On October 1st, I leave for San Francisco, California. I will be participating in an orientation before leaving for Japan. I'm flying on United Airlines. The plane ride to California should be about five hours. I have plenty of books about Japan for the ride on the plane, but I think I may be too exited to read.
Entry: Saturday, September 30, 2006: Gifts and gift giving are an important part of Japanese culture. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would bring to give as gifts to my Japanese hosts. I recently saw a T.V. program (it was an episode of the Martha Stewart show) where they explained how to gift wrap in Japanese style. I tried it out and the photo here is of the gift-wrapped presents I am bringing to Japan. I chose wrapping paper with pine bows and bittersweet because they are indigenous to the area in which I live. Click on the photo to the left to see the gifts before they were wrapped and you'll know what I chose to bring.
Haiku
Haiku is one of the most important forms of Japanese Poetry - Click below to visit a website about Haiku then maybe you can write your own!
Here's my first attempt at Haiku. I'll try to write some along the way. You can send me one in the submit your question box above. (My class students, you might want to include a haiku in your slideshow!)
Maine, farewell for now;
Leave red and orange trees and go
To Japan's colors
Entry: Sunday October 1, 2006 It's been a long day! I got out of bed at 2:45 am to go to the Manchester Airport. I had a 6 A.M. flight to Washington DC and then we flew on to San Francisco.
It was great to meet up with about twenty other Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund participants at the Washington Dulles Airport. They were from locations all up and down the Eastern United States. One of the great things about this trip is that I'm travelling with a big class of teachers. I met people today from Florida, Texas, Minnesota, North Carolina and even another teacher from Manchester. Mary-Ann Fleming is an art teacher from Hillside Middle School and she is travelling to Japan too. (Hi to all the computer students at Hillside, and thanks for all the stories you sent in. They're great!). Ms. Fleming and I sat together on the first leg of the trip and got to know each other. Not only will I learn about Japan during this trip, but I'll also learn a lot about our United States by talking to all the US teachers I meet.
So think about this, I lost three hours while crossing the United States. I left the Eastern Time Zone, flew over the Central and Mountain Time Zones and landed in the Pacific Time Zone. I landed at 3:20 Eastern Time, but it was only 12:20 Pacific Time. Tomorrow when I fly, I will leave San Francisco at 1:42 on Monday October 2nd and land eleven and a half hours later in Tokyo at 4:30 on Tuesday October 3rd. Go figure! It actually gets me a little dizzy to think about. Tokyo time is 13 hours before us.
If you want to learn more about time zones, what they are and why we need them. Click below and go to:
Entry: Tuesday October 3, 2006: Hi Folks! I finally made it to Tokyo, Japan! It was a very long trip, but from the second all of us stepped off the plane we knew how truly lucky we were to be here. What a place! Tomorrow I'll upload a bunch of photos from Japan, but let me answer a couple of good qustions from students. First, the 6-1 Gold students at McLaughlin asked about my trip. Thanks for reading the BLOG and for the great questions. The flight was smooth for the most part, but there were times that the pilot put on the seatbelt sign because of turbulance. Their next question was how far Japan is from New Hampshire. Well, I opened up WorldBook Atlas on my laptop (which we have on our iBooks at school, so be sure to check it out) and I typed in the two locations...there it was...6,655 miles (10,71 km)
As far as time, I started my trip yesterday in San Francisco at 2:00 pm on October 2, and landed in Tokyo at 4:30 P.M. on Tuesday, October 3, that's 3:30 A.M. Manchester time. It was a long day. I'm typing this late at night on October 3rd. This was the first time I ever crossed The International Dateline. It was kind of funky!
Keiko-san our Tour Guide for Ikeda, Group.
Entry: Tuesday October 3, 2006 5:10 A.M. Tokyo: Konnechiwa! As promised, I have many photos to share with you of my first evening in Japan. Let me just tell you first about our lovely tour guide Keiko-san. She will be the group coordinator for the Ikeda group; that's my city group. The large group of educators (200) that I am travelling with is broken up into smaller groups on Sunday. Each group will travel to different areas of Japan for the remainder of the trip. It is there that we will go into schools and businesses, and that is where I'll have my home visit with a Japanese family. Anyway, back to Keiko-san. Her name, Keiko, she told us, is a common one, like Sue or Donna in America. There are many Keikos in Japan. The san part means Miss, Mrs, or Mr. and can be added to the family name (last name) or given name (first name). She asked us to call her by her first name and san. I will certainly get a better picture of her, but this is her from the back of the bus. Yes, I did grab the back of the bus seating with a friend I met on the plane. We sprawled out for the hour and a half ride to Tokyo from Narito Airport. By the way, Narito Airport is also known as Tokyo International Airport, but is not actually in Tokyo.
