us up in the morning. They were so friendly, amicable, and sociable that all of us fell in love instantly!  We arrived at the Ritsumeikan Kinugasa campus safely in 35 minutes, and it was adventurous for us to navigate the city and the bus ride. Though it is convenient and easy to understand, it is just very different from what we know in the U.S. Then, Genji gave us a campus tour, showing us the beautiful Kinugasa campus including our classroom called Yoyo-Kan, the main library, delightful cafeterias (delicious AND cheap), cool bookstores, and gorgeous gym.