Hello All!
My parents arrived in Japan safe and sound on Saturday. They took a shinkansen (bullet train) to Akita on Sunday. I've spent the last few days showing them around the city, the campus and introducing them to my friends and teachers. Today they will be traveling to Tokyo for the rest of the week. I will be joining them on Thursday. This Saturday, May 31 we will return to our respective homes, (i.e. AIU for me, the States for my parents). In the meantime I've been trying to get ahead in my studies and prepare for my short trip to Tokyo. For this reason, there will not be a real update today, nor will there be one on Sunday June 1, as I will not have enough time to fully document everything by that time. So, expect another update next Wednesday, June 4, where I will talk about my parents' stay in Japan. In the meantime, you should have plenty of time to catch up on past updates and photo uploads. Until then, I hope all is well!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Home Stay Family
Hello All!
Today's update will actually be short (I promise) mainly because my parents will be arriving in Akita this afternoon and I will be very busy for the next few days with them. However, in the meantime I thought I would share with you another really cool experience/opportunity that I have here in Japan. Many people have asked me if I would be living with a host family while staying in AIU. AIU houses its students on the campus dorms, so the short answer is no. However, they do provide for a watered-down host family experience. The Akita International Association is an organization working out of Akita City that pairs up international students from all of the local universities with interested host families. The students don't live with the host families as in the more traditional programs; rather, the organization facilitates the initial connection with an interested family, and from then on you and your host family decide on what kinds of activities you want to do. This usually includes dinners, spending a weekend at their home, trips to various places, and other activities.
I signed up for the program within the first few days of orientation, when they gave us the information about this program. I was a bit concerned at first because my Japanese is so poor, and I expressed my reluctance with the representatives of the program who had come to give an informational session in April. They assured me that they would do their best to find a family that would meet my circumstances.
Anyway, fast forward almost two months. Yesterday was the first get-together sponsored by the organization in order to meet your "Home Stay" family. I went with four other AIU students. While we waited, students from other schools arrived as well, though we didn't really mix or mingle. After a short while they invited us to a room where our families were gathered. They sat at long tables (about 14 or so), one family to a table. Most of the families had young (newborn - 12) children, though there were also a couple of older people as well. After some initial introductory announcements, they then announced which student got which family.
I got paired up with the Oi family, and they are super. The family consists of Keigo (the father), Rumiko (the mother), Shuichiro (or Shu, the son, 7 yrs) and Aneko (the daughter, 4 yrs). Keigo could speak English pretty well...not fluent but he could hold a conversation without much problem. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He works for an insurance company and is also a rice farmer. Rumiko looked to be about the same age as her husband and was a house-wife. I was surprised to learn that the family had lived in Seattle, Washington for five years (due to business), and that the children were born there (which means they are also US citizens). Keigo also used to live in Colorado for some time, which explains his relative proficiency with English. Rumiko could speak basic English, problem at the same level as many of the office workers in the Administration Building on campus. Shuichiro knew a few words but I don't think they taught him English while they lived in the US. Shuichiro was also too young to have learned it at school (I think he started school after their return to Japan).
They were a really cool family. Keigo (and to a lesser extent Rumiko) and I exchanged questions and answers, getting a feel for where we came from, what we do, and our relative levels of language proficiency. I am a bit bummed out that I don't know more Japanese because I would love to talk and play with their children more. Aneko (the daughter) was very shy and did not really talk to me, contenting herself with drawing for most of the day.
After some time of chatting, there were a few games scheduled for "fun." The first was a game of "Hot Potato" with a taiko (hand drum) used for "music." The person left with the potato after the drum stopped playing had to wear a namihage (a type of oni or demon) mask and make ridiculous grunting sounds. It was hilarious. After a couple of games (I never had to grunt) we then played a puzzle game where they gave us a gray map of Japan divided into its Prefectures (similar to a state or province) as well as small colored puzzle pieces shaped like the prefectures which we had to glue onto the map within an alloted time. It took a while, as Japan has an incredible amount of prefectures given its size (47!). After that, we then had to name all of the prefectures within another time limit (Keigo was especially awesome with this part...I knew of about six prefectures by name, making me pretty much useless). There were also some pictures taken, both of the individual families and their international student, and then of the entire group as well.
Towards the end of our time together we exchanged contact information, and this was the only time where I seriously missed having a cell phone. If I was staying more than a semester I would seriously consider getting a "pre-paid" phone but as it is it doesn't make economic sense to get one when I will be in Japan for only two more months. It should be okay communicating via e-mail though. They mentioned that they were going to take the children cherry picking next month and invited me along. They also mentioned they wanted to have me over for dinner. I had already talked to them about my parents visiting this week, so we decided to plan it after my parents returned to the US. Keigo also invited me to see his rice farm at some point (hell yes!).
All in all, it was a fun time, and I'm super excited about my host family. I will keep you all updated regarding any events that I do with them. Hope everyone is having a great end-of May! Summer is just around the corner!
Today's update will actually be short (I promise) mainly because my parents will be arriving in Akita this afternoon and I will be very busy for the next few days with them. However, in the meantime I thought I would share with you another really cool experience/opportunity that I have here in Japan. Many people have asked me if I would be living with a host family while staying in AIU. AIU houses its students on the campus dorms, so the short answer is no. However, they do provide for a watered-down host family experience. The Akita International Association is an organization working out of Akita City that pairs up international students from all of the local universities with interested host families. The students don't live with the host families as in the more traditional programs; rather, the organization facilitates the initial connection with an interested family, and from then on you and your host family decide on what kinds of activities you want to do. This usually includes dinners, spending a weekend at their home, trips to various places, and other activities.
I signed up for the program within the first few days of orientation, when they gave us the information about this program. I was a bit concerned at first because my Japanese is so poor, and I expressed my reluctance with the representatives of the program who had come to give an informational session in April. They assured me that they would do their best to find a family that would meet my circumstances.
Anyway, fast forward almost two months. Yesterday was the first get-together sponsored by the organization in order to meet your "Home Stay" family. I went with four other AIU students. While we waited, students from other schools arrived as well, though we didn't really mix or mingle. After a short while they invited us to a room where our families were gathered. They sat at long tables (about 14 or so), one family to a table. Most of the families had young (newborn - 12) children, though there were also a couple of older people as well. After some initial introductory announcements, they then announced which student got which family.