We all loved Keiko-san from the beginning. She is charming and she speaks beautiful English. It's wonderful listening to her. Here are some of the tips from Keiko-san:
In Japan, there is no tipping. As a matter of fact if you leave money on the table, the waiter will come after you and say you forgot it. And I kid you not, at dinner the woman I was with did in fact forget some money and the waiter came running after us to return it.
There is a five percent sales tax on food and on purchases in stores.
In Japan the water is very good and there is no need to buy bottled water, tap water is used readily.
Japan is a very safe country. The crime rate is low, it is not unusual to see women walking out late, because it is safe. Keiko says she can ride the subway home at 11:00 at night without fear of crime.
Keiko-san also reminded us to dress professionally as that is the custom in Japan, and last night we saw many very dressed up business men and women!
Photos from Tuesday, October 3rd:
Welcome to Tokyo sign in the Narito, Airport. Click on the photo to see more pictures from first night in Tokyo!
One of my great loves in life is gardening. A group of friends and I get together several times over the spring, summer, and fall to learn more about growing herbs, flowers, and vegetables. I plan to explore some public gardens while I'm here. The haiku to the right is from one of my gardening friends.
Find out about the seven herbs of spring and find out how to replenish your body in the cold month of January.
Vine crafts challenges
Autumn comes to New Hampshire
Are grapes welcome in Japan?
Keynote Speaker - Tsutomu Kimura President, National Institution for Academic Degrees
Entry: Wednesday October 4, 2006 : Today I started our full immersion into Japanese culture. We learned a lot about the Japanese educational system from Tsutomi Kimuar who is President of the National Institution for Academic Degrees. He discussed how Japan faces some of the same problems we face in the United States. For example, bullying is a serious problem in the schools of Japan.
He showed us many charts and graphs that showed a decline in student performance around the year 2000. There may be many reasons for this, but he felt the change at that time from a six day school work week to a five day school week may have had a lot to do with it. In two thousand the education ministry developed a new philosophy of giving students "room to grow" and "zest for living". They also have encouraged teachers to teach more than what the manual directs (all teachers in Japan are given a teaching manual) The education department believes that students need a good amount of homework. Mr. Kimura was frank in saying that he believes Japanese schools need improvement. It was a very interesting keynote speech and I learned a lot.
Traditional Japanese Instrument called the Shamisen
Also today we were treated to some traditional Japanese dance and music. Austin, in my sixth grade class wanted to know what instruments they have in Japan. Well, Austin click on the picture to see and hear a Japanese instrument called the shamisen. The type of show we saw was called Kabuki. Click below to read a little about how Kabuki is done. Click on the picture to the left to see some short video clips and photos I took for you to see.
Entry: Thursday, October 5, 2006: Konechiwa, or what I heard a lot of this morning while shopping was, ohayo gozaimasu (oh-hah-yoh)(goh zye-mahss) Good Morning. Today was an incredible day. We did so much that it's going to be difficult to pick what to present in the blog. First, I would like to answer some questions from my students. They asked some great questions, keep them coming! There are also questions being submitted by teachers about the schools. The incoming blog teacher questions about the schools of Japan, I'll be able to answer next week when I go to Ikeda, Osaka and visit schools. I'll be visiting an elementary, middle and highschool. If I don't answer your questions today, I will soon. I'm either still looking for answers, or trying not to write too much in a day. I appreciate all the questions though. Thanks!
