My three consecutive weeks of business trips to Kyoto are over! Who leveled up more, my students or me?

武彦宇田川·June 30, 2025

Hello everyone! Mei here ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／

I went on an overnight tour this weekend!
Udayan will probably upload photos from it, so if there are any creatures that didn't appear in his post,
I'll just put them up later! It was a fun ocean trip!

Today, I'll share about my final week of business trips to Kyoto!
On Wednesday, the day I arrived, I went sightseeing, passing the usual stop where I get off for Takeshi's RQ!

A little walk before the main event. They say this is Saigoku Kaido. I've never heard of it! 😂
Was it an old checkpoint? Or a midway point? There was something like a shrine there!

Next to it was a name even I recognized!
There was indeed a mountain nearby, and it was Mt. Tenno.

Even though they are two very famous figures who only fought here,
it's interesting how history makes a word associated with their battle
carry meaning in later generations! History is fun when you learn it this way.
Just looking at textbooks made me sleepy... 🥱

Another shrine nearby?
Apparently, it was a place that controlled the sale of oil, which was valuable in the past.
It was the headquarters of the oil "yakuza."

Various food oil manufacturers and refining companies seemed to have come to worship,
and their names were written there. There was also a large can of oil offered in the back, lol! 😆

After that, I went to the main spot!
This time, I took a free tour of the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery!

Inside the cool building, the history of how Japanese malt whiskey is made is told.
I don't really understand it, so I just skimmed through it 🤭, but the rows of historical bottles were beautiful.

By the way, the "saki" in Yamazaki, specifically the right radical "ki", is actually "kotobuki"
in the label design! I love trivia like that! 💕
Apparently, before Suntory, the company was called Kotobukiya, so it's cool that they kept that name 😎

I bought some souvenirs and left.
There was also a wide variety of tasting options for purchase, including comparisons!

But the prices were not cute at all. They were shocking 😅

For dinner, we went to an okonomiyaki restaurant, and I'm surprised I didn't take a single photo. Even though I ate so much.

The next day was the students' final exam. This year, time hasn't been progressing smoothly, and
I thought it would be tough, but I desperately explained the test strategies, and then

To my surprise, everyone passed! (One student was absent, though 😅)
And I was even more surprised that 7 people got perfect scores, lol!

I guess they can do it when they put their minds to it...
Did it help that I made everyone stand up during the test prep because they would fall asleep if they sat down?
If I can continue to teach without anyone failing in the future, wouldn't that be thanks to me? 😂 lol

All the students worked very hard!
I was worried at first, but it seems like things will work out this year as well!
Next up is the pool training in September. I hope no one gets injured.

I guess you don't want to hear that from me, huh! Lol
See you later! !

Responsible: Matsumoto Mei ✌︎('ω'✌︎ )

You're sure to be moved and healed by the incredibly clear underwater world, comparable to resort seas!
Easy diving with pickup service from Tokyo. Diving tours are available 365 days a year ♪

July 5th (Sat) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 6th (Sun) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 12th (Sat) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 13th (Sun) Beach Tour (Fully booked 🈵 Thank you!)
July 14th (Mon) Refresh Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 18th (Fri) Day Trip Distant Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 20th (Sun) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 21st (Holiday Mon) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 25th (Fri) Refresh Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 26th (Sat) Beach Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 27th (Sun) Toi Boat Summer-Limited Point Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 29th (Tue) Miura Boat (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)
July 29th (Tue) Ida Request Tour (Confirmed / Accepting applications!)