The most interesting place that I have not already written about was the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts. It showcased over 70 ancient art forms from Kyoto, which used to be the capital of Japan. These art forms include weaving and dying a kimono (the traditional dress over here), making bamboo games, making ceramic vases, creating dolls, forging swords, etc. It was amazing to see all these art forms in real life and learn about the complicated process that is used to make them. There was also a market outside the museum selling some of the crafts as well as Japanese foods.
My robotics lab had a year-end party to celebrate the research we had done in the past year and look forward to what we would do in the new year. It was held at a yakitori, or grilled chicken, restaurant. I was amazed that they use absolutely every part of the chicken here, including its heart, its neck and tail. I tasted a lot of foods I had never had before, and they were all delicious.
