Meeting the Mountain Monkeys of Arashiyama
In 2015 I went to Japan to study abroad at Kansai Gadai, an international university that focuses on language and humanities studies. I was lucky enough to win an essay writing contest that helped pay for my semester in Osaka.
I had a pretty tight budget as a college student, so I tried to find activities that were cheap but still enriching. Lucky for me, Japan has a ton of great outdoor hikes and parks that provide tourists and foreigners a great opportunity to experience Japanese culture without damaging your wallet.
My host family lived in the eastern side of Kyoto, and each morning I would ride the bus into Osaka to attend classes. Out the bus window, I watched the gorgeous countryside zip past until I reached the city. When I expressed my desire to see more of the land, my host family started taking me on hikes to see small shrines and rounded pine trees. I felt so blessed to have such a warm welcome.
One day my host mother recommended I go and visit Iwatayama’s monkey park. Our conversations were only in Japanese, so sometimes I missed what she said, but I’d pretend to understand until I could look up the words later. I had a…
