By Charles Kiesnowski
I participated in this experience for experiential learning and learned a lot more about the Japanese culture. For Day 1 in Japan Osamu was our tour guide in Tokyo and showed us many different areas throughout the course of the trip. He went into detail and talked about the Buddhism, Japanese gardens, and many historic temples around town. The Japanese garden consisted of lots of trees, cherry blossoms, and koi fish in the water. The cherry blossom is one of the most significant plants in Japan and is a very beautiful tree. One of the oldest temples were built around the Edo Era (around 400 years ago). Squid is one of the preferred foods in Japan. The numbers 4 & 9 are considered unlucky numbers.
Day 2 of the Japan Virtual Tour, Hoshino and Max were the tour guides. Hoshino showed us how some types of meditation techniques will enhance the body and prevent disease. Different varieties will treat different diseases. You can treat the heart, lungs , and kidneys when performing these moves in a meditative state. Next she showed us how to make wishes through the seven star constellation (The Big Dipper) method. Max showed us around the town Arashiyama & Bamboo forest. He described that bamboo can be used for making fences , teaspoons, roofs, and parts of a window.
Day 3 of the Japan Virtual Tour, Mari showed us around the city of Kyoto & Yasaka Shrine. She described that all shrines are Shinto shrines in Japan. The bell charm is to remove bad luck and to stay healthy. lastly, some of the shrines can be used for ceremonies and even weddings. We ended up seeing a couple more weddings throughout the trip, totaling to 6!