Ok so, some questions I'll answer here, and some will be on the photo tour of the day. Tylen asked if the Japanese people celebrate holidays and the answer is, YES! There are many holidays, some of which celebrate the seasons. One of the main religions in Japan is Shinto (a religion unique to Japan) "The followers of Shinto believe that spiritual powers exist in the natural world. They believe that "spirits" called kami live in natural places such as in animals, plants, stones, mountains, rivers, people and even the dead." (read more http://www.uri.org/kids/other_shin.htm) Some of the Japanese holidays celebrate their Shinto beliefs. Our tour guide, remember Keiko-san, told me though that only 1% of the Japanese population is Christian, but at Christmas, all Japanese love celebrating. They love having a Christmas tree, presents, and Santa Claus. I saw many Halloween decorations in the stores and Keiko-san said that Halloween is really becoming popular. They do trick or treat. To read more about holidays click the link below.
Are there tall buildings? From Anderson. Glad you asked, Anderson, cause I've been meaning to post the photo of the view from my room. Take a look at the photo below. It's the view from the room. So yes, there are tall buildings everywhere, Tokyo is a very big city. See if you can find out more about Tokyo. Do some research on the web or in Worldbook.
Can I bring back sushi, Zach? Sorry, but it would go bad. Guess I'll have to eat some extra for you though.
Do they have parking garages? Yes, John, everywhere. As a matter of fact our tour bus parked in one today.
Emily, trying to get you some photos of the business women. It was raining too hard today. I'll try tomorrow.
What sports do they participate in? Ryan, I think I'll learn more next week on that when I visit schools, but Keiko-san did tell us one interesting thing about physical education classes. Be sure to tell Mrs. Franco to check out the blog to get this info. She loves computers. In phys. ed class students wear hats that are reversible. One side is white, flip it over it's red. Instead of pinnies. I thought that was a pretty good idea.
Ok, I'll answer some more in the photo tour and in the upcoming blogs.
Click on the photo on the right for a tour.
Sayoonara!
Many of my students wanted to know if I saw students or kids in the streets, well we saw a lot today. They were on field trips to the parliment building. Click the photo to take a virtual sightseeing tour!
Tokyo, Japan from my hotel room. WOW!
Morning is quiet
Manchester Ikebana
Let's live as if one
All I can say is TSUKIJI MARKET!!! It's hard to put into words the rich experience of this amazing place. It is quiet and loud, fast and tempered, wild, but sanely organized. Our adventure began when we got up at 3:30 and left in a cab for the fish market at 4:15. It was pouring rain, but we didn't care we were so excited about going to this incredible place. It's a place where busy-ness is an understatement and visual treats abound. I will never forget this early morning trip into another world in Japan, and I hope that my pictures and video will help you get a taste of it too. That is, until you visit Japan. Click the photo!
Many of you have asked about the room in the hotel, so I thought I'd make a little video tour. My room is on the 34th floor of the New Otani Hotel. You can see photos of the hotel at:
You may also want to use Google Earth to "fly" over it. Click my key to the right for the video tour of room 5403!
Peace Education ~ Friday, October 6
I think it would be unlikely to visit Japan as an American and not have some recognition of World War II and the bombings on August 6, 1945. On Friday I was extremely priviledged to attend a seminar on peace education. This was a deeply moving account of the events occurring after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The presentation was not meant to be political, nor was it intended to affix blame, rather it was a view of what happened from the survivors' perspective.
Tomoko Yanagi -Teacher Hiroshima Misuzungaoka High School
Yanagi is a second generation survivor of the bombing of Japan. Her father was 14 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and he was near the epicenter. Yanagi explained to us that for many years the survivors did not talk about the bombings. They blamed themselves for having survived. They speak out now because they believe in peace and they do not want younger generations to forget the horror that occurred.
In Hirsoshima each year there is a Children's Peace Summit for elementary school students. Students make speeches; one boy and one girl are chosen to make a pledge to peace. Yanagi has had cancer, as have many survivors and second generation survivors from the radiation.
Koji Ikeda - Chairman, Yokosuka Disabled Veterans Association (Kusunokikai)
Koji Ikeda is an 89 year old gentleman who is a survivor of Hirsoshimo. His moving account of his experiences was riveting. The room did not stir as he spoke. He, his wife, and their small baby were in Hiroshimo when the bombings occurred. In a moment they were thrust into horror. When he talks about it today, it is in hopes of helping people understand what the world is susceptible to as the result of wars.
