Adventures in Japan

Classroom Lessons

2006-05-29T22:41:00.000-07:00

Kyoko has been working with students in every grade level, presenting lessons on Japan. Some of the things she has taught students are: geography, Japanese phrases, numbers, cherry blossom festival, a dance, names of fruit, and how to do oragami. The students love working with her!

Our Teaching Assistant, Kyoko Sensei, will Arrive Friday

2006-04-05T09:33:00.000-07:00

Due to family circumstances, Akiko was unable to come to the U.S. Instead, our school will have a different Japanese teaching assistant named Kyoko. We are all very excited to meet her. She will be with us for two months - until the end of the school year. Kyoko teaches English at a juku in Japan. She is really looking forward to improving her English skills and learning more about the U.S. Students will benefit by learning more about the Japanese people, their culture, customs, trasitions, and way of thinking.

Presentations About Japan

2006-02-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

I did many school presentations when I came back from Japan. Each grade level had their own presentation, as well as the certificated and classified staff. I shared a PowerPoint presentation, a video, Japanese artifacts, and provided time for questions and answers. The students and adults learned a lot.

Sayonara Japan

2005-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

Today was all about hurrying up to wait and wait and wait.
This morning I ate breakfast with a few people from my group. Then, I went up to the top of the Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Tower was located right by our hotel. It looks very similar to the Eiffel Tower, but it is just a little bit taller! The view was amazing! Tokyo is densely packed with skyscrapers and buildings. It was just a little too cloudy to see Mt. Fuji.

I left the hotel at 1:30 and the waiting began. I waited on the bus, at Narita airport, on the plane, in Seattle, on the plane again, in Denver, on the plane again, and then from Pasco to my house. It was a great feeling to finally come home, but I will miss all of the friends I made on my trip and all of the wonderful people in Japan.

Last Full Day in Japan

2005-12-07T03:51:00.000-08:00

Today was our last full day in Japan. Each city group gave a presentation on their experience. It was wonderful to share stories, pictures, and artifacts with each other. Most people, myself included, were brought to tears during the presentations. We have all had such an amazing experience words cannot even come close to describing the Japanese people’s kindness, generosity, and respect toward life, and love of nature. I have grown as a person and learned so much!

This evening we had a sayonara buffet.
Mr. Ota (Akishima Board of Education), Keiko (our guide), and Mrs. Itoh (wife of former Akishima City mayor) all attended the sayonara buffet.

I can’t believe I am leaving tomorrow. From the time I wake up until I reach my home it will take 33 hours! I have so much to share when I return home. See you all soon!

Traveling Back to Tokyo

2005-12-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

This morning we ate a traditional Japanese breakfast. Today was the first day I really started missing American food.

We took a bus from the ryokan back to Tokyo. We arrived around noon. I walked with another girl from my group all the way to the Imperial Palace. It took us over an hour to get there. The palace is surrounded with a moat and guards. The section open to the public is the east garden.
When I arrived back at the hotel I received an email message from Akiko. It was great! I was able to see her one last time. Since tonight was my last dinner out on the town, I thought we should definitely have Japanese food. Akiko suggested a barbeque place where we ordered Japanese hamburger, onions, tongue, heart, and pig guts. For dessert I went to the Hard Rock Café with some friends. I can’t believe that tomorrow is my last full day in Japan!

What's That I Smell?

2005-12-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Today was another amazing day! We were invited to an incense ceremony and lunch at the former Akishima city mayor’s house. This kind of experience is very rare. In fact, many Japanese people have never even participated in an incense ceremony!
The incense ceremony was a fun game. The former mayor’s wife and daughter taught us how to play. Five pieces of incense are passed around the circle. You make special marks to show which pieces smell the same. There are about 60 different combinations. Only one person answered correctly! It was very difficult, but very enjoyable.

For lunch, the former mayor brought in sushi chefs. The food was incredible! We sat at a very low table. Underneath the table, the floor is cut out and you put your legs inside. It is even heated! There was also a heated blanket under the table. It was very cozy and comfortable.

As we left, we were told that we could take home the dishes as a gift! We couldn’t believe it.

Next, we visited a wooden top maker. The trade of making wooden tops from the Edo time period died out and this man was asked to restore the tradition. He has been making wooden tops for 35 years but does not have an apprentice. He is the only wooden Edo top maker left! He showed us how he makes the tops and he demonstrated different games and balancing tricks. It was a lot of fun.
When we left city hall, all of the employees went out to see us off.
From there, we left to go to a ryokan – a traditional Japanese style inn. It was about a one hour bus ride. Our ryokan was in a more rural village by the mountains. The village is known for their yuzu (a lemon-like fruit).
Dinner was a 15 course Japanese meal. The most interesting part of the meal was the fish – fully cooked, but whole - head, eyes, skin, tail and everything! It was delicious.

