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France | Grocery Shopping

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BY EILEEN KIM

Hello! I have returned with list of grocery shops in Paris as I have promised. 

Shopping wise, prices can be ridiculously expensive. However, I have to say, the general living cost is significantly lower in Paris than in LA, especially if you know where to go. And here is a bit of list to help. 

(First Three, I am not attaching any pictures since you can find them anywhere in Paris) 

  1. Monoprix

It’s apostrophe brand mark is seen throughout the city, almost at every block and every corner. It’s like a smaller version of Target. They sell clothing and beauty supplies, but they also have huge grocery shops going on inside them. While some are comparably more expensive than others, they carry some groceries of their own brand and they are of great quality and price.  

  1. Franprix

Franprix is another super market, but this one is more exclusively about food and kitchen related articles. The price is usually a little bit cheaper than Monoprix, but not so significantly. Franprix too can be found all around the city. 

  1. Carrefour

Another supermarket, but a bit cheaper than Monoprix and Franprix, Carrrefour is the supermarket to go out of the first three listed. However, they are generally smaller and thus have limited products, and they are not as accessible as Monoprix and Franprix due to their smaller number of locations, at least as far as how I feel. They are mostly around residential areas. 

  1. Lidl

The cheapest place to ever shop food is Lidl, and it is basically a food outlet. Its products are cheap, sometimes about half the price as Franprix, and have great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. It also sells various items like bathrobes and sewing kits at cheapest prices on market, but those sales are only weekly and randomly, so it is not possible to make a shopping list in advance for those without weekly catalogs. There are only three Lidl locations throughout the city, I believe, and they are strictly restricted to residential areas. 

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  1. Geant

Meaning Giant, Geant is French Costco. With its products ranging from TVs and other electronics to kitchen utensils to office tools to fresh grocery, there is nothing that one cannot find here. This is perhaps the best place to shop when settling in at your apartment for the first time. However, there is only one Geant in the entire Paris, and its public transportation access is limited to Tram 3a. 

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  1. Tang Freres

Tang Freres is an Asian food market chain, and it has food from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam…. and the list goes on and on. Everything Asian can be found in this place, and the products are very cheap, especially compared to K Mart, a Korean market in center of Paris. The chain can be found in every arrondisement. But it may be bit difficult to shop here if you don’t speak neither French nor Chinese. 

Tang Freres at Porte de Choisy

So there we go! I generally shop at Lidl, but I also visit Tang Freres and Geant often for things that I cannot find at Lidl. I usually end up spending about $30-35 on grocery every week, buying things like tofu, fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, and packed snacks, and I cook all my meals, 3 times a day. Though cooking may be time consuming, but it is surely the cheapest way to eat in Paris, and, I dare say, once cooking becomes a habit, it is the best way to live Parisien. 

See you soon! 

Eileen Kim studied abroad in Paris, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/political_science_sciences_po.aspx

Japan | A Day in the Life of a Nichibun Student

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BY MACKENZIE LORKIS

Now that I’ve been in class for seven (!!) weeks, I’ve gotten more used to the daily schedule of my life in Japan. On the days that I have a lot of class, like today, I usually relax and get work done. On the days I have less class, I usually do a bit of sightseeing after class before going home in the evening. Even though every day is different, here’s an example of a typical day as a Nichibun student: 

7:45 am 

Good morning! I wake up and get ready, and then go downstairs to make myself breakfast. My dorm, Casa Kitayama, has a shared kitchen, so I can cook for myself. Because I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, I usually make rice at the beginning of the week and heat it up in the morning with a raw egg. This is called tamago gohan and is a traditional Japanese breakfast. After I eat, I put my shoes on and bike to school. 

9 am 

Now it’s time for Japanese class! I’m a Level 1A student, and I have class every morning. Typically, the lowest level (aka my level) has very few students, which is quite nice because we can get more individual interaction with our senseis. There are 5 students in my class, including myself, and we are all UC students. Usually, we go over our workbook homework from the night before at the beginning of class, then spend time learning new vocabulary, grammar, and kanji. 