Migiwa Ishitani ~ Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Staff
I didn't get a photo of Ishitani, but I thought it appropriate to put the Peace statue at Nagasaki here. To read more about the statue click below.
Migiwa Ishitani spoke for her father who died five years ago. She is a second generation survivor. She started her presentation as she said her father always did with a deep and sincere apology to any Americans who suffered because of the actions taken by the Japanese in the war. She went on to say that her father was a survivor of the bombing of Nagasaki. He became a conciensious objector as a result and spent his life working for peace. He died of a rare form of cancer related to the bombings.
Farewell Tokyo! ~ Saturday October 7, 2006
Well, this is goodbye to Tokyo until the end of the trip, we return to Tokyo on the 17th. I leave on the bullet train, the Tokaido Shinkansen. Today, though, we were on a mission to explore Tokyo on our own. It was our only day off on the trip. Man oh man did we see a lot. Below are some snapshots of the day.
Today we used the subway or the Tokyo Metro http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/. I'm not used to navigating on the subway, but luckily I was with some experienced city folks. We split up towards the end of the day, though, and I'm proud to say I made it back to the hotel all by myself.
Click the photo above to see some images from the subway station.
FASHION!
Ok, this section is for my student Emily, and my daughter, Chrissy. Everywhere girls are styling. (is that an unstylish way to say that?) Anyway, I think knee high boots and socks are really in! One very different style was the one pictured above. We saw a lot of girls dressed in this fashion. It's called Gothic Lolita or "GothLoli, gosurori; sometimes alternatively "Loli-Goth") is a youth fashion among Japanese teenagers and young women. It emphasizes Victorian-style girl's clothing and often aims to imitate the look of Victorian porcelain dolls. Click on the link to read more about GothLoli or click the photo to see more fashion.
Hi Kelly, glad to hear from you. Good question about the fast food. There are McDonalds and Starbucks everywhere, today I saw a Wendy's, and the other day I spotted a Denny's. How about that!
My Farewell Gift from Tokyo
When I woke up this morning and looked out the window the sky was clear and the sun shining. I followed the huge shadow of my hotel across Tokyo to the horizion and there it was pointing to a magnificent full moon. As my eyes moved across the mountains, what I had greatly hoped to see captured me! The honored and sacred Mt. Fuji, there it was standing high above everything. Fujisan as it is called here in Japan is 3776 meters (12, 388 feet) high, Japan's highest mountain. It's a nearly perfectly shaped dormant volcano that has been worshipped as a sacred mountain throughout time.
The Japanese Garden at the New Otani Hotel ~ Before I left the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo I took an early morning walk through the garden. This garden, 400 years old, was once part of the Imperial Palace Gardens.
According to Japan's indigenous religion, Shinto, certain natural objects ~ mountains, hills, trees, and stones ~ house devine spirits. Japanese gardens suggest the belief in the sanctity of natural beauty.
I realized as I snapped these photos that in a Japanese garden it is hard to take a bad photo. Everywhere you look the design is exquisite. Enter the garden photos by clicking on the bridge.
Entry: Sunday - October 8, 2006 : We left Tokyo on the bullet train ~ Tokaido Shinkansen http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2018.html. We could have flown from Tokyo to Ikeda, but the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund folks wanted us to experience the bullet train. Aren't they great?! Anyway, we had a two hour ride and Mt. Fuji to watch out the train window most of the way. We met a gentleman on the train and he was so friendly and willing to explain a lot to us. He spoke English very well and travels often to the States on business. I asked him if you can see Mt. Fuji often from Tokyo and he said that we were very lucky. He told us that Mt. Fuji was only visible about 50% of the time. We feel extremely fortunate. It's magical. Someone asked if he had climbed Mt. Fuji. He smiled and said that it is said in Japan that if you want to be a man, you must climb Mt. Fuji. He chuckled a little and said he didn't need to climb it. Check out my bullet train ride.
Entry: Tuesday, October 10, 2006 ~ We've been on a whirlwind the last couple of days seeing many Osaka area places of interest. We visited two shrines, a castle, the Instant Ramen Museum (more to come on that!) and an Art Museum. Whew! I had a Blog question submitted -Howdy Jesse - and so I thought I could answer some questions about Shintoism as I show you the photographs from the shrines. I got a chance to talk with one of our interpreters today about Shinto so I'll also add a little of what she said. Learn about Shinto and see some photos from our visits.