We all wore yukatas (similar to a robe). Several of the women tried on kimonos. We danced to Japanese music.

I slept in a room with three other women from my group. We slept on tatami mats and futons. Our room had a great view of the river.

Making Mochi

2005-12-04T03:59:00.000-08:00

This morning I went on a walk with my host family and their dog, Momo (peach), to the bread shop. Every Sunday they go buy sweet bread as a special breakfast treat. The bread shop was similar to an American bakery, except the food is much healthier. On our way back we stopped to see a temple and a shrine. We ate the bread with soup and cabbage/seaweed salad.

Next, we went to another elementary school in the town. It is 115 years old! They were having an annual rice pounding festival. It was very fun! There were many portable kilns that children kept burning by chopping kindling. The rice is boiled for one hour and then moved to a large container where two people mash it. The final step is to move the rice to another large container and pound it with a large mallet. It is very hard work! When you are finished, you have made a rice paste that you can use in many different recipes - it's called mochi.

Another member of my group was at the rice festival with his host family. Both of us met the principal and vice principal of the school. They gave us a tour. It was wonderful!
After our time at the elementary school, I went shopping with Yuko. I found a few things I had been looking for and enjoyed seeing the shops decorated for the holidays. We had sushi for lunch at a place where the sushi circles the restaurant on a conveyor belt. If you see something you like, you take it. They charge you based on the number of plates you eat.
When my host family took me back to the hotel we decided to have tea and ice cream at the Japanese restaurant. It was hard to say goodbye to them. They were very kind to me. I hope we will be able to stay in touch.

Host Family

2005-12-04T03:53:00.000-08:00

Today my host mother met me at the hotel. We went with her best friend to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. The museum is a place that they take historical buildings to preserve them and keep them from being harmed.
We saw many neat buildings. My favorite was the public bath house. A long time ago, many people did not have baths in their homes, so they went to public baths. Men and women use different sides.

We had a picnic of rice balls – seaweed, rice, and salmon in the park. In Japan it is very crowed so many people come to the park to relax, play with their children, or walk their dogs.

I had dinner at my host family’s home. We had a traditional-style Japanese meal where you dip your meat and vegetables into raw egg.
After dinner, a friend of my host mother came to visit me and to show me how to do origami.

My host family has a son who is 23 that lives at home. I visited with their son and his friend about their perception of Japanese schools. It was very interesting.

Keimei Gakuen High School

2005-12-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

Today we visited a private high school in Japan called Keimei. Keimei is a school that has an international focus. They have sister cities around the world.

We observed classes and met with teachers. Several of the parents had tea and snack for us. We were able to ask the parents many questions.

For lunch, we had a discussion with several of the international students. It was interesting to hear how the international students compared Japanese schools to other schools around the world.

At the end of the day, some of the mothers put on a tea ceremony for us in their traditional Japanese-style building that is over 100 years old. All of the women wore kimonos. It took them about four hours to prepare for the ceremony.

When I got back to the hotel, I had dinner with Ichitaka, the program coordinator for International Internship Programs – the organization through which Akiko is coming to the U.S. He is a great person and is very knowledgeable about U.S. schools because he went through International Internship Programs himself. We had a good discussion and a wonderful meal. I tried squid – both the tentacles and the body as well as shark fin!!

Kyosei Elementary School

2005-12-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Kyosei Elementary School. The principal is a wonderful lady whose passion for children, especially students with disabilities, is clear.
We were able to see the students as they arrived for school. First graders wear a yellow hat so that pedestrians can spot them more easily.

The principal wanted to meet with me to discuss administration. We had a good conversation.

We observed the morning teacher’s meeting and student meeting. Then, we spent most of the day in classrooms. Kyosei has 301 students from first through sixth grade.
I had the opportunity to try calligraphy with the students in sixth grade. It is very difficult! The kanji I wrote means “hope.” I think that both Japanese and American teachers all have the same kind of hope for their students.
We ate lunch with the students in the lunch room. After lunch students clean the school. They did a great job! What do you think about starting this tradition in the U.S.?!

In the afternoon, students had an assembly for us. The students did an amazing job. Fourth and Sixth grade students performed songs using many instruments – including recorders! It was wonderful!

