The homestay was great. I was placed with a wonderful family and was able to experience many cultural sites of Japan.
Starting with The Brush Museum. My family took me to see where and how calligrify brushes, make-up brushes are made. It was very interstering. I also was abot to see a Japanese baseball game, it was a high school game, semi-finals and it was pretty interesting. Different than American baseball in some respects, but still very fun.
Off to the grocery store we went...well lets just say it was not what you see at our neighborhood Kroger. A massive variety of any kind of fish you could want, any way you want, fresh, frozen, dried...it was an experience. At the meat counter buying beef I noticed how expensive the beef and pork was, 1300.00 yen ($13) for one steak.
After the grocery store it was off to the house for dinner. The house was cute but much smaller than weare used to. I slept in a traditional Japanese fashion...on the floor with a mat and a very fluffy down comforter.
The next day it was back to Miyajima Island. This time I was able to see many other things I was not able to see the first time. In the shrine I saw a Japanese wedding, it was pretty cool.
My family dropped me off at our hotel for the night...a traditional Japanese hotel, a roykan. The room was beautiful and very traditional, another night of sleeping on the floor.
It was back on the Bullet Train to Tokyo...we are in the home strech. Four hours at 200 miles an hour are poof, we are in Tokyo. Home sweet home...well not really but close enough.
Check in, out to dinner, sleep.
Today a full day of meetings.
Tomorrow a full day of presentations of our host cities and the soynora dinner...no pun intended...that is really the name.
Thursday on the plane for about 18 hours to Washington D.C., change planes to CVG and home to crash.
I am planning on coming to school some time on Friday...Hopefully. We will see how bad the jet lag is.
See you all soon. I miss everyone very much.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
What a week!!!!
This has been an amazing week.
We have visited and observed the inner workings of all the levels of Japanese schools.
The elementary school was fantastic. The kids loved having us there. We felt so welcome. We were greated by a cermony with singing and we were presented with gifts from the students. I recieved a scroll with ancient characters on it. It is lovley.
The middle school was also very interestering. I learned, yet agian that it is just a languagethat seperates us. The students there acted just like my students, who I miss greatly.
I had lunch with ninth graders, lthe last year required by the Japanese educational system. Many of these students were goofing off and acting like a regular 'ol teenager. Not the typical image you see of a Japanese school.
The high school we observed today was amazing. These students are here because the choose to do so, it is not required of the government. The school was ranked the second best school in the nation, these students are the best of the best and it showed. They were very focuses on their studies. They were not bothered by the us being there at all.
This school is structured very much like our college. The students "major" in a couse of study and take all of the appropiate classes to graduate. Then it is on to college.
Tomorrow morning it is off to the home stay, where I will be staying with a Japanese family for the weekend. I will not have internet access for several days, so have plenty of comment for me to see when I can log back on.
I miss you all...I willbe home soon and looking forward to a Big Mac, Coke and fries.
We have visited and observed the inner workings of all the levels of Japanese schools.
The elementary school was fantastic. The kids loved having us there. We felt so welcome. We were greated by a cermony with singing and we were presented with gifts from the students. I recieved a scroll with ancient characters on it. It is lovley.
The middle school was also very interestering. I learned, yet agian that it is just a languagethat seperates us. The students there acted just like my students, who I miss greatly.
I had lunch with ninth graders, lthe last year required by the Japanese educational system. Many of these students were goofing off and acting like a regular 'ol teenager. Not the typical image you see of a Japanese school.
The high school we observed today was amazing. These students are here because the choose to do so, it is not required of the government. The school was ranked the second best school in the nation, these students are the best of the best and it showed. They were very focuses on their studies. They were not bothered by the us being there at all.
This school is structured very much like our college. The students "major" in a couse of study and take all of the appropiate classes to graduate. Then it is on to college.
Tomorrow morning it is off to the home stay, where I will be staying with a Japanese family for the weekend. I will not have internet access for several days, so have plenty of comment for me to see when I can log back on.
I miss you all...I willbe home soon and looking forward to a Big Mac, Coke and fries.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum
Our first stop this moring was the Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum. We were met by the daughter of a suvivor of the A-bomb. She was very candid about the experience her mother went through.
After the attack her mother went back to her house(she was 16 and was working at a factory for the government) and found her families chared remains. She only knew her father because his body was the largest she found and next to him was her 4 year old sister. Moving to the kitchen she fond her mother and baby sister. The mother clutching the baby so tightly trying to protect her, the skin and material of their clothes between them was not damaged. At this point again I was in tears and missing my family terribly. My heart still aches as I am writing thiswith tears again streaming down my face.