I got paired up with the Oi family, and they are super. The family consists of Keigo (the father), Rumiko (the mother), Shuichiro (or Shu, the son, 7 yrs) and Aneko (the daughter, 4 yrs). Keigo could speak English pretty well...not fluent but he could hold a conversation without much problem. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. He works for an insurance company and is also a rice farmer. Rumiko looked to be about the same age as her husband and was a house-wife. I was surprised to learn that the family had lived in Seattle, Washington for five years (due to business), and that the children were born there (which means they are also US citizens). Keigo also used to live in Colorado for some time, which explains his relative proficiency with English. Rumiko could speak basic English, problem at the same level as many of the office workers in the Administration Building on campus. Shuichiro knew a few words but I don't think they taught him English while they lived in the US. Shuichiro was also too young to have learned it at school (I think he started school after their return to Japan).
They were a really cool family. Keigo (and to a lesser extent Rumiko) and I exchanged questions and answers, getting a feel for where we came from, what we do, and our relative levels of language proficiency. I am a bit bummed out that I don't know more Japanese because I would love to talk and play with their children more. Aneko (the daughter) was very shy and did not really talk to me, contenting herself with drawing for most of the day.
After some time of chatting, there were a few games scheduled for "fun." The first was a game of "Hot Potato" with a taiko (hand drum) used for "music." The person left with the potato after the drum stopped playing had to wear a namihage (a type of oni or demon) mask and make ridiculous grunting sounds. It was hilarious. After a couple of games (I never had to grunt) we then played a puzzle game where they gave us a gray map of Japan divided into its Prefectures (similar to a state or province) as well as small colored puzzle pieces shaped like the prefectures which we had to glue onto the map within an alloted time. It took a while, as Japan has an incredible amount of prefectures given its size (47!). After that, we then had to name all of the prefectures within another time limit (Keigo was especially awesome with this part...I knew of about six prefectures by name, making me pretty much useless). There were also some pictures taken, both of the individual families and their international student, and then of the entire group as well.
Towards the end of our time together we exchanged contact information, and this was the only time where I seriously missed having a cell phone. If I was staying more than a semester I would seriously consider getting a "pre-paid" phone but as it is it doesn't make economic sense to get one when I will be in Japan for only two more months. It should be okay communicating via e-mail though. They mentioned that they were going to take the children cherry picking next month and invited me along. They also mentioned they wanted to have me over for dinner. I had already talked to them about my parents visiting this week, so we decided to plan it after my parents returned to the US. Keigo also invited me to see his rice farm at some point (hell yes!).
All in all, it was a fun time, and I'm super excited about my host family. I will keep you all updated regarding any events that I do with them. Hope everyone is having a great end-of May! Summer is just around the corner!
Monday, May 19, 2008
A Walk Through Akita
Hey Everyone:
Sorry for the late update. This past weekend was absolutely beautiful, and I spent much of my time outdoors enjoying it. Yesterday (Sunday) was also Commencement Day at Ithaca, and I was busy finishing some e-mails to my friends who were graduating yesterday.
I have decided to take a break from the Wednesday updates for two or three weeks. This is due to the combination of a) running out of material, b) needing to free up more time for class work, and c) my parents' visit to Japan next week, which still needs some planning on my end. I will let you know when I will be resuming my twice-weekly update schedule. I will try my hardest to have another update next Sunday, but I can't promise anything as that is when my parents will be arriving in Akita.
As for today's post, I decided I would do something a little different. In order to get into the greater Akita City area, students take a short trip on the local train from nearby Wada-eki (Wada Train Station) to Akita-eki. There is an infrequent bus from the AIU campus to Wada-eki, but it is also possible to walk there on foot - a thirty to forty minute endeavor. Because the weather was perfect, I decided I would bring my camera and photograph for you the Akita landscape, featuring the many rice paddies, a local shrine, and local Akita homes. Today's entry will be more like a "travelogue." I will be combining text with a just a few pictures. You will find a link to the full album of pictures at the end of the entry, as well as on the right sidebar. Be sure to check it out as I am only sharing about half of the photos here and there are many more to enjoy. You should be able to read my entry and follow the album step by step. My objective is to help paint you a more elaborate picture of the Northern Japanese landscape that surrounds AIU.
With that said, off we go!
Sorry for the late update. This past weekend was absolutely beautiful, and I spent much of my time outdoors enjoying it. Yesterday (Sunday) was also Commencement Day at Ithaca, and I was busy finishing some e-mails to my friends who were graduating yesterday.
I have decided to take a break from the Wednesday updates for two or three weeks. This is due to the combination of a) running out of material, b) needing to free up more time for class work, and c) my parents' visit to Japan next week, which still needs some planning on my end. I will let you know when I will be resuming my twice-weekly update schedule. I will try my hardest to have another update next Sunday, but I can't promise anything as that is when my parents will be arriving in Akita.
As for today's post, I decided I would do something a little different. In order to get into the greater Akita City area, students take a short trip on the local train from nearby Wada-eki (Wada Train Station) to Akita-eki. There is an infrequent bus from the AIU campus to Wada-eki, but it is also possible to walk there on foot - a thirty to forty minute endeavor. Because the weather was perfect, I decided I would bring my camera and photograph for you the Akita landscape, featuring the many rice paddies, a local shrine, and local Akita homes. Today's entry will be more like a "travelogue." I will be combining text with a just a few pictures. You will find a link to the full album of pictures at the end of the entry, as well as on the right sidebar. Be sure to check it out as I am only sharing about half of the photos here and there are many more to enjoy. You should be able to read my entry and follow the album step by step. My objective is to help paint you a more elaborate picture of the Northern Japanese landscape that surrounds AIU.
With that said, off we go!
A Walk Through Akita
It is Sunday, May 18. The weather is, in a word, perfect: ~70F, slightly breezy, clear skies with a few puffy cumulus clouds on the outskirts of the sky, scudding along at a leisurely pace. I make my way to the back end of the AIU campus, near the large garden (or tiny park, depending on your view) at the edge of the school property whose existence is still unknown to many students on campus, especially the ichinensei (first years) and ryuugakusei (international students). I know from previous explorations that at the very back of this small slice of nature is a steep footpath that opens up right in front of the major road that leads to the town of Wada, cutting my walking time by about five minutes (and I walk pretty briskly). Plus, I much prefer beginning my journey surrounded by the still blooming flowers, bushes, and trees to paved roads, cars and buildings. I walk carefully down the precariously steep path on the hill face, glad it has not rained for a while. I reach the bottom of the staircase and am deposited at the mouth of a green tunnel of trees that line the main road into town. After checking the roads, I cross the street and begin my trek into town.
