Travels to Japan

Migrating URL

2010-04-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

OK, I really don't understand much of this, but it sounds like this blog will still exist, but I can no longer add to it after May 1 unless I do a URL migration. Sounds easy, but I have already messed up the blog situation with my Earthwatch blog so I'm not sure I'm going to do it. Just a heads up.

New Earthwatch URL

2010-04-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

It was brought to my attention that I have changed my URL for Earthwatch. I didn't realize I had done that. If you have been having trouble, the problem should be fixed!

A Surprise from Japan

2009-12-26T13:34:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I received a fun filled package from my friends the Takahashis. They not only sent gifts for me, but for my entire class. Each student was able to choose something after they completed a worksheet. I had to find a fair way to let them choose. They were all salivating over certain items. We recorded a thank you for the Takahashi family, but it's too big to send, so I'm uploading it. We were all dressed for the Colonial Christmas celebration that took place in the afternoon.

It's been a whole year!

2009-06-19T19:33:00.004-05:00

One year ago I was meeting my host family Wataru and Mari Takahashi. We are still in touch and their friendship means a great deal to me! This is the time when people all over Japan visit gardens to view the beautiful hydrangeas. These are pictures they sent of them viewing the hydrangea.

PTO Spring Dinner

2009-05-17T14:29:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was the annual PTO Spring Dinner. They were nice enough to let me have a booth to share my experiences from Japan. I had several items and pictures on display, and I also had a table where people could try to fold an origami goldfish, pick up erasers with chopsticks, or make a little Maneki Neko (beckoning cat). Even one of the Klement's Racing Sausages made a goldfish. Italian did a great job! My helpers Jasmine and Jamie worked very hard all day at the booth. The dinner was a lot of fun and a huge success. Our class sponsored a basket for the auction. One of the moms from my class put it together beautifully. I heard many compliments about it, and it brought a great price.

Candy from Japan

2009-05-11T21:01:00.001-05:00

Ever since I got my package from the Takahashi family, the entire class has been wanting to eat the candy. Today we started our Japan booklet, so it was a perfect time to do the taste test. Everyone got two pieces of candy, and I didn't hear any negative feedback. So the candy was all a thumbs up! As you can see from the picture they are all excited about the taste test. Tomorrow I hope to post some video of the class attempting to play a song on the recorder.

Kodomo no hi

2009-05-05T17:48:00.006-05:00

Today is Children's Day in Japan. It's really Boys' Day, but they have renamed it Children's Day. The day is very much like Girls'Day with special displays of samurai dolls, special foods, and more recognizable the carp kites or koinobori.
People display the kites high on poles, or other high places, and they represent strength and endurance as the carp can swim upstream even against a waterfall. Mr. Takahashi said there were kites flying all over Japan on that day (they are 15 hour ahead of us). He also sent a picture of the samurai display. My class made koinobori to celebrate the day. We didn't have the special rice cakes wrapped in bamboo or oak leaves. Instead we tried some miso soup and ate more rice. This time everyone got a set of bamboo chopsticks to keep! Thank goodness for the 100 yen store.

Surprise from My Friends!

2009-04-25T18:53:00.005-05:00

It's always so much fun to come home and have a card in the mail saying there's a package for me at the post office. It's a pretty good bet it's from my friends, the Takahashis in Japan. My last package was full of many beautiful things from Japan. I've included a photo. Wataru and Mari sent several wonderful items, Yoshino sent some yummy treats, and even Sugao the cat sent some candy! I can't wait to share this with my family tomorrow and my students on Monday! One thing they sent is Sakura wine. It even has cherry blossoms in the bottle. My favorite of all of the items is a set of Japanese paper dolls. They are beautiful! I am so thankful to my friends for sharing these gifts with me, my family, and my students!

Sharing Easter with my Host Family

2009-04-10T18:03:00.004-05:00

I sent an Easter basket to my host family. I tried to include my favorite Easter candies and some egg dye. They shared the basket with their grandchildren. They also sent pictures of the incredible cherry trees that are in full bloom. Many festivals are held for sakura, the cherry blossoms.

Hina Matsuri - Girls' Day

2009-03-03T19:21:00.007-06:00

Today was Japanese Girls' Day. Traditionally, girls in Japan invite their friends to a home party and have a good time. People display a set of hina dolls and props in the house, wishing girls' healthy growth and happiness. We ate mochi, drank green tea, and had a display of our dolls with an origami Emperor and Empress on the top tier of our red tiered display.

This is one type of mochi we ate. The pink stands for peach blossoms, the white for snow, and the green for new life. Sweets in the US are much sweeter than those in Japan. The class wasn't really very thrilled with the taste of the mochi, but they gave it a try.

Daruma Legend

2008-12-18T20:11:00.000-06:00

Japanese Folk Dolls
Signifies good luck
Legend says .... The Dharma was a Buddhist priest. He sat and meditated for nine years. When he finally moved to stand up, his arms and legs were too stiff to stand upright.Nothing can stop the teachings of the Buddha, the Dharma thought to himself. I must move from village to village, sharing with the people what I have discovered while meditating. Since the Dharma could not stand up and walk, he rolled from village to village, spreading his teachings.

The "wishing" daruma doll has a face that is painted without eyes. One eye, usually the right eye, is painted on the "wishing" doll when a wish is made. The second eye is painted when the wish is fulfilled.

Daruma Dolls

2008-12-18T19:54:00.006-06:00

My class spent some time creating their own Daruma dolls. The dolls are said to bring good luck, and in Japan it is common to make a wish on one for the New Year. You make a wish and fill in the right eye. When the wish comes true, you fill in the left eye. First we molded Celluclay around a plastic egg.Then we shaped it to make a nose and an indent for the eyes. Using a Daruma I purchased in Japan as a model, we painted the details on our dolls.

A Package from Japan

2008-12-10T20:36:00.004-06:00

I have been keeping in touch with the wonderful family that hosted me while I was in Japan. The Takahashi family surprised me today with a package! What a great surprise. There were beautiful postcards, a kimono for Dixie, a doggie keychain, a beautiful cloth, chopsticks, and recorders for my whole class! Takahashi-san owns a music store, so we will do our best to learn and play a song on our new Yamaha recorders. I'll post a video when we do! My favorite thing, though, was the kimono for Dixie. She's adorable!

Now she has an outfit to wear when I make sushi, and she gets a little rice to eat.

Calligraphy - The Real Thing!

2008-10-14T18:38:00.005-05:00

Today, Mr. Hashiguchi visited to show us how to do calligraphy. This time we were learning from someone who really knew what they were doing. We used rice paper and ink (yes, there was a bit of an accident on the floor with that), so it was far more authentic. He also wrote each student's name on a piece of paper, and they wrote them on their best example of "tomo" or friend. Then we made a small samurai helmet from origami paper and mounted our work.

Origami

2008-10-03T19:35:00.003-05:00

Today Mr. Hashiguchi returned and showed us pictures of his school and students. Then he treated us to an origami lesson. Students first had to create a square from a piece of newspaper. Then, they were instructed step by step how to fold a samurai helmet. Origami has to be folded carefully so it takes time and patience. Some of us were in a hurry and had to fold and refold. In the end we all had a samurai helmet! They were worn throughout the entire day.I only had a half of a newspaper so I made a smaller helmet. Lucky Dixie!

Visiting Teacher from Japan

2008-10-02T17:53:00.008-05:00

One of our fourth grade teachers, Mrs. Fahey(center right), is hosting a Japanese teacher through a program sponsored by the government of Japan with the partnership of WEAC. Mr. Jun Hashiguchi will be observing and teaching in our school through the end of the month. He is a second grade teacher in Japan. Today we were lucky enough to have him visit our class! We have a BIG school, and he is very much in demand. He showed us the many ways to write his name, and he explained that in Japan your last name is said first. So, he is Hashiguchi Jun back home. He then led a lively instruction on counting from 1-6 in Japanese. The class really enjoyed his enthusiasm! After the class was comfortable with the numbers they played a game where one student called out a number in Japanese, and the other two or three students tried to slap the number first.
The student that won called the next number. The class was very excited to have him visit and look forward to having him in class again!

