Just one more thing...

If you're interested in seeing 2 videos that I made, the links are below. The first video is about the experience in general and the second is about our school visits.

Japan--Impressions and Memories

School Visits in Aizuwakamatsu

The End and How to Read This Blog

So I've come to the end of this blog. This was an amazing trip (think I mentioned that before) and I'm so very grateful to JFMF and the Japanese government for giving me this opportunity.

If you want to read this blog from the beginning, scroll down until you see "Archives" on the right and click on June. The June entries were done before I left and the July entries are about the trip itself. And to read the entries in order, you start from the bottom of the page and work your way up. Strange, I know, if you're reading the whole thing, but that's the way these things work. Oh, and if you're reading this at school, the pictures may be blocked (at least they might be at my school), so check it out at home!

June 29--Departure Day

People were on about 7 or 8 different flights back to the states, so departures were staggered throughout the day. I was on the very last bus, which wasn't scheduled to leave the hotel until 2 p.m.

Five people from our group decided to take a morning excursion to Ueno Park, which sort of reminded me of Central Park in NYC. It was Steve's idea to go see the peace memorial. A man had found the flame from the atomic bomb burning in his uncle's house in Hiroshima. He decided to keep the flame burning. In 1988, it was merged with a flame from Nagasaki and this memorial was created to remind people that atomic weapons should never be used again. It was a beautiful display and I'm glad that I saw it.

We walked around the park a bit and saw quite a few homeless people. It struck me that I really hadn't seen many before today.

I'm happy that I got to see this park. It's huge and it's a peaceful spot in the middle of such a huge city.

We returned to the hotel and all that was left was the return trip to the U.S. As we were leaving the hotel, the employees and JFMF staff lined up to wave good-bye, just as they had done with each departure of the day. This is a symbol of the hospitality and politeness of this extraordinary country and I will never forget it!

June 27-28--Back to Tokyo

This morning we left the ryokan and took the bullet train back to Tokyo. It was a nice trip, just as the previous one was.

We got back to Tokyo around 2 p.m. and we got our same rooms back in the hotel! Now that's organization! JFMF, ever helpful, had scales and tape measures at their desk in the lobby so that we can make sure our suitcases aren't overweight or oversized before the flight home on Thursday. A few of us went shopping for those last-minute souvenirs and had dinner near the hotel.

Wednesday was our last full day before departure. All of the groups did a presentation about their time in their respective cities. Some groups were really creative! We showed a presentation put together by Jose and Laura A., I think, talked about some of the important aspects of Aizu and sang a cute song to the tune of "12 Days of Christmas". It was interesting to see the similarties and differences in everyone's experiences.

Wednesday night was the "Sayonara Buffet". It was very similar to the Welcome reception dinner that we had at the beginning of the trip. There were a few speeches, some videos from the groups, a martial arts demonstration and even a little magic show. The group coordinators came as well, so we got to say goodbye to Meg, who was an incredible person to have as our leader--patient, funny, knowledgeable and so much more! The evening was kind of bittersweet. I think that we're all ready to go home, but it's sad leaving new friends and this wonderful country.

After the dinner, our group had a "final farewell" get-together in Nick's room. It was a fun evening!

June 26--Last day in Aizu / Ryokan

Sadly, this was our last day in Aizuwakamatsu. I'm just about ready to go home, but I know that I will miss this place.

This morning we went back to Second Junior High to meet with parents. About a dozen parents came to the meeting and it was a question and answer session. I thought it was interesting that the school administrators didn't stay for the meeting so that the parents would feel free to say whatever they were thinking and criticize if they wanted to.

This PTA seems to function a lot like the ones at home. They do things for the school, like buying plants and doing occasional fundraisers. They had the same concerns about their kids that American parents have. Their biggest complaint about the school was that the school doesn't provide school lunch.

After the meeting, we had a nice lunch, did some souvenir shopping and, sadly, said good-bye to our interpreter, Naoko. She went back to her home in Hiroshima for a few days before her next job. We all love her intelligence, sweet dispostion and patience and we were sad to see her go.

After lunch, we went to a place where they make aka-bekos, or red bulls, one of the handicrafts for which the Aizu region is known. We learned how these bobble-head creatures are made and we each got to paint our own aka-beko, which was a lot of fun!

Next, it was on to the sake brewery. As I mentioned before, Aizu is known for its sake. Our guide was a very jovial man who took us through the sake-making process and of course we got to sample the product.

Following the brewery, we went to a Japanese inn, a ryokan, where there is a hot springs spa. Our rooms are traditional Japanese rooms with tatami mats. I'm sharing a room with Ellen and Yona and we have a lovely view of the mountains and of Aizu.

We had a beautiful dinner (is there any other kind in Japan?) with so many dishes! Our group had a our own room and after dinner, we did a little karaoke. This was my first experience with karaoke, and it just solidified my knowledge that I cannot sing! But it was fun even so.

When we returned to our room, our futons had been laid out on the floor for us. So cozy! I have to admit that I didn't try the hot springs baths. In Japan, you go into the baths completely naked (men and women segregated) and I just decided that I could forego that experience this time!

Fun with Food!

Our host families returned us to the hotel around 4:00 and it seems that everyone had a great experience. Several of us go together to share our stories and we ended up going to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. I'm from a small town, so that might have something to do with my fascination with this place! It was such a fun meal and so simple! We sat down at the counter which encircled the conveyor belt and the chefs' work area. The plates of sushi went by and if you saw something that you wanted, you picked it up. The prices were according to the color of the plates. A sign on the wall showed how much each color was. At the end of the meal, you signaled the one of the waitresses who came over, added up your plates and presented you with the bill. Kind of like a cafeteria or automat, but the conveyor belt just made it fun!

June 25--Homestay Day 2

Today was a busy day! First, Hina got dressed in all her Cougar garb, which was very sweet! She also borrowed one her mom's purses and I saw that she took along a few of the Hershey kisses that I had brought! After breakfast we met up with Akemi, Kazu and Beth and we all went to a kind of little tourist village, I guess, where there were shops and restaurants. It was a hugely popular place, very crowded on this Sunday.

The main attraction was our lunch of soba noodles and tempura. We got to watch men making the buckwheat noodles from scratch. We were supposed to eat the noodles using a leek for a utensil--even more difficult than chopsticks! We shopped a little bit and then went on to our next destination!

We went to a beautiful place where the river had cut a deep gorge into the rock. We crossed a suspension bridge which was a little scary since it moved a lot! On the other side, there was a stairway down, then another one up to a shrine. The natural beauty of this whole area is amazing.

Next, Miho, Hina and I went to a hot springs area (there are lots of these around Aizu) and we put our feet in the naturally warm water--it felt good after the walking we had done!

I received several gifts from Miho and Hina, but the best gift of all was their hospitality and kindness. This was one of the highlights of my trip.

Homestay--Dinner

When we got back to the apartment, Hina put in the "Phantom of the Opera" DVD (the most recent one) and we watched while she also showed me her sticker collection. A favorite word--"Cuuute!". The apartment, as I said, is very nice. There is an entryway where you leave your shoes (there were guest slippers for me), a small kitchen, a dining room, living room, 2 bedrooms, toilet room (cool toilet AGAIN!) and bathroom. The most surprising room was one that had been specially outfitted for Miho's grand piano. It was soundproofed and had a double door.

Miho prepared a feast for us. Her friends, Akemi and Fazu, came down with my friend Beth and they brought food as well. Hina made name tags for everyone, which was helpful! Hina and I made something that Miho said was Japanese--rice wrappers filled with shrimp, lettuce, onions and a mixture of ground pork. We had curry, pork, sashimi (I tried the squid--very rubbery), cherries and the most unusual thing of all--spam sushi. Yes. Spam sushi. Sliced spam on rice, wrapped up with seaweed. Miho said that Japanese people eat this a lot. I tried it--not too bad, but certainly not what I ever expected to eat in Japan!