I remember a month ago (has it been that long already?) this lane of trees which are now so full of green foliage were once full of enormous white cherry blossoms. It really is remarkable how soon that joy passed, leaving only the calm tranquility of green, beautiful in its own way. To my right I looked down to see a bicycle track far below me that wound its way through the green of mature Spring. This track would run parallel to my own track for much of the journey into Wada town.
After the lane of cherry trees was stretch of road that passed a small tree farm on the right where cedar saplings grew in neat little rows, no taller than my knees, Japans attempts at reforesting their landscape after harvesting the wood for buildings like AIU's new library. The road moved sharply down hill, curving right, and soon opened onto the wide, flat rice paddies that Akita is known for. In the far distance, tall rolling hills were covered in cedar trees, reminding me of the hills that I drive through on my way to Ithaca every semester. Farther in the horizon, the tall ridge of Taihei-zan could be seen through a haze of mist and cloud that lent it a dream-like quality. For kilometers, though, no the land was flat and bare of trees. The only green that could be seen were some patches of wild grass and the small shoots of rice that were just beginning to peek above the placid waters of the many rice paddies. The paddies were flooded with water, and the landscape before me looked like it was filled with small ponds whose still waters reflected the blue sky and green trees in the distance. Houses dotted the landscape as well, and I could see farmers hunched over some of the rice fields. It is a seen unlike anything I have seen in my modest travels of the US. The landscape is infused with a peaceful quality that is occasionally broken by the sounds of cars passing at high speed on the road to my left.
As I continue my walk, I come closer to a small development of houses and a large gas station. I can hear children laughing and running, and beyond the gas station I can make out a community baseball field, the source of the laughter and fun. I am still surprised by how popular baseball is in Japan. Latin America, is the only other place in the world where I have seen baseball so popular. In Europe, football (i.e. soccer) is still supremely popular, and I recall explaining the basic rules and mechanics of baseball to my Norwegian friend Hans Petter who had seen a few baseball games but had no idea how it was played. I smile at the sound of the kids playing; while I do find children in general to be cute and fun, for whatever reason I find East Asian children to be exceptionally adorable. These kids looked like they were eight or nine years old, and watching them run around the mostly dirt field reminded me of my own days playing T-ball and baseball, and how much I disliked the sport.
To my right I can make out, beyond some rice paddies, two large wooden torii (gates) which mark the location of a Shinto shrine. The first is very large and left unpainted, gray in color due to age and weather, and wearing a thick yellow rope across its arch that denotes it as the entrance to holy ground. Just beyond I can make out the smaller torii painted in vermilion, and beyond that a small wooded hill which undoubtedly housed the shrine. I remember seeing these torii on my first trip by taxi to the AIU campus, and excitedly hoping to make a visit. I decided to make a small detour today and explore the shrine grounds.
As I walked through the first torii I saw that there was a copper plaque, rusted green with weather, on the left pillar with writing in Japanese that undoubtedly described the nature of this particular shrine. Once again I was slightly frustrated that it would be many years of intense study before I would be able to read the plaque. I made my way past the second torii whose yellow rope was hung so low that I had to actually sidestep the center pommel as I walked past. The shape and vermilion color of these torii almost always excite me in a way that no other religious building or monument does back at home; while I generally do enjoy exploring "places of worship" from a variety of religious backgrounds, there is something about the torii that stirs me in a unique way. Beyond, I can see steps up the small wooded hill that lead up to the main shrine compound.
The shrine covers a much larger area than I initially realized. The top of the steps opened onto a path lined with stone statues and stone lanterns leading to the large wooden building that was the main shrine. I could see some of the cedar trees, noteably the largest of them, had a ring of yellow rope with faded white strips (gohei, symbolizing purity) that designated those trees as holy in some way. To the left on a small rise I could see two or three large wooden and stone monuments with Japanese written on them. In the left hand corner of the courtyard was another set of two small vermilion torii in front of two or three small accessory shrines. To the right was a small shed.
I made my way past the two stone Shi-Shi, guardian lion-dogs, one with his mouth open and the other with his mouth closed. They are there to ward off evil spirits. They reminded me of the stone guardians outside of many Buddhist shrines, who are also intended to scare off evil spirits, and who always feature one statue with his mouth open, the other with his mouth closed. The parallel is not surprising. Japanese Shinto and Buddhism have been closely intermingled for hundreds, perhaps a thousand years, making it hard at times to separate one from the other. The forcible separation of Shinto from its Buddhist connections (with mixed results) happened fairly recent, at the dawn of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), mainly as a way to re-legitimize the Emperor's rule and to form a sense of national unity that rejected foreign influences, including imported Buddhism. I mused a bit about the often ridiculous and always serious exploitation of religion for political means, and then continued on my way to examine the small accessory shrines to the left of the main shrine building.
The shrines resembled small sheds or huts, with a sliding door and just enough room to step inside. They featured either a small wooden house that reminded me of a tabernacle, or wooden plaques with people carved into them. They all had a large candle stand, as well as offerings of food. I was surprised when I entered the last of the accessory shrines, which housed an almost life-sized, white wooden horse, complete with offerings of rice cakes. Of all the shrines I have visited, this was by far the strangest thing I have ever seen. I was mildly disturbed, to be honest, and quickly shut the sliding doors behind me in favor of exploring the main shrine building.
I noticed that the roof had a marvelous carving of a dragon on it, with Shi-Shi heads acting as bookends. I walked around the building first and noticed that there was a small building in the back connected to the main building. I opened the sliding door and immediately beheld a large rope with bells attached used for announcing your intention to offer a prayer or wish. The inside was carpeted with tatami, a kind of straw mat that is common in traditional Japanese buildings. You are not supposed to wear shoes or sandals on the tatami, so I deposited my shoes on the front step before bowing my way into the main room.
Inside there were many wooden plaques hung on the walls with Japanese writing on it. There were also a couple of paintings, some of them old, but one of them featuring the white horse that I had met just a couple of minutes ago. I am pretty sure the paintings and signs said something about the nature of the shrine and the kami (spirit or god) that was worshiped here, but I had no clue. In the center of the room was a very large candle stand in the same shape as the previous, smaller candle stand, the frame resembling a large water drop. In front of the stand was a collection box for coins (I tossed in a 5 yen coin, considered to be lucky), and behind the stand was an altar with various trinkets. Behind the altar there was a glass sliding door that revealed another room, and at the end of that room a large gilded door. This undoubtedly led to the smaller building in the back that I had seen on the outside, and was also probably reserved for more holy persons. After getting a general feel for the place I made my way outside and closed the door behind me.