After the bombing as if it was not bad enough, the survivors were discriminated aganist due the fact that the other people thought the diseases that were being experience were infectious. These survivors could not find jobs, mates or friends, forcing many of them to ignore this horrific experience to be accepted back into society.
It was a pretty heavy moring.
On a lighter note...We met with the Deputy Mayor, the Hiroshima Borad of Education Members and partents of stuents in the Hiroshima schools. It was a very enlightening question and answer session.
After the attack her mother went back to her house(she was 16 and was working at a factory for the government) and found her families chared remains. She only knew her father because his body was the largest she found and next to him was her 4 year old sister. Moving to the kitchen she fond her mother and baby sister. The mother clutching the baby so tightly trying to protect her, the skin and material of their clothes between them was not damaged. At this point again I was in tears and missing my family terribly. My heart still aches as I am writing thiswith tears again streaming down my face.
After the bombing as if it was not bad enough, the survivors were discriminated aganist due the fact that the other people thought the diseases that were being experience were infectious. These survivors could not find jobs, mates or friends, forcing many of them to ignore this horrific experience to be accepted back into society.
It was a pretty heavy moring.
On a lighter note...We met with the Deputy Mayor, the Hiroshima Borad of Education Members and partents of stuents in the Hiroshima schools. It was a very enlightening question and answer session.
The Peace Park
As many of you may or may not know 8:15, August 6, 1945 was the day the United States unleashed the Atomic Bomb on Japan. I was very aware of this but I was not prepare for the emotions which this experience would evoke in me.
First we visited the site of the Hypocenter. There was a small memorial showing where the bomb engaged 120 ft. before impact. The original target was missed and it landed about 100 yards from an elementary school.
Next it was the Peace Park and the Peace Bell. We saw ruins which remained after the bomb detinated and the city was literally obliterated. As we are looking at the ruins there is a large bird atop the bilding and it was a crane. It was a very moving moment. The first of many this day. People were burned where they stood. We saw the burn mark of a person who was sitting on the step outside of their house. Approx. 130,000 people died from this action.
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall was our next stop. Again the emotion was over-whelming. It was here I started to really feel a deep sense of emotion...I cannot even put it into words.
We saw the Children's Memorial, which is where you present the cranes. We witnessed a group of school children making their offering at the memorial. It was a formal afair with speeches, songs and a moment of silence. Very moving.
Moving to the Peace Memorial Museum, at this point I am so over-whelmed by emotion I am on the verge of tears. To see the devistation cannot be explained in words. I do not know if the pictures will do it justice.
They creamated the dead as per their religions and it took them a month of burning bodies every day to burn them all. The ashes of the people who were not identified are enshirned in a mount in the Peace Park. A mother had to creamate her own baby girl who did not make it through the attack. And the stories of dispare and devistation are so much to wrap your brain around. I do not know how someone could see this area and the pictures of what happened and ever think war is the answer.
This literally brought me to tears.
First we visited the site of the Hypocenter. There was a small memorial showing where the bomb engaged 120 ft. before impact. The original target was missed and it landed about 100 yards from an elementary school.
Next it was the Peace Park and the Peace Bell. We saw ruins which remained after the bomb detinated and the city was literally obliterated. As we are looking at the ruins there is a large bird atop the bilding and it was a crane. It was a very moving moment. The first of many this day. People were burned where they stood. We saw the burn mark of a person who was sitting on the step outside of their house. Approx. 130,000 people died from this action.
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall was our next stop. Again the emotion was over-whelming. It was here I started to really feel a deep sense of emotion...I cannot even put it into words.
We saw the Children's Memorial, which is where you present the cranes. We witnessed a group of school children making their offering at the memorial. It was a formal afair with speeches, songs and a moment of silence. Very moving.
Moving to the Peace Memorial Museum, at this point I am so over-whelmed by emotion I am on the verge of tears. To see the devistation cannot be explained in words. I do not know if the pictures will do it justice.
They creamated the dead as per their religions and it took them a month of burning bodies every day to burn them all. The ashes of the people who were not identified are enshirned in a mount in the Peace Park. A mother had to creamate her own baby girl who did not make it through the attack. And the stories of dispare and devistation are so much to wrap your brain around. I do not know how someone could see this area and the pictures of what happened and ever think war is the answer.