Popcorn, Rice, and Chopsticks!

2008-09-25T17:01:00.005-05:00

To continue our study of cultures, my class took their first lesson with chopsticks. It won't be our last. It started out very frustratingly and I heard a lot of, "I can't do it," and "I need help." The real problem was it was hard to explain how to hold the chopsticks. I was able to show them how to hold them initially, but you really do kind of adjust the grip to work for yourself. After much urging on my part to "keep trying", and the addition of popcorn to pick up, most of the students started experiencing success. When I ate with the students at Inagi Dainana Elementary School, the man helping me was very impressed with my ability to use the chopsticks. Not that I was an expert, but I could get the food to my mouth! He said that chopsticks are hard even for the Japanese children, so I guess my students should be pretty proud of themselves. When the popcorn started to run out, I scooped out rice for those that wanted it. I think everyone tried a little. I explained that the rice I made was short grained rice, so it was stickier and easier to eat. That is what they eat in Japan. I also showed them that in Japan it is perfectly alright to hold your bowl closer to your face to eat rice and noodles. Surprisingly enough, they were able to use the chopsticks to pick up clumps of rice, or to scoop it up. I was nervous about the activity at first, but they ended up doing a great job. Of course everyone wanted to take the chopsticks home. We'll have more opportunities later this year to eat with chopsticks. Now we have some practice under our belt. I am getting these pictures posted right away, because everyone was eager to be on the blog. If you haven't been pictured yet, don't worry, there will be other chances!

Trying Something New

2008-09-19T20:31:00.005-05:00

We have been studying different communities and cultures. It was a perfect lead in for introducing Japan. We have been working on a few words and phrases, but today we tried some calligraphy. Our reading series story this week was The Ballad of Mulan, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce calligraphy. We watched a YouTube segment on how to hold the brush and the different types of strokes. I found some pictures of Chinese characters and the stroke order so I had a helper enlarge them. When we visited Inagi Dainana Elementary School in Inagi, the students had tracers under the paper to help guide their strokes. I wish I had found a pad of those when I was there, but we made due with what we had. I bought a bunch of brushes at the 100 yen store, and we used black tempera paint instead of ink. We also used white newsprint instead of the paper used at the school. First we practiced holding the brushes. Then we practiced tracing the characters. The students found the way they held the brush made it a little difficult, but they had a great time working on the characters. We wrote person, day, and above. They wanted to try more, but I told them we would practice another day. It was a fun activity, and the kids are more interested in Japan every day!

Getting Ready for the Year

2008-08-20T17:28:00.005-05:00

Today was my third day in my class getting ready for the new year. I'm getting ideas straight in my mind for teaching Japan by blending it into the curriculum I'm required to teach. These are a couple of photos of things that will help me fulfill my follow on plan. The bulletin board is in the hall, and on the first day of school the students will all make their own beckoning cat.
The other display is in my classroom.
That display will probably change throughout the year. I'm ready to go!

I'm making sushi - sort of

2008-08-02T14:33:00.009-05:00

Thursday was the Wisconsin State Fair. Well, it's the best place to buy gadgets and stuff. I found a sushi maker that looked fairly easy to use. So, I bought it, and today was my first attempt at making sushi.

Here I am with the head sash and knife that came with the kit. Don't I look official? First, I had to wash the rice. I've never done that before. It took several times to get the water clear. These are all of my ingredients. I wasn't very creative. I have seaweed, avocado, cucumber, fake crab, and salmon.

It took a few tries to get into the grove, but it got easier. I think I need less rice and more filling. The mold is pretty easy to use. You choose the mold shape that you want. Then, you put the seaweed liner in and fill with rice part way. You use a little pusher to smash the rice down and make an indentation. Put whatever filling you want in the indentation. Fill with rice and then fold the seaweed over the top sealing it with water. Then, the top piece goes on to finish the shape and push it down. There are slits in the side of the mold to cut perfect thicknesses.

This is my first attempt at sushi. I need to work on the inside out rolls. First I forgot the seaweed, and then I made it look like an eye! Oh well, practice makes perfect.

Like I said, less rice, more filling. I bought plum wine and sake, so even if it doesn't taste good, I'll think it does. My sister and brother-in-law came over to try the sushi, and they said it was good! I have to agree. I just need to get more inventive with my fillings to shake things up a bit.

Two down - two hundred to go?

2008-07-10T06:08:00.003-05:00

Yea! I've sent the follow on to Seattle Pacific AND JFMF. That's two major tasks done. Now I have many thank yous to write. I've started the main letter that I will work off of, but I have a think and write process that has dogged me since high school. I can't just sit down and complete the writing. I think about it and write a bit, and I do that over and over until its done. It works, but it sure takes a long time! I also pared down my pictures to 536! Now I need to put them in albums and label them with captions. That shouldn't take too long! Right.

I've actually gotten out to walk a few time to prepare for the race although it wasn't with a smile on my face. I'm sure when I'm there in the middle of the excitement I'll feel pumped about it, but right now I keep saying to myself, "What was I thinking?"

Now the work begins!

2008-07-07T10:35:00.002-05:00

OK, I've been lazing around putting things away and thinking about all that I have to do. I don't know how the teachers do this in the fall. I'm very grateful that I have the summer to plan and complete all I need to do. I've already submitted my follow-on to Seattle Pacific University, and now I need to send it to JFMF. Then I have a bunch of thank you letters to write. Some I think I will formally type and others I will hand write. I hope I don't offend anyone. Then the big task of planning activities and lessons for the year will begin. I don't feel as though I learned enough about subjects in the short time I was in Japan, so I'll be researching things to make sure I know my stuff. I'm still thinking about the race I'm in on Sunday. I hope thinking about it will help me finish. Let's just hope it's not 90 degrees!

Last night I went to dinner with a friend and his family. They took me to Honadas in Kenosha which is a Japanese restaurant. It was very good! Then we looked at my pictures and ate mochi (which I didn't try in Japan). It was a really nice evening. His daughter knows Japanese and is very interested in the culture. I really hope she has the opportunity to go someday. She won't be disappointed!

Feeling Human Again!

2008-06-30T09:39:00.003-05:00

Stealing a line from Beauty and the Beast, I finally feel human again! It was really tough getting over the jet lag this direction. I'm glad it wasn't this bad for the trip. My flight home was a bit uneventful. We were in economy plus which gave us more leg room. That made the flight so much better than the flight to Japan! When I got to Chicago it was time to say goodbye to everyone. We were heading to different gates and different terminals. Most of us just had enough time to go through customs and get to our gate before the next flight started loading. My flight was delayed of course. Then they started to call for people to give up their seats because the flight was oversold. I have always wanted this to happen so I could get a free flight somewhere. At first I thought, no, because I just wanted to get home and the bus would take longer. The lure of a free flight was too much though. The funny thing is that the plane was so late that the people on the plane and the people on the bus got to the baggage claim at the same time. Then, many of our bags weren't there. Somehow, even though the flight was late, our bags didn't make it! My bag with souvenirs made it, but my clothes were still in Chicago.The bag was delivered by 8:40 the next morning. It was all good. Now I'm trying to clear up the debris in my house that I left as I prepared for the trip. I'm getting laundry done, and then I'll tackle the lawn. I even planted flowers yesterday. I guess I'd better think about the triathlon I'm supposed to do the running/walking leg for. Hmmmm. That's it for now. I figured I should at least let you know that I'm home safe and sound.

Fish Market

2008-06-25T20:04:00.010-05:00

We were up early today 5:15 which probably wasn't really early enough, but we wanted to go to the famous Tsukiji fish market. We were told that the people working there don't really appreciate the tourists, because they get in the way and cause confusion. There are no flash pictures, and if you value your life, you won't get too close to the people cutting fish and you'll watch for the motorized carts. They won't stop for you! I'm hoping I got some good pictures. I didn't use a flash and they were all moving very fast, so things could be blurry!

