I have a seikatsu ("for living") tutor named Mina. She is a fourth-year student at Handai, and she's basically paid by the university to help me out if I have trouble living in Japan. Since we were both busy, unfortunately, I hadn't met with her much throughout the semester. I ask her questions about Japanese language and grammar sometimes. She is very helpful and nice! A really dependable person.

Yesterday, Mina invited me to visit Kyoto with two of her friends! Kyoto is less than an hour from Osaka. The last time I was in Kyoto was probably when I was 15. I remember seeing Nijo Castle, Heian Shrine, and other traditional sites. When I was 15, I also saw a porcelain doll in Kyoto that looked almost exactly like I did when I was four or five years old! I remember that looking into the face of the handmade doll eerily felt like I was looking at myself...I regret that I didn't buy it but it was so expensive at the time. That was my memory of Kyoto. It was a while back.

( More about Kyoto! )