After putting my shoes back on, I explored the building that was annexed to the right of the main shrine. There were large windows throughout, which revealed what was obviously a living space for the local Shinto priest(s). It was covered in tatami, had a small altar of its own covered in purple silk, and pictures of what I presumed were past priests. There was also a sink and cabinets in the corner, as well as a couple of stoves for warming the place when it got cold outside. It was hard to take pictures with the sun reflecting the background so heavily on the windows. After a while, I decided to make my way back to the main road and continue my walk to town. All in all, I found the shrine to be quite charming.
As I stepped back into the sunlight, I was again surprised by how beautiful it was outside. I watched as the rice paddies steadily gave way to more and more houses, which resembled those back at home but which also had a distinctly Japanese flair. Often, Japan feels very much like home and simultaneously very much Japanese, lending the landscape a Twilight-Zone feeling to it; am I in the US, Japan, both, or neither? I saw on my left, across the main road, a small plot of shiny black marble, graves for some family living nearby. I had seen another similar plot up the road, which I planned on exploring on the return trip.
The large government building and Max Value (a shopping center) told me I had finally made it into the main Wada proper. There were no rice paddies here, just some roads and many houses. The overall feel of the buildings reminded me very much of suburban Puerto-Rico, if about fifteen degrees cooler (and not nearly as humid!). I decided to explore the little side streets a bit and get a better feel for the Japanese homes. I was once again amazed at how efficiently they packed they homes and garages. This was not suburbia, and therefore there were no yards to speak of, but it was all quite quaint and comfortable all the same. I passed by a group of older Japanese enjoying company on their porch and cooking food on a grill, though they became a bit hushed as I passed.
I was surprised to pass a small shed-like building that, upon inspection, I discovered was a trash pick up site for appliances and other electronics which needed to be disposed of in a special manner. I could see bags filled with discharged batteries of all shapes and sizing hanging from the inside. As always, I was a bit impressed with the ease of correctly disposing of your garbage in Japan. Now if they could only cut down on all the wrapping paper they use for everything...
I made my way back to the Max Value to take a break and buy myself a snack, which included a Tropicana Juice box and trail mix. I rested on the bench for ten or fifteen minutes, giving my legs a break and reading as much as I could of the labels. Now that I know all the katakana, I can finally understand many words that were originally imported from English and other foreign languages. For example, I could read in Japanese the label indicating this was a Tropicana product, and that specifically it was "Citurusu Juusu" or "Citrus Juice." On the health information panel, I could make out "Enerugii" (Energy or Calories). One particular ingredient always tickels my chemistry self, "natoriumu" which is supposed to be "Natrium," the true word for sodium (that's why sodium's chemical symbol is Na: natrium). After amusing myself with my growing reading skills, I threw out my trash and began my walk back to AIU campus.
The sun was getting lower in the sky, it being around 5:00pm, and sunset scheduled for about 6:45. The angle of the sun made the waters of the rice paddies look even more beautiful than before. As I made my way back I stopped occasionally to take pictures, as I had been for much of my journey. As the cars passed me on the road, I wondered what the natives must think of this strange gaijin (foreigner) snapping photographs of rice paddies and houses. I felt a bit like a voyeur, but my overwhelming desire to remember the sights of this beautiful place overrode most of my discomfort. As I began trudging up the large hill just before the final leg of my return trip, I passed by the tombstones which I had intended to check out on my trip down to Wada.
I carefully crossed the street and quickly realized that what I had assumed were just a handful of tombstones were actually the very edge of a medium sized graveyard, with maybe a hundred family tombs. Similar to the way that torii fascinate me in an inexplicable way, Japanese head stones also draw me in a way that traditional Western head stones don't. These monuments were mainly made of a black stone that was, in most cases, polished to a glassy finish. They were carved with writing in Japanese and symbols of family clans. There were offerings of flowers and food at some of them. It is impossible to adequately describe what they look like, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The glossy black stone evokes in me a somber attitude as well as minor awe at the dark beauty in their craftsmanship. The color and design naturally instill in you the kind of reverent respect that all cultures reserve for the departed.
After taking my pictures and paying my respects, I finally made the last leg of my return journey. As I re-entered that long green tunnel of cherry trees, I reflected on the ways that my new home in Japan constantly melds the familiar with the new. It was, all in all, a beautiful walk through Akita.
I remember a month ago (has it been that long already?) this lane of trees which are now so full of green foliage were once full of enormous white cherry blossoms. It really is remarkable how soon that joy passed, leaving only the calm tranquility of green, beautiful in its own way. To my right I looked down to see a bicycle track far below me that wound its way through the green of mature Spring. This track would run parallel to my own track for much of the journey into Wada town.
After the lane of cherry trees was stretch of road that passed a small tree farm on the right where cedar saplings grew in neat little rows, no taller than my knees, Japans attempts at reforesting their landscape after harvesting the wood for buildings like AIU's new library. The road moved sharply down hill, curving right, and soon opened onto the wide, flat rice paddies that Akita is known for. In the far distance, tall rolling hills were covered in cedar trees, reminding me of the hills that I drive through on my way to Ithaca every semester. Farther in the horizon, the tall ridge of Taihei-zan could be seen through a haze of mist and cloud that lent it a dream-like quality. For kilometers, though, no the land was flat and bare of trees. The only green that could be seen were some patches of wild grass and the small shoots of rice that were just beginning to peek above the placid waters of the many rice paddies. The paddies were flooded with water, and the landscape before me looked like it was filled with small ponds whose still waters reflected the blue sky and green trees in the distance. Houses dotted the landscape as well, and I could see farmers hunched over some of the rice fields. It is a seen unlike anything I have seen in my modest travels of the US. The landscape is infused with a peaceful quality that is occasionally broken by the sounds of cars passing at high speed on the road to my left.
As I continue my walk, I come closer to a small development of houses and a large gas station. I can hear children laughing and running, and beyond the gas station I can make out a community baseball field, the source of the laughter and fun. I am still surprised by how popular baseball is in Japan. Latin America, is the only other place in the world where I have seen baseball so popular. In Europe, football (i.e. soccer) is still supremely popular, and I recall explaining the basic rules and mechanics of baseball to my Norwegian friend Hans Petter who had seen a few baseball games but had no idea how it was played. I smile at the sound of the kids playing; while I do find children in general to be cute and fun, for whatever reason I find East Asian children to be exceptionally adorable. These kids looked like they were eight or nine years old, and watching them run around the mostly dirt field reminded me of my own days playing T-ball and baseball, and how much I disliked the sport.