 

12:15 pm 

Now that class is over, it’s time for lunch. Most students eat in the cafeteria, or daigaku shokudou, because it’s generally really cheap; I usually spend $4 or so per meal. Menu options usually include fried chicken and other meat dishes, rice bowls, curry, noodles, a salad bar, and a variety of small side dishes. However, the exact options change weekly. If the weather’s nice, students often buy bento boxes and sit outside- clubs and circles sometimes will perform! Today, the cheerleading squad performed in the main quad. 

1:10 pm 

If you have third period, it’s time for class again. I don’t have third period today, so I relax in the grass for awhile until my next class at 2:55. I walk over to Karasuma Campus, which is about 10 minutes away, for my Institute of Liberal Arts class. It’s taught in English, and is a lot more similar to the classes I’m used to from the UC. 

4:30 pm 

Now that class is over, I run some errands before heading home. While there are convenience stores everywhere, it’s a lot cheaper to shop at supermarkets. 

6:00 pm 

After going home and putting away my groceries, my friends and I decide to walk by Kamogawa, which is the river that runs through Kyoto, and have some snacks. The river is my favorite place to relax, and we like to have picnics and go on walks in the nice weather. 

8:30 pm 

Since we have class every day, we also have homework every day. Usually it takes me around 30-45 minutes to complete, depending on how well I know the lesson, how much is assigned, and most importantly, how often I get distracted. 

9:30 pm 

I usually start getting ready for bed around this time, and give myself a lot of time to relax, clean my room before bed, and talk to my friends and family if they’re awake. I usually spend time at night researching and making plans for future trips as well. 

12:00 am 

The day is already over! I try to go to bed around midnight so I can wake up and be energized to learn more Japanese in the morning. 

Mackenzie Lorkis studied in Kyoto, Japan in the Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ. Program – Spring 2018

France | Shopping in Paris

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BY EILEEN KIM

Love Paris but not sure about its cost? 

Well, I am here to make your life a little bit easier, and perhaps a bit cheaper. 

Shopping in Paris is definitely not like shopping in LA, and everything seems to be ridiculously expensive, especially when we are not trying to buy designer, quality products but cheap student get-by products. I had to go through quite a search to find shops within my spending range, and here are a few that I came to appreciate and love with all my heart. 

Me with My Fridge

  1. Leboncoin

This one is not an actual shop, but it’s French Craigslist of used things. Usually you have to pick up articles yourselves after communicating in French, but other than that everything is great! I got my mini-fridge through the website for only 40 euros and it’s working great. If I were to buy it new, it would have been about 120 euros.  

  1. Hema

Hema is like Daiso. Ranging from kitchen utensils to small snacks to house products, everything in this store is absolutely adorable and definitely affordable. I got some of my kitchen utensils like sponges, knives, and forks from the store, as well as some of my tea. 

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  1. Tati

Tati is like a 99-cent store, but a bit more expensive and definitely better quality. There is nothing you cannot find here perhaps when it comes to life-necessities. Beauty products, clothes, shoes, light bulbs, kids’ toys… the list goes on and on. I got my 220v extension cords and my sneakers here. 

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  1. Go Sport

It’s basically French Big 5, but its products range wider. Since France requires goggles and caps and non-bikinis, I had to go shopping for them here. I found my swimsuits for 3 euros each, but some were as expensive as 70 euros if I remember correctly. 

Free P Star in Le Marais

  1. Free P Star

In Le Marais area, there are many expensive stores, but there are also many second-hand shops for clothes. Free P Star is my favorite of all these places. While better quality clothes are nicely hung on hangers and displayed in racks, some cheaper clothes are also up for grabs in 1 euro bins. I have found my winter coat and a rider jacket for a euro each, and they are saving me from the cold every day. 

  1. Kilo shop

Though I just said Free P Star is my favorite vintage store, I have to admit Kilo Shop, another vintage store in Marais, is an absolute steal as well. Here, all clothes are weighted and marked according to their colored tags. The price as result is a bit more expensive than Free P Star in general, but they carry more brand or bit higher quality clothes than Free P Star 1 euro bin at affordable prices. They also have many bags and scarves and other smaller items that are harder to find at Free P Star. 

