ŌGI ("SEN")

Lorayne and Jake are the two people from
the right.  Here we were playing a
Japanese game at the festival that night!
I won.. ahem... :D

Besides Una, Tehilah and I staying at the monastery, we also met a really nice girl from Singapore named Lorayne and a really kind yet introverted guy named Jake from California.  Each of them had been traveling with others but came to Koyasan on their own.  Jake was trying to enjoy his last week in Japan because he was to start Medical School soon.  I think this was mostly occupying his mind then. 

Other than us, we were staying at the monastery with a group of old ladies that danced with folding fans.  They were going to perform the next day so they were practicing that evening.

One lady in particular, though she did not speak one bit of English, became my friend! Haha.  When I was peaking through the sliding doors to catch a glimpse at the rehearsal, she was very insisting that I come inside and sit down to get a better look. =)

We even exchanged numbers and email and I told her (through Google Translate) that I would email her as soon as I learned Japanese. =)

My new Japanese friend was this old and incredibly nice lady!

Here some videos of the ladies practicing their fan dance at the monastery:

Now for the Kanji!

扇
Kunyomi:  おうぎ - "ōgi"
Onyomi: セン - "sen"
Meaning: fan, folding fan

Jōyō Kanji taught in junior high
JLPT level N1
1805 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.

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KAWA

For my study abroad program to Japan, China, and S. Korea with the University of Miami School of Architecture, I had the opportunity of living in Kyoto, Japan for a little over a month.  

A very kind waitress taught my friend Miguel and I how
to make origami!

I loved Kyoto.  It is a very traditional city as it is the center of Japanese culture and of Buddhism in Japan.  This is where all Japanese people travel to in order to learn about their traditional culture, with almost a third of the entire Japanese population visiting there annually.  

Kyoto is also the city where the oldest people in the world reside, where there are people over 110 years old. 

There are also a number of universities in Kyoto.  I found this mix of really old traditional people and a lot of college students to be very interesting.  Along with the presence of many universities is the presence of many college students from all over the world studying abroad here.  I met people from all over including Canada, Austria, Switzerland, France, Finland, Mexico, Venezuela, Singapore, China, Sweden, Australia and more.  

Awesome nights hanging out at the Kamogawa with
my friends Una from China and David from Mexico

I met most of them at the KAWA (Kamogawa river)! =) Kawa means river in Japanese.  In Kyoto, most young people at night will buy drinks from a nearby convenience store and then head to the Kamogawa and just sit with their friends on the river bank and drink, talk, and be silly.  This is where I made lots of new friends in Kyoto!  Including this one Venezuelan guy named Jorge Eduardo, who had been living in Japan for over 9 years and spoke perfect Japanese.  This guy was hilarious!  He had a very latin, friendly personality which I think amuses the Japanese a lot hahaha... 

He called our nightly visits to the kawa, "kawagando" (this joke may only make sense if you know some Spanish, sorry about that!).

"Vamos a kawagar!" - Jorge Eduardo Padrón

Part of the "kawa" group from Left to Right: Jorge Eduardo (Venezuela), Tyler (New Jersey, USA),
Shimaa (Saudi Arabia & China), ME! =), Lucas (Austria), Philip (Switzerland), Una (China), David (Mexico),
Sofi (Finland), Aky (Venezuela).  In the very back: Luis Miguel (Mexico), Priya (Canada & India),
Alexandra (Romania), Ashley (New Jersey, USA)

Now for the Kanji! 

川
Kunyomi:  かわ - "kawa"
Onyomi: セン - "sen"
Meaning: river, stream

Jōyō Kanji taught in grade 1
JLPT level N5
181 of 2500 most common used kanji in newspapers.

          










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