We watched a little bit of a DVD of a concert that Miho and Hina had been in--One Voice Aizu. They sing in a gospel choir, in both English and Japanese. Hina sang for us after dinner while Miho played the piano. It was a wonderful evening!

June 24--Homestay Day 1

Today was the day I've been so nervous about and I needn't have been. Our homestay families were supposed to come pick us up at the hotel lobby at about 10:00 and so we were all there, with our overnight cases, looking like (as someone else pointed out) puppies at the SPCA waiting to be adopted. I think that we were all nervous to varying degrees.

The people in Aizu who had arranged the homestays were there to make sure that everything went smoothly. I saw several other people go off with their families shortly before 10 and everyone seemed to be getting along well, so I think that eased my apprehension a bit. My family is a mom and a 9-year-old girl and when I saw their smiling faces and heard Miho (the mom) speak English, I knew that everything would be fine. Hina, the little girl, is the most adorable child on earth, of course. She introduced herself in English because she is learning a little bit of English in school. Some friends of theirs who live in the same apartment building are the host family for Beth, another teacher in our group, and they said that we would all be having dinner together that night.

We got into their cute little Honda (a model that I don't remember seeing in the States) and drove to their apartment building. It's a high-rise building, fairly new and very modern. I had brought gifts (remember my angst over gifts before I left?) and I wasn't sure of the best time to give them, but Meg had told us that we could give them when we arrived at the house. I had done my best to wrap the gifts separately and nicely. I think that Miho like the things that I brought for her (she hung the butterfly from Sunspots right away), but as for Hina and her gifts, all I can say is SCORE!! She seemed to love everything that I brought her. The first thing that she opened was a Cougar hat that the principal of Stuarts Draft Elementary had given me right before the trip. She got so excited--he mom said that she had really been wanting a cap and it went on her head immediately. The shirt looked too big, but she liked it anyway and the stickers were a big hit. She has a huge sticker collection, so thanks to all those who suggested stickers! I had asked our interpreter, Naoko, if she could translate the words of the school song on the back of the shirt and, wonderful person that she is, she did it for me, so I gave them the Japanese words along with the sheet music.

Miho had several possible plans for the day and she gave me some choices about what we would do. I'm sure that having someone come stay in your house is just as nerve-racking as being the guest (if it were me, I would have been staking out the hotel all week to get a glimpse of my possible guest!) and Miho wanted to be sure that I had a good time. I'm the 8th person that they've had stay in their home, so I guess it's old hat to them by this time.

First, we took a beautiful drive through the mountains to some waterfalls. Hina is absolutely in love with "The Phantom of the Opera" and that's the CD that they were playing in the car. At first, I thought that the voice I was hearing was on the CD, but it turned out that it was coming out of this little 9-year-old girl! Miho is a piano teacher, so I suppose that musical talent runs in the family. Miho had taken Hina to see the play in Tokyo and they have 4 different Phantom of the Opera movies at home!

I asked the name of the waterfalls, but the Japanese words seem to pass right through my brain with nothing to grab onto. It was cool up in the mountains and it was a nice change. Mt. Bandai and the surrounding mountains are gorgeous. After the waterfalls, we stopped at a small place for lunch. We sat on the floor (which will never be comfortable for me!) and I had udon noodles and some tempura. I'm not very good at eating noodles with chopsticks! The tempura was good--veggies, nato and that sweet bean paste again, but this time it was fried. Interesting, but it's still not my fave.

Next we stopped at the house of one of Miho's friends and he took us in his car to see a shrine. It was a very peaceful place. After that, he drove us to Isasumi shrine, which Miho told me that she visits on New Year's. This was a much more bustling place. An iris festival was going on and there was music and vendors had set up booths selling food, drink and crafts.

We saw a couple brining their baby to the shrine, complete with proud grandparents and a lot of photos. The mom was wearing a kimono and they all seemed so happy. We walked through the paths bordered by the colorful flowers and Hina fed the humongous koi. It was a beautiful place.

On the way back to the apartment, Hina tried out some of her English and said "Let's watch 'Phantom of the Opera' together". I agreed, of course! She was quite happy with her sentence and repeated it several times.

High School--Clubs / Tea ceremony

After classes, of course, was cleaning. Since these kids have been doing this since they were 6 years old, I'm sure it just seems natural to them. I was still gaping at teenagers actually cleaning their school!

Club activities began at 3:20. The administrators were proud to tell us that many of the clubs and sports have received awards and placed in national competitions. The sports clubs are track and field, baseball, basketball, volleyball, softball, badminton, table tennis, skiing, swimming, Japanese archery, kendo, naginata and soccer. Other clubs are art, literature, chorus, natural science, home economics (food and dressmaking), career studies, calligraphy, English, flower arrangement, photography, sado (the art of tea making), instrumental band, brass band, children's culture, comics and Junior Red Cross. Almost all students take part in club activities.

Today we were invited to a special tea ceremony in our honor by the sado club. A lady comes in to instruct the girls in the art of the tea ceremony. We learned a lot about how the tea is made and about some of the rituals of the ceremony. The girls seemed very solemn and took their roles very seriously. We had the traditional sweet before the tea (more bean paste!) and it was beautifully made. We then received the bowl of tea. When you pick up the bowl, you turn it 2 quarter-turns so that the design faces away from you and towards the others in your presence. The tea is whisked with a bamboo whisk to make it frothy. I must admit that I've not developed a taste for green tea. It's bitter and to me it tastes like grass or leaves mashed up and cooked. But the ceremony was nice and I certainly appreciate the work that went into preparing it for us.

High School--Classes

As in the junior high, I wanted to observe some English classes. It's difficult to understand what's going on in other classes, so that seemed like the best bet.

In the first English class I saw, the teacher was very nervous. Several in our group were in the class and he left to make copies for us of the workbook exercises that he was doing with the kids. This was an advanced English class and they were working on constructing sentences. The teacher read the sentences, gave the answers and had the students repeat the sentences. He rarely called on individuals. It seemed to be a very teacher-centered class.

Next, I went to an oral communication class, which is also an English class. The students were again repeating sentences as a class, but while I could understand the sentences that the teacher gave them, I couldn't understand the students' pronunciation at all--it sounded like a beehive. The teacher tried to make it more interesting by having various students come to the front, stand on their desks, read upside-down, and so on.

In the third English class, the teacher allowed us to get involved with the students. We sat with small groups of students and named the 50 states while they wrote them down in kana characters, I think. It was fun to actually be able to help out with a class and help the kids hear the sounds of the words.

I also observed a class, a home ec class I assume, where the teacher was showing the students how to dress a baby. There were both boys and girls in the class and we were told that it was a required class. Just like boys in the U.S., the Japanese boys were being silly, covering the baby's face and holding it upside down.

A few observations:
--Textbooks are much thinner than ours and most are paperback. I'm not sure if students buy them or not, but some were highlighting in the books. I think that the books come in several volumes so that they don't have to carry the whole load at once.
--The students all seem to carry pencil cases and many carry fans as well, since it's quite warm.
--Apparently, cell phones are allowed in school. I saw students texting on them between classes. I didn't see anyone using one during class, but others in my group said that they saw kids texting and playing games during class. There were also instances of students sleeping in class. Teachers did not say anything in either case.

High School--Yui and Shiori--my guides / Lunch

Today we were assigned to certain homeroom classes to start the day. Instead of us going to the classes as we did at the elementary school, 2 students from each class were sent to get us. They showed up at the door of our meeting room and came in somewhat shyly at first to call the names of their "adopted teachers". The 2 girls who were to be my guides were Yui and Shiori. They are friendly, giggly and very nervous. They fluttered their hands over their hearts to indicate just how nervous they were about coming to the room with all the American teachers.