We had yet another huge breakfast brunch, but this time I loaded up. We have to check out by 12, and I don't leave until 2:30 for the airport. I really don't want to go out. Some people are rushing out to buy last minute things. You know how I feel about shopping. Just so you know, if I don't have something for you, I was thinking of you. Heh, I just sent my last postcards yesterday!
I really should get out and walk though. I will be sitting on the plane for 12 hours! The lucky people going to D.C. have a 14 hour flight! Yikes! Someone said that for $100 you can upgrade to economy plus. I may think about it. The cramped 9 hour flight was tough enough. I'm hoping I'll sleep since I got up early. Well, I think that's it for me from Tokyo. I'll either update this blog with more information and pictures when I get home, or I'll link it to a web site. Thanks for tuning in. I've enjoyed the emails and comments!

Last Official Day - June 25

2008-06-25T08:58:00.009-05:00

The day started with the presentations from all of the groups. They were all very interesting and entertaining. The Superintedent of the Inagi City Schools and two school board members attended the session. It was so nice to see them. The group from Ichinoseki had some pretty sobering pictures from the earthquake that happened over a week ago. They were very thankful to the people, because despite the natural disaster, the group was still warmly welcomed. They said an earthquake of that magnitude happens about once a century. After that, what else? We had a gigantic buffet. I'm glad only our bags are weighed on the way home! Then we had wrap up and registered for our class through Seattle Pacific University. Not everyone is taking the class, but it's basically just completing what we've already agreed to do. We had a break before the final farewell buffet, so a group of us hopped the train to the Meiji Shrine and the beautiful iris gardens.

Apparently the emperor would often walked these grounds because they are so beautiful. It took us awhile to find where we were going, so we had a whopping 20 minutes to walk the garden. That was too bad, because there were trails beyond the garden. Once again the Shrine is now located in the midst of a very busy business district, but when you are on the grounds you would never know it. It is so quiet! Of course you rarely hear cars honking horns or sirens anyway. We made it back to the hotel with about 45 minutes to freshen up before the Sayonara Buffet. Oka-san was able to attend the buffet after attending the session in the morning, so it was nice to spend one last night with her.
I ate sushi until my eyes popped out! Then we were treated to an Aikido demonstration.
Finally we sang "Auld Lang Syne". The Japanese speaking guides and guests sang it in Japanese. I think I wrote earlier that this is a popular song in Japan to sing at graduation. It is so popular that many Japanese students think it is Japanese folk song.
Then we sang in English. I think that's when it hit many of us that this is it. It's over. Our journey began 17 days ago and the time has just flown by. Our experiences have been very different but the feeling about Japan and its people is the same. This is a country of gracious, sincere, and friendly people, and the similarities between our countries far outweigh our differences. My unending gratitude goes out to the government of Japan and the JFMF organization for this opportunity of a life time.

Art Education and the Tokyo Tower

2008-06-24T06:16:00.009-05:00

Today we heard from Chihiro Tada. He operates a toy museum in Shinjuku ward. His father originally opened the museum encouraging children to explore the joys of low tech toys. He is concerned about the inability of children to be creative and communicate with one another, and he believes that turning off the television or computer games and playing with simple toys that use the imagination will help improve those two things. He showed us a toy that children used to be able to make on their own out of leaves. Today the only way they could make this toy is bringing in an older person to teach it to them in a workshop. The toy is called a snake. It works like Chinese handcuffs. You put a finger in the mouth and if you pull away it won't let you go. We made two simple toys that he said had been in existence for 350 years. Basically, he said someone had thought these up, and children used to make them all the time. He also said that when he was a student he never went anywhere without a spinning top.He would meet friends and play. The toys in the museum include toys made from wood by crafts people in Japan. He gives workshops to teachers and students and people come to the museum to work with the children. They make things with their hands, and their excitement about what they are doing causes them to communicate that excitement with the people around them. It was a very interesting talk, and I will definitely be using the items we made in class.
Our Inagi group met during the lunch break to discuss our presentation. We go first, so we want it to be decent. Cari has been doing the lion's share of the work pulling together the pictures in Windows Movie Maker. We'll have an opening and closing statement, so we hope it will be sufficient.
Then a former Fulbright Scholar who studied in Madison, WI took our questions about Japanese Education and Society. Clearly, the national curriculum is a point of contention among some teachers and society members. They feel it focuses too much on the basics and not enough on creativity. We seem to have the exact opposite in the states. Maybe we need to get together and develop a more balanced approach.
After the sessions a group of us took off on the Metro to see the Tokyo Tower. It looks just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even gets lit up at night. We even got a faint view of Mt. Fuji! It was very hazy, but I can at least say I saw it! Looking down on this city is an incredible sight. It is just solid buildings, and then you'll see a shrine, and then maybe a bit of green.
Alright, I had to do the fake fall off of the tower.
Then of course we had to eat, so we wandered down the street a bit to what we thought was a noodle shop. Well, we walked in the wrong door and ended up in a Korean restaurant. I have to admit that I wasn't to courageous. Everything sounded spicy and that is not my thing. I got potato pancakes and they came drizzled in cheese sauce with spice. It was actually very good. Everyone loved what they ordered, so it was a happy mistake. We headed back, and I was suddenly tired. So, I'm blogging, finishing the last of my postcards, and making sure everything is ready to go for Thursday. We give our presentations tomorrow and then there is a farewell dinner. Most of the people we hung with tonight were Inagi. We really had a good time together. It will be weird not to see them anymore.

Ryokan in Hakone National Park

2008-06-23T08:26:00.015-05:00

Like I said it just gets better and better. We had to say goodbye to our families on Sunday afternoon. We were dropped off at 4:00 and we heard from the Superintendent of the Inagi Schools, Sachie Matsuozawa. She was instrumental in arranging the school visits, home visits, and all of the wonderful things we did during our Inagi stay. We truly can't thank her enough!It was sad, but we were all flying high from the wonderful experiences we had. Everyone did different things, stayed with different family make ups, and in different types of homes. The one thing we had in common was that we agreed it was an incredible time! The superintendent knew we were headed to Hakone, and reminded us to noticed the beautiful hydrangea which are the most beautiful during the rainy season. We then started our trip to Hakone National Park and the ryokan where we would be spending the night. The joke in our group is that Oka-san always says the trip will take about 30 minutes no matter where we are headed. This time she said, "It will not take 30 minutes." It took about 2 hours. The only downside was that the rain finally caught up with us, so seeing Mt. Fuji was not going to happen. Ah well, I have two fantastic photos of it from someone who did see it! While on the bus Oka-san explained that the rooms are all tatami mats, and we should not wear slippers on the tatami. We were to put on our yakata (summer kimono) and meet for dinner at 7. The rooms were gorgeous! Cari, Cindy, and I shared the room. The guys REALLY loved the yukata. I wasn't sure they were going to wear their regular clothes home. Here is Oka-san with the coat that you could wear if you were cold. I was too warm, and all the eating I do makes me sweat. I'm very glad I haven't seen a scale in a while. We had low tables set with a ton of Japanese food. I figured that was the meal. No! The food just kept coming. We had shabu shabu, which was boiling water where we cooked our own meat and vegetable. They also lit a fire under the rice, and when our fire went out, the rice was ready to eat. I can't tell you what everything was, and quite frankly, I probably don't want to know what everything was. But, it was delicious. I was hoping someone would come along and massage my stomach so I could just continue eating.
We had plum wine, cold sake, warm sake, and many different kinds of soft drinks. We also had the use of a karaoke machine for two hours. So of course, we sang our hearts out.
We kept trying to get Oka-san on the stage, but she wasn't very cooperative. However, she did treat us to a song at the end of our time. Then it was time for the hot springs bath. Yes, this is the traditional communal bath with girls on one side and boys on a different side. Totally different rooms actually. First you have to completely wash yourself in a big open room - locker room style. Once you are completely cleaned and rinsed you enter the hot springs bath. The water is naturally heated in the earth and is often about 42 degrees Celsius. You enter sans clothing. It sounds a bit intimidating, but actually you just get in and forget that everyone is bare! No pictures for this part of the tour! You can only stay in for a short while at a time. Oka-san said someone stayed in too long the last time and fainted. When I started feeling a bit light headed it was time to go. I did some email and hit the sack. Oh, I forgot to mention that while we were eating, the hotel fairies came in and laid out our beds. I was pretty tired after the dinner and the soak, so it was time for bed. I slept very well. There was a waterfall and a rushing river outside our room, so we left the window open to hear it. The futons were so comfy that I chose to sleep in instead of going back to the hot springs bath. Instead, I chose to soak in the tub in our room. Notice there is a separate shower to wash BEFORE you enter the tub. The tub is just for soaking. Japanese families share the soaking water. The tub will often have a heating element in it to keep the water hot. We met at 8 for our last meal on the road.
Today we returned to Tokyo. Things are winding down, and it's sad to think that in a couple of days we won't see the people that have become our family in Japan.