These are not only affordable shops in Paris either. IKEA, obviously, Primark from UK, and many other stores are out there to make shopping and life a bit easier. To add, the list here is exclusive for shopping list, things that we can often do away with. There are many other ways to get things we absolutely need to live in Paris as well, such as food. My next post will be about all grocery shops to go in Paris.  

Until then, bye bye! 

Eileen Kim studied abroad in Paris, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/political_science_sciences_po.aspx

France | Traveling Through France

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BY EILEEN KIM

Hello again! 

Though I did make an excuse of Nervous November for my negligence of the blog, I have to admit, I was having a bit of fun here as well. 

One of best things I love about Paris is how close it is to everything, and how transportation systems are so well executed. During the semester, I travelled to three cities/region near Paris. 

First one I went was to Reims, a city in Champagne region. I have travelled together with other exchange students I have met during the orientation group. 

Second one was to Normandie Region, to Honfleur and to Mont Saint-Michel. I went with a student travel agency called To Be Erasmus in Paris. 

Last trip I went to Chartres with people from my dorm. 

Though I can spend hours and hours talking about each of these trips and about how amazing each place I visited were, I will just mention few things and leave the rest for you to figure out yourself one day. 

View of Reims from Train Station

The trip to Reims was during early October. Though it boasts of its Champagne, that is not all that this small but beautiful city is about. One is its Notre-Dame Cathedral of Reims.  

Notre Dame of Reims

A Gothic masterpiece, Notre-Dame takes your breath away. A museum adjacent to the cathedral, Palais du Tau, is also worth a visit as well. More than anything, I fell in love with the city’s beautiful noise of life.

La Vesle

It’s a small city and there are many streets without much car traffics and every where people are walking. From any corner of the city, you can hear the church bell ringing, people talking lively at each retail stores, and river quietly flowing.  

It is a perfect place to escape the noise of Paris. I used FlixBus for 20 euros total for a roundtrip. 

The trip to Normandie was great. I travelled with To Be Erasmus in Paris, and it was a trip organized for students under 26 years of age. It was a full bus of 60 people, and everywhere we went was a party in good spirit. We visited many many places on the road, but I will just mention two places: Honfleur and Mont Saint-Michel. 

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Honfleur is a very small port-town, but absolutely full of beauty and full of life that is unique to a port town. Just a step into the town, and there are boats lined up with fishermen selling their fresh produce right by them.  

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Mont Saint-Michel is an island commune with its name coming from a monastery at its top. First built as a fort in 400’s, over the centuries abbey and towns and all its features seen today were added one by one. Walking up the narrow streets from middle ages, it almost feels like a time travel. 

The third trip was to Chartres, a relatively unknown small city, almost a town, near Paris. It is about an hour away with a train. It’s a city of cathedrals. Its main attraction is the Cathedral of Chartres, built in Romanesque style in 1100’s but rebuilt in 1200’s. Its stain glass, called bleu de Saint-Denis (left two below) is a mystery in its creation, and is still not replicable to this day. And there are many other cathedrals of unique beauty that you may have never heard of before. I personally loved Church of Saint Aignan, and below are some of its pictures (most right and horizontal picture at bottom). 

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Paris is great, but I think true beauty of France can only be grasped outside busy city life getting from point A to point B. 

I will be off to another adventure during Christmas time. I will be visiting a small town near Bordeaux that no tourists know of. I look forward to sharing that experience with you! Good bye until then. 

Eileen Kim studied abroad in Paris, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/political_science_sciences_po.aspx

Japan | Obubu Tea Farm

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BY MACKENZIE LORKIS

Jessica, one of the other UCEAP students at Doshisha, interned at a tea farm in the remote village of Wazuka for three months before our program began. I was lucky enough to travel back to the farm with her on one of the first days we got here and learn all about Japanese tea farming!