They are both 18 years old and in their 3rd and last year of high school. They took me to their homeroom and their was a chair for me--gulp!--at the front of the room. The teacher was not in the room yet, but all the students were seated and reading, talking or working quietly. I thought that maybe I was supposed to introduce myself, so I did that, a bit awkwardly. The teacher arrived and apparently indicated to me that I should introduce myself. Oops! Obviously, I jumped the gun on that one, so once I figured out what she wanted me to do, I introduced myself again. Making a great impression, I'm sure! After a few minutes, the students were off to various classes and I went with Yui to cooking class.

All the students in the class were very friendly. Yui spoke a little bit of English, but not enough to have much of a conversation. She made sure that I had a seat next to her at a table. While we were waiting for the teacher, we compared hand sizes (mine was larger than the girls', but fortunately smaller than the hand of the boy sitting next to me). Next we compared feet, and of course my foot looks gigantic next to Yui's! The teacher arrived and there seemed to be a casual, easy relationship between teacher and students. The kids seemed to be copying something from a book--a recipe, perhaps?

The bell rang and I followed Yui to her next class. We were only supposed to stay with our guides for the first period, but she seemed to expect me to come with her (or maybe she was afraid that I would get lost!), so I did. I'm not sure if this class was called calligraphy or not--the students were writing kanji characters with pen instead of with paint and brush. I sat beside Yui again and watched her write the beautiful characters. I did my best to copy a few of the characters, but mine looked large and awkward.

A few others in our group had come into the class and the teacher kindly got some rubber stamps, stamp pads and blank cards to let us make some decorative postcards. When she was showing us the supplies, she wrote on one card "only one". We took that to mean that she was telling us that our cards would be unique, the "only ones" of their kind. Someone mentioned later that perhaps she meant that we were each only to make one card! I hope not because we each did several!

I left Yui after that class, but our guides came to pick us up again for lunch. As in the junior high, there was no school lunch--each student brought lunch from home. We were given a bento box lunch and went to our home classrooms to eat. Yui and Shiori and another girl were my lunch companions. They were very cute trying to communicate in English. One of them had a translator on her phone.

My lunch was lovely, as usual, and I tried to eat deftly with the chopsticks, but I couldn't quite manage the large pieces of tofu! The girls had beautiful lunches, prepared, they said, by mothers or grandmothers, and wrapped in colorful bandanas. Teachers were not in the classrooms while students were eating. Students ate, talked, studied, text-messaged on their cellphones (which seem not to be banned in school), and so forth. Towards the end of lunch, a girl came in with several things wrapped in plastic wrap. The girls gave me one and indicated that I was to eat it, that it was good. Apparently, they had made them in cooking class. I was a bit apprehensive about trying the gelatinous blob, but I did. I can't say what the outside was, but the inside was the same sweet bean paste that had been in the sweet that we had at the tea ceremony.

After lunch, they took me back to our home base. They were very sweet girls who handled their responsibiliy quite well.

June 23--Fukushima Prefectural Aizu-gakuho Senior High School

Today we visited Aizu-gakuho Senior High School, which would be equivalent to 10th, 11th and 12th grades in the U.S. At one point in the morning, we met with the principal, assistant principal and assistant head of curriculum, so I'll begin with some general information.

This school was established in 1924 as a girls' school and became co-ed in 2002. Next year, it will become the first combined junior/senior high school in the prefecture and will move to a larger campus.

The school mottos are:
Dream...The school and society dream as one
Love...The school which teaches sensitivity
Power...The school which has the power to be independent and to make a contribution to society

The goals of the school are:
1--All-around education; we help students to be individuals with intelligence, morals and good health
2--Aim to send 150 students (school population is 764) to 4-year universities (50 of those students to national unversities)
3--Sports teams and clubs aim to get prizes in national competitions

Each fall, 11th graders go on a school trip to the western part of Japan. The trip lasts 5 days.

These administrators are proud of their school and they gave each of us a high school pin, the commemorative book for the school's 80th anniversary (celebrated 2 years ago) and a CD with the school song. They also put out a number of textbooks for us to take if we wanted them.

A little taste of home

After the visit to the junior high, several of us were ready to relax a little bit and I know that I didn't feel like dealing with another Japanese menu! So we decided to go to that All-American institution, McDonald's! I have to admit that I felt a tiny bit sheepish--I had been all set to try new dishes and eat Japanese food. After a week and a half, though, I was ready for something familiar. I don't eat at McDonald's much at home, but it was comforting to have a cheeseburger, fries and diet coke! The only "different" things I saw on the menu were a shrimp burger and a green-tea milkshake!

And on the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at 7-11!!

Junior High--Club activities

After the cleaning, students had club activities. Some of the activities offered at this school are softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics, debate, swimming, band, art, computers, chorus, kendo, naginata and track and field.

The first activity that I saw was naginata. I had no idea what this was, but found out that it is a martial art which uses a long bamboo pole. We watched the students for a while and then they invited us to join in. They taught us a few moves and it was fun!

Next, we went to the gym to watch kendo, the art of Samurai swordmanship. It was a very warm day (none of the schools were air-conditioned), but these young men were dressed in their outfits (uniforms? costumes?). They gave us some information and a demonstration. It was very impressive! Volleyball and table tennis were taking place in the same gym.

Junior High--Observing Classes

The classes offered at this school are similar to classes offered in the U.S.--math, science, social studies, music, Japanese, English, P.E., art, etc. The classrooms are not open as they were at the elementary school, but there were big windows on the wall that bordered the hall. Students were wearing uniforms and it was interesting to find out that their shoes were color-coded--7th graders had blue trim, 8th graders had yellow and 9th graders had green. I wanted to observe English classes because those would be the closest thing to my French classes that I would see. English is the only foreign language offered.

In the first English class that I saw, the teacher was playing a game with the students. All the students stood up. The teacher asked a question and the kids raised their hands if they knew the answer. If the student got the right answer, he could choose to sit down by himself or he could choose for his whole row or line to sit down. This continued until everyone was sitting. The teacher gave a 5-word spelling quiz and asked the American teachers in the room to help out. We came to the front of the room and we were to give the sound of each letter. The word that I got to do was "pen", so not too difficult. The person who had to do "six" had a more difficult task when trying to give the sound of the letter "x"!

I also observed a wonderful and energetic social studies teacher and it was interesting because she was teaching United States geography. I would assume that this is a World Geography class, but I don't know for sure. She had drawn (freehand!) a map of the U.S. on the board and I could tell that they were talking about the various cities. The kids were very engaged and involved. They watched a video about some U.S. cities and the kids laughed when they saw the American sushi bar!

Towards the end of the day, we were all invited to come to an English class which was a "lesson study". This means that many other teachers came into the class to observe (their students were left on their own in their classrooms) and later all the teachers would get together to discuss the lesson and offer advice and suggestions. Two teachers team-taught this lesson and they were both fun and energetic. They had the kids come up to us and say "Hello, my name is ___. May I have your name?" The kids were much more shy than the elementary kids were yesterday, but they did ask us. The teachers then did a little "rap" kind of thing with accompanying music and pictures on the television. Finally, they played an "Old Maid" type card game where they had to match portions of sentences. For example, "I use water" is a match for "to wash my face."

We didn't have as much interaction with the students as we were allowed to have yesterday at the elementary school. We had a bento box lunch, but ate it in the library, so we didn't get to talk to the students as much as we would have liked. But the students did seem curious about us and we got to talk a little more to some of them at club activities.

