買い物と学生の生活ーPlaces to shop and how to make the most of your time abroad

It has been almost 5 months since I came to Japan, and a lot of things have happened since then. What I want to share in this blog is advice on how to make the most of your year abroad outside of classes. My first piece of advice is to be open when people approach you on campus. This has happened twice for me and the outcomes have been wonderful! Firstly, I got approached by a student who saw me sitting about alone on campus and since then we have become good friends. I would advise trying your best to engage the students in Japanese as it’s also a good time for you to practice your Japanese and get more confident in speaking it. Secondly, I got approached to model for the school festival. Because I am on my year abroad, I decided to say yes, and it also opened doors to meeting so many new Japanese students and being part of their interactions and circle for a while. It was a really beautiful experience that I wish all of you can get the chance to have.

I would also strongly advise you to explore the city, especially places that are near you. Living in Kyoto you pretty much have temples and shrines at your doorstep, so it is very easy to start exploring the city and culture. Not only that, there are so many beautiful places to visit just outside of Kyoto, a 5-10 minute train ride away. Such as Fushimi-Inari, a place that is 5 minutes by train from Kyoto Station which only costs 140 yen. At Fushimi-Inari you get to experience a wonderful piece of Japanese culture as you climb a mountain passing underneath thousands of red gates. I have managed to capture its beauty during the autumn Momiji season as well as fresh with snow in winter and it’s truly magical. There is nowhere in the world like it, which is I why I want to advise you to go as many places as you can. They are so close to you, and they remind you of the beautiful place that you get to live in! Furthermore, within the city, there are so many places to visit such as Kyomizudera near Gion where you can get to not only explore the maiko and geisha part of the Japanese culture, but you get the chance to be able to take part in it too by renting a kimono and wandering about the streets.

Arashiyama is another 10-15 minute train ride away, and so worth going! At night or during the day, the magic of the place doesn’t disappear. You not only get to experience the bamboo forest and be surrounded by beautiful nature but also you get the chance to wander about a residential area the city. There is also a monkey park which you can visit for free in Arashiyama. The beauty of being an exchange student is that you usually get discounts for tourist attractions with a card that you apply for in the International Student’s office. You can apply for a card where you get discounts on tourist activities in other cities from the Kansai region such as Nara.

There are so many opportunities for the students to explore the city while taking a break from university. Life at a Japanese university gets quite intense with daily assignments which is why taking a break for exploring the city and going out and about is a wonderful idea. I think visiting such places can increase your motivation to keep studying when you get reminded that if you need a break you can simply take a train and reach nature and culture within mere minutes.

　ここからは寮や学校の近くにある店やレストランなどについて書きたいと思います。まず、私はメゾン岩国に住んでいます。歩いたら、メゾン岩国は京都駅と五条駅から15分かかります。この地域にはいろいろな面白いところがあります！

　メゾン岩国の近くに、ローソンというコンビニがあります。夜中のスナックや必要なものがあったら、すぐに行けます。それと、ファミリマートも近くにありますから、とても便利です。あとは、食べ物の買い物をしたい時は、フレスコは五条駅の近くにあります。弁当やもっと安いスナックが食べたかったら、京都駅の近くにエビスコ七条という店、また、ヨドバシカメラの中にGLOBALKITCHENという店もあります。

　服の買い物やレストランに行きたければ、京都駅の伊勢丹があります。10階まであって、いろいろな店やレストランがあります。例えば、特別なラーメンの店もあります。とてもおすすめです！京都駅の近くにイオンモールもあります。このようなところに手軽に行けるから、友達といっぱい遊ぶことができます！さらに、京都駅の前にPORTAというところもあります。そこでは買い物はもちろんできるし、食べるところもあります。

　メゾン岩国の前にお寺があります！毎日、学校に行くときに見えるから、いい感じがします。京都はお寺や神社が多いので、絶対行ってみてください。

　今出川（いまでがわ）の近くに店がたくさんあります。コンビニはもちろん、レストランもいっぱいあります！インド料理、イタリア料理、韓国料理や和食のレストランがありますので、毎日面白い食べ物が食べられます。しかし、おすすめのは、学校の食堂です！安くて、食べ物の種類がたくさんあって、周りの学生の日本語も聞くことができる、いいチャンスです！また、寒梅館というビルの中にも、他の食堂があります。食堂といっても、実はレストランみたいな感じがします。しかし、値段が安いから、ここもおすすめです。でも、とても人気があるので、いつも長い列で待たなければなりません。

　最後にまとめると、同志社大学の寮と学校の近くにいろいろなところがあるので、ぜひ行ってみてください。

#Kyoto