This literally brought me to tears.
Hiroshima University
Monday moring we went to visit Hiroshima University. This University is well known in Japan because of it's teacher education program. We were welcomed by the President and the Vice President of the University, we also had the chance to speak to two of the education prefessors. They had some very interstering views on the education of the children of Japan, amazingly enough they are trying to learn how we educate our students. Many current reforms the Japanese educational system has experienced are modeled after the U.S.
Who would have thought. We look up to their educational system so much, I was suprised they look up to us also.
Who would have thought. We look up to their educational system so much, I was suprised they look up to us also.
The Bullet Train to Hiroshima
Hey guys...sorry for my absence. We havebeen so busy that when we get back we crash.
The Bullet Train...well it was pretty cool. It travels at approx. 200 miles per hour and it took us four hours to get to Hiroshima. It did have some very good views of the mountains. I even got to see Mt. Fuji.
After arriving in Hiroshima we went to Miyajima Island. It was very beautiful and considered one of Japan's most scenic spots. Many picture of Japan contain the O-torii Gate, which is the gate to the Itsukushima Shrine.
After a full day of traveling and site seeing it was dinner and off to bed.
The Bullet Train...well it was pretty cool. It travels at approx. 200 miles per hour and it took us four hours to get to Hiroshima. It did have some very good views of the mountains. I even got to see Mt. Fuji.
After arriving in Hiroshima we went to Miyajima Island. It was very beautiful and considered one of Japan's most scenic spots. Many picture of Japan contain the O-torii Gate, which is the gate to the Itsukushima Shrine.
After a full day of traveling and site seeing it was dinner and off to bed.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Kamakura
Yesterday was our free day on this trip. A small group of people I have met went to Kamakura, which is a city about an hour and a half away by train. It was very different than being in Tokyo. The city ws not a busy as Tokyo, it had a much more homy feel.
The shops were very neat. Very small but full of Japanese goods. We even went into a Japanese bakery and had Japanese Pasteries, I had a Custard Bun fresh out of the oven...boy was it good.
As were where shopping and making our way to a shrine (sorry the names has been packed away into a bag I won't get back until we get back to Tokyo.) This shrine was amazing. There was a celebration going on at the shrine. We encountered many children, boys and girls, scooting around in there kimono. They were so cute.
After this shrine we were off again to a Temple. This one again was very beautiful. Here the flowers bloom year round and it was very busy with people. This site had a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean.
Pressing on it was off to the Great Buddah. I was again very busy and a site to see. We even got to go inside for a small fee of 20 yen (20 cents).
Starving and tired we found a shop with Japanese Dumplings (geosia?) and fried rice. IT WAS BY FAR THE BEST MEAL I HAVE HAD IN JAPAN SO FAR. The fried rice was...i can't even tell you how good it was. The dumplings with the soy sauce and the hot seasme oil...it is making my mouth water thinking of it. We also ran into a table of Americans in this restarunt, oddly enough they were inthe U.S. Navy.
Finally it was time to head backto Tokyo. What a fantastic day.
This moring it is off to Hiroshima, by the way of the bullit train.
The shops were very neat. Very small but full of Japanese goods. We even went into a Japanese bakery and had Japanese Pasteries, I had a Custard Bun fresh out of the oven...boy was it good.
As were where shopping and making our way to a shrine (sorry the names has been packed away into a bag I won't get back until we get back to Tokyo.) This shrine was amazing. There was a celebration going on at the shrine. We encountered many children, boys and girls, scooting around in there kimono. They were so cute.
After this shrine we were off again to a Temple. This one again was very beautiful. Here the flowers bloom year round and it was very busy with people. This site had a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean.
Pressing on it was off to the Great Buddah. I was again very busy and a site to see. We even got to go inside for a small fee of 20 yen (20 cents).
Starving and tired we found a shop with Japanese Dumplings (geosia?) and fried rice. IT WAS BY FAR THE BEST MEAL I HAVE HAD IN JAPAN SO FAR. The fried rice was...i can't even tell you how good it was. The dumplings with the soy sauce and the hot seasme oil...it is making my mouth water thinking of it. We also ran into a table of Americans in this restarunt, oddly enough they were inthe U.S. Navy.
Finally it was time to head backto Tokyo. What a fantastic day.
This moring it is off to Hiroshima, by the way of the bullit train.
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