From Imadegawa Station, where Doshisha is, we traveled to Kyoto Station and got a train towards Nara. After about an hour of travel, we boarded a small bus and drove another half hour to Wazuka. The drive was absolutely gorgeous, with abundant tea fields, flowing rivers, and blossoming sakura everywhere we looked.

First, Jessica showed us some of Obubu’s tea fields right outside of their house. She explained that tea must be picked with the pads of your fingers, rather than the nails, because ripping the leaves risks oxidizing them. This is super important because the variation in teas is actually due to oxidation! Green tea is oxidized the least, and black tea the most, but they actually all come from the same leaf.

After looking around the fields Jessica took us to the processing area and explained how the tea is processed. It goes through several machines that ultimately work to dry the leaves at a very high temperature without drying them out. Tea must be kept at a very specific moisture level (about 5%) and it is very important to keep the leaves from becoming too wet or too dry.

Once it got dark, Hiro-san, one of the owners of Obubu, drove us in the back of his truck back to the house. Jessica brewed us a few types of tea to sample. First, we tried sencha, the most premium type of tea in Japan. The leaves are prepared by hand in a grueling six-hour long process. You can watch a video (here) of farmers in Wazuka preparing sencha. The leaves are rolled into a needle shape, which is specific to Japan. Originally, this was useful in carrying tea from Kyoto, where it was farmed, to Tokyo, which was the capital during the Edo period. If you put sencha on your tongue, you can feel it unfurl- it fees like a pop rock! This kind of tea is highly prized due to the artisan labor involved in its creation.

We also tried XX, which is tea mixed with roasted rice. This was originally viewed as a people’s tea because the rice made it cheaper, and it has a lovely nutty taste. Next, we tried XX, a rare Japanese black tea. When Japan opened to England, they wanted to export a tea that would appeal to Western consumers more, but green tea was actually more popular anyway. This was my favorite tea because its naturally sweet and super delicious. It actually is more red than black, even though it has the same flavor profile as a black tea, because of the water. Water in Asia is softer than in Europe, meaning it has less minerals; when mixed with the tea leaves, it results in a red-colored tea rather than black.

Finally, we each had a chance to brew matcha. Though we didn’t practice a formal tea ceremony, the way in which matcha is brewed is extremely important. We each got a bowl, which is handmade in Kyoto with gorgeous designs, and a bamboo brush called a XX. First, you soften the bristles in water so they don’t bend. Then, you use a traditional spoon called a XX to take about a teaspoon of matcha powder and put it into your bowl. Then, we poured a little water into the bowl and mixed it with the matcha in order to create a paste. When we finished, we poured more hot water and quickly used the brush to make the tea frothy. The more umami flavor present in a Japanese tea, the more prized it is. Umami is a flavor that is a mix between savory and sweet, and has been compared to seaweed or sea creature.

I have a newfound respect for tea and all the work that goes into its creation thanks to this incredible experience. Tea farming is both a science and an art, and thankfully, a delicious one!

Mackenzie Lorkis studied in Kyoto, Japan in the Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ. Program – Spring 2018

Japan | Day Trips

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BY MACKENZIE LORKIS

One of the best things about Kyoto is that it’s right in the middle of the Kansai region, with easy access to many of Japan’s most notable landmarks. While there are countless things to do in Kyoto, it’s exciting to explore the different cities of Japan. Here are a few of my favorite day trips that I’ve taken so far: 

  1. Osaka 

Only 45 minutes away from central Kyoto by train, Osaka is a huge city with countless things to do. Immediately upon my arrival in Osaka, all I could think of is New York City. There are stores everywhere you look, incredible street food, and neon lights on every sign. Additionally, Osaka has loads of fun activities, including the Kaiyukan aquarium, which is one of the best in the world, its own baseball team, and Osaka Castle! Osaka is also widely known for its food scene, and I can confirm, its worth trying. Osaka okonomiyaki changed my life, but that may just be because I waited over an hour in line to get it. 

