Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Japan Again, 2010
It's been three years since my first journey to Japan and this year we're celebrating with our Sister City, Kakuda, in a very big way! This year marks the 20th anniversary of our Sister City program and a group of 32 from Greenfield are headed back to Japan tomorrow. Can't wait to see what the journey brings~
Friday, June 15, 2007
Land of the Rising Sun
At 4:00 Saturday morning, Shoko gently knocked on my screen and told me I needed to get up right away. Her father wanted to take me up the mountain to see the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and it was going to come up at 4:15. We were in the car, heading east, in less than 2 minutes and made it in time to see why they call this country the Land of the Rising Sun. From the mountain we were on, I could turn the other way and see Mt. Zao and a tranquil, sleeping Kakuda City. Thank you to Shoko and her father for giving me this gift on my last morning in Kakuda City.
A Fabulous Friday!
This may be my last post from Japan since we leave Kakuda City tomorrow morning for Tokyo. I've been very lucky to have wireless internet access while I've been in Shoko's home, but I don't think I'll be that lucky in Tokyo. Several of our host families, including Shoko and Azuri, joined us today on our visit to the seaside town of Matsushima. We started with a visit to a temple that is very famous for it's hillside caves where monks used to train. We toured in a light drizzle which made it very interesting when we had to take our shoes off before entering the temple.
After our visit to the temple, we traveled a little north to a smaller coastal area where we hopped on boats and took a tour of some of the 10,000 islands in this area. Some of the cliffs are white much like the white cliffs of Dover. We had a lot of fun feeding the seagulls that followed the boat. Unlike in the U.S. where Americans throw the food into the oceans for the gulls, we actually held the food in our fingers and the gulls took it right from between our fingers! No one lost a finger and we all had fun!
Later in the day, we visited a local aquarium which didn't quite compare to our Indianapolis Zoo, but entertained us just the same. We saw black and white dolphins (really!) and a sting ray that was so big, I can't even begin to describe its size!
Several of the kids took a nap on the bus ride home and we're resting up for the last night activities their host families have planned for them. We all meet tomorrow morning at 9:00 one last time at City Hall before getting on the train for Tokyo. Wish us luck as we begin our big adventure (without an interpreter!)!
After our visit to the temple, we traveled a little north to a smaller coastal area where we hopped on boats and took a tour of some of the 10,000 islands in this area. Some of the cliffs are white much like the white cliffs of Dover. We had a lot of fun feeding the seagulls that followed the boat. Unlike in the U.S. where Americans throw the food into the oceans for the gulls, we actually held the food in our fingers and the gulls took it right from between our fingers! No one lost a finger and we all had fun!
Later in the day, we visited a local aquarium which didn't quite compare to our Indianapolis Zoo, but entertained us just the same. We saw black and white dolphins (really!) and a sting ray that was so big, I can't even begin to describe its size!
Several of the kids took a nap on the bus ride home and we're resting up for the last night activities their host families have planned for them. We all meet tomorrow morning at 9:00 one last time at City Hall before getting on the train for Tokyo. Wish us luck as we begin our big adventure (without an interpreter!)!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A Totally Awesome Thursday!
With all of the school visits over for the week, we concentrated our visits on Thursday to sites around Kakuda City. We started our day in the Community City learning the ancient art of origami with an origami master. There are only 30 certified origami masters in the country of Japan and we were lucky enough to work with one today. She and the members of her club helped us make origami cranes, horses, mouths, and then she gave us gifts of origami she and her club members had made. We decided that Jess, Anthony, Renee, and Lindsay were in the Quest origami class while the rest of us struggled to follow our helpers. Thank goodness Jeff was at my table. His engineering skills came in quite handy when I fell behind. Although I didn't keep up with the folding, I could get the horses to flip quite well!
When we were finished with our origami lesson, we had lunch at a traditional Japanese-style restaurant where we sat on tatami mats on the floor. Our meals, though, ranged from Japanese fare to french fries for those who were less adventuresome!