June 22--Aizuwakamatsu Second Junior High School

Today's visit to the junior high was much more low-key than our visit to the elementary school. This may have been because the students are preparing for exams next week. The principal wasn't able to meet with us, but the assistant principal welcomed us. Our home base for today was the library. This is quite a beautiful school. The architecture is stunning and many of the floors are parquet. We went to a teachers' workroom for a short "hello" session with the teachers. Unfortunately, many of the teachers were busy preparing for an upcoming swimming competition and so we would not be able to have a question and answer session with them as we did with the elementary teachers.

We weren't assigned to a classroom but we received a schedule and were free to observe classes. The classes lasted 45 minutes with 10- or 15-minute breaks between each one. A 45-minute break followed lunch, and, as at the elementary school, the students had a scheduled cleaning time.

Junior high in Japan corresponds to grades 7-9 in the U.S. 9th grade is the last year of compulsory education, but about 96% of students do go on to senior high school. They must pass entrance exams in order to get into high school and this frequently puts a lot of stress on the students.

We were able to have a discussion with the Assistant Principal and the Curriculum Coordinator and here are some of the things that we learned:
--Students read for 10 minutes every morning.
--This is the only junior high in Aizu that has special education classes.
--There are club activities every day except before a testing week--they had club activities today for our benefit.
--This school does not provide school lunch--kids bring their lunches from home.

Elementary School--Clubs

Clubs are a very important part of the school day in Japan. At Matsunaga Elementary School, the first club period started at 3:15 and was compulsory. The students had a variety of clubs from which to choose: soccer, art, igo/shogi (board games), sport, English, Koto (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument), table tennis, music, basketball, illustration, badminton, home ec, scientific experiments and computer. Teachers lead most of these clubs as part of their jobs--they are not paid extra to do so.

We were invited especially to attend koto club. A special music teacher came to teach this beautiful instrument to the students. I was first impressed by how the young ladies sat on their knees for so long without fidgeting! They received instruction from the teacher, listened to a flute player and then played "Sakura" for our listening enjoyment. The American teachers were then allowed to give the instruments a try.

This club period lasted until 4:00 and then there was a second club period which was optional. The choices for this period were track and field, music ensemble acting playing, chorus and art.

This was a great day. I was really exhausted by the end of it, but it was a good feeling.

Elementary School--Cleaning

This is the part of the school day that I had heard so much about and that is so jaw-droppingly amazing to American teachers. The students clean the school. As far as I know, there are no custodians. And this takes place every day after recess for 15 minutes.

The cleaning seemed to go very smoothly. Every child from the first through the sixth grade participated in the cleaning. Each child had a job to do and every child seemed to be working. Some children had brooms, some had vacuum cleaners and some had cloths. And this was not just a casual waving of a broom above the floor--these kids were seriously cleaning. Furniture was moved. Having the children clean just makes so much sense. They take pride in their building and their classroom and if every child helps for just 15 minutes a day, the work is done.

Elementary School--Discussion with teachers

After the first and second graders went home, their teachers generously gave their time so that we could ask them questions. Here are some of the questions and answers.

What do teachers do if a child does not behave? How are children disciplined?
First, the teacher talks to the child to get him to understand the situation. Other alternatives could be making a student stand up during class or possibly detention, but students cannot be kept after school and sent home alone. There is no corporal punishment in schools.

Is there a problem with students not paying for their lunches?
The principal told us that only one student in the whole school has not paid his lunch bill. The city will subsidize the cost of the lunch if the family cannot pay.

What happens if a child doesn't learn what he's supposed to or falls behind?
Students do not repeat a grade, even if they haven't mastered the work. There is individual supplementary instruction and training until the child has caught up.

How often do teachers meet with parents?
I was amazed to hear that homeroom teachers visit the homes of all of their students in the spring (when the school year begins). In the fall, the parents come to school for meetings. They also contact parents if there are problems.

Are children given assignments during the month of August (the school year begins in March and students have a vacation during the month of August)?
Teachers decide together what the assignments will be. The assignment is often to keep diaries with pictures.

Elementary School--Calligraphy class

I'm doing a separate entry for this one class simply because it's so different from what we have in the U.S. Today the children in my fourth grade class were learning the kanji characters for "forest". In order to write "forest", you just have to write the symbol for "tree" twice. There is a certain order in which you must do the strokes to create the characters. The children all have their own calligraphy sets at their desks. The teacher had set up a calligraphy set at my desk as well and several American teachers got to try it. It was fun, but I think that the children did a better job than I did!

Elementary School--Lunch

When it was time for lunch, I returned to my home class. The children eat lunch in their classroom. Some children were wearing masks and those serving were also wearing white smocks and hats. They went with the teacher to pick up the lunch, which had been prepared in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, other children put desks together to form little tables. They moved my table to join with a set of desks and put out a placemat for me. Each child had his own placemat on his desk.

When the teacher and servers returned, children lined up, got their lunches and returned to their seats. One child brought me my lunch. No one started eating until everyone was served. The teacher ate at her desk. There were some announcements over the loudspeaker and classical musical played during lunchtime.

The lunch was very healthy. It consisted of rice, miso soup, salad, salmon and milk. Every child ate the school lunch--no one brought lunch from home. I was a little nervous about my chopstick technique and I could see some of the children watching me out of the corners of their eyes. Every child in my class ate all the lunch and some had seconds.

I was at a table with 6 children, one of whom was a very sweet little girl whose father was Canadian. She spoke English and translated the children's questions to me. They wanted to know who I thought was the smartest in the class, the weirdest in the class and so on--typical kid questions!

After lunch, the children cleaned up, took the serving dishes back to the kitchen and put away their placemats. Everyone brushed their teeth and then it was recess time.

Elementary School--Break Time and Becoming a Celebrity

As I wrote before, the children have 10-minute breaks between classes. They also have a 45-minute break for recess after lunch. After I had stayed in my class for a little while, I went downstairs to the younger classes. By the time I arrived they were on a break between classes and I was really surprised to see how active and loud they were. I suppose that I had a preconceived notion of Japanese children always studying quietly and being fairly quiet in general, but this certainly not the case. Kids are kids, no matter where they are.

As I walked through the halls beside the 1st and 2nd grade classes, the children were running around, yelling, wrestling, laughing and having a great time. As far as I could see, the teachers were not directly supervising the kids. These scenes were repeated during the breaks throughout the day. The little ones were fascinated by the American visitors and some of them would run up, touch one of us, scream with laughter and run away. The older ones were slightly more reserved at first, but it didn't take long to break the ice. When I was with my home class during one of the breaks, I took out pictures of my house, my school and my students. They crowded around my table to see the pictures and tried out a little bit of their fledging English (which was a whole lot better than my Japanese!). Of course, they mostly spoke in Japanese, so I used my "I don't understand" sentence in Japanese quite a bit! They loved having their pictures taken and flashing the peace sign was quite common. I guess another amazing thing was that when the break was over, they all went back into the classroom and got to work. I suppose that they were allowed to expend their energy and were ready to get back to school.

One of the most fun parts of the day was when kids started asking us for autographs. It started with one or two kids bringing a notebook and asking us to "Sign please" and morphed into hordes of children waiting for us to sign paper, labels torn from bottles and even their arms and hands! I've never in my life felt so much like a celebrity! I think that they were trying to collect as many as possible and I wonder what became of all of those autographs.

Elementary School--Visiting classes

After the assembly we went back to our home base and I looked a little more closely at the schedule. Basically, classes last 45 minutes with 10 minute breaks between each class. Classes listed for today were Japanese, Music, Math, P.E., Calligraphy, Writing, Home Economics, English, Social Studies, Art, Science, Life and Moral Education. Moral Education is required in elementary schools and I believe it emphasizes character and the goals set forth in the "Education of the Heart" that each child is expected to live by. This is one of 3 elementary schools in Aizu where English is taught and English is evident everywhere--bulletin boards with the months and weather, steps numbered in English, etc.