Meeting the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools: We were greeted today in a special meeting with the Superintendent of Schools and the Mayor of Ikeda. It was made clear by our interpreters before the meeting that the Japanese are quite formal in procedures at these types of events. We rehearsed how to introduce ourselves and where we were from - Watashi wa Maine, no Susan MacNicoll dess. Remember class? The Japanese say their family name first and given name second, but Keiko-san said that we shouldn't do that because we are Americans. If I were Japanese, though, I would be MacNicoll SUSAN. (the given name in caps)
After the formal speeches made by the Mayor, Superintendent, and a JFMF representative we had an informal discussion period. I had the opportunity to ask the Superintendent a question. In the back of my mind as I spoke with him was my father also a superintendent of schools. My dad passed away a few years ago, but I thought - How proud dad would have been- tears in his eyes and all, to see his daughter studying in Japan and meeting a superintendent of schools. I asked the superintendent about his tenure as a principal in a middle school (two years) and I told him that I taught in the middle school, computer/technology literacy. My question was based on an early Blog submission- thanks Christina- I asked what goals they have in the Ikeda schools for technology. He explained that first they want their students to be able to find information, next they work on processing and analyzing the information, and lastly the goal is that students can use that information to create their own ideas. Right on!
After the meeting with the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools we were whisked away to Osaka Kyoiku University. We met the President of the University, some of the staff, and students working toward becoming teachers. We learned that we share some of the same concerns about special education, teacher training, and work load. I did find it interesting that in the Japanese educational system they are moving away from a seniority system towards a merit pay system.
By the time we returned to our hotel we were all tired and hungry, but when I walked over to the airport and into the internet cafe to send a Blog, many other JFMFers were also there pounding away at their keyboards.
The Superintendent of Schools and me!
Me, the Mayor of Ikeda, Osaka and Bonnie
Entry: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 This is the part of our learning adventure that we U.S. teachers were all very excited about - our school visits. We started by visiting Ikeda Senior High School today. This school is called a SELHi, which means Super English Language High School. The emphasis on learning English is highly stressed. Having us visit, they said, was an honor. As is the case wherever we go we were made to feel very welcome and we were treated like celebrities by the students. Hey, McLaughlin art teachers and students, I collected a lot of photographs for you. Learn more about the school visit.
Entry: Thursday, October 12, 2006 - Our visit to the elementary school was delightful! As the students entered the gates they all gave us a cheerful "Good Morning" in English, and many asked how we were. Students in this school begin English lessons in first grade. I felt as though the entire day was enchanting. Everywhere I turned the students were so much like students in the United States, and everywhere I looked they were different, too. I've been waiting and hoping to get some music to bring back to the wonderful music teachers and students at McLaughlin (they are the best!) so, today I did. Be sure to check out the music movie. Maybe some of my photos will give you a better idea of the elementary school experience. Remember too, some of my best photos I'll have to save for when I come home; the principal asked that we not post close-ups on the web. Click to take a look at my photos!
There was a BLOG question submitted by Margo, hey Margo! The question was about t-shirts. She had heard that some people in Japan wore t-shirts that had American/English words on them, but they didn't make sense. I had heard that too. Well it's hard to get good pictures of t-shirts because people are moving and as soon as you aim your camera they have moved. I was determined today though. So you be the judge, do these make sense? They are from the elementary school, and by the way, I don't think I've seen anyone wearing a t-shirt with Japanese writing on it. They all have writing that looks like it's American English or Australian English. Oh, and I think I may have also seen some in French.
My personal favorite. It says: The Goddess Wishes Love & Peace Forever.
Answers to Blog Questions: Today I had a few really good questions and comments on the Blog, so I thought I'd just quickly respond. The first was: Are you getting any rest? One thing teachers will want to know is how you were able to do all this and still enjoy the trip. Well, each day we start out at about eight in the morning for our day's adventures. We usually don't return till about 5 in the afternoon, sometimes later. We're all tired, but also keyed up. Putting down my thoughts helps me to unwind, and it assures me that I won't forget all that I have learned. It's kind of like taking notes. Also, I have to download the camera because I use up all the memory taking zillions of photos and videos. If I don't download and label the photos I'm afraid I'll forget the stories behind all of them. And lastly, I'm realllllyyyyy fast on the computer and I truly enjoy hard work. I'm usually done with the Blog in about an hour, so I can go out for sushi or shopping. Believe me, my energy is high because this is the trip of a lifetime!