Home stay Inagi City June 21, 22

2008-06-22T19:30:00.011-05:00

Wow! I didn’t think it could get any better, but I was wrong! The last two days have been absolutely incredible! First, we checked out of our hotel on Saturday to meet with our host families. We filed in to the second floor of the community center, and all of the families were there clapping for us as we came in. We have been so warmly welcomed everywhere we go. It’s going to be difficult going back to our modest lives after being treated like celebrities for two and a half weeks! While we were sitting there waiting for all of the JFMF teachers to file in, Amy commented that it was like waiting to get adopted. Who was going to take us home? I was actually sitting right across from my family and didn’t know it. Takahashi-san and his wife Mari stood when my name was called and ran right over to give me a welcome card they had made. It was so beautiful and thoughtful. My nervousness faded away quickly, because they were so enthusiastic about my visiting. In the picture you see Yushino, their daughter who is in university for music performance, Mari the mother who recently completed her study for special education, and Takahashi-san. He owns a music store which occupies the lower floor of the house. They live upstairs. He plays the trumpet and guitar, and Mari plays many different instruments including the harp, piano, and the Japanese flute. After dropping off my things and unpacking we went on a whirlwind tour of the area. I felt badly because they asked me about lunch. I said I wasn’t really hungry, which I wasn’t, but THEY hadn’t eaten. By the time we ate much later on, they were very hungry. We started by going to the twin towers in Shinjuku. That is a very busy business district. The view was great, though it was overcast. I couldn’t see Mount Fuji, but what I could see was great. There was also a children’s art show promoting healthy teeth. The pictures were incredible. Then we toured Tokyo a bit, and we ended up at a television station. We saw some of the animated characters, watched a live talk show, viewed a few people pretending to be newscasters, and they really wanted me to do it. So, I stood up and two children and another adult stood. We had to play paper, scissors, rock to see who would do the newscast. The other adult won both times. My family was disappointed, but it was fun to watch the others do the newscast. Then we went to a shrine and a museum. I’m sorry I’m so vague, but I’d have to go through all of my notes and pictures to get the correct names. I plan on coming back to all of the posts when I have more specifics. Then, Sunday morning we had breakfast and headed over to Mari’s parent’s house. Their home is very traditional with tatami mats. It’s funny though, you see the tatami and sliding doors and a fax machine. It is a real mix of the past and present. Mari’s father is an award winning photographer, so he showed me some of his gorgeous photos as we had tea and little plum gelatin cakes. Everything was fantastic! These are Mari's parents. I need to email them to get names again. I'm not great with names to begin with, and then we've met so many people. I know I should write these things down, but I think of it after the facts. Heh, I like to live in the moment. He generously gave me three large photos.Two of the photos were different shots of Mt. Fuji (which is good because I don’t think I will get a view of it with the rain), and one of the Golden Palace in Kyoto. They are amazing. Then we went to another beautiful shrine and lunch. The time flew by! They spoke limited English and I spoke NO Japanese, but they had an electronic translator and I had my dictionary. I hadn’t used the dictionary at all up until then, but it got a work out at my home stay. I also used phrases from the book Jill sent (thanks Jill). It has the pronunciation as well, and they said my Japanese was very good. These are pictures of a couple of the things I was given. They were incredibly generous. They even sent a gift for my mom!
It was very difficult to say goodbye at the end of the stay. We had such a good time, they were so incredibly kind, and I really enjoyed the time we had together. I will definitely be in touch with them! Well, I’ll write later about the ryokan (which is fabulous). I’m typing in the lobby now, but I want to post this, and we leave in about 30 min.

Inagi Daigo Jr. High School

2008-06-20T07:28:00.011-05:00

Tomorrow we head to our host family. My family is a self employed dad, mom, and two daughters in their twenties. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm a little nervous too. I think everyone feels the same way! Then, on Sunday night we stay at the ryokan. I'll try to add the link so you can see it. We should be able to see Mount Fuji, but it has been really overcast. It hasn't rained, but it really wants to.

So, today we went to the middle school. It was really great. We were greeted by Vice Principal Fukuda, because the principal was out in the morning on business. He was a very gracious host, answered questions, made sure we had water, tea, coffee, etc. Then he answered a few questions for us during first period. We were confused because students were in class when we arrived, but looking at the schedule school hadn't started yet. We discovered that the students have 20 minutes of silent reading BEFORE school begins. They do that so everyone starts the day relaxed. Then there is a ten minute break. There are only 5 periods in the day and there is a 10 minute break between each period. Again, I packed my information before blogging, so I don't have the exact details. This school has about 32-40 students in each class. The desks were tightly packed and went from the door to the windows. There was a lot of fooling around, but the teachers don't seem to mind. They just keep teaching. I observed a couple of English classes, math (very interesting), science, gym and music.
Then we had lunch in the classroom. All of the students were assigned to first year classrooms (7th grade) Cari and I were in the same class and the students were eager to talk. Their Engish is very limited, but they make up for it in enthusiasm. Two girls were talking my arm off, and whenever they stopped the girl across from me asked questions in very good English. She was having trouble getting in a word edgewise.
I would love to post their picture, but we're not really supposed to post clear pictures of faces. After lunch we wandered around some more. One of the classes we observed was 8th and 9th grade study class. Today they were discussing career possibilities. They didn't look very interested, and I think kids here would be the same. D_5213948328969334610" /> We finished with a question and answer session with the principal, vice principal and three teachers. It seems that we always learn something new, so I think they are pretty interesting sessions. They gave us a lovely gift before we left. Sadly, this was Mari-san's last day with us. She was our interpreter for official visits, and those visits are complete. If we screw up on the home visit we're on our own!
This picture was taken as we left the junior high. Oka-san is on the left and Mari-san is on the right. They have really helped to make this a memorable trip!When I got to the hotel I did a quick load of laundry and I planned to do postcards. That didn't happen. I may end up hand delivering some of these! Anyway, we went out for dinner and then went looking for karaoke. We headed in to Chofu, but couldn't find the place. Then we asked a man on the street and he walked us to the place. We asked him to join us, but he chose not to. I didn't last long. I knew it was a bad sign when they offered us ashtrays. The room was hot, small, and reeked of smoke. It made me a bit sick, so I left and took the train back to the hotel. Alone you may ask? Yes, it is very safe here on the streets. I don't really think twice. I still have that look around attitude, but I'm not really worried. It's a nice feeling. OK, I've got to get some postcards written :) I'll report again on my adventures as soon as I can!