At the end of the school day, we met with the teachers and asked them questions. They said their biggest challenge is differentiating instruction to best meet the needs of students.
Finally, a very nice woman taught us how to do ikebana (Japanese style flower arrangement). It was a lot of fun. The instruction had more than 50 years of experience! We were very lucky to have this opportunity.

Zuiun Junior High School

2005-12-01T03:06:00.000-08:00

Today we visited Zuiun Junior High School. The school has 471 students. We were warmly welcomed by the Principal, Vice Principal, and PTA. The principal wore his kimono because today was such a special day!
We observed classes for most of the day. In Japan, the maximum class size is 40 students. Most of the classes I visited had between 35 and 40 students. The primary teaching method is direct instruction. However, students work in groups in some subjects like science. All students wear uniforms.

Junior high schools in Japan are for students in seventh, eighth, and ninth grade. Ninth grade is a critical year because in January students take a test that will determine which high school they can go to.

I was surprised to see how similar Japanese students are to American students – some are serious, silly, popular, loners, engaged, daydreaming, energetic, and sleepy. We are much more alike than different!
I had lunch with a seventh grade class. Did you know that Japanese students serve each other lunch?
In the afternoon, the students had a welcome ceremony for us. They sang their school song and the chorus “Daichisansyou”. It was wonderful! Two of the teachers gave a kendo demonstration.

At the end of the day we had a discussion with teachers. We were able to ask the teachers questions and they asked us questions as well. Teachers describe their students as good natured and self-motivated, however sometimes lacking in assertiveness. The two challenges the school faces are increasing scholastic achievement and developing healthy minds (moral enhancement). The principal said, “Although we are facing many challenges, I hope the world will become one and raise our children.”
This evening we had a welcome reception at the city hall. There were about 120 people – city officials, distinguished guests, principals and vice principals from the schools we will visit, and our host families.

My host mother’s name is Yuko. She works arranging flowers from her home. Her husband is a printer and is very busy at this time of year. He usually gets home at 11pm. Yuko has three children, but only one of them is still living at home. He is 23.

At the welcome reception we had two special performances. First, we heard music using the Japanese harp (koto) and Japanese bamboo flute (shakuhachi). Next, we heard Japanese drum (taiko). The Japanese drums are very loud.

The city presented us each with gifts – two books and two figurines. Everyone has been especially kind and generous to us!

Visit with the Mayor and Board of Education

2005-11-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

This morning when we arrived at Akishima city hall, we were greeted by about 40 people who were lined up and clapping for us as we entered the building. It was amazing and very humbling!! We had a meeting with the mayor and city counsel of Akishima and then another meeting with the members from the Akishima school board. We learned a lot about the city and their educational programs. As a token of friendship, the city counsel gave us all a traditional Japanese fan. The large kanji written on the fan means “mutual encounter and affection”. The three smaller kanji on the right mean “humans, city, and greenery”. This means, people should show affection toward others, the local community, and nature.

We had seafood tempura for lunch. Yum!
Next, we went on a city tour. On our first stop we visited two temples. The first one is only open three days a year. During the three days it is open there are over 300,000 visitors. We had the rare opportunity to go inside on a day the temple is normally closed. Our guide told us that in the Edo period not even the emperor was allowed to visit the area of the temple we visited! Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photographs inside.
Next, we went to the Haijima-daishi temple. Our guide for the second temple was the wife of the priest. She gave us a demonstration of the temple acoustics and how to ring the large bell outside.

Our second stop was the Showa Kinen Park - the largest park in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It was beautiful with the autumn leaves!
We were treated to a traditional tea ceremony at the park. Before drinking the tea, you are served a “candy” made from red bean paste.

Our last stop was the Moritown Shopping Center!

Gakugei University

2005-11-29T01:31:00.000-08:00

Today we visited Gakugei University – a university that has a large teacher education program. We met with faculty members to learn more about Japanese teacher certification and training programs. Then, our group presented similarities and differences between the U.S. system and the Japanese system. Lastly, we visited with faculty members and students for a question and answer session.

After our trip to the University, we drove to Akishima and checked into our hotel. Several members of the Akishima Board of Education were waiting for us and welcomed us to the city. It was amazing!

Our hotel, Forest Inn Showakan, is one of the nicest hotels I have ever stayed in! The only problem with the hotel is that I don’t have internet access in my room.

For dinner I had noodles and seafood tempura. For dessert we had green tea ice cream. It was very tasty!
When I arrived back at the hotel, I was amazed to see that my host family in Akishima (the people I will stay with next weekend) had flowers and a card delivered for me. Wow, how thoughtful! I can’t wait to meet them!