Each of us has been assigned to a class. We will start the day with them and return to them for lunch, but we are free to roam about the school and observe any class that we wish. I'm impressed that we're given so much freedom. Our whole group went from class to class, dropping off members at their respective home classes. The school seems to be a relatively modern building and it has open classrooms, that is, the wall that would be next to the hallway is non-existent. The hallways are very wide and the windows are huge. I'm impressed by how clean and organized everything is.

My home class was 4-2, which is the second class in the 4th grade. Just as in all the classes, there was a table and chair set up for me at the edge of the room. There were 31 children in the class and at the beginning of the day, they were doing math. The children were all in their seats working and my arrival didn't cause much disturbance. Their bookbags were neatly stowed in cubbies in the back of the room.

In my observations of classes throughout the day, I saw that students were not always just sitting their desks receiving instruction. They were actively involved in the classes. Sometimes they were in small groups working together and other times they were playing games. These were certainly not the regimented teacher-centered classrooms that some of us may have pictured before our visit. English class was fun. There was an American teacher who came to each class and I heard the children begging "Game! Game!"--just like here!

Elementary School--Assembly

After watching the children arrive at school, we were taken to our "home base" for the day. I feel very welcomed here. We got a schedule, a map and a short tour of the important areas--like the bathroom, of course. No high-tech toilets here, but there are toilet slippers. Before going into the restroom, you take off your indoor shoes and don the slip-ons that are only to be worn in the bathroom. Cleanliness is a high priority, obviously.

We went into the gym where the whole school was assembled to greet us. The students didn't wear uniforms when arriving at school, but when they got to their classrooms, they all changed into gym uniforms consisting of blue shorts or pants and white shirts. The younger children all change together in the classroom and when they are older, the girls change in the classroom and the boys go somewhere else.

We went up on stage and we each got to introduce ourselves, using the one Japanese sentence that we know. Erin gave the speech on behalf of the group and taught the kids to say "What's up?", which they repeated a little hesitantly at first, but then with more enthusiasm.

June 21-Visit to Matsunaga Elementary School--Arrival

Today was simply awesome. My face actually hurts from smiling so much! There's so much to tell about our visit to Matsunaga Elementary School, but I'll try to edit it to a reasonable length.

It was raining when I got up, but by the time we got to the school to greet the children as they arrived, it had stopped. Some of the children were very shy, but most offered an enthusiastic "Ohaiyo gozaimasu!" or even "Good morning", accompanied by a bow, as they came in. Just about all of the children walk to school. They gather in their neighborhoods and walk together in groups. In elementary school, they don't wear uniforms, but they do all carry the standard backpack (randoseru), usually black for boys and red for girls, though I did see a few pink ones. Some of them have a bright yellow "safety cover". These leather backpacks are fairly expensive, ranging from $200-$500! On the positive side, the children use them all through elementary school, which is 1st through 6th grade. A child's entrance into the first grade is a very big deal in Japan and the backpack is often a gift from the grandparents to mark this occasion.

I was surprised to see so many children carrying umbrellas. I can't imagine that happening in the U.S.! There are bins by the entrance door to store the umbrellas by class. Also at the entrance is the area for changing shoes. Each class has a section of the cubbies and the students take off their outdoor shoes and put on their indoor shoes. I was surprised again when I saw that the children aren't wearing slippers, but just regular tennis shoes that are only worn in the school. The teachers also have indoor tennis shoes. So the only ones shuffling about in "slippers" are the Americans!

Tsuruga-jo Castle

Aizu is a castle town and so after lunch we got to go see Tsuruga-jo Castle. It was originally built in 1591 as a 7-story castle, damaged in an earthquake in 1611 and rebuilt as a 5-story castle in 1539.

In 1868, during the Bolshin Civil War, in which the imperial army fought the Tokugawa Shogunate regime, the castle was attacked by troops of the new government who were for the Meiji Restoration and in 1874 it was finally demolished.

In 1934, the castle ruins were declared a national historical site and the current castle tower was rebuilt on the original site in 1965. The huge stone wall is original and the castle is a symbol of the samurai culture of Aizu.

The most interesting story that involves the castle is that of the Byokkotai, or White Tiger Warriors, a group of teenage warriors. After being defeated in a battle against the imperial forces, 20 members of the Byakkotai retreated to Mt. Iimoriyama. When they saw Tsurugajo burning, they thought it had fallen to the enemy and 19 of them committed ritual suicide. Their graves lie together on that hillside. They are remembered as heroic examples of the samurai code.

Okay, enough history. To be honest, I found it hard to get my mind to latch on to the details of the history of the castle. I think it's because I have no reference points here. When I go to Europe, I've heard of the people and places that I'm seeing, but here I have no prior knowledge of the history. We had a guide who took us through the castle. The inside of the castle is a museum and without our guide, I would have had no idea at all what anything was since all the descriptive information was in Japanese. We climbed all the way to the top and got a nice view of the surrounding area.

On the grounds was an almost life-sized aka-beko, or red bull, which is one of the handicrafts for which this area is known.

After we visited the castle, we got to attend a fairly informal tea ceremony on the grounds. We first received a sweet made of bean paste (not my favorite, but edible) and then drank the green tea--very different from the green tea that we have in the U.S.

In the evening, a few of us walked around the city for a bit, then visited a noodle shop for dinner. The menu was all in Japanese, but luckily, the waitress was very nice and let us drag her outside to point to the plastic food that we wanted to order!

June 20--Meeting the Mayor

This morning we met with the mayor of Aizu. We received a warm welcome. Mayor Kanke is extremely proud of his city. As at the school board meeting, members of the local media were in attendance. Not quite the papparazzi, but sort of fun nonetheless. It's interesting that in each meeting there is a person serving as a moderator to keep things going and to wind up the session on time.

The mayor has a copy of the Aizukko declaration hanging in his office--I like that touch! Local history is taught in the schools, even though it's not required on entrance exams. The mayor himself goes to schools to talk about history.

The mayor spoke about Dr. Noguchi, a person that we've already heard a lot about in Aizu. He's the man on the 1000 yen bill. He's from a local town and when he was a child in the late 1800s, he burned his hand very badly and was treated in Aizuwakamatsu City. This experience made a great impression on him and he went on to become a famous bacteriologist and physician.

After the meeting (and the required group photo!), we had a wonderful lunch at a nearby restaurant. We took off our shoes and sat on the floor (no wells under the tables here!). We had some delicious Aizu rice (Aizu is known for it's excellent rice and, as a result, its sake. The mayor, by the way, assured us that drinking Aizu sake will not give you a hangover), salmon, egg omelet and mushrooms. The entrance to the restaurant was surrounded by a lovely little garden.

First night in Aizu

After we left the school board office, we went to our hotel, the Aizuwakamatsu Washington Hotel. It's very nice and I have a nice view of the mountains and the huge 57-meter statue of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy from my window. And I'm also happy that there are slippers in my room "provided for my exclusive use"!

Most of the group went to dinner at a local restaurant which served soba noodles. Soba noodles are buckwheat noodles and I was surprised that they are served cold. You are supposed to dip the noodles in a cup which contains soy sauce (I think) and to which you can add wasabi and onions. We also tried the local specialty, sake, of course. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought a teapot to the table which contained the water in which the soba noodles were cooked. Since the nutrients from cooking the noodles are left in the water, you are supposed to pour it in the sauce that you've dipped the noodles in and drink the concoction. Even though it's supposed to be very good for your health, I couldn't quite manage to try this one!

After dinner, we explored our new neighborhood. Near our hotel is Saty, a department store. In the basement is a supermarket and there are things that I certainly wouldn't find at Food Lion! I had a green tea ice cream cone. Much to my surprise, it actually tasted like green tea. What was I expecting? I'm not quite sure, but this is NOT my new favorite flavor. Due to the lack of public trash cans, I did have to eat the whole thing (I think it's acceptable to eat ice cream while you're walking down the street). I looked longingly at the Mister Donut that was right next to Saty, but didn't indulge!