The Komazawa Gakuen Girls' Senior High School

2008-06-19T06:39:00.014-05:00

Today we headed for the Komazawa Girls High School. I thought it was going to be very different, because the teaching is based on Zen Buddhism. It was a regular high school with Buddhism offered as a class. We started the day with announcements and a short two minute meditation. Then we took a short tour of the campus and the beautiful library they have.
Then we headed to the zazen meditation room that we allowed to try. We were given a quick overview of Buddhism and then we were shown the correct way to prepare ourselves for meditation. Once seated properly and in proper posture, the priest showed us how they use a stick to whack those who are meditating so they correct their posture or wake up. He then allowed us to experience that. The waiting for it was worse than the whack. How can you meditate when you hear people getting hit?! After that, we were given time to observe classes. Fiona and I wandered into the calligraphy class, and the students eagerly greeted us and then encouraged us to try the calligraphy. They asked us a word we wanted to write and they made an example. I hope the sensei wasn’t too annoyed with us. Fiona did a great job, but when I started they all sucked in air. I realized later that I used too much ink when I noticed it had turned into a big black blob! Oops! I got another chance later thankfully. Then we had a Japanese lunch in the cafeteria.
They got us there before the crowd, but then students from the university, which is connected to the high school, started arriving with their bento boxes. There “lunch box” has several different compartments to separate the food. That way everything does not require individual packaging. They are very environment conscious here in Japan. There are recycling boxes everywhere. They are even on vending machines. OK, after lunch we were instructed by the calligraphy teacher. I did a much better job this time, and he gave us each a fan to do calligraphy on. It looks fairly impressive. We spent the rest of the school day observing classes and then we met with the principal and a couple of the teachers. We found that many of their high school problems we have in the states. They have banned cell phones from the campus, and when they heard about problems we have they looked satisfied that they have. We were allowed to take some old text books, and he gave us a little souvenir. After school they have club which is basically our extra curricular activities. We were able to observe a kyudo class, which is the ancient martial art of archery.
Apparently, the sensei (teacher) was a very well known archer, but he was too modest to say. He had just retired from the school after 42 years of service, but he continues teaching the archery club. We also watched the dance club.

The girls were very eager to perform for us and have their pictures taken. After that I wandered upstairs to see if I could find Ikebana (flower arranging). Instead I found students all around the fourth floor practicing instruments of various kinds. There wasn’t a teacher around, so they must have been practicing something they had already discussed. Finally, I was able to watch the tea ceremony club. The tea ceremony has many different facets, and it takes time to learn it and perform it properly.
The teacher was so apologetic about not having room for us to join, but we needed to get to the bus anyway. I am so tired and my legs hurt, so I had planned on staying in, but I ended up going for dinner with Fiona and Dean. We found an out of the way place not too far from the hotel. It was good, but I’m going to take a nice Japanese bath and hit the sack! We go to the junior high school tomorrow. Saturday we’ll spend with our host family and Sunday is the ryokan. More later.

Elementary School Continued

2008-06-19T04:18:00.006-05:00

I’m back. We’re all having trouble getting internet connections, so I’m going to write this in Office and hope I can upload from the lobby computer. As I was saying, we had an incredible time at the elementary school. After calligraphy we were able to wander in and out of classes. This is an English class for sixth graders being taught by student teachers. Teachers dress very casually here, because they are always on the move.There were parent volunteers in the classes who knew English. Then if we had questions we could ask them. I was assigned to a third grade classroom for lunch. I went to their class, but they were at PE so I waited. The students change for gym so I was a little surprised when they came back and started stripping down in the classroom. I was a bit uncomfortable, so I waited in the hall until most of them looked changed. I asked Mari-san if that was common. She said it is because there is no room for changing, but some of the students are very uncomfortable with it, and it can cause problems. The students serve each other lunch. They are places in groups called han. Everyday one of the han is in charge of the lunch. There are also two students in charge of the classroom, so they make sure everything is being taken care of. I had a wonderful PTA member in the class helping me speak with the children. They were very excited to have me there, and they played rock, paper, scissors to see which han I would sit with. Although I became very boring to some of them when I couldn’t name my favorite video game! They asked about my favorite Japanese food and my favorite American food. I’m so mad I didn’t take a picture of the lunch.

Sometimes I just get caught up in what I’m doing and I forget my camera! All of the students eat lunch from school. There was a very thick slice of soft bread, soup with carrots, corn, cabbage and broth, a pork cutlet, and milk. It was very healthy and very good! Then they lined up, cleaned their place, and went out to play. They wanted me to play, but we were asking about cleaning and they had arranged it for us. Students clean their own room. Apparently they don’t clean on Wednesday, but when we sounded disappointed, Oka-san, the wonder guide got it arranged. The students move all of the desks to one end of the room. It is swept, and then cleaned with rags. The furniture is moved to the other end of the room and the process is repeated. We observed a first grade class, so the teacher did the big sweep.
I went out to play, and was immediately grabbed by the hand to play but the chime sounded to end recess. We were so disappointed! The rest of the afternoon we just observed whatever we wanted to, and then we met with the principal and teachers of the school for question and answers. That particular school has a high parent involvement and no apparent bullying problem. There is very little moving in and out, and the population is somewhat mixed. Just as we have problems with prejudice in the states, it happens in Japan. One of the group met a mother who said her child is Japanese and Rwandan. She is happy at that school because they are very accepting. It was explained to us that unless you are Japanese and born in Japan, you are not considered Japanese. So, if you are Korean, but born in Japan, you are still considered Korean. That sometimes causes trouble.

We ended up going to Chofu by train. We had a Japanized version of French food. It was rice covered with cream sauce and shrimp. It was then baked, and was quite delicious. No, I don’t have a picture – I was hungry! I was up until about 11 trying to download pictures and blog. The wireless isn’t working in my room, so everything is so. I came down to the lobby where it works, and just found out that I lost everything I wrote today! Ahhhh!! So I’m posting this and then I’ll rewrite about the high school we visited today.

Inagi Dainana Elementary School

2008-06-18T07:17:00.004-05:00

I'm still working on embedding slide shows, so bear with me!

OK, I'm tired so I'll post more tomorrow. We are getting up early to visit a Buddist High School for girls! Heh, if you double click on the pictures you can see them larger! I'm trying to figure out how to make a link to see all of my pictures. I'm so tired at the end of the day, it's sometimes hard to get it done. Oh, ah, the postcards? Haven't mailed many. Sorry!

Inagi Dai nana Elementary School June 18, 2008

2008-06-18T07:03:00.020-05:00

Wow! Today has been the best day so far. It is going to take along time to write about it, so you may want to visit a few times as I update. It's 9 PM right now, and I'm dragging, but I really want to post some pictures and video. We got to the elementary school before the children arrive. Every day they are greeted at the gate by parent volunteers. The kids were very excited to see us and most made a point of saying hello. A few were very shy, and really steered clear. When the bell rang at 8:15, it's really a nice chiming sound like a clock, the students moved into the shoe room where they deposit their shoes and put on their school slippers. The children's slippers are really more like tennis shoes, but they only wear them in the school.
After English we tried our hand in the caligraphy class. I was only OK.

We waited in a lounge until the day started with an assembly in our honor. Imagine our surprise when we walked in to several arches of flowers that we wound through to get to our seats.

The students did most of announcing and then the show began, and it was one fantastic treat after another!

After the younger children performed, we really got to see what years of practice can do!

The drums were done by 5th graders and they were outstanding. We played rock, paper, scissors with the kids, but the twist is that if you lose, you give the winner a name card. Well, the kids swarmed us. However, the star of our group was Jotwan from North Carolina. The kids couldn't leave him alone. He said he felt like a rock star, and he could easily get used to all of this attention! The sixth grades provided music, and after the assembly the 4th graders performed and then taught us a dance. I don't think my thighs with get over it for a while.

After the assembly and the dance lesson, we were free to roam through the classes. There was a lot of activity! I was shocked, because I thought the classes would be very disciplined and quiet. It seemed like organized chaos, yet the kids always knew what to do and when to respond. I watched a third grade math class. Now, remember, they start the year in April. So, this is about 3 months into the new year, and the children were multiplying 1 digit by 3 digits! We haven't even started multiplication by the end of three months! I'm going to have to rethink my math for the upcoming year! Then between second and third period the children went out for recess. The teachers may go out and play with the kids, but I didn't see any formal supervision. Apparently, there is no bullying problem at this school either. Following recess we went to a fifth grade English class. They begin English in third grade at this school. They said, "Nice to meet you. My name is ____. What is your name? Where do you come from?" Then they served us Japanese food. We went down the table, and the children asked, "Do you like ______?" If we answered yes, they served that to us. They also sang a couple of songs in English. It was delightful! Then we tried our hand at calligraphy. I only did an OK job.

