Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Kyoto Highlights






After the intense business focus of the Tokyo phase of the trip everyone looked forward to the Kyoto portion of the trip ..... and I can say without fear of contradiction that they were not disappointed in the Kyoto experience.

The hotel was a traditional Japanese inn, the Three Sisters Annex, where students shared rooms, sleeping on tatami mats and observing other Japanese lifestyle activities.

The sites and experiences of Kyoto are a complex composite of visual, intellectual and emotional connections.

One highlight was participating in a traditional tea ceremony where students not only observed the process but were taught how to make a drink the special tea by a tea master and her assistants.

Another interesting stop was a tour of a sake brewery located in an area identified as "old Japan".  Many may have thought they walked onto a movie set.

A final night tofu dinner offered everyone a taste of Japan not often found in Japanese restaurants outside of Japan.

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