Arrival in Aizuwakamatsu City--School Superintendent Visit

After our visit to Fukushima U., we boarded a bus to go to our home for the next week, Aizuwakamatsu. On the way, Meg gave us some information about the city. It's population is about 131,000 and it's one of the major cities of Fukushima prefecture. 60% of the land is mountains and forests. As we got close to Aizu, we passed Mt. Bandai, a beautiful mountain with an elevation of 63,000 feet and one of the major attractions of the area.

This afternoon, we met with the superintendent of schools of Aizuwakamatsu. As we got off the bus and made our way to the meeting room on the second floor, people in the superintendent's office applauded us. That was a real shock--flattering, a little bit uncomfortable, but mostly it made me feel like we were really welcomed. A very nice touch.

The superintendent and other officials talked to us about the schools in Aizu. They are very proud of their schools and eager to share information about them. They want Aizu to be a city of learning where people are nurtured. They are very proud that they are introducing English in 3 of their 21 public elementary schools, taught by teachers from the U.S. and the U.K. (several of whom were at the meeting). I was surprised to find out that English is the only foreign language taught throughout junior high and high school in Aizu.

The thing that impressed me most was Aizu's "Education of the Heart". This refers to the Aizukko (children of Aizu) declaration which reads as follows:
1. Always be kind to everyone.
2. Always remember to say "Thank you" and "I'm sorry".
3. Always be patient.
4. Don't misbehave to other people.
5. Be proud of Aizu; Respect elderly people.
6.Work hard to follow your dreams.
If you are not supposed to do something because it's bad, don't do it.
If you are supposed to do something because it is good, do it.

How simple, yet how important! A copy of this declaration is sent to every household in Aizu and the children recite it everyday. Teachers serve as role models and give praise for good behavior.

June 19--Fukushima University

If you can stand another toilet picture--here is my first encounter with the "squatty potty", a Japanese-style toilet. This was in the restroom in the hotel lobby and there were also western toilets available, so I didn't actually get the full experience, but had to snap a photo, of course.

This morning we boarded a bus for Fukushima University. We are visiting this university because it has a Faculty of Human Development and Culture, which is a School of Education. On the way, Meg practiced our introduction sentence with us: "Watashi wa Virginia no Waynesboro kara kimashita Laura Stump desu", which means "I am Laura Stump from Waynesboro, VA. One sentence is about all we can handle right now!

We first met with the President of the University and other officials. They gave us some information about the university and then we could ask them questions. Next, they took us to the top of their new 7-story research building so that we could get a good view of the whole university. Then we met with the Dean of the Faculty of Human Development and Culture and with education students. We had a Q&A session and then broke into small groups to talk with the students. I was in a group with 3 graduate students. One of them spoke pretty good English and we had a nice conversation.

Some students who are studying to become kindegarten teachers came in and told us a little bit about Tanabata (Star Festival). Part of the festival is writing wish on oblong cards and hanging them on bamboo trees, which we did.

We were given a beautiful boxed lunch (the food presentation in Japan is outstanding) and we ate in the students' cafeteria. We wandered around the bookstore a little bit and I bought a copy of "The Little Prince" in Japanese. Why, I don't know, but it seemed pretty cool.

June 18--Bullet train to Fukushima

Today we left Tokyo and took the Bullet train (Shinkansen) to Fukushima City. What a cool train! It is sleek and clean and comfortable. It's a double-decker train and we got to sit on the top level. The seats are really comfortable. We got a box lunch to have on the train and it took about an hour and a half to get to Fukushima.

Fukushima is the capital city of Fukushima prefecture and has a population of about 290,000. It's in a "bowl", surrounded by mountains.

The hotel is nice. The room is small, but certainly adequate. I think I was spoiled by the luxury hotel in Tokyo where we had CNN and BBC. Here there are no TV stations in English, but it's kind of fun to watch Japanese TV! Oh, and there is, of course, the high-tech toilet!

Several of us walked down the street to the 100 yen store (they are everywhere) and I found a few cute things. Bikes line the streets--they are a primary form of transportation, apparently. We also went into a kimono shop. The kimonos are so very beautiful. I think that some older women wear them all the time, but most women wear them just for special occasions. Putting them on is apparently quite a feat!

This is really the first time that just our "Aizu group" has been together, so now we'll get to know each other a little better. We met our interpreter, Naoko, who will be with us during our time out of Tokyo. All of us went to dinner at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Fortunately, Meg and Naoko interpreted the menu and at our table we ordered a lot of dishes to share. We had a beautiful platter of sashimi (raw fish served without the rice) and I actually tried the octopus. It wasn't too bad, but I wasn't crazy about it. I really did like the yakatori--skewers of chicken. Oh, and I was somewhat surprised to see that horsemeat (RAW horsemeat) was on the menu. I didn't know that countries other than France used horses for food. Needless to say, we didn't order any!

June 17--Free Day!!!

Today is our one full free day and there are a lot of choices of what to do. Some people are going to Kamakura, which is a town only about an hour away on the subway, some are getting up very early to visit Kyoto, some are headed to Mt. Fuji and I'm sure that there are many other plans in the works. I feel like I haven't seen enough of Tokyo itself, so I'm going to stay in the city.

Kim, Ellen and I first went to Harajyuku. It was the first time I'd done the subway in Tokyo and even though I'm pretty good with the subway in other cities, I was a little apprehensive. I needn't have worried! It was extremely easy and not too crowded. I had heard horror stories about how packed the cars could be, with white-gloved men pushing people into the trains to pack them as full as possible. But this is Saturday, so maybe that's why it wasn't too bad. One interesting note--there are certain cars reserved for women only until 9:30 a.m. on weekdays.

Our first stop was the Oriental Bazaar. I would highly recommend this store to everyone! It's got a lot of stuff and it's reasonably priced. If you're looking for sake sets, chopstick rests, bowls, plates, kimonos, obis, souvenirs galore--this is the place to go. Upstairs are independent vendors with various wares--antiques, woodblock prints, jewelry, etc. And it's a very nice, spacious store with helpful employees.

We had lunch at a nice little Italian place on a side street. It was a nice change from the Japanese food and the menu had English on it! A definite plus!

It was a very hot and humid day, but at least the sun was shining a bit--a first, I think! One thing that I noticed was that even though it was very hot, many Japanese people still seemed to be wearing long sleeves and even sweaters! Someone told me that it's because they don't want to get tan, but I don't know if that's true. We walked over to what seems to be the heart of the Harajyuku district and found the huge 100 yen store that we'd heard about. This one has about 5 floors, I think and it's fairly new. I bought a fan because of the heat and a couple of other little things. I'm sure that you could find all sorts of treasures at these stores, but I wasn't particularly in the mood to look through all the junk!

At the top of the street where we were in Harajyuku is a Japan Rail station. Each time a train pulled in, there was a surge of teenagers down the street. We saw some very interesting outfits! Since it was Saturday, it was very crowded. This street is full of cool, trendy shops. We wandered around a bit and also found some lovely jewelry stores and kimono shops--always fun to look!

We took the Japan Rail train to Shinjyuku, a big shopping area. We went to a large department store called Takashimaya. It's a very upscale, expensive store. In the same area was Tokyo Hands, which had a little bit of everything. I think by that point I was shopped out, so after a while, we went back to the hotel.

Ellen and I went to a restaurant near the hotel for dinner. We had seen the menu on a previous outing and they seemed to have several salads, so that's what we wanted. It was a dark place and we sat at a counter in front of a window where we could watch some of the food being prepared. The chef prepared several things on skewers--the most interesting was quail eggs! On the menu I saw that you could also order whale sashimi or chicken skin. Interesting choices, but we stuck with the salad, which was delicious! It had grilled veggies, some of which I couldn't identify, but they were great.

