Monday lecture

Had an additional lecture today, about Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Nihon for 'castle' is jo, so go ahead and say that multiple times aloud, Nijojo Nijojo Nijojo. I didn't fully understand much of what was being said, but he went over changes in the structure of the castle and various additions over the years. Also showed images of the different rooms and explaining their purpose. Every surface within the castle is covered with paintings to different themes. One room was all hawks, meant for the aristocracy to retire into after hunting. Even the kitchen walls were covered with landscape. One room had a pair of large, wooden relief sculptures, and I found their contrast with the wall paintings to be very striking. Nijo Castle is easily access able in Kyoto, I don't think there is even an entry charge. Perhaps this weekend, along with Kyoto museums, I will go there.

After lecture was language. I was a little early, and Yamada-sensei started by asking me what I had done that morning. I told him I had read US-news that morning, then he asked me what the 'big' story of that day was. Obviously election coverage, and obviously the natural disaster in China, but instead I mentioned California and the same-sex marriage ban recently struck down by their Supreme Court. This brought some discussion about State v. Federal, as Yamada-Sensei is always asking us about life in the US. Also Arnold Swarchenegger and political parties. After the lesson, as we were leaving, he asked me to do the same for next week, tell him the 'big' news in the US. He then qualified his request, asking that it be BIGGER than from today, because my news had been very small.