Photos taken by Nicholas Yee (Yale University), Student Correspondent for CET Japan, Summer 2024
Making Matcha in Nara
A trip to Nara with our OGU housemates would not be complete without a demonstration of matcha making! At this highly-rated establishment, matcha is made combining modern equipment with traditional techniques to create something delectable.
Sushiro
Dinner with たいが(from OGU I-Chat!), Mars and Colin. We had a huge selection of nigiri, gunkan, and maki to choose from at Sushiro, an affordable conveyor belt sushi joint found all across Japan.
Chopstick Making in Kyoto
Our class took a quick trip to Kyoto where we were able to participate in traditional chopstick making! Using a sharp blade, we trimmed our pieces of special wood into our desired shapes, then carved notches and designs.
The workshop in Kyoto also gave us the opportunity to design our own traditional chopstick bags, as well as one of our choice! I chose to make a tote bag and was able to use their stencils (I’m not great at art) to add a Edo-age geisha to my bag!
Exploring more of Kyoto
Following our workshop, we were given ample time to explore the city and told to come back with something we could only find in Japan to present in class. I saw this beautiful view of the Kamo River and decided that this would be mine.
Heian Temple in Kyoto. Visiting in our small groups, we were able to partake in the start of the Tanabata festivities, where we wrote wishes on small slips of paper and hung them from the branches of trees.
Miyama
Our CET-wide trip to Miyama in Kyoto also introduced us to additional aspects of Japanese culinary traditions—Sukiyaki! The well-balanced meal, which also included tempura, rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and a pudding was scarfed down incredibly quickly—as demonstrated by Kai in the background.
We were also able to engage in traditional rope-making at the foot of Miyama Mountain! Demonstrated by Nichika (our OGU housemate) and Kai, we first took a handful of straw. Through some nifty twisting and pushing, we turned it into a useful piece of rope that we took home.
The beautiful historic living village of Miyama. It is a rural town in Kyoto Prefecture with Japan’s highest concentration of traditional thatched roofed farmhouses—the style dating back over 200-300 years. There, we also visited a folk museum in which we took in the artifacts, tools, and ways of living in a reconstructed home of that time period.
Kobe Harbor
Our group of Yale CET students took a short hop over to Kobe to see our professor! The views of Kobe harbor are immaculate, and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try some Kobe beef!
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