June 17, 2008

2008-06-17T04:16:00.007-05:00

Wow, today started off well and just got better and better! We went to Inagi City to meet with four parents with students in the public and private schools. We were able to ask them questions about their schools, and they in turn asked us. It is amazing to hear that many of the same problems we face in the states are here as well. When we think of Japan and education, people often think high math and science scores, disciplined children and a model system. It turns out that bullying is a problem that is bad and is growing. School apathy is also on the rise. Students in the upper school, high school, actually just refuse to go! I always thought this was a society that pretty much did as they were told. It just goes to show that things are not always what they seem. It was interesting to talk to them and the time flew by. Off to another fabulous buffet. It was an “Italian Restaurant” and although it was excellent, it isn’t the Italian that we know. We each got to order the spaghetti that we wanted and then we could get whatever else we wanted from the buffet. They buffet was so good; by the time my spaghetti came I only ate some! I love the fish and tempura type food for breakfast. Starving will not happen here! They are taking fantastic care of us! After lunch we headed for a local shrine to learn about kagura. Kagura is characterized by purity and cleanliness.
In austere and natural settings, ancient dances made as offerings to entertain the gods, often in setting in which no one other than the performers themselves are allowed to witness.
The grounds of a Shinto shrine can be a simple structure as in many village or in the neighborhood shrines of big cities. Many of the large ones are affected by local style and even take on some stylistic elements from Buddhist temples. The two oldest and most revered are the shrine of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu-no O-Mikami at Ise and the shrine of Susanoo no O-Mikoto at Izumo. The Shrine at Izumo is great complex of structures in natural wood. These buildings retain elements which are thought to reflect architectural types going back to times preceding the introduction of Chinese culture in the 6th Century. The Shinto priest who gave us the tour and talk through Oka-san was the 19th generation of performers in his family. We were told the story of the Sun Goddess, and then they dressed us up in the various costumes for the performance.
I’m going to try to put in a slide show of all the fabulous costumes. Until I pull that together I’ll post a couple of pictures. In one of the pictures I’m posting I’m purifying myself of dirty thoughts and dirty body. The papers, that you see hanging, have a dual purpose. First they signify a holy place where used charms can be deposited. If you buy a charm it is only good for one year, and then you take it to a shrine to deposit it. The papers also designate a holy place and keep the evil spirits from entering. We were also treated to a fan dance and a sword dance by a member of the performing troupe. Now everyone is scattered doing various things. I decided to get to the laundry room. Many of the others did their laundry last night, so it is peaceful out on the balcony. I called Glenn on Skype which was pretty cool. Dad you should keep Skype on and I’ll try to call you. Later I may walk down the street with someone to get something to eat, although I’m still full from lunch! Tomorrow I address the elementary school children at their morning assembly. This will be the extent of my Japanese in the speech.
Ohayougozaimasu! (good morning) Watashi wa Wisconsin kara kimashita Anne Woodward desu. (I am Anne Woodward from Wisconsin) Watashi wa sho-gokko no kyoshi desu. (I am an elementary school teacher) The rest is in English with an interpreter. I hope I don’t choke! Elementary school teachers spend the entire day with the children including lunch and recess. However, after teaching a lesson the teachers may leave the room and the students are expected to do their work independently. If they need help they ask their schoolmates. That is what we were told when we visited Tokyo University. Tomorrow I’ll see if I understood correctly.
Well I’m just about out of battery, so I’ll sign off. More about the school tomorrow. I hope you are all dry. We got an email from Andy who went home. He lives just north of Chico, CA. There were 8 homes in the neighborhood, and now there are three. Andy is staying with friends in town.

Tokyo University and Experience Class

2008-06-16T07:48:00.011-05:00

We started the day visiting Tokyo University to hear about their Department of Education. At this time the university doesn't train teachers, but they are working toward more collaboration with teaching schools to more effectively train teachers. Toyko University is the oldest university in Japan. It was established in 1870 and built in 1877 on the grounds of a former feudal lord. The university boasts the only red gate in the area to survive the fire bombings during WWII. A gate was painted red to show that the lord had married the daughter of the Shogunate. Following our trip to the university we had a wonderful buffet lunch at Restaurant Hokkaido. Oka-san (our interpreter for the week) told us it is a typical place for business men to have lunch. In addition to Oka-san, Mari-san will act as our interpreter for official visits. We then went to the library in Inagi City where we were treated to an oragami lesson and a bamboo craft lesson. These lessons are offered Shiroyama Experience House which is connected to the library. We asked how much these classes cost the public and were told it was 150 yen, or about $1.50. I'd be there every day! We learned to make an origami frog and a bamboo dragonfly. We also got extra samples to take which all teachers love! I'll definitely be making these at school!

June 16, 2008

2008-06-16T07:31:00.006-05:00

I'm going to go backwards a bit. Yesterday we were in Asakusa and I just wanted to share some things that i haven't mentioned yet about Japan. If you look at the picture of the biker, on the ground you will see yellow stripes. Those stripes help visually impaired people stay on the sidewalk. When they get to a crosswalk or a place that splits into a couple of directions, the stripes change to dots and the people know to stop. Also, the crossing sign is green, when it starts flashing you have 15 seconds to get out of the road or you WILL be run down. When it starts to flash there is some kind of sound like a bell or a bird chirping to warn the visually impaired. Pretty slick. These things are also found in the metro. We walked around last night and many women were dressed in their kimono because of the festival.

People often dress in kimono for special occasions. There were men dressed also, and we even saw a sumo wrestler. I didn't know it until someone pointed out the top knot. When things started to slow down, the sales booths were shut up, but it still looked nice in the area.

Scary!

2008-06-15T07:21:00.002-05:00

OK, it's 9:21 on Sunday night. I'm sitting here writing my speech for the elementary school (I'm on the 19th floor) when suddenly the whole room moved! It was like a big wind hit the building, but I guess we are going to feel aftershocks all week. I swear that they ground was moving all day, but I may just be psyching myself out. So, do I sleep in my jammies or a T-shirt, jeans, and shoes?!Yikes!

June 15, 2008

2008-06-15T03:13:00.003-05:00

OK, I see my pictures are backward, but that's me all over. Anyway, we just found out that one of our members is heading home. A wildfire in California destroyed his barn, burned the back of the house and destroyed the well. Their area is still evacuated. He just felt he needed to be home for his family. Hopefully things will go better for him. You must be getting all of the rain they usually get here. The weather has been great, and it's usually very raining.

June 15, 2008

2008-06-15T02:58:00.006-05:00

Today was a travel day. Everyone headed for their prefectures. We'll go there tomorrow, but they took us out of our ultra lush accommodations and sent us to Asakusa. We were here the other day for lunch, so many of us had ideas of places we wanted to see again. There is an amusement park smack dab in the middle of the city. I walked with Paul from Maine. We ran into a street performance and the actors were taking pictures with people. I also saw the shave ice sign many times (thanks for the heads up Jill). I got another bad fortune, actually two, so I think my fate is sealed. I gave 300 yen to the gods and they didn't come through. In the pictures I'm getting my fortune

and then tying it to the post so my bad luck stays there!

We're heading out shortly to get some dinner. Tomorrow we go to Tokyo University which is the most prestigious university in the country.

Earthquake

2008-06-14T05:22:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have heard about the earthquake, I am not in that area. I'm in Tokyo prefecture the entire time. There are about three groups that were supposed to head that way, and one is supposed to go to Iwate, Miyagi. So, I don't know if this will effect the trip. We have been told that this is rainy season and they will let us know if a typhoon is moving in. I think I can probably do without that much excitement!

