Today we were trained in the mysterious ancient Japanese art of being a ninja. We learned about the history of ninjas and their role in espionage (being a spy). We also learned that our preconceived notions of ninjas yelling...
Tsukiji Fish Market Adventure
Today in Tokyo we went to Tsukiji Fish Market. It was crazy and cool to see. We met a really nice and smart chef named Andy, who is British, at the Tsukiji (pronounced Su-Key-Gee) Fish Market. He has been going...
Zazen (Zen Buddhist Meditation) or 坐禅 in Japanese
Zen Buddhism has a meditative discipline named “zazen” in Japan. Zazen literally means seated meditation. Meditation in Japan is a discipline practiced by Zen Buddhist monks and, a few days ago, we were able to see into the world of the art...
Chillin’ in a Ryokan
We packed up from Kyoto and headed to the mountains to relax in an authentic ryokan with natural onsens. It’s essentially a mountain lodge with hot springs where you don Japanese kimonos and have traditional keiseki meals. It was...
Aikido Training With Our Sensei
Today we had an awesome Aikido class in Kyoto. Aikido is a Japanese martial art that is based on not hurting yourself or your opponent. When we walked in, we saw our instructor who had a huge and awesome...
Kyoto Photo Blog
Monday, August 31 Nijo Castle (Shinto shrine). Kinkakuji (aka Golden Pagoda) Buddhist Temple. Ryoanji Temple (zen rock garden). Strolling through the Nishiki food market in downtown Kyoto. Strange smells, strange sights, all incredibly intriguing. Calligraphy...
One farm, three temples and a shrine in Japan
{Brooke’s blog, with a little assist from dadd-o on our farm stay} We are leaving our stay in a traditional Japanese farm house near Miyama with a beautiful old vegetarian Buddhist couple, Keisan and Setsusan. It was spartan and...
Exploring Kyoto
Today, we visited a bunch of temples and historic places in Kyoto. We started by visiting the Shogun castle in Kyoto. The castle is called Nijo castle. The castle was created by a great Shogun named Tokugawa, who conquered...
The Elma School
Yesterday, after we donated water filters and visited a Cambodian village in the morning, we then visited the Elma School in Cambodia. We went to the Elma school to give a donation of school supplies to all the kids...
A Helpful Day of Giving in Cambodia
Today, we had a really big day! First, we went moutain biking. It was amazing. The dirt we were biking on was very red. It was red because of the volcanic soil, but interestingly enough, it was transported to...