  1. Kobe 

While Kobe, which is about an hour and a half away from Kyoto, is most famous for it’s wagyu beef, there’s plenty of other things to do in the big city. As Kobe is a port town, many foreign merchants set up their homes throughout Kobe. From Chinatown to Kitano-cho, which is known for its American and European-style homes, you can travel all over the world without even leaving Kansai. My favorite Kobe activity is the Kobe Animal Center, which has tons of animals you can get up close to, and sometimes even pet and feed! Finally, you can’t leave Kobe without trying the famous beef. If you go at lunchtime, you can get a nice set meal for a very affordable price: between 1000 and 2500 yen. Trust me, it’s worth it. 

  1. Hikone and Nagahama 

Also an hour and a half away, Hikone Castle is one of the few original castles remaining in Japan and definitely worth seeing. Included in the admittance ticket is the Hikone Castle Museum, which was surprisingly incredible. The museum included a recreation of the lord’s living quarters, as well as housing numerous Edo period artifacts. As silly as it sounds, the museum really brought the castle alive and made me wonder about what the castle must have been like during the Edo period as I walked through its corridors.

Only twenty minutes away, Nagahama is a charming town with lovely architecture. If you plan on visiting this area, try to make it for the incredible hikiyama festival of children’s kabuki. Boys ages 5-13 are treated like celebrities for the weekend, performing professional-level kabuki plays atop marvelous floats. 

  1. Nara 

Before arriving in Japan, visiting Nara was at the top of my to-do list. In fact, I gathered a group together and went the very first weekend! And let me tell you, it totally lived up to the hype. There were adorable deer wandering around everywhere, and they’ve even learned to bow and beg for food. Aside from the deer, though, Nara is home to some of Japan’s most incredible shrines and temples. The Daibatsu Buddha at Tōdai-ji literally took my breath away, and there are gorgeous sakura trees in and around Nara Park if you visit during the spring. As you walk around town, make sure not to miss the fresh mochi shop! You can watch mochi being pounded on the spot, and eat it while it’s still warm and fresh. Only 45 minutes away from Kyoto, Nara is well worth the short journey. 

  1. Uji 

Technically part of Kyoto, Uji is under thirty minutes away from Kyoto Station by train, making it a very easy day trip. Uji is known for its green tea: everywhere you look, there are tea shops, matcha ice cream, matcha noodles, and even matcha gyoza. Aside from matcha, Uji is also famous for being the home of Byodoin, or Phoenix Hall, as well as being the setting for the last 10 chapters of The Tale of Genji. For literature nerds like me, the Tale of Genji museum is a must-visit. In addition to full-scale representations of scenes from Genji, I really enjoyed being able to get a closer look at the dramatic plot of the story and seeing some of the settings for myself. 

Mackenzie Lorkis studied in Kyoto, Japan in the Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ. Program – Spring 2018

France | Sciences Po vs. UCLA

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BY EILEEN KIM

Bonjour! Long time no see! 

 I have been crazy busy here in Paris with school and everything, and things got even more out of control during Nervous November. 

So, in honor of Nervous November, today I will compare UCLA and Sciences Po Schools. 

  1. Quarter/Semester length

It is 12 weeks long instruction + 1 week break in the middle + 1 week off before finals week + 1 week of finals exam. 

Fall Schedule Provided by UCEAP

  1. Number of Classes

At UCLA, we usually take 12-19 units for a full time, which is about 3-4 classes. Here at Sciences Po, we take 5 classes as undergraduate exchange students, with 1 of them being a French language class. Through UCEAP, we can take up to 2 courses as pass or no pass. Unlike most classes at UCLA, we do not meet twice a week. Each class is 2 hours a week and meet only once a week. 

Screenshot of a Schedule at Sciences Po

  1. Absence Policy

Because so, attendance is of tremendous importance at Sciences Po, and, in fact, a 3rd absence in a class is considered an automatic fail. An email is sent out as a warning after a second absence, and if the student ignores the warning and takes the third absence, the transcript will be marked with “delinquency” as reason of failure. 

Repeated tardiness is too considered as an absence, depending on professors. French politeness is very punctual, and you are considered late if you are not there at the minute the class is supposed to start. Three tardies are generally counted as one absence. Of course, there are professors who do not care about tardiness at all as well, but don’t count your luck. 