Free Day - June 14, 2008

2008-06-14T05:06:00.004-05:00

Wow! It has been a long and fun day! We got going about 8 AM on our adventure to Kamakura. We took a detour to visit the Taya Caverns in Ofuna. They were used as a seminary for the Buddhist priesthood, and by many disciples of the Shingon Sect in search of enlightenment. The caverns had been enlarged for about 500 years until 1720.
There are 1500 meters of honeycombed tunnels, but only about 400 meters are opened today. Then we headed to Kamakura which was an ancient capital of Japan. Now, it is Saturday, so everyone was out. It was packed. We went to see some gardens and a Shrine (I have to find my book to list which shrine) then walked to the Great Buddha of Kamakura. It is a bronze statue that was cast in 1252 AD. There was originally a temple covering the Buddha, but in 1498 a tidal wave destroyed everything in the area except the Buddha. It weighs 121 tons and is 13.3 meters tall. OK that was the sightseeing. Half of the adventure was getting there. We had to change trains a couple of times, but the real fun was on the way home. I said the baseball game train was full. There were literally people smashed against the glass. My arms were pinned at my sides, and yet people kept trying to smash in. It was wild. We had to go three stops like that, and at each stop people got on! I had to itch my nose so badly, but I couldn’t get my arms up! Now I have to pack my bags to get ready to change hotels tomorrow. I finally got my host family information. The family consists of a self employed father, a mother, and two adult children. Well, I’d better get moving! Sayonara

Japanese toilets

2008-06-13T08:17:00.004-05:00

OK, I told you about the seat warmer on the toilet seat in my room. It also has a warm water bidet, yes I tried it, and a white noise button. We don't want anyone to hear us! Well, I've been waiting for the traditional Japanese toilet, and when I couldn't wait to go I encountered one in the Metro station. Actually, if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.

Friday the 13th (June 13, 2008)

2008-06-13T07:27:00.008-05:00

We started the day with a Peace seminar. We heard from the survivor of the bombing in Nagasaki, Keijiro Matsushima,a hibakusha (A-bomb survivor)and the daughter of a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, Tomoko Yanagi who teaches high school in Hiroshima.

The stories they shared were very moving, and the main message they wanted to deliver was the importance of peace and to remind the world that atomic weapons have no place in our world. whose father was a survivor of the atomic bomb, and also by . Tomoko-sensei spoke first, sharing her father’s experience as a hibakusha, telling stories of how people blamed themselves for surviving when they felt that they should have died with their families or friends in the blast. After Tomoko-sensei finished, Matsushima-sensei, a retired junior high principal, began to share his experience. He said that people in Hiroshima have a deep anger toward the atomic bomb but not toward America. When the A-bomb was dropped, he was a 16 year old student at a school inside of Hiroshima, 2 km from the hypocenter of the blast. He was in math class at the time of the explosion, and he saw two American bombers high in the sky. At this point in the war, American planes usually just did reconnaissance, because there weren’t anymore Japanese fighters or anti-aircraft weapons. So, he didn’t really think much of them while he daydreamed out the window. He finally looked back at his book, and the explosion occurred. He said it was a bright flash and a lot of heat together. He finally got out of the destruction of the school even though he was covered with glass and bleeding. He noticed people were terribly burned to the point where their skin was sagging off their body. He felt badly because he left to find his family who lived outside of town, because they had been evacuated. His father had been killed in the war. Although he called himself a baby for wanting his mommy, he also feels that getting out of Nagasaki so soon probably kept him from getting serious effects from the radiation. When he finally reached his mother’s house she was so happy to see him, because she had told herself that he had been killed in the mushroom cloud she had seen from her home. Again the main message was that atomic weapons are not a good thing, and we must work together to make sure they are never used again.

After another fabulous lunch buffet, we learned about the history of Japanese theater, more specifically, kabuki. We were treated to a dance as well as instrumental and vocal music. We then met with our group to discuss our week in Inagi. I am delivering a short welcome speech at the elementary school. We've also been told we'll have a mini Japanese language lesson so we can introduce ourselves in Japanese.

Tonight a group of us went to a nearby Shinto shrine where a festival was taking place. We got there late, so we just caught the end of it. I'll have to do some research to see what festival it was. Then we went on the Metro to the Oriental bazaar and a shopping district. It was more just an adventure on the Metro! Tomorrow I'll be up early to go to Kamakura.

June 12, 2008

2008-06-12T09:47:00.004-05:00

Oops, I forgot to talk about the trip TO the game. We thought we were going during rush hour at 6:00 PM, but we had no trouble with seats. However, on the way home at about 10:15, we were crammed into the cars for most of the way home. No one had to push us in however. So, here is a subway picture and a fried octopus picture.

June 12, 2008

2008-06-12T09:13:00.005-05:00

What a day! I ended up waking very early and I was supposed to walk with a few people, but it was raining. So I just did some catching up. We listened to speakers who spoke about the government and education. Surprisingly enough, they have some of the same concerns about education as we do. Then we went to the game. The Seibu Lions played the Hanshin Tigers. The Lions won! I am going to insert a video. This happened twice during the game. Once for each side. Of course, I need to list my food. Although there was a wide variety of food, even KENTUCKY CHICKEN (that was for you Joyce), I just had a hot dog, a foamy beverage, Dippin Dots, and fried octopus! Ah yes, baseball food. Tomorrow we have Peace Education sessions and then Kabuki. We're also going to try to find a festival that should be happening close to the hotel. Hopefully we'll find it. Sorry I couldn't edit the video. It's kind of long. You want to especially see the end.

This is the music from our welcome reception

2008-06-11T15:09:00.002-05:00

June 12, 2008

2008-06-11T14:49:00.004-05:00

We were going to start today with a walk at 7, but I'm up right now at 5 AM and I hear rain. They may still decide to go. We have our umbrellas, right? Our sessions today will be about the Japanese government, and then tonight we head to a baseball game at the Goodwill Dome. The plan is to take the subway at rush hour. My students will remember pictures of the man pushing people into the cars like sardines so more people will fit. This will be interesting! I think tomorrow some people are planning to get up early and head to the fish market, so I will get in on that also. It's supposed to be incredible. I forgot to post a picture of the Shrine we visited yesterday. I spent too much time wandering the streets, so I didn't make it in, but I did have time to get a fortune. It was bad, so I had to tie it to a rack so the bad luck would go away. Apparently these are by Shrines everywhere, so I'll definitely try again.

June 11, 2008

2008-06-11T02:58:00.008-05:00

We spent the day touring the National Diet Building which is like our Capitol. We weren't allowed to take photos, but I have a good brochure. Just like here, there were many school groups touring, and the children all waved and said, "Hi". Then we went for lunch in Asakusa. It was wonderful tempura, miso soup, and of course rice. Then we were free to look at the shops before we met at the incense burner in front of the Senso-ji Temple. We returned to the hotel in Tokyo to enjoy a traditional Japanese theater presentation of Kyogen. We have a short break now before our official welcome dinner, so I'm checking email and trying to upload some pictures. I can send from my school email, but not from my home email. I'm still trying to figure it out.

Emails

2008-06-10T16:44:00.001-05:00

Thanks for all of your emails and comments! I really am trying to reply. Although I am receiving email, I'm having a tough time sending. I hope everyone is keeping as dry as possible. I'm hearing about this all on CNN.

2008-06-10T16:16:00.005-05:00

Well, our flight was delayed 1 and a half hours, and lucky us, we were on the plane. Before that, not everyone got a seat assignment. Guess who was one of the last four people to finally get a seat?! Anyway, once the flight got going it was fine. We arrived later than we were supposed to. Our escorts for the night, former Fulbright Scholars in the US, took us to a local place for dinner. Our escort was Nayoka-san who went to Texas in 1966 to learn to teach English. At the restaurant, I had grilled unagi (eel) and tried bean curd with sesame. Our rooms are fabulous, and as promised from the reading I did, the toilets are quite something. Hopefully I’ll be able to download a picture. The seat is heated! No more bathroom talk. I just looked at the clock and I have officially been awake for 24 hours. It’s time for bed. More adventures tomorrow!

Today is the day!