After lunch, we toured a Japanese beef farm. It was very interesting to see how efficient Japanese farms are. He had very little acreage, but was growing rice and had several heads of cattle. He grilled for us his specialized beef (wagyu) which we all agreed was out of this world! All it needed was some pepper and salt and it just melted in our mouths! Billy was especially fascinated with the farm and kept comparing it to sheep farming. I think it was one of his favorite activities of the week!
Our last visit of the day was to a rocket engine factory that is working on space technology for JAXA (Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency). We learned about their research and then made our own bottle rockets that we launched outside. We all had great fun trying to figure out just the right balance of water and compressed air to make the rockets fly. Several of them ended up in the road several hundred yards away with bent noses and wings, but it was certainly a blast!
To end our day, we said our formal good-byes at the Farewell Dinner. What a wonderful way for all of us to thank our families and the city for all that they have done for us during our visit. Many of the students have decided that either want to stay here or return to Kakuda soon. We did our best to let them know how much we've loved their city and people, but it was hard to express in words exactly how we feel. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Tomorrow we are supposed to visit the ocean and take a cruise. We are all hoping that the rain that started falling during the Farewell Dinner will stop so that we can enjoy our cruise without being wet! Wish us luck!
When we were finished with our origami lesson, we had lunch at a traditional Japanese-style restaurant where we sat on tatami mats on the floor. Our meals, though, ranged from Japanese fare to french fries for those who were less adventuresome!
After lunch, we toured a Japanese beef farm. It was very interesting to see how efficient Japanese farms are. He had very little acreage, but was growing rice and had several heads of cattle. He grilled for us his specialized beef (wagyu) which we all agreed was out of this world! All it needed was some pepper and salt and it just melted in our mouths! Billy was especially fascinated with the farm and kept comparing it to sheep farming. I think it was one of his favorite activities of the week!
Our last visit of the day was to a rocket engine factory that is working on space technology for JAXA (Japanese Aeronautical Exploration Agency). We learned about their research and then made our own bottle rockets that we launched outside. We all had great fun trying to figure out just the right balance of water and compressed air to make the rockets fly. Several of them ended up in the road several hundred yards away with bent noses and wings, but it was certainly a blast!
To end our day, we said our formal good-byes at the Farewell Dinner. What a wonderful way for all of us to thank our families and the city for all that they have done for us during our visit. Many of the students have decided that either want to stay here or return to Kakuda soon. We did our best to let them know how much we've loved their city and people, but it was hard to express in words exactly how we feel. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Tomorrow we are supposed to visit the ocean and take a cruise. We are all hoping that the rain that started falling during the Farewell Dinner will stop so that we can enjoy our cruise without being wet! Wish us luck!
What a Wednesday!
More school visits awaited us on Wednesday morning as we met again at City Hall at 8:15. Our group divided in two and visited either Kanazu or Kitakakuda Junior High Schools. My group visited Kitakakuda Junior High were we found three students who had visited in March and three who are coming to Greenfield in August waiting for us. They were are guides for our visit. One of their English teachers is also coming in August as a chaperone. We had a great time visiting an English class and learning that Japanese boys can be fairly strong (check out the picture!).
When we got back together, we went to the Kakuda Historical Museum which is located in an old mansion. The workmanship and quality was incredible! Again, our students got a sense of the ancient traditions of this country and the longevity of its culture.
Lunch was a great opportunity to catch up and catch our breaths before heading to Nishine Junior High School. The welcome we received at their school was amazing! All of the students lined up in the gym and made a tunnel for us. They were all waving American and Japanese flags as we walked through their walkway. After we were seated, we saw a traditional Japanese dance that the 1st grade (which is 7th grade in America) did for us followed by a skit put on by the 2nd graders (8th graders). The 3rd grade (9th graders) did a Power Point/skit on Japanese holidays and celebrations. After all of that, we saw a drum performance similar to what we saw at Oda Elementary. They wanted us to demonstrate a game, but we needed the whole gym, and since they had chairs set-up for the whole school, we had to pass on the game. Instead, they had the students come up and introduce themselves to us in English and ask us questions about what we like. It was fun to meet them and learn more about Japanese students.
