One of the great things about my study abroad experience was the location. As I mentioned in previous blog posts, Kansai Gaidai is located in the Osaka prefecture and near the Osaka city center. Also, Kansai refers to the region that lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. These places were easily accessible through public transportation, and therefore made them great for weekend excursions.
I had the chance to frequently visit some of these places like, Mie, Nara, and Kyoto—all unique in its temples, shrines, and rich cultural history of Japan. The trip to Mie, Himeji Castle, and Kyoto were all organized by the Center for International Education and Residence Life staff. During these trips, we were able to learn more of Japanese religion and practices through the visits and have the opportunity to eat food, make friends, and have fun.
Ise, Mie
My visit to Nara also included many of the same elements, however, I was able to link up with a friend who was an exchange student at Maryville College!
Kyoto seems to be the most famed with its iconic gates up the mountain. There, at Fushimi Inari, I was able to see the things that I had been learning about in my religion class concerning Japanese pilgrimage and religious movement in the country.
The ability to study inside class and then go out to see the things that I was learning largely enhanced my experience in Japan. It definitely took some imagination, but increased my respect on how the Japanese people preserve their history and culture. Though something would be very challenging in the USA (a far younger country than Japan), I have become inspired to put more of a movement to my studies and challenged to find ways to preserve my own culture and history.