A Rare Opportunity

2005-11-27T06:34:00.000-08:00

Today was an amazing day!
Akiko’s mother cooked us a special brunch. We had soup, egg, salad, rice, cod eggs, spinach, roots, and fish. It was great! I really enjoyed the fish and cod eggs. The eggs were small and spicy.
Next, I had a very rare opportunity to wear a kimono. It was a special honor. Akiko’s mother is experienced with kimonos and she helped me. Words cannot express how special this moment was. I am very grateful to her! The kimono and obi were absolutely beautiful!

Akiko and I went to the Edo Tokyo Museum. I learned a lot about Japanese history.
After visiting the museum, we went out to have sushi (raw fish). It was my first time eating sushi. I was a bit nervous. I tried two pieces of tuna with rice and wrapped with seaweed, one piece of salmon and rice, one cooked piece of shrimp and rice, a bite of raw shrimp, a bite of eel, two eggs, two pieces of cucumber sushi wrapped in seaweed, and ginger. While we were eating, a magician visited our table and showed us some tricks. We had a lot of fun eating and visiting.

After dinner, we went shopping. One of the stores we visited was the 100 yen store. It is similar to the dollar store in the U.S.

I was very sad to say goodbye to Akiko. She is a great friend! I can’t believe that the next time I see her it will be in the U.S. We had a fantastic weekend together.

Weekend with Akiko

2005-11-27T05:35:00.000-08:00

Today Akiko met me at the hotel around 9:30. We took the train to Kamakura (a coastal town about one hour south of Tokyo).

The first sight we visited was the Engakuji. It was founded in 1282. We went up a very tall hill in order to see the temple’s large bell. It is a national treasure. Up on the hillside, we had tea and enjoyed the scenery.

After that, we had lunch at a delicious place where there was a long line. The wait was worth it! We sat near the kitchen so while we ate, we could see the chefs cook.

Then, we visited Kenchoji temple. It is one of the oldest Zen temples of Japan. We were able to go inside one section and view the garden behind the temple. It was amazing!

Next, we saw Tsurugaoka Hachimangu – Kamakura’s most important shrine. At the shine, we were lucky enough to see a wedding!
Finally, we saw the Great Buddha statue. It is bronze and is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan. It was constructed in 1252.

Once we arrived near Akiko’s home, we met her mother at a restaurant were you can BBQ your food in a pit on the table. It was really fun! We ordered a wide variety of meat, but my favorite was tongue – seriously!

Before going to sleep on the futon, I wore a special robe and took a Japanese style bath.

Akiko and her family are wonderful people and I feel fortunate to have been invited to their house.

Special Seminars and Disney Sea

2005-11-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

I went to two seminars today – the first was on special education and the second was on Japan-U.S. collaborative environmental education.

This evening I went to Tokyo Disney at Sea with three of the members from my Akishima group. We had a blast! Disney was decorated for the holidays.

Navigating our way there was an adventure. The subway system in Japan is more difficult and more expensive to use than the ones in Europe. However, we were in for a fun surprise when we boarded the special Disney monorail. Do you notice anything unusual about the windows?

Thanksgiving Day in Japan

2005-11-24T03:48:00.000-08:00

Today started very early! I left to visit the fish market at 5:15am. There were things to see everywhere I turned.
The most exciting part of the fish market is the tuna auction. The lower the number placed on the tuna, the more valuable the meat. These were the biggest fish I have ever seen!
Can you guess what this is?
What do you think these are?
After the fish market, I went to visit a very beautiful temple.
The statues in this picture represent babies that died. It was very sad.

The majority of my day was spent inside listening to speakers. Our first speaker represented a book publisher and gave us all three children's books. Next, we had our prefecture orientation. After that, a professor from the International University of Japan spoke about Japan's economy. For lunch I tried octopus and noodles. I wonder if the octopus came from the fish market... After lunch, we had several members from the Diet discuss Japanese government. Then, we heard the president of the National Institution for Academic Degrees present on Japanese Education.
We had our official welcome reception this evening. The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology was one of the speakers that welcomed us. All four of us from Washington had our picture taken with her.
In honor of Thanksgiving we were served turkey (and many other things) for dinner.

Toilets

2005-11-24T03:44:00.000-08:00

Japan has very modern toilets with many controls.
Japan also has old-fashioned toilets.

Fast Food

2005-11-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

Do you recognize this restaurant?