My CD class asked: We were wondering if the school was all on one level, if there was an outdoor recess in the elementary school and what happens if someone refuses to work? Is the school bigger than ours? Well, the elementary school I visited is three levels. I'm not sure if it's quite as big as McLaughlin, but it's not a lot smaller. I think that they have indoor (in the classroom) and outdoor recess, but I was under the impression it was done by class. Remember the students stay with the teachers throughout the day. And what happens if someone refuses to work? Well, I have certainly seen students talking about other things while the teacher was teaching, but I have not seen a teacher discipline a student. When it comes to actually participating the students seem to always focus at some point to get their work done... I haven't seen anyone refuse to do work. There was one young energetic boy named Yamo in one class I was observing, he kept saying across the room to me "Suuuuzaaaan" with a big smile! I taught him how to give a thumbs up and say "cool". The teacher didn't seem to mind or even notice Yamo talking out of turn, and when it came to work he did it. I think, in Japan, it is shameful not to do your work.
Work done by my IJ class - this is their Blog submission: "We checked the website on the written Japanese symbols and we came to the unanimous conclusion that you are correct.
Here's our search results. Hirgana - rounded strokes
Katakana - straight lines
mainly used to write words borrowed from foreign languages." Well done IJ Class!!!!!!!
Lastly, a question from Catrina: Have I seen any twins? Love the question, Catrina! By the way Catrina is a twin herself, and her sister is a student of mine this quarter as well. I have not seen any Catrina, but I will definately look for twins.
Bye All - Thanks for the questions!
Hey Catrina and Cassandra (my student twins) - Look at these twins! I was amazed at the coincidence because on the Blog Catrina had just asked about whether I had seen twins. Well, we went to the mall last night and there were these two little girls with their mom. Aren't they soooo cute?!
The Ikeda Junior High staff were very enthusiastic about our visit. See the lovely sign they made with all our photos? Students, can you find me?
Entry: Friday, October 13, 2006 - Today was a special day for me because we visited Ikeda Junior High. I was excited to have the opportunity to learn about a school with the same level students as I teach at home. I found that in Japan there are junior highs, not middle schools. The difference is that the junior high has our grades seven, eight, and nine (that's the same as it was when I was in school ...waaaayyyyy back when). In Japan, though they call the junior high grades - first year, second year, and third year. You see, each level school (elementary, junor high, and senior high) starts the numbering all over again.
Let me tell you, my biggest wish regarding the school visits came true today. I connected with English teachers and teachers of computer technology. I invited them to participate with their students in this website. Perhaps they will contribute stories and multimedia. You see, part of my dream for this trip to Japan has been to promote cultural exchange, awareness, and understanding. I see computer technology as a vehicle on the path to greater global understanding. Please join me on a virtual tour of the school!
While in Ikeda I have been staying at The Crevette Hotel. It's very different from the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo. We JFMFers were actually quite surprised by the contrast between the two hotels. Early on one of my students had asked if the hotel room was small, well it wasn't in Tokyo and I gave you a tour, but here ,YES it is very small. So let's take a tour!
Entry: Sunday, October 15, 2006 - On Saturday we went to an Ikeda community center to meet up with our host families for our overnight homestay. We were all a little nervous, especially about possible language barriers. We had no way of knowing if our host families would be able to speak English, and we knew that our Japanese was extremely limited. What made us all so enthused though, was they we knew that we shared with the host families a strong, international desire to build understanding between our two countries. And so our mutual adventure began. Let me show you my experiences with my wonderful host and new friend, Satomi Nabeno.
Bathroom Break!
Some of you have asked questions about the Japanese bathrooms. If you are brave and interested in learning more , click the Pinochio Plunger. (We saw this plunger at a sushi restaurant)
Entry: Monday, October 16, 2006 For our last day spent in the Osaka prefecture we enjoyed the hospitality of a local ryokan, a Japanese-style inn. Think of a New England bed and breakfast and you're on the right track. Ryokans are not necessarily filled with modern conveniences, but they are designed to present a unique experience with Japanese culture. It was the ideal way to relax after a week of study and activity.