Pachinko

While I'm making random observations, let me just add--Pachinko! Pachinko is a game of some sort and there are pachinko parlors all over the place. They seem to full a lot of the time with all kinds of people, including a lot of men in business suits. It's a kind of gambling game, I think. There are people standing on the street handing out packs of tissues with pachinko advertising on them. when the doors open, you can feel the cool air inside, hear the deafening sound of the machines and the music and smell the stench of cigarette smoke. They're brightly lit and very colorful.

Vending machines and trash cans

Just a couple of observations. First of all, there are vending machines all over the place! All beverages, as far as I can tell. I don't think that I've seen any snack food vending machines. And all kinds of beverages, including beer!

Second, it's rare to see trash cans in public places, yet there isn't trash on the streets. It's considered impolite to eat or drink while walking, so there aren't candy wrappers and chip bags everywhere. I was told that if people have trash, they take it home to dispose of it. Amazing! When Japanese people visit the U.S., they must think that it's so dirty here. I have seen a number of recycling containers, divided into sections for plastic, glass, etc. Recycling seems to be quite big here.

June 16-The rest of the day

Today we had sessions that we had chosen ahead of time. The first one I attended was about women's status in Japan. The speaker was Mariko Bando, vice-president of Showa Women's University. Essentially, it seems that women face some of the same problems in Japan as in the U.S.--lower pay, whether or not to stay home with the children, child care, etc. They are, however, increasing in managerial, professional and technical fields.

After lunch, I went to an art session led by Hiroshi Yokoyama, a retired elementary teacher. He showed us some of the art done by his former students and showed us how to make a cool little booklet which has a "magical" twist!

Later in the afternoon, we met our group coordinator, Meg. She is very experienced with the JFMF program and she is great. She gave us a lot of info about Aizuwakamatsu, the city where our group will be going on Sunday. It's a castle town of about 130,000 residents. It's main industries are tourism (especially for the hot spring spas), agriculture (a lot of fruit), lacquerware and sake.

Tonight a group of us went for a walk around the area of the hotel. First, we went across the street to the New Otani Hotel and looked at their gorgeous Japanese garden. We found one of the famed 100 Yen stores (like a Dollar Tree, basically) and had dinner. I got a giant bowl of some kind of noodles--very good!

June 16--Tsukiji Fish Market

I woke up this morning to pouring rain. This is the morning that several of us have decided to get up early and go to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. Why am I leaving at 5:30 a.m. to look at dead fish? Good question. Well, first of all, I'm already awake anyway--still adjusting to the time change. And second, I've been told that the market and the tuna auction are well worth seeing, so here we go!

Four of us decided to take a taxi instead of doing the subway and it took us right to the market. Next problem--where's the auction? This is truly a HUGE place and so we wandered around for quite a while, looking at the different types of seafood everywhere and taking lots of pictures. We tried to ask several times--"Auction?" or "Sale?"--but apparently we weren't understood because we were guided in several different directions. Finally we saw a sign for visitors and this was the auction. There were huge tunas lined up on the floor, men inspecting them, and several auctioneers. Of course, we couldn't understand what he was saying but I'm glad that we found it. But actually, I thought that the rest of the market was more interesting--squirming eels, swimming fish, octopi, squid, fish of every type! And it would have been very easy to get run over by one of the carts--they definitely have the right of way. It was wet and a little smelly, but I'm glad that I went!

June 15-Sightseeing, Japanese Government and Economy

Did you know that the sun rises at about 4:30 a.m. in Japan? They don't have daylight saving time, so I guess that's one reason why.

This morning we had a chartered bus tour of Tokyo. First we went to the Diet Building, which is like our Capitol Building--that is, it's where the legislative body meets. There were several school groups there as well. We walked through and saw the room where the royal family goes and also the main chamber.

Next, we went to Asakusa Kannon, the Sensoji Temple, the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo. The main hall, five-storied pagoda and Hozomon gate were destroyed in an air raid in 1945, but have been reconstructed. Upon seeing these beautiful structures, I finally really feel like I'm in Japan! This is the type of architecture that I have wanted to see.

In the temple is a counter at which you can put a 100-yen coin (about $1) into a slot and then shake a cylinder until a long stick comes out. Match the characters on the stick to one of the drawers, open it and take out your fortune. I did this, of course, and the fortune that I got was a bad one! It read "Bad Fortune"!! I couldn't bear to read all of the terrible things that would befall me, so I took it over to a rack of wires and tied it on one of them in order to negate the bad fortune. Naturally, I had to spend another 100 yen in order to improve my fate! This time, my paper said "Regular Fortune". It reads: "Though you always desire to make up your request immediately, even if it takes too long, don't worry about that. Just like step over many mountains, after so many hard work, you request will come out to fine. Treasures and wealth will be in your hand without any trouble." Huh? Oh well, it's better than "Bad Fortune"!

Near the entrance to the main hall are several booths at which you can buy good luck amulets, sticks on which you write your name and age and over which a Buddhist monk will pray the next day, and incense. You light the incense and put it in an incense burner. People stand around the incense and "wash" themselves in the smoke. If you have a physical pain, you're supposed to wave the smoke over that part of your body.

JFMF had arranged lunch for us at a local tempura restaurant, but after we saw Nakamise Dori, a street full of shops, Kim and I decided to forego lunch in favor of shopping! We got permission first, of course. We found all kinds of great stuff and I had fun seeing the "beckoning cats" which are everywhere!

This afternoon, our sessions were about the Japanese government and economy. The government session was a panel discussion with Yuji Tsushima and Wakako Hironaka, both Diet members and members of opposing parties. It was quite interesting!

Tonight it was raining, so I decided to have dinner at the sushi bar at the hotel (love that sushi!) with a couple others. The only thing I didn't like was the raw shrimp--I think that the shrimp needs to be cooked a bit; otherwise it's too mushy. After dinner, I wrote some postcards in my room and made it an early night. It's really been difficult to adjust to the time change--I find myself waking up several times a night.

Welcome reception

Tonight we had a very nice buffet dinner and I wanted to add this entry because this was my first time to ever try sushi. I thought it would be slimy and cold, but it was neither! It was delicious! I'm looking forward to having it again.

Kabuki

The second presenter of the afternoon was Mark Oshima and he gave us an overview of kabuki. I was surprised to learn that most Japanese people do not know a lot about classical Japanese theater--it's not studied in school and most people do not attend performances.

Kabuki combines song, dance and acting. We got to watch a demonstration of the dancer, Nishikawa Masako, getting ready by putting on her makeup, kimono and wig. It's quite an elaborate process! Then we watched her dance, accompanied by the shamisen and singing.

Kyogen

After a great lunch, we were treated to an afternoon of traditional Japanese theater. First, an American, Don Kenny, did a presentation on kyogen, which is a form of comedy performed to musical accompaniment. Most of the plays are for 2 characters. The movements and dialogue in kyogen are typically very exaggerated and the emphasis is on the dialogue and action rather than music and dance.




The play that Mr. Kenny and his fellow actor presented was called "The Dwarf Tree Thief". I found it very entertaining.







After the play, Mr. Kenny showed us the masks that are used in kyogen. Masks are only used for nonhuman or for very ugly characters.

June 14-Sessions-Education Reform

This morning we had our first chance to try a Japanese breakfast. Some common breakfast dishes are fish, vegetables, miso soup and, of course, tea. I did try some of the Japanese breakfast offerings, but I think that I'll stick to "eating Japanese" for lunch and/or dinner. It would take me a long time to get used to fish for breakfast!

Today was a full day of seminars. The first speaker was Tsutomu Kimura, President of the National Institution for Academic Degrees. He spoke about Education Reform in Japan. He gave us a wealth of information about the performance of Japanese children and also about the problems that schools and families currently face.