  1. Class Grading Scale

We are so used to letters and percentage scales, and we are conditioned to strive for perfectness. Well, not in France. The grading scale is out of 20, and 20 is reserved only for God, they say. 17 out of 20 may only be 85% for us, but it’s of the highest grade you can possibly get from a professor. Even that 17 is rare, and 16 should be considered as amazing. General rule is that 13 is about borderline A-. US I think we mark our points off. Here in France, they add up the point and you have to earn every point. 

Yup, don’t get frustrated with 17.

  1. Exams / Projects

I think at UCLA we are very used getting tested for your grades. Papers are often used too. However, at Sciences Po, the emphasis is placed on group projects and presentations. Almost every single class has a form of group project, whether it be a presentation or a project. Sometimes the groups are of your choice, but most likely they are assigned. What you have choice over, however, is the date of your presentation, depending on classes again. Nervous November is usually dominated by endless projects and presentations. So the key is to best manage your schedule during the first week of school so that no one week is of much hell to you. It involves a bit of competition and fighting, but I tell you, the victory is sweet and definitely pays off in November.

Title Page of my group presentation with 6 people

  1. Participation

Participation is generally a grading criterion at UCLA as well, but here at Sciences Po, it is emphasized even more so. Of course, not all classes are, especially if they are of big size. However, the smaller classes generally expect their students to be actively participating in discussions. Classes have less of reading and workloads than compared to UCLA, but students are expected to have attentively gone through the materials by the time of class.

Screenshot of one of my syllabuses regarding grading system

I have managed to work my schedule to my favor, and I have a very relaxed schedule when compared to many other exchange students. I wish the same for all you who may come study abroad at Sciences Po, that your November be peaceful. 

Good bye and happy Thanksgiving! 

Eileen Kim studied abroad in Paris, France in 2017: http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/france/Pages/political_science_sciences_po.aspx

Japan | Classes at Doshisha University

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BY MACKENZIE LORKIS

Class registration is very different at Doshisha University than the UC system, and can be very confusing. Let’s start with the basic setup of the Doshisha class schedule. There are 6 potential periods in a day, spanning from 9am to 8am (excluding a lunch break). Each period is 1.5 hours long, so all classes are the same amount of time no matter what you take.

As a UC student, you will mainly part of the Language and Culture program, usually called Nichibun. So, your focus will be on classes relating to these topic; your language classes alone will be 15 UC quarter units, leaving you with There are several types of courses you can take:

  1. Center for Japanese Language and Culture (CJLC): As Nichi-bun, you will mainly be taking CJLC classes. These classes are taught exclusively in Japanese, but vary in difficult depending on your Japanese level. Every Nichi-bun student takes Japanese classes for their first two periods every day, from 9am-12:15pm. CJLC also offers language seminars and Japanese culture classes that are optional, and vary by level.
  2. Center for Global Education (CGE): Another program Doshisha offers for exchange students is CGE, which is focused on studying Japan’s place in the world as a whole. These courses are taught in English to a class of mixed Japanese and exchange students in order to encourage a multicultural perspective on global topics. These classes are competitive, and UC students can only take them if they are chosen in a lottery system which I will explain below.
  3. Institute for the Liberal Arts (ILA): Finally, UC students are allowed to take special ILA classes. Not all Nichi-bun students are allowed to take these, so it’s a huge privilege that we can! ILA is taught in English and is open to all international students at Doshisha, not just exchange students. These courses are focused on Japanese culture as well, but have more expansive topics than the previous two course types.

Now that you know what kinds of classes you can take, I’ll explain how registration works. On the first day of orientation at Doshisha, you’ll take a written placement test, followed by an oral interview the next day. This will place you at a certain Japanese level, ranging from 1a (no Japanese experience) to 9 (essentially fluent). From level 5 and beyond, you can take courses in Japanese, so many students who have previous Japanese experience study hard to test into this level.