Nearby Nishine Junior High School is Kozoji Temple and we visited it after we left the school. We saw a Buddah statue that is over 800 years old, as well as ancient texts. The texts are written in ancient Chinese and we asked Renee if she knew any of the characters. She was able to pick out a few. Next to the temple was an old farmhouse that had been moved to that location as a museum. We were able to tour and see what life would have been like hundreds of years ago in the Japanese countryside. Next to the farmhouse was a beautiful water garden. We were blessed to have enough time to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of this tranquil place.
All of us went home tired, but fulfilled from our experiences on Wednesday.
When we got back together, we went to the Kakuda Historical Museum which is located in an old mansion. The workmanship and quality was incredible! Again, our students got a sense of the ancient traditions of this country and the longevity of its culture.
Lunch was a great opportunity to catch up and catch our breaths before heading to Nishine Junior High School. The welcome we received at their school was amazing! All of the students lined up in the gym and made a tunnel for us. They were all waving American and Japanese flags as we walked through their walkway. After we were seated, we saw a traditional Japanese dance that the 1st grade (which is 7th grade in America) did for us followed by a skit put on by the 2nd graders (8th graders). The 3rd grade (9th graders) did a Power Point/skit on Japanese holidays and celebrations. After all of that, we saw a drum performance similar to what we saw at Oda Elementary. They wanted us to demonstrate a game, but we needed the whole gym, and since they had chairs set-up for the whole school, we had to pass on the game. Instead, they had the students come up and introduce themselves to us in English and ask us questions about what we like. It was fun to meet them and learn more about Japanese students.
Nearby Nishine Junior High School is Kozoji Temple and we visited it after we left the school. We saw a Buddah statue that is over 800 years old, as well as ancient texts. The texts are written in ancient Chinese and we asked Renee if she knew any of the characters. She was able to pick out a few. Next to the temple was an old farmhouse that had been moved to that location as a museum. We were able to tour and see what life would have been like hundreds of years ago in the Japanese countryside. Next to the farmhouse was a beautiful water garden. We were blessed to have enough time to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of this tranquil place.
All of us went home tired, but fulfilled from our experiences on Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
A Terrific Tuesday
Tuesday was another busy and exciting day for the Greenfield Sister City group. We started our day by visiting Kakuda Junior High School where we saw some familiar faces. Daiki and Shota welcomed our groups, and we saw Aya there later in the day. Our group split up and visited different classrooms where we practiced English with the classes. In one Japanese class, we had to design a CD cover for our favorite song, write the lyrics to our song, and write a description of the song. All of our students wanted their Ipods and Mp3 players so they could get the lyrics. Jake came up with the best idea, though. When he couldn't remember the rest of the words, he just wrote, "la, la, la." We laughed that no one would every know. In another class, I had the pleasure of working with Aya (a Kakuda visitor from March) in her English class. She's still has the same beautiful smile and outgoing personality she had when she was in Greenfield. She was also definately the leader in her English class. They all looked to her for the answers!
After spending part of the morning at the junior high, we walked up the hill to Kakuda Senior High School. Besides visiting various English classes, we went to a girls' choir class where they sang two songs for us. One of them was the Disney song, "A Whole New World" that they sang in English. It was beautiful and much appreciated! We ate lunch in the staff room with some teachers and enjoyed a small break to our day.
Following lunch, we went to a Japanese tea house where we were able to partake in a traditional tea ceremony. Three of us (Philip, Erik, and I) volunteered to participate in the actual ceremony with the master. She directed us in a shortened version of the ceremony in an actual tea room. After that demonstration, the whole group was able to enjoy tea in a bigger room in a modified ceremony. After everyone was done with their tea, she allowed any one who wanted to, the opportunity to whisk the green tea, as is done in the ceremony. Everyone was in awe of the tradition and precision in which it is all done. The women who helped us, including the master, all wore traditional kimonos and geta (sandals). We all walked away with a new respect for traditions and values. A reporter from the local news agency was there with us, so we may be in the paper sometime soon!
Everyone went home on Tuesday tired, but happy to see old friends and make new ones!