City Tour and Traditional Theater

2005-11-24T03:19:00.000-08:00

This morning, we had a Tokyo orientation and then we got on a bus for sightseeing. We saw the Supreme Court and the Imperial Palace from the bus. Then, we stopped to visit the Diet. The Diet is similar to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Next, we drove to Akasaka. We had lunch at a tempura restaurant. They served us a lot of food! We sat on pillows on the tatami mat floor. You must be sure to remove your shoes before stepping onto the tatami mats. Tempura is deep fried food - shrimp, fish, peppers, and vegetables. We also had miso soup, rice, pickled ginger, and green tea. Dessert was an orange! The Japanese do not eat as many sweets as Americans.
After lunch, we visited the Asakusa Shrine. I bought a fortune at the temple. If you have a bad fortune, you leave it at the temple. If your fortune is good, you take it home. My fortune said, “Excellent Good Fortune”.

When we arrived at the hotel, we saw a kyogen (comedy) performance.
Then we saw a woman put on make-up for kabuki and perform a traditional dance.

For dinner I had noodle soup and tea.

I Made It!

2005-11-23T03:54:00.000-08:00

Today was a VERY long day. I was awake for over 24 hours!! We left the San Francisco airport at 11:20 and it took us over ten hours to fly to Narita, Japan. Our plane was a double decker plane. Midway through our flight, we crossed the international dateline and it became Tuesday instead of Monday.
Once we arrived in Japan, we had a two hour bus ride to our hotel in Tokyo. Our tour guide’s name is Kiko. She met us at the airport. She will be going to Akishima with my group later in the trip.

The Tokyo Prince Hotel is very nice. Once we arrived at the hotel, we had about fifteen minutes to freshen up and then we went down to the Sunflower room for a welcome speech, music, and to meet Fulbright Scholars from Japan who accompanied us to dinner.

I went with two other people and a man named Satoshi. He is a professor at a law school in Yokohama. For dinner we had shrimp, cucumbers, fish, radishes, and crab. The food was delicious! In fact, the crab was the best crab I have ever tasted!

Traveling to California

2005-11-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

I woke up today at 3:30 to arrive at the Pasco airport by 5:00. My flight left at 6:00 for Denver. From Denver I flew to the San Francisco airport. I arrived in California at 12:30. In California we hopped on a chartered bus and drove to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel.
The day was very full with a lunch buffet, orientation welcome, opening remarks, program overview, city group meetings, a panel presentation, and dinner. I am so excited to be here with 200 educators from all over the country. My Akishima group of 20 seems very nice and is a diverse bunch of people. Tomorrow we head to Japan! Yeah!

My Travel Itinerary

2005-11-14T21:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday 11/20 San Francisco Orientation, lodging at Sheraton Hotel
Monday 11/21 Travel to Tokyo, sleep on plane
Tuesday 11/22 Tokyo Orientation, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Wednesday 11/23 Tokyo Orientation, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Thursday 11/24 Tokyo Orientation, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Friday 11/25 Tokyo Orientation, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Saturday 11/26 Visit Akiko, lodging with Akiko
Sunday 11/27 Visit Akiko, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Monday 11/28 Akishima, lodging at Forest Inn
Tuesday 11/29 Akishima, lodging at Forest Inn
Wednesday 11/30 Akishima, lodging at Forest Inn
Thursday 12/1 Akishima, lodging at Forest Inn
Friday 12/2 Akishima, lodging at Forest Inn
Saturday 12/3 Home Stay, lodging with host family
Sunday 12/4 Home Stay, lodging at Forest Inn
Monday 12/5 Akishima, lodging at Yuzunosato (traditional Inn)
Tuesday 12/6 Tokyo Debriefing, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Wednesday 12/7 Tokyo Debriefing, lodging at Tokyo Prince Hotel
Thursday 12/8 Travel to U.S., sleep on plane

We Will Have an Intern

2005-09-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

We just received news that our school was selected to have an intern from Japan for three months. Akiko will be coming mid-January through mid-April. We are all very excited! Several staff members have volunteered to host her and help her experience U.S. home life.

Japanese Teaching Assistant

2005-07-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

I recently applied with the Japanese School Teaching Assistant Program (JSTAP) to have a Japanese intern come to my school for three months during the 2005-2006 school year. The program is designed for schools and students to learn about the Japanese people, their culture, customs, traditions, and way of thinking through their interns. In return, the interns will be able to improve their English communication skills, learn about the U.S. educational system, prepare themselves for their future career, experience daily home life in another culture, and obtain an international mind-set. I hope our school is accepted for this wonderful opportunity!

Preparing to Visit Japan

2005-07-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to visit Japan for three weeks in November as a part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Program. In Japan, I will be working with fellow educators in an effort to increase understanding between the United States and Japan.