Pets! Kim, Cassandra and Tommy recently asked about pets. I've been collecting pet photos and can tell you that my Satomi-san's (my homestay host) niece had a new puppy she loved very much. I have seen many people with small dogs, and I find it weird that most are dressed in skirts, pants, sweaters, etc. Very strange. What I 've seen of cats is very sad. I've seen them dart out of bushes the way a squirrel would, looking for food. There are many stray cats who are skinny, scared, and hungry. I don't know if they have many cats as pets, but I've seen people with kittens in boxes collecting money. Our interpreter said that they are people who are compassionate about the homeless cats and collect money to take care of them. The cat pictured below is a stray who was getting food from college students at the university.
Everyone is slim!!
Here's a big THANKS to my good friend Sherry who has sent great supportive comments throughout my trip. They have been very meaningful to me, Sherry. So about the question you asked: It was - Are their many overweight people because everyone looks so thin in the photos. Well, I just want to say, being in Japan I definately feel big. Keiko-san has said many times that the Japanese people are accommodating us because we are so "huge". For example when we went to the ryokan she said they usually put four people in a room, but because we are "huge" they put only two to a room. We all got a good laugh out of that comment. I don't know if Keiko-san realizes that that is not really a polite way to say that to Americans. Anyway, the people eat A LOT. Remember, the kids eat all their food. So I'm not sure if it's that they exercise more than us, or the diet is less fatty, or if it's their body make-up or what, but the only really heavy people in Japan that I have seen are sumo wrestlers.
Hi Sarah and Maja! Good to hear from you. Yes, I have made many friends here, especially other teachers on tour with me. Luckily I can speak mostly English, but I am trying to learn as much Japanese as I can. While I was visiting Satomi I wrote down words as I learned them. Here are some:
Tako - waterfall
Takana - fish
Koganemushi - goldbug
Kamakiri - praying mantis
Oishi -good
...and a special paper for cleaning your face which many women use is called Abura (oil) Tori (take off) Gami (paper)
Cody, Catrina, Hannah, Erika asked about music and school dances. I did ask my host's son what type of music he liked. He listens to rap, and many times it's American rap. I also heard a young rock type band in a mall playing and it sounded like American soft rock. As far as school dances, sorry I didn't have a chance to ask, but I don't think they have any. They are very involved in after school club activities which there are many of such as sports, music, math, and science clubs. Many student also go to what is called Cram School for as much as three hours a day three days a week. Cram School helps them prepare for getting into Senior High.
Not everyone can go to Senior High, only the ones who pass the exams.
Jenn asked a question that I had been meaning to bring up. Thanks Jenn. She asked -Is there a restriction on the number of children a Japanese couple may have? How many children do most families have? The birth rate is actually in decline in Japan, which is of major concern to the government. They want more people to have children. A declining birth rate could negatively effect the workforce and economy. The people from the government who spoke to us said that to increase the birth rate they are providing more childcare and support so that more couples will have children. I'm not sure how many children the average family has, but of the other teachers I spoke to many of their host families had two children.
A few other quick blog answers - Kim and Cassandra, what I have seen the kids watch are American cartoons in Japanese. I didn't have much of an opportunity to observe TV habits, but my host family kids were watching American shows with Japanese subtitles or Japanese dubbing. You may be interested in looking back to the Japan-US facts page on this website and compare the amount of TV stations. Crimson, I haven't seen any ice rinks, but I'll try to find out before I come home. Crimson and I both like skating. Alex, about boys fashion - I'd say it's pretty much the same as the US. A lot of American t-shirts are worn everywhere.
My most special thanks goes to Don, my technical coordinator and best friend. Throughout this trip there have been numerous technical hurdles. Don's expertise has made it possible for you and me to correspond through the TripBlog. He designed and coded the blog and story forms and fixed them on many occasions when I kept messing them up. There were times on the trip when I was frustrated and unable to load images and blogs directly; I sent them to Don and he uploaded them. He is a careful and precise technical coordinator who gets what needs to be done, done.