Registration begins with Advanced Registration, where you can enroll for the CGE class lottery. Advanced registration doesn’t ensure your spot, but allows you to enter the lottery. After two days, that closes and general registration opens. You’ll automatically be signed up for your CJLC classes, so you don’t have to worry about that. The Doshisha staff will also be readily available to help you with this part of the process.

For ILA, you have to go to the office and get a form signed on one of two designated days. Then, when you go to the first day of class, the teacher will sign off on it, and you turn it back in to the office. Then you’ll be registered and ready to learn!

Essentially, the main difference between UC registration and Doshisha registration is that registration goes on right before (and during) the start of the school year. You can continue to add and drop classes for the first month or so of school, but be careful: if you don’t go to class, the professor may assume you just dropped it. While this is fine in the Japanese school system, it looks like an ‘F’ on the UC transcript!

The Doshisha registration system may seem a little complicated, but as long as you pay attention to deadlines, it’ll be easy!

Mackenzie Lorkis studied in Kyoto, Japan in the Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ. Program – Spring 2018

Japan | Getting Around Japan

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BY MACKENZIE LORKIS

Before coming to Japan, I was really worried about how I would get around. Coming from the Los Angeles area, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve taken public transportation. Not being used to riding the subway, plus potentially not being able to read any of the stops, made me pretty nervous. However, while it may seem intimidating at first, it’s actually pretty easy to get around in Kyoto.

1. Bicycle

Kyoto is one of the most bike-friendly cities in all of Asia. Almost everyone here rides a bike; you can often see parents with two or three small children strapped into the same bike, somehow balancing perfectly while riding down the street. Many Doshisha students who live in Kyoto bike to campus, so the university has gone to great lengths to make bicycle parking as easy and well-maintained as possible. All you have to do is get a free parking sticker from Doshisha, and you are able to park in any lot on campus.

You can buy a used bike for around ¥5,000-¥8,000, but after that initial cost, parking is usually free or very cheap. Personally, I think biking is the best way to get around Kyoto because it’s cheap, convenient, good exercise, and a fun way to see the city. I was lucky enough to receive my bike from a Japanese friend who was about to throw it away anyway, so you may not even have to buy a bike at all.

2. Subway

The other most common way to get around Kyoto is buy subway. The Kyoto subway system is actually very easy to navigate, especially compared to larger metropolitan areas such as Tokyo. There are only two lines, the Karasuma Line and the Tozai Line, so you rarely will have to transfer. While the subway is more convenient that Tokyo’s, it is more expensive. Fares start at ¥210 and go up every few stops. However, you can buy a day pass for ¥600, which pays for itself in only 2 rides.

For students who want to commute to campus using the subway, a discounted commuter pass is available. The stops covered by the pass, and the cost of the pass, vary by dorm location and how many stops are necessary.

3. Walking

Kyoto is a very walkable city. There are few hills, and it is relaxing to walk around the suburban areas, and exciting to stroll by crowded shopping and tourist areas. Furthermore, Kyoto is extremely safe, so there’s no feeling like you constantly need to be looking over your shoulder as you walk. I enjoy walking because, even though it is slower, it allows you to explore a little bit and see more of Kyoto than you would by subway or bicycle.

From my dorm, Casa Kitayama, Doshisha University is about 40 minutes away on foot. From the boys’ only dorm, Kamogawa, it is about a 15 minute walk. Almost all of the students at Dorm Kamogawa walk to campus. Finally, the furthest (and only co-ed) dorm, Maison Iwakuni, is about an hour on foot.

4. Buses

Finally, Kyoto also has a bus system, but I tend to avoid it because it’s a little more confusing than the subway system. Normally, I will take the Karasuma Line and walk to wherever I need to go. However, I know many other students who use buses and have no problem with them. They usually have a flat rate of ¥230 and will take you to locations not accessible by subway, like Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), or Kurama, a mountain area located about 40 minutes from central Kyoto. I don’t recommend using the bus to get to Doshisha, but there is a stop near campus if necessary.

Mackenzie Lorkis studied in Kyoto, Japan in the Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ. Program – Spring 2018