Although Japanese children rank very high in academic performance in comparison with children in other countries, their rank has dropped in the last few decades. This concerns education officials.

Some of the current problems are:
--Japanese children are under stress and there is excessive competition in examinations to get into high school and universities.
--Japanese children have large amounts of knowledge, but are lacking in the ability to learn and think by themselves and to apply this knowledge.
--Kindness to others, respect of life and human rights are not significantly fostered, resulting in more incidences of school violence and bullying.

As a result, reforms are being implemented to nurture a "zest for living"in order to cope with an acutely changing society:
--the ability to identify problems for onself, learn by oneself, think for oneself, make independent judgements and actions and solve problems properly.
--to develop a rich sense of humanity to be capable of self-reliance, cooperation with others and compassion for others.
--to develop health and physical strength to live a vigorous life.

The future model for education also promotes more free time for children and liaison between schools, families and communities.

This is a very, very condensed version of Mr. Kimura's remarks!
--

Dinner continued...

My favorite dish of the evening consisted of some sort of chicken meatballs and lotus roots. I had never seen lotus roots before. Not only are they beautiful, they're also yummy!







After the chicken, we had a bowl of rice with some crabmeat in it.












Finally, we had a dessert which is rather hard to describe. It had fruit (kiwi and cherries) in a liquid, but the bottom of the glass contained some sort of gelatin. It may have had some alcohol in it. I wish I'd gotten a better picture of it!

Dinner with a Fulbrighter

Our first night in Tokyo! Although I'm sure we're all tired, it's exciting! Former Fulbright scholars have volunteered to take groups of us out to a local restaurant (we each pay for ourselves, of course). We arrived at the appointed meeting room in the hotel and were assigned to a numbered table. Musicians were performing traditional Japanese music on the koto and the flute. There were about 5 people per table and we received a great map of the area around the hotel which showed the locations of many restaurants and internet cafes. "Our" Fulbrighter arrived--her name is Yuko Murekami and she got her PhD at Indiana University. She was a lot of fun and wanted to make sure that we were all having a good time.

Yuko took us to a restaurant not too far away and we had our first experience with removing our shoes before entering the room where we would be having dinner. The table was very low to the ground, but there was a "well" underneath for our legs.








Since we had no way of figuring out the menu, we asked Yuko to order a variety of things for us all to share.











Here is the menu of daily specials posted on the wall.




Yuko ordered a variety of appetizers for us, as well as sake and plum wine. I'm sure this is the first of many dinners that I will photograph! The sake sets are beautiful.



I had serious doubts when Yuko told us that she had ordered tomato jello. Tomato jello?? It sounds awful, but actually it was made of tomatoes and horseradish and even though it was in gelatin form, it was good. And the dish is so pretty!



The next dish was tofu. It was very soft and I have to admit that I didn't care for this one too much.


A Japanese omelet was next. It was very firm and was served cold. It almost had a sweet taste, kind of like corn pudding. That's shredded daikon radish beside the eggs.


Tempura vegetables followed the omelet. I don't know what some of the vegetables were, but they were delicious.


Continued in the next post...

The Akasaka Prince Hotel

Well, I have to do an entry about the hotel. I've occasionally stayed in a really nice hotel, but normally my requirements for a hotel begin and end with how much it costs. I tried not to look like a country bumpkin as we walked into the lobby of this beautiful hotel. It's gorgeous! I think that "elegant" is a good word to describe it.

Once again, JFMF's organization was evident. There were tables set up according to our city groups and we simply needed to pick up our keys and go up to our rooms. I'm on the 27th floor, which is fabulous! I'm always in search of a good view and I love looking out over this beautiful city.

The room itself did not disappoint. It's spacious and has a HUGE window! I can't believe that I get all this to myself!

Even though it was overcast just about every day, I still enjoyed the view.

The view at night.

And now a word about . . . the toilet. This is the king of toilets. I had read that the toilets in Japan were high-tech and I am amused to see that this is true.

See for yourself!

Also in the room is a "yukata", or cotton kimono-like robe with a sash that many Japanese people wear as pajamas or to lounge in.

June 13--Arrival in Japan!

After a 10 1/2 hour flight and crossing the international dateline, we arrived at Narita International Airport at about 2:15 p.m. Need I say that the flight was looooong???? Luckily, I was seated in Economy Plus (along with some other JFMFers), so I probably had a little more room than a lot of people.

This trip is extraordinarily well-organized. After going through passport control, we saw a series of people with JFMF signs, pointing us in the right direction. I kept waiting for someone to say "Follow the yellow brick road!". There was no way that anyone could have gotten lost! Our groups assembled and buses took us to the Akasaka Prince Hotel in Tokyo. Our luggage was taken on a truck and delivered to our rooms (I'm used to hauling luggage on buses, into the hotel, up stairs, etc, so to me, this is true luxury!).

Our Aizuwakamatsu group was on a bus with the group that will go to Kesennuma and the woman who will be their group coordinator was with us. On the ride to the hotel, she gave us some information about Japan. Did you know that the country is about the size of California, but while California has a population of around 35 million, the population of Japan is about 127 million! The Tokyo metropolitan area has a population of about 31 million!

June 12--Leaving for Japan!

We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then everyone left on their scheduled buses to go to the airport. 120 of us are on an 11:30 a.m. flight and 80 are on a 1:30 p.m. flight. I'm on the earlier flight, which is great. Everything is extremely well-organized and scheduled. I think that all of the participants are excited that we are finally leaving for Japan!











At the airport, we had a little time to talk and start to get to know each other.

Our plane!

June 11--The Adventure Begins

Despite my anxiety, all my flights went smoothly. Several other JFMFers were on my flight from Dulles to San Francisco, so it was nice to see them. We arrived in SF at about 11:30 a.m. PDT and were at our hotel by 12:30. After a nice lunch, we had our orientation and received lots of important information.

The Consul General of Japan in San Francisco spoke to us and gave 3 pieces of advice:
1--Be prepared, not just for the weather (it's the rainy season in Japan), but also to build personal relationships with Japanese people.
2--Share your experiences with colleagues, students and community.
3--Keep in contact with the people that you meet in Japan, with your fellow participants and with alumni of the program.

Kyoko Jones, director of JFMF, spoke to us about practical matters. First of all, the nametag is VERY important! We must wear it all the time and be sure not to lose it. Second, we all received a book which is a wealth of information. We need to keep the book with us at all times and if it is lost, it will cost $25 to replace it. Looking through the book, I could understand why it would be so important for the next 3 weeks! Each city group has a different version and it contains a detailed schedule for each day of the trip. It also has information about all of the participants, photos of the people in my city group, addresses for all the places that we would be going, insurance info, evaluation forms, and so on. This is one book that I will NOT let go of!

As for our behavior during our time in Japan, Ms. Jones told us that we should not chew gum as it is considered to be one of the most impolite things to do. Punctuality is extremely important--if the bus is leaving at 8:30 a.m., you should plan to be there by 8:20. If you arrive at 8:31, you might be waving good-bye as the bus pulls out. Another interesting piece of information is that there is no tipping in Japan, so we don't need to worry about that anywhere. I was amused to hear that we are not allowed to leave Japan during our free time--apparently someone actually did this in the past! Finally, we were reminded that this trip is not a paid vacation. We have all been chosen largely on the basis of our proposed follow-on plans and this is our opportunity to gather knowledge and materials to implement the plan.

We finally got to meet with our city group of 20. We introduced ourselves and came up with questions to ask JFMF alumni who would be speaking to us. The 3 former participants told us about their experiences, showed some pictures and gave some advice. After a break, we had a reception and dinner and then I think that nearly everyone went to bed in preparation for the flight tomorrow!