Thank you, Oyodo High School! You have filled my time

in Japan with fun, laughter, and warmth. I feel lucky to have

spent the last two years teaching here.

When I first came to live in Nara prefecture, I didn't

know what to expect. To be sure, I had lived in Tokyo for

about a year, so I had some experience with Japanese

culture. But that was eight years ago; and anyway, everyone

knows country life is different than city life.

So why had I requested Nara? I was attracted not only to

its natural beauty, but also to Nara's rich cultural history. And

indeed, not only have I enjoyed hiking around the stunning

mountains, forests, and rivers of Nara, but I have also thrilled

to visiting its famous temples, shrines and castles, as well as

watching and participating in the local festivals. I have never

lived in such a beautiful place as Nara prefecture. I will miss

it very much.

But the best thing about Nara was the warmth and

generosity of my Japanese friends, co-workers, and students.

Our Japanese friends have introduced me to traditional

Japanese papermaking, swordmaking, pottery, tea ceremony,

calligraphy, and cookery. They have put me up overnight in

temples, taught me Japanese, and shown me secret

treasures of Nara I never would have found on my own.

Countless times I have been treated to dinner or invited

over someone's house. After two years, I feel like part of the

community in which I teach. I feel privileged to have seen

Japan from this perspective.

I will carry many valuable memories back to America with

me. Whenever I feel discouraged, I can remember my

exhilarating month of biking around the eighty-eight temple

pilgrimage of Shikoku. Or the beauties of Asuka, right in my

backyard. Or Takatori Castle, or the inexhaustible treasures

of Nara City and Kyoto, or the time I've spent hiking,

swimming, and mountain-climbing around Kansai. But the

best memories

will be of the

friends I've

made. Thank

you very much

for letting me

be part of your

lives. I will

cherish these

m e m o r i e s

forever.

Best memories will be of the friends I've made

by James Kennedy

The first place we visited with Kennedy-sensei was

Enryaku-ji. It was impressive to see how people built statues

of gold to honor Amida. There are many small things in the

temples such as bells or incense which are important even

though they aren't as big as the statues.

Also, each temple has its own history. It is transporting

to see the actual temples where Buddhism evolved.

We also walked up a mountain through thousands of red

gates at Fushimi Inari. It looked like the Ghibli movie

"Princess Mononoke." The longer we walked, the darker and

creepier it became. It was beautiful, the kind of magic place

a foreigner would love to see in Japan.

In Arashiyama, we visited the Golden Dragon's Temple

and garden. Temples and nature complement each other

perfectly. They are so well designed that anywhere you look

is picturesque. The wooden floor in the Temple feels soft

and smooth underfoot, and walking on it wakens the senses.

The painting of the Golden Dragon looked wild but exact.

The brush strokes look spontaneous but disciplined.

All in all, Kyoto is more magical than we could imagine.

Kennedy-sensei sums it up, saying it will be hard to go back

home after always being surrounded by beauty.

Impressions of Kyoto

by Lisa Ebermann & Alex Baily