ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

This past Sunday I went on a little trip with my friend to Kochi. Technically, this was my second time in Kochi; the first time I made a trip with Eric around when I first arrived to pick up a GEM car that was there. I don't remember why it was there, and thinking about it now I find it silly that one of the cars was so far away (and in a prefecture in which we don't have any schools).

Anyway, this time in Kochi, I was able to actually visit some places. Our first stop was Kochi castle. It was pretty cool, particularly being able to climb to the top. The view was spectacular, so long as I looked out in the distance and not straight down (I am not that great with heights). There was also a cool model of the castle inside, along with people living their lives as they did back in the day. The people were a bit too big (it was almost like everyone was a mini giant), but I think it's because if they actually scaled them, they would be too small to see (or possibly it is more time-consuming to put details on smaller models).

Afterwards, we traveled across the street from the castle to the 'nichiyouichi', or Sunday market. There were a lot of stalls along the road, selling all kinds of things. I saw may vendors selling tools for farming, especially things like scythes and knives. So many knives. You would not find such things from street vendors in New York; in fact, I'm pretty sure it's illegal to sell even a pocket knife on the street. Of course, the situations are different. In New York, there is no need to sell equipment for farming in a city with little or no land to work on. Kochi, on the other hand, probably has many places nearby where people work on their own plot of land. Sigh, it sounds nice.

When we were finished at the market, we headed over to Chikurinji, which was absolutely gorgeous, due to the leaves changing colors. There were many vivid colors, such as pale yellows, glowing oranges, and deep reds, plus green from leaves that hadn't changed yet, which provided a nice contrast. My friend said that, in his opinion, Chikurinji was probably one of the top most beautiful temples in Shikoku. Though I have only visited a few, I think I have to agree. I really wish that it wasn't so far away; I would probably visit it more often.