Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Other Pictures (4)

Hi. I've failed to keep my blog up to date. Sorry about that.

Japanese students had their entrance ceremony this month. I saw tons of people wearing business clothing on campus that day.


I've mentioned that Japanese students had their graduation ceremony in March (I believe they finished in January, after exams). The Japanese semester started this month. At KGU, the Japanese students had their first day of classes on April 3.
The reason my semester started in early February and only ends in late May is because KGU has a separate schedule for its Asian Studies Program, which exchange students are enrolled in. It is modeled off of the American college calendar to better accommodate international students (more than half of which are from the U.S.). Otherwise, it would be difficult for exchange students to study in Japan in the fall, because their semesters at home and the one in Japan would overlap.


Cherry blossoms have sprung up everywhere in the last few weeks. I see beautiful trees all over the place, particularly on my way to school. I didn't even realize that trees were there until they started blooming.





on the way to the grocery store




in Osaka



parfaits at my favorite cafe in Kyoto




I accidentally found a Korea Travel Fair in Osaka last weekend.





Monday, March 31, 2014

Sanrio Puroland

Hello Kitty land!!!































靖国神社 / Yasukuni Shrine

Yasukuni Shrine is a controversial Shinto shrine that is located in Tokyo. You've probably heard about this shrine due to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe's visit to it last year, which was criticized by South Korea and China. Some consider it a symbol of Japan's imperial past. In addition, war criminals are among those enshrined there.