After spending part of the morning at the junior high, we walked up the hill to Kakuda Senior High School. Besides visiting various English classes, we went to a girls' choir class where they sang two songs for us. One of them was the Disney song, "A Whole New World" that they sang in English. It was beautiful and much appreciated! We ate lunch in the staff room with some teachers and enjoyed a small break to our day.
Following lunch, we went to a Japanese tea house where we were able to partake in a traditional tea ceremony. Three of us (Philip, Erik, and I) volunteered to participate in the actual ceremony with the master. She directed us in a shortened version of the ceremony in an actual tea room. After that demonstration, the whole group was able to enjoy tea in a bigger room in a modified ceremony. After everyone was done with their tea, she allowed any one who wanted to, the opportunity to whisk the green tea, as is done in the ceremony. Everyone was in awe of the tradition and precision in which it is all done. The women who helped us, including the master, all wore traditional kimonos and geta (sandals). We all walked away with a new respect for traditions and values. A reporter from the local news agency was there with us, so we may be in the paper sometime soon!
Everyone went home on Tuesday tired, but happy to see old friends and make new ones!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Monday's Events
The Sister City group had the pleasure of visiting elementary schools on Monday morning and the space rocket in the afternoon. The elementary children were so excited to see us. I visited Oda Elementary with Jess, Lindsey, Erik, Billy, and Evan. It's a very small school; only 29 students in all. They performed a traditional Japanese drum routine, as well as a harvest hat dance for us. We joined in on the fun by playing the drums and dancing with them.
The whole group met up again at Kakuda Elementary School where our host students took us to a 2nd grade class and a 4th grade school. In each classroom, we practiced English with them by playing games and helping teach the class. I was also able to visit their special needs classroom which has only one student in it. She and I practiced Kanji characters together on the board.
After our elementary school visits, we went to the space rocket museum. There is a factory in Kakuda that manufactures parts needed for satellite rockets and we had the opportunity to see one and tour the museum. From the top of the observation tower, I was able to see all of Kakuda City. It was a magnificant view!
After the official part of our day was over, Erik, Tony, and I were invited by Mr. Takashi to visit the Kakuda City police station for a tour and to meet the Chief. Some of the officers were practicing Kendo and Judo so we were able to watch them for a little bit. Check out the pictures of Erik in his Kendo suit! They also wanted us to take pictures of Erik and me on the police motorcycle. It was quite fun!
When we were done with our private tour, we went to Mr. Takashi's house for a traditional Japanese BBQ. Philip and Billy and their host mothers met us there where we ate barbequed beef, tongue (not me!), chicken, and sausage. We also had watermelon which we broke open in the traditional Japanese fashion; cracking it with a bamboo stick while blindfolded!
Although it was another exhausting day, I will never forget the smiles of the Japanese children as they welcomed us to their schools and the incredible hospitality of our hosts. What a treat!
The whole group met up again at Kakuda Elementary School where our host students took us to a 2nd grade class and a 4th grade school. In each classroom, we practiced English with them by playing games and helping teach the class. I was also able to visit their special needs classroom which has only one student in it. She and I practiced Kanji characters together on the board.
After our elementary school visits, we went to the space rocket museum. There is a factory in Kakuda that manufactures parts needed for satellite rockets and we had the opportunity to see one and tour the museum. From the top of the observation tower, I was able to see all of Kakuda City. It was a magnificant view!
After the official part of our day was over, Erik, Tony, and I were invited by Mr. Takashi to visit the Kakuda City police station for a tour and to meet the Chief. Some of the officers were practicing Kendo and Judo so we were able to watch them for a little bit. Check out the pictures of Erik in his Kendo suit! They also wanted us to take pictures of Erik and me on the police motorcycle. It was quite fun!
When we were done with our private tour, we went to Mr. Takashi's house for a traditional Japanese BBQ. Philip and Billy and their host mothers met us there where we ate barbequed beef, tongue (not me!), chicken, and sausage. We also had watermelon which we broke open in the traditional Japanese fashion; cracking it with a bamboo stick while blindfolded!
Although it was another exhausting day, I will never forget the smiles of the Japanese children as they welcomed us to their schools and the incredible hospitality of our hosts. What a treat!
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