To my right I can make out, beyond some rice paddies, two large wooden torii (gates) which mark the location of a Shinto shrine. The first is very large and left unpainted, gray in color due to age and weather, and wearing a thick yellow rope across its arch that denotes it as the entrance to holy ground. Just beyond I can make out the smaller torii painted in vermilion, and beyond that a small wooded hill which undoubtedly housed the shrine. I remember seeing these torii on my first trip by taxi to the AIU campus, and excitedly hoping to make a visit. I decided to make a small detour today and explore the shrine grounds.
As I walked through the first torii I saw that there was a copper plaque, rusted green with weather, on the left pillar with writing in Japanese that undoubtedly described the nature of this particular shrine. Once again I was slightly frustrated that it would be many years of intense study before I would be able to read the plaque. I made my way past the second torii whose yellow rope was hung so low that I had to actually sidestep the center pommel as I walked past. The shape and vermilion color of these torii almost always excite me in a way that no other religious building or monument does back at home; while I generally do enjoy exploring "places of worship" from a variety of religious backgrounds, there is something about the torii that stirs me in a unique way. Beyond, I can see steps up the small wooded hill that lead up to the main shrine compound.
The shrine covers a much larger area than I initially realized. The top of the steps opened onto a path lined with stone statues and stone lanterns leading to the large wooden building that was the main shrine. I could see some of the cedar trees, noteably the largest of them, had a ring of yellow rope with faded white strips (gohei, symbolizing purity) that designated those trees as holy in some way. To the left on a small rise I could see two or three large wooden and stone monuments with Japanese written on them. In the left hand corner of the courtyard was another set of two small vermilion torii in front of two or three small accessory shrines. To the right was a small shed.
I made my way past the two stone Shi-Shi, guardian lion-dogs, one with his mouth open and the other with his mouth closed. They are there to ward off evil spirits. They reminded me of the stone guardians outside of many Buddhist shrines, who are also intended to scare off evil spirits, and who always feature one statue with his mouth open, the other with his mouth closed. The parallel is not surprising. Japanese Shinto and Buddhism have been closely intermingled for hundreds, perhaps a thousand years, making it hard at times to separate one from the other. The forcible separation of Shinto from its Buddhist connections (with mixed results) happened fairly recent, at the dawn of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), mainly as a way to re-legitimize the Emperor's rule and to form a sense of national unity that rejected foreign influences, including imported Buddhism. I mused a bit about the often ridiculous and always serious exploitation of religion for political means, and then continued on my way to examine the small accessory shrines to the left of the main shrine building.
The shrines resembled small sheds or huts, with a sliding door and just enough room to step inside. They featured either a small wooden house that reminded me of a tabernacle, or wooden plaques with people carved into them. They all had a large candle stand, as well as offerings of food. I was surprised when I entered the last of the accessory shrines, which housed an almost life-sized, white wooden horse, complete with offerings of rice cakes. Of all the shrines I have visited, this was by far the strangest thing I have ever seen. I was mildly disturbed, to be honest, and quickly shut the sliding doors behind me in favor of exploring the main shrine building.
I noticed that the roof had a marvelous carving of a dragon on it, with Shi-Shi heads acting as bookends. I walked around the building first and noticed that there was a small building in the back connected to the main building. I opened the sliding door and immediately beheld a large rope with bells attached used for announcing your intention to offer a prayer or wish. The inside was carpeted with tatami, a kind of straw mat that is common in traditional Japanese buildings. You are not supposed to wear shoes or sandals on the tatami, so I deposited my shoes on the front step before bowing my way into the main room.
Inside there were many wooden plaques hung on the walls with Japanese writing on it. There were also a couple of paintings, some of them old, but one of them featuring the white horse that I had met just a couple of minutes ago. I am pretty sure the paintings and signs said something about the nature of the shrine and the kami (spirit or god) that was worshiped here, but I had no clue. In the center of the room was a very large candle stand in the same shape as the previous, smaller candle stand, the frame resembling a large water drop. In front of the stand was a collection box for coins (I tossed in a 5 yen coin, considered to be lucky), and behind the stand was an altar with various trinkets. Behind the altar there was a glass sliding door that revealed another room, and at the end of that room a large gilded door. This undoubtedly led to the smaller building in the back that I had seen on the outside, and was also probably reserved for more holy persons. After getting a general feel for the place I made my way outside and closed the door behind me.
After putting my shoes back on, I explored the building that was annexed to the right of the main shrine. There were large windows throughout, which revealed what was obviously a living space for the local Shinto priest(s). It was covered in tatami, had a small altar of its own covered in purple silk, and pictures of what I presumed were past priests. There was also a sink and cabinets in the corner, as well as a couple of stoves for warming the place when it got cold outside. It was hard to take pictures with the sun reflecting the background so heavily on the windows. After a while, I decided to make my way back to the main road and continue my walk to town. All in all, I found the shrine to be quite charming.
As I stepped back into the sunlight, I was again surprised by how beautiful it was outside. I watched as the rice paddies steadily gave way to more and more houses, which resembled those back at home but which also had a distinctly Japanese flair. Often, Japan feels very much like home and simultaneously very much Japanese, lending the landscape a Twilight-Zone feeling to it; am I in the US, Japan, both, or neither? I saw on my left, across the main road, a small plot of shiny black marble, graves for some family living nearby. I had seen another similar plot up the road, which I planned on exploring on the return trip.
The large government building and Max Value (a shopping center) told me I had finally made it into the main Wada proper. There were no rice paddies here, just some roads and many houses. The overall feel of the buildings reminded me very much of suburban Puerto-Rico, if about fifteen degrees cooler (and not nearly as humid!). I decided to explore the little side streets a bit and get a better feel for the Japanese homes. I was once again amazed at how efficiently they packed they homes and garages. This was not suburbia, and therefore there were no yards to speak of, but it was all quite quaint and comfortable all the same. I passed by a group of older Japanese enjoying company on their porch and cooking food on a grill, though they became a bit hushed as I passed.
I was surprised to pass a small shed-like building that, upon inspection, I discovered was a trash pick up site for appliances and other electronics which needed to be disposed of in a special manner. I could see bags filled with discharged batteries of all shapes and sizing hanging from the inside. As always, I was a bit impressed with the ease of correctly disposing of your garbage in Japan. Now if they could only cut down on all the wrapping paper they use for everything...
