Day Off In Kyoto (You Know, Like The Phoebe Bridgers Song)

Written by Samara Mroczkowski (Washington State University), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Fall 2024

Why Is It So Hot?

The most common question I’ve been asked by my family and friends while I’ve been in Japan has been “How is it over there?” And the first thing I say, before anything else is, “It’s hot, it’s so hot I feel like I’m dying.” And that’s the truth. It has seriously been the hottest temperature I’ve experienced. This makes going on excursions not exactly desirable, and despite this, every weekend has been packed with activities and plans.

The first big trip I went on was, what you might call, a cohort trip. This trip included everyone in the program (CET and OGU students both) and we went to Kyoto for the day. Despite beginning the trek from Osaka to Kyoto at 9am, we were unable to beat the heat. Honestly, I was a little distracted by the beautiful scenery to pay too much attention to the sweat that accumulated on my scalp, back, and legs.

The Mountains Weren’t Mountains At All

Compared to what I see everyday on my commute to school, and where I chose to spend my weekends (usually in the city shopping because I have no control), Kyoto felt like a whole new world. After exiting the sweet AC (air conditioner) of our train and being assaulted by the hot humid air, I thought I was going to die. Like I mentioned before, this heat was no joke, but then I saw them. I saw those lush mountains of greenery, and my jaw was on the floor. I very quickly forgetting about the “unbearable” heat that I was sure would be the end of me. And of course these “mountains” weren’t actually mountains, but very simple hills. Beautiful nonetheless.

This group trip started with a walk around Tenryu-Ji Temple. Then, into the thicket of the Kyoto Bamboo Forest, we later ate at an all you can eat buffet where the food was great. The all you can drinks were better. I probably had some of the best tasting water of my life.

After lunch was our exciting trip to USJ! But it wasn’t Universal Studios Japan, It was the other one of course, you know, TOEI Kyoto Studio Park…duh. There I escaped a ninja house, watched some classmates get pulled into a duel with a samurai, bought some souvenirs, and yep you guessed it, sweat a lot. After we felt full on what USJ had to offer we were given the option to either return home with the instructors, or be set free and stay in the area.

And after being on my feet all morning and afternoon I was exhausted. I really wanted to shower, my bag was a little heavier from all the souvenirs I bought, and I could’ve sworn I had a sunburn, or at least the beginnings of one.

But then someone said two simple words—“matcha café.”

I’m What You Could Call A Fiend

If there is one thing to know about me, it’s that I love matcha. Matcha makes me happy. It makes the world go round. It also makes me have to go to the bathroom often, but I love it anyway.

So instead of returning home, I split off into the group that had “visit matcha café” on the newly curated itinerary, right after going to a Miffy themed gift shop. The matcha café was located on the 2nd floor of a matcha store front where the products they sold on the 1st floor were used to create café items to order on the 2nd.

The matcha items overwhelmed me even though the menu was a decent size, I wanted to consume everything. I had narrowed my choices down to two options. It was between a matcha latte and a scoop of matcha ice cream with a wafer. The decision was tough. So, I asked one of the Japanese students which would be better to get. She told me that the Uji matcha used is very famous in Kyoto, and in Japan in general, and advised me to get both. So that’s exactly what I did.

I didn’t expect the two deserts I ordered to also come with a complementary cup of green tea. So, my plate was very full and my soul felt just about complete. And my energy, it went past capacity, through the roof, to the moon and back. Sitting still, it felt like I was vibrating from all the matcha coursing through my veins. I remember thinking that there was no way I would be able to get to sleep at a reasonable time.

But that wasn’t the case one bit. As soon as I got home, I crashed big time. A combination of all the steps I took, all the water that left my body via sweat, and a significant caffeine crash, I slept like a baby.