Day 4: Surprise Trip To Kyoto~!

Saturday was an amazing day! So many adventures and surprises! Japanese people are extremely generous!

I spent the morning walking around Mino, trying to find the ramen place for lunch! I was going the entirely wrong direction though...so after two hours, I went back to the house, planning to whip up something quick.
When I got there, sunburnt and with aching feet, Mari (my host-mother) was with one of her students. Mari is an English teacher and has many kind students of all ages! This particular woman, Morita-san, was dressed in a light pink kimono. She was so excited to meet me, and spoke very little English. Turns out she is the owner of a famous Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto known as Sa-ami. She invited me to go back to Kyoto with her!

I was ecstatic and very surprised by her generous offer. It was a wonderful chance for me to practice my Japanese, and I never bowed so much in my life, haha~ :)
After the 1 hour drive to Kyoto, she took me around and showed me Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Koen, and Shijyo-dori (the main street of Kyoto), and fed me zenzai mochi. It was all so beautiful and overwhelming! :D I even saw Maiko, which are apprentice geisha~

Sa-ami is in Odu Nobunaga's brother's house, so there is so much history behind such a place! It was beautiful; I love tatami and shoji panels~ After letting me shop myself for a few hours, I went back to the restaurant and she fed me a modified Kaiseki dinner FOR FREE! WOW! I couldn't believe it!! The food was wonderful! I ate everything!

I learned so much about Japan and Japanese people. It was that day that I realized that I am truly becoming immersed in Japan. I am now used to hearing Japanese spoken all the time. It was so fun! I met so many kind people at her restaurant! She even gave me some parting gifts!

Morita-san, thank you for everything! I will never forget my first experience in Kyoto! :)