It is interesting to see these. The Buddhist temples are not that different than the ones I saw in Korea and China (if anything, they have more subdued colors and architecture than in the other countries). Shintoism is a Japanese religion, and more so in the south of Japan (where all my travels before where in the north), so seeing these shrines is new for me.
Another student here talks about how the Japanese 'torture' their plants in order to get them to grow exactly as they want. I guess it is kind of like large scale bonsai plants. It is interesting to see the care and work they put into getting the trees and hedges to grow exactly as they want them, though I am not sure I would go for this style for my own house.
Oh, I thought my friends at home would appreciate a photo of the bike which I used. I am not sure I am ready to give up the Moots for one of these, but it worked just fine to get me around town... It even has three gears, though to feel more like at home, I didn't shift...