I made my way back to the Max Value to take a break and buy myself a snack, which included a Tropicana Juice box and trail mix. I rested on the bench for ten or fifteen minutes, giving my legs a break and reading as much as I could of the labels. Now that I know all the katakana, I can finally understand many words that were originally imported from English and other foreign languages. For example, I could read in Japanese the label indicating this was a Tropicana product, and that specifically it was "Citurusu Juusu" or "Citrus Juice." On the health information panel, I could make out "Enerugii" (Energy or Calories). One particular ingredient always tickels my chemistry self, "natoriumu" which is supposed to be "Natrium," the true word for sodium (that's why sodium's chemical symbol is Na: natrium). After amusing myself with my growing reading skills, I threw out my trash and began my walk back to AIU campus.
The sun was getting lower in the sky, it being around 5:00pm, and sunset scheduled for about 6:45. The angle of the sun made the waters of the rice paddies look even more beautiful than before. As I made my way back I stopped occasionally to take pictures, as I had been for much of my journey. As the cars passed me on the road, I wondered what the natives must think of this strange gaijin (foreigner) snapping photographs of rice paddies and houses. I felt a bit like a voyeur, but my overwhelming desire to remember the sights of this beautiful place overrode most of my discomfort. As I began trudging up the large hill just before the final leg of my return trip, I passed by the tombstones which I had intended to check out on my trip down to Wada.
I carefully crossed the street and quickly realized that what I had assumed were just a handful of tombstones were actually the very edge of a medium sized graveyard, with maybe a hundred family tombs. Similar to the way that torii fascinate me in an inexplicable way, Japanese head stones also draw me in a way that traditional Western head stones don't. These monuments were mainly made of a black stone that was, in most cases, polished to a glassy finish. They were carved with writing in Japanese and symbols of family clans. There were offerings of flowers and food at some of them. It is impossible to adequately describe what they look like, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The glossy black stone evokes in me a somber attitude as well as minor awe at the dark beauty in their craftsmanship. The color and design naturally instill in you the kind of reverent respect that all cultures reserve for the departed.
After taking my pictures and paying my respects, I finally made the last leg of my return journey. As I re-entered that long green tunnel of cherry trees, I reflected on the ways that my new home in Japan constantly melds the familiar with the new. It was, all in all, a beautiful walk through Akita.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Happo-Cho Elementary School Exchange
Hello, All!
Now that I've finished talking about Golden Week (finally!) I can move on to new developments since coming back. So far, things are continuing along the same vein; classes are fun and not too time consuming, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous (up until just recently anyway) and so far I am still really enjoying Japan.
In addition to all the other fun stuff I have been telling you about, I also signed up for (and was accepted into) the Happo-Cho Exchange Program. Happo Town is a nearby community which, in order to increase exposure to international students and cultures, set up an "exchange program" with AIU where international students would come and visit the different schools, teach some English, have fun with the kids and share information about our home countries. They were looking for ten international students and a few Japanese students (for mainly interpreting purposes), and I was happily accepted. We had our first trip this past weekend, which will be the topic of today's post.
There will be many trips to the various schools in the Happo-Cho school district, of which I will be going to three (all the others are beyond my stay in Japan). This past weekend was the first visit, and as such there was a short orientation session first to make sure everyone was on the same page.
We left Friday evening around 6:00pm for the training facility which was located about an hour away from AIU and on the very beginning of Happo-Cho town border. The Happo Town area is absolutely beautiful, with tall forested mountains on the east and the clear blue Japan Sea (Nihonkai) to the west. The facility we went to was designed as a multi-purpose "training facility" equipped with conference rooms, bedrooms, showers and the like, and conveniently connected to major onsen (hot spring, in this case, a large public bath house). As we pulled in, we could see the beautiful Japan Sea rolling in the background, and turning our view 180 degrees were the rolling hills/mountains filled with green. We were ushered in and served a delicious dinner that included a grilled "hamburger" (just the burger) with sauce, vegetables, rice (of course), soup, and...fruit! (it's amazing how hard it is to find fruit when you are eating out in Japan) Afterwards we were brought to a conference room where we were told about the history of the program, the goals of the program, as well as rules, regulations and expectations of the international students. We were also asked to introduce ourselves, including our name and nationality which has become second nature to me by this point. I did learn, however, that the phrase used in introductions that I had learned in Japanese class (douzo yoroshiku) was evidently not polite enough in this setting as everyone was using a more formal phrase (yoroshiku onegaishimasu), which I quickly taught myself and then used to good effect. No problems on the whole, but it's kind of funny how, just when I think I am getting a handle on Japanese, they throw me another curve ball.
Anyway, afterwards we had some free time to enjoy the onsen (I passed, as being naked in public, even in the murky pools of a natural hot spring, is something that I am just not ready for) and just relax before the activities began early the next day. There was a hard-wood gym, and a bunch of us entertained ourselves with basketball, a weird Frisbee game, and some hula hoops:
Baya (of Mongolia) was the first to get onto the court, and was really tearing it up, ha ha. 
You had to toss these weird foam Frisbees at one of nine blue panels on the target. It was actually kind of hard, since the Frisbee didn't fly quite like they do in the US (and because I am terrible at Frisbee).
Peter (Minnesota, US) trying his luck with a hula hoop.
Rachel (Australia) showing off her crazy hula hoop skills.
The view of the Japan Sea from the back porch of the training facility. Though it was quite sunny, it was also still chilly at 6:30 am.
The road, boat house and rocky outcropping just below the facility.
After breakfast, we made our way to the school, which was about fifteen minutes away by bus. The school building was pretty large, though the population of students was quite small (36). We were directed to the School Director's Office, where we were introduced to the Director and some of his staff. I noticed as I walked into the room that there was sign that said "Director" in English, and just below that "Directór" in Spanish. When we were introduced to the Director, they asked if anyone spoke Spanish. I told them I did, at which point the Director introduced himself to me in Spanish and told me he had spent three years at a University in Mexico. He wanted to know where I came from, and I quickly told him that I was from the US, but that my father was from the Dominican Republic, and that my mom was full blooded Puerto Rican, though she was also born in the US. It was quite a nice surprise to suddenly find myself speaking Spanish with a Japanese person, especially since I felt much, much more comfortable with my Spanish than I did with my Japanese, despite how poorly I can speak both languages.
