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!