2008-06-09T08:52:00.002-05:00

I'm quickly posting for yesterday and today. My bus leaves at 9 AM and my plane takes off at 11:25. There are two planes taking the whole group. There are so many of us that every time I turn around I meet someone new. This is SO exciting. Hopefully we'll have a smooth flight over. This is the flight I really would have loved first class, but overseas flights are usually pretty good. I'll check in as soon as I can. Sayonara!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

2008-06-09T08:48:00.009-05:00

Well it was an interesting start today. My dad picked me up and we were on the road at 3:30 AM. We had severe storms that caused wide spread flooding in Milwaukee, so we had to change our route. I was at the airport by 4. I’m glad I was early, because my flight was cancelled. I had to get rebooked out of Chicago. So, we boarded the United shuttle and headed south. The good news is that they only had room in First Class! This will probably be my one and only experience. Then, when I got to the airport security, they pulled me aside for “special screening”. Maybe I was smiling too much! Actually they told me it was because of the cancelled flight. So, I went through my own private lane and didn’t have to wait in line at all. They did have to pat me down, but for a first class seat and no waiting in security I’m OK with it!

I wandered over to the terminal where about 30 other JFMFers are waiting for a 9:00 flight. It was nice to meet them, but since they where going to board earlier, I wandered to my gate to read and do some blogging. This is going to be a long day. Maybe I will actually sleep on the way to Tokyo!

After some meetings and hearing from JFMF alum we headed off to dinner. I had several types of sushi and some sashimi as well as lots of other delicious food. I took pictures, but I'll have to load them next time I'm on. Of course, I left my camera in the room, so I don't have it right now.

Less than a Day

2008-06-07T11:38:00.001-05:00

My lawn is mowed, my friend Judie dropped off the travel iron, and my laundry is done. I'm getting some bills paid, and then I'll run the last of my errands. I may actually get to sit and relax tonight. I hope I can sleep tonight!

Last Day of School for Me!

2008-06-06T19:20:00.002-05:00

Although there is still a day and a half left for the kids, I was done today. It's kind of weird to know I won't be there for the official last day. We had field day, and of course, severe weather changed the original plan. Thanks to our quick thinking team and incredible parent volunteers, we were able to regroup and finish inside. Then, the buses were held because of the weather. What an exciting day! I just want to let my class know that this was an incredible year. I enjoyed having you all in class, and I will miss seeing you. Be sure to say "Hi" when you see me next year. Have a very safe and fun summer. I know I will!

It's getting closer!

2008-06-04T19:57:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm starting to relax a bit about the end of the school year. Things seem to be going fairly smoothly. Tomorrow is the class auction, and Friday(if it doesn't rain) will be Field Day. It'll fly by. I think I have things cleaned up pretty well. Now I have to start looking at the PILES of things to pack. I can only take 50 lbs in my suitcase. I haven't set it on the scale yet. Hopefully, I'm within the target weight. Well, back to report cards and paperwork.

Oh, for those of you who were using it, the Japanese word a day is working again!Yea!

2008-06-02T20:57:00.001-05:00

すばらしい夏を過しなさい

Last Faculty Meeting of the Year!

2008-06-02T18:20:00.004-05:00

Today was our last faculty meeting. We all honored our outgoing principal by wearing ties. He is well known for his extensive tie collection. He has one for every occasion! My class wanted to make sure that their picture was included in the blog, so here it is. Yikes! only six days until I leave!

One week from today!

2008-06-01T11:08:00.003-05:00

In one week I will be in San Francisco for my orientation before leaving for Tokyo. I have my packing all over my dining room, and I'm going to have to weigh it pretty soon. We're only allowed 50 pounds. Since I have to switch planes in Denver, I'm packing nice clothes in my carry on just in case. I'm sorry my Japanese word a day has stopped working. I'm trying to figure out the problem, and hopefully it will be working soon. Well, I'd better stop thinking Japan for the rest of the day and start thinking about the end of the school year. There is still so much to do!

Fed Ex arrived!!

2008-05-30T17:25:00.003-05:00

Woo Hoo! I got my itinerary today. I'll be heading out from Milwaukee on the 8th at 6 in the morning. We have an orientation in the afternoon and a dinner at the home of Consul Yasumasa Nagamine in the evening. The whirlwind adventure is going to start with a bang. I can't believe it will happen in just over a week. This weekend will be a push to finish the final touches on my follow up that needs to be turned in when I get to San Francisco. Then I'll wrap my host gifts, check and double check my clothes, get my travelers' checks, and finish up school stuff. Yep, I'll be busy, but what a great kind of busy!

Waiting and a surprise!

2008-05-29T18:12:00.003-05:00

We received an email saying that our itineraries were sent via Fed Ex yesterday. I was hoping to get it today. Instead I got a fun package from my friend in California! She sends the best packages with little notes on everything inside. They are so great! I got some marble Pocky candy (which I've already tested), rice cracker with seaweed, and a survival phrase book. All were purchased at a Japanese market. I needed that. All this to get me in the mood for the trip. Maybe I'll get the itinerary tomorrow. This waiting is killing me!

Milwaukee Museum

2008-05-27T21:00:00.004-05:00

Today we had a field trip to the Milwaukee Museum. I was able to get closer to Japan in the Asia section. The picture is my group and I in front of a Japanese home where a tea ceremony is taking place. The students were impressed by the beautifully raked sand in front of the home.

2008-05-25T21:48:00.003-05:00

My excitement is growing and my anxiety is shrinking! I've gotten some major projects completed. Now I can concentrate on finishing the school year and getting my packing finished. I'm eagerly awaiting my travel itinerary. It should arrive in the next week. I'm also working on learning more about this blog site. Hopefully I can jazz my site up a bit!

I have many new friends!

2008-05-18T15:18:00.001-05:00

Well, after working on the class play and then attending a play on Friday, I came home about 11:30 and decided to check my email. What a shock! I suddenly had about 60 new friends. The listserve was posted for JFMF participants and people were emailing like crazy. At first I thought my new computer was malfunctioning. Even though all I had been thinking about for the past several hours was sleep, I spent the next hour reading and responding to emails. It all seems so real and so close! Now that my class play is done, I'll have to start getting very serious about my trip. I have a lot of reading to do, and I need to write my follow on plan.

I'm practicing uploading pictures

2008-05-11T19:59:00.001-05:00

Well today was Mother's Day today. Since my whole family was here, I got some help from my sister and brother with my computers. I'm uploading a picture of our PTO Spring Dinner. It was themed "Take me out to the ballgame". Well, here goes!

2008-05-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Now I know why I haven't bought too many gadgets. I always thought it was just because I couldn't afford them. Well, I've discovered that it may be because they are smarter than I am. I've been trying to download music to an Ipod, set things up on the laptop I plan to take on the trip, and I'm sure I don't know half of what my camera can do. I'm also trying to figure out what kind of adapter/converter I need for my laptop. People keep asking me questions that I can't answer. Hopefully I'll get some of this figured out before I leave. Or, maybe I'll meet someone on the trip that knows how to use these things. One can only hope!

I've found out that I will be visiting Inagi in the Tokyo prefecture for my school and home visits. I'm trying to find out more about the city on the internet, but my computer doesn't currently support that language font. Just another thing I have to find out how to do. Sigh.

I've finished the paperwork!

2008-04-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

Well, there is a lot of paper work to complete and everything has a specific date for completion. I think I've finally conquered all that I have been sent so far. I'm sure there will be more to come.

I ordered a new laptop to take on the trip so I can blog on the road. Now I need to seriously start learning some Japanese. I know we'll be with people who will be able to help us, but when we left with time on our own I'd like to be able to do some communicating with people! I've never been very good at languages so this will be a challenge.

Yeah! I'm going to Japan!

2008-04-06T21:42:00.000-05:00

I received my letter from JFMF on Monday, March 24. I had been getting pretty worried, because it was almost the end of the month. I was flying when I opened the letter and read, "We are pleased to inform you..." That's as far as got before I started calling people. This is going to be an incredible experience. I've been reading blogs from former JFMF participants, and although experiences varied, the common thread was the appreciation for an incredible experience.

I'm in the process of filling out all of the forms, and I'm trying to make sure I'm not missing any details. Sometimes my excitement can make me work just a bit too quickly.