Anyway, it was a nice surprise but soon enough we were led to the gym where all the students were gathered and waiting for us. We had to (again) introduce ourselves, pointing to our home country on a map that was provided for that purpose. When I was done introducing myself, the Director excitedly told the students that I knew Spanish, and then proceeded to shake my hand and perform a traditional Mexican (also Spanish) greeting, which included a handshake/hug and a big show of kissing both of my cheeks. This took me by complete surprise, especially because this kind of greeting is not common to my family or, as far as I know, in the Caribbean in general; I was kind of frozen in surprise throughout most of the greeting, which in retrospect must have looked absolutely hilarious. Anyway, after my mild embarrassment, the students then welcomed us by giving us a short musical performance, replete with drums, accordions, recorders, and a drum major! The music was actually very good considering the ages of the students, and the drum major was absolutely hilarious. Anyway, the next activity was face sketching, where all of the AIU students had two or three students sketch their faces. It was quite funny. My kids were probably in the second or third grade, and when they couldn't figure out how to write my name I wrote it for them in katakana. After the portrait session, we then played a version of tag where all the students had a long piece of cloth or handkerchief which they tucked into the back of their pants and which hung like a tail, and where all the AIU students were "it" and had to grab the tails off as many elementary school children as possible. At this point, I should point out that when indoors, especially in schools and private homes, Japanese wear special indoor slippers or shoes. Trying to run around a smooth gymnasium chasing energetic children with flat-soled slippers that are three sized too small is not an easy task, but I did manage to grab three or four tails, which was more than most. After the game, they mercifully let us catch our breath and then ushered us to our assigned classrooms for educational activities. But before that, some pictures:
I joined four other AIU students in the fourth grade class room. My compatriots included Asuka (of Akita Japan, who served as main translator), Baya of Mongolia, Conny of Germany, and Stefanie of Taiwan. We first re-introduced ourselves to the class, and then participated in various English-learning activities, which included singing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (hilarious) where I inevitably had to lead the group, though mercifully there was a recording to sing to so I didn't have to showcase my mediocre vocal skills. We also practiced introductions, including name cards and handshakes, which is how most business persons in Japan operate. We played a word game using some basic English words like pen and pig (all the words were ones which Japanese already has a "Japanese-ified" version). After our various activities, we also had some time devoted for the foreign students to talk about their home countries. There were ten students in the class, and the teacher was very nice, though Asuka did most of the interpreting for us.
After our time with the classes, the international students had a short break. I joined some students outside to watch the students have physical education, as well as practice for an upcoming matsuri (festival). The backyard where they were having their relay races and matsuri practice was absolutely beautiful, with large rolling hills and just a glimmer of the Japan Sea in the corner.
This was followed by lunch. I was with the first graders, who were very cute but not very talkative (I am not sure if they were just really into their food or what). There were only four of them. It was funny to see pictures of the hiragana and katakana up on the walls, with diagrams for the correct stroke orders, since I am just finishing this myself. I was starting to feel tired after putting so much energy into entertaining little kids as well as communicate in Japanese/English/Spanish, but we were all done anyway. Before I move on to the concluding activity, a few pictures from lunch:
It took us a few minutes to finally exit the building, as we were literally swarmed with small children. Dozens upon dozens of quick farewell pictures were flashed in the madness of trying to exit and say goodbye and get that last great picture. After some minor chaos, we finally extricated ourselves from the elementary school and were on our way to the final closing activity, a short hike in the forested mountains of Happo Town.
And finally, some pictures from the hike:
The "scratch marks" you see on the tree were made by a bear. Bears are pretty common in Japan, especially this far north. While I have always known bears can climb trees, it is kind of frightening to see the evidence first hand. This particular beech tree - as an aside - was quite large and quite old, estimated to be well over 200 years old.
The hike itself was quite beautiful, with many old trees and virgin forest. Happo Town as a whole struck me as being quite natural in landscape, and it was joy to see the Japan Sea and explore some of the mountainous forests in the area. The day, all in all, was quite fun and exhausting. I will be making other trips to other schools in the Happo district, including at least one middle school. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.
PS A more complete album of pictures from this trip can be found on the right sidebar labeled "Happo-Cho, May 10."
Now that I've finished talking about Golden Week (finally!) I can move on to new developments since coming back. So far, things are continuing along the same vein; classes are fun and not too time consuming, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous (up until just recently anyway) and so far I am still really enjoying Japan.
In addition to all the other fun stuff I have been telling you about, I also signed up for (and was accepted into) the Happo-Cho Exchange Program. Happo Town is a nearby community which, in order to increase exposure to international students and cultures, set up an "exchange program" with AIU where international students would come and visit the different schools, teach some English, have fun with the kids and share information about our home countries. They were looking for ten international students and a few Japanese students (for mainly interpreting purposes), and I was happily accepted. We had our first trip this past weekend, which will be the topic of today's post.
There will be many trips to the various schools in the Happo-Cho school district, of which I will be going to three (all the others are beyond my stay in Japan). This past weekend was the first visit, and as such there was a short orientation session first to make sure everyone was on the same page.
We left Friday evening around 6:00pm for the training facility which was located about an hour away from AIU and on the very beginning of Happo-Cho town border. The Happo Town area is absolutely beautiful, with tall forested mountains on the east and the clear blue Japan Sea (Nihonkai) to the west. The facility we went to was designed as a multi-purpose "training facility" equipped with conference rooms, bedrooms, showers and the like, and conveniently connected to major onsen (hot spring, in this case, a large public bath house). As we pulled in, we could see the beautiful Japan Sea rolling in the background, and turning our view 180 degrees were the rolling hills/mountains filled with green. We were ushered in and served a delicious dinner that included a grilled "hamburger" (just the burger) with sauce, vegetables, rice (of course), soup, and...fruit! (it's amazing how hard it is to find fruit when you are eating out in Japan) Afterwards we were brought to a conference room where we were told about the history of the program, the goals of the program, as well as rules, regulations and expectations of the international students. We were also asked to introduce ourselves, including our name and nationality which has become second nature to me by this point. I did learn, however, that the phrase used in introductions that I had learned in Japanese class (douzo yoroshiku) was evidently not polite enough in this setting as everyone was using a more formal phrase (yoroshiku onegaishimasu), which I quickly taught myself and then used to good effect. No problems on the whole, but it's kind of funny how, just when I think I am getting a handle on Japanese, they throw me another curve ball.
Anyway, afterwards we had some free time to enjoy the onsen (I passed, as being naked in public, even in the murky pools of a natural hot spring, is something that I am just not ready for) and just relax before the activities began early the next day. There was a hard-wood gym, and a bunch of us entertained ourselves with basketball, a weird Frisbee game, and some hula hoops:
Baya (of Mongolia) was the first to get onto the court, and was really tearing it up, ha ha. 
You had to toss these weird foam Frisbees at one of nine blue panels on the target. It was actually kind of hard, since the Frisbee didn't fly quite like they do in the US (and because I am terrible at Frisbee).
Peter (Minnesota, US) trying his luck with a hula hoop.
Rachel (Australia) showing off her crazy hula hoop skills.We called it a night around midnight, and by 6:30 the next morning I was up and showered. Breakfast wasn't for another hour, so I decided to take a walk outside in the incredibly sunny and clear (if chilly) morning. I discovered that behind the training facility, just behind my room actually, was a nice little deck with a great view of the Japan Sea. In addition, there was a gate and a steep walkway that led down to a road at the bottom of the hill that the facility was built on, and just across the road was a rocky outcropping on the sea, along with a small boat house. I made my way down the hill and across the road, climbing my way onto the rocks and then stood there admiring the crashing waves and ripples of the dark blue water. It was a morning without much human noise, and it was easy to lose oneself in the purely natural landscape. After a while, I made my way back up to the facility for breakfast (which consisted of cold cooked salmon, a bowl of rice, soup and maybe a slice of toast, I can't quite remember now). Here are some pictures of the Japan Sea and surrounding mountains:
The hills just in front of the training facility. To the left you can see the Happo-Cho train station.
The hills just in front of the training facility. To the left you can see the Happo-Cho train station.
The view of the Japan Sea from the back porch of the training facility. Though it was quite sunny, it was also still chilly at 6:30 am.
The road, boat house and rocky outcropping just below the facility.
After breakfast, we made our way to the school, which was about fifteen minutes away by bus. The school building was pretty large, though the population of students was quite small (36). We were directed to the School Director's Office, where we were introduced to the Director and some of his staff. I noticed as I walked into the room that there was sign that said "Director" in English, and just below that "Directór" in Spanish. When we were introduced to the Director, they asked if anyone spoke Spanish. I told them I did, at which point the Director introduced himself to me in Spanish and told me he had spent three years at a University in Mexico. He wanted to know where I came from, and I quickly told him that I was from the US, but that my father was from the Dominican Republic, and that my mom was full blooded Puerto Rican, though she was also born in the US. It was quite a nice surprise to suddenly find myself speaking Spanish with a Japanese person, especially since I felt much, much more comfortable with my Spanish than I did with my Japanese, despite how poorly I can speak both languages.
Anyway, it was a nice surprise but soon enough we were led to the gym where all the students were gathered and waiting for us. We had to (again) introduce ourselves, pointing to our home country on a map that was provided for that purpose. When I was done introducing myself, the Director excitedly told the students that I knew Spanish, and then proceeded to shake my hand and perform a traditional Mexican (also Spanish) greeting, which included a handshake/hug and a big show of kissing both of my cheeks. This took me by complete surprise, especially because this kind of greeting is not common to my family or, as far as I know, in the Caribbean in general; I was kind of frozen in surprise throughout most of the greeting, which in retrospect must have looked absolutely hilarious. Anyway, after my mild embarrassment, the students then welcomed us by giving us a short musical performance, replete with drums, accordions, recorders, and a drum major! The music was actually very good considering the ages of the students, and the drum major was absolutely hilarious. Anyway, the next activity was face sketching, where all of the AIU students had two or three students sketch their faces. It was quite funny. My kids were probably in the second or third grade, and when they couldn't figure out how to write my name I wrote it for them in katakana. After the portrait session, we then played a version of tag where all the students had a long piece of cloth or handkerchief which they tucked into the back of their pants and which hung like a tail, and where all the AIU students were "it" and had to grab the tails off as many elementary school children as possible. At this point, I should point out that when indoors, especially in schools and private homes, Japanese wear special indoor slippers or shoes. Trying to run around a smooth gymnasium chasing energetic children with flat-soled slippers that are three sized too small is not an easy task, but I did manage to grab three or four tails, which was more than most. After the game, they mercifully let us catch our breath and then ushered us to our assigned classrooms for educational activities. But before that, some pictures:
I joined four other AIU students in the fourth grade class room. My compatriots included Asuka (of Akita Japan, who served as main translator), Baya of Mongolia, Conny of Germany, and Stefanie of Taiwan. We first re-introduced ourselves to the class, and then participated in various English-learning activities, which included singing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (hilarious) where I inevitably had to lead the group, though mercifully there was a recording to sing to so I didn't have to showcase my mediocre vocal skills. We also practiced introductions, including name cards and handshakes, which is how most business persons in Japan operate. We played a word game using some basic English words like pen and pig (all the words were ones which Japanese already has a "Japanese-ified" version). After our various activities, we also had some time devoted for the foreign students to talk about their home countries. There were ten students in the class, and the teacher was very nice, though Asuka did most of the interpreting for us.
After our time with the classes, the international students had a short break. I joined some students outside to watch the students have physical education, as well as practice for an upcoming matsuri (festival). The backyard where they were having their relay races and matsuri practice was absolutely beautiful, with large rolling hills and just a glimmer of the Japan Sea in the corner.
This was followed by lunch. I was with the first graders, who were very cute but not very talkative (I am not sure if they were just really into their food or what). There were only four of them. It was funny to see pictures of the hiragana and katakana up on the walls, with diagrams for the correct stroke orders, since I am just finishing this myself. I was starting to feel tired after putting so much energy into entertaining little kids as well as communicate in Japanese/English/Spanish, but we were all done anyway. Before I move on to the concluding activity, a few pictures from lunch:
It took us a few minutes to finally exit the building, as we were literally swarmed with small children. Dozens upon dozens of quick farewell pictures were flashed in the madness of trying to exit and say goodbye and get that last great picture. After some minor chaos, we finally extricated ourselves from the elementary school and were on our way to the final closing activity, a short hike in the forested mountains of Happo Town.
And finally, some pictures from the hike:
The "scratch marks" you see on the tree were made by a bear. Bears are pretty common in Japan, especially this far north. While I have always known bears can climb trees, it is kind of frightening to see the evidence first hand. This particular beech tree - as an aside - was quite large and quite old, estimated to be well over 200 years old.
The hike itself was quite beautiful, with many old trees and virgin forest. Happo Town as a whole struck me as being quite natural in landscape, and it was joy to see the Japan Sea and explore some of the mountainous forests in the area. The day, all in all, was quite fun and exhausting. I will be making other trips to other schools in the Happo district, including at least one middle school. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.
PS A more complete album of pictures from this trip can be found on the right sidebar labeled "Happo-Cho, May 10."
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