Friday, July 11, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Home!
Today was another travel day, this time we are going home. It took me forever to pack. And saying good bye was even harder today. My flight was the last to leave the hotel, so we sat in the lobby and watched everyone leave. It was a sad day.
When we arrived at the airport, security was preparing equipment by a truck. I snuck a quick picture because the look so official. My friends worried I would get in trouble.
The flight from Narita to Chicago was long, over 10 hours. We left Japan on June 26th at 6:30 p.m. We arrived in Chicago on June 26th at 3:30 p.m. I slept, watched movies, and slept some more. Customs in Chicago was frustrating because the employees were so rude. After being treated so kindly in Japan when going through immigration, it was quite a shock to experience customs in the U.S.
My flight to Cedar Rapids was delayed 2 hours. It was so nice to finally get on the plane and take off. The flight took 40 minutes. I dozed through most of it. After landing it was a 1 ½ hour ride home. Home, it was really nice to be home! Weird to be home, but nice to be home and already missing my new friends.
When we arrived at the airport, security was preparing equipment by a truck. I snuck a quick picture because the look so official. My friends worried I would get in trouble.
The flight from Narita to Chicago was long, over 10 hours. We left Japan on June 26th at 6:30 p.m. We arrived in Chicago on June 26th at 3:30 p.m. I slept, watched movies, and slept some more. Customs in Chicago was frustrating because the employees were so rude. After being treated so kindly in Japan when going through immigration, it was quite a shock to experience customs in the U.S.
My flight to Cedar Rapids was delayed 2 hours. It was so nice to finally get on the plane and take off. The flight took 40 minutes. I dozed through most of it. After landing it was a 1 ½ hour ride home. Home, it was really nice to be home! Weird to be home, but nice to be home and already missing my new friends.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Katori Group
The evening was melancholy. We were enjoying the banquet, but knew it was our last evening together. We may never see each other again. We have just shared a life changing experience and developed a bond that is unexplainable. Now we had to part to return to each of our home states.I do not remember much of the speeches and presentations. I was dealing with such mixed emotions. I still felt like I was in the middle of a dream and now it was going to be over. I was going to wake up tomorrow and it would be all over. I pondered would I be able to visit Japan again? When will I see my dear friends? I knew when we went back to our lives in the states we would become so busy we will lose contact with each other. I was sad and not dealing with my emotions very well. I was not alone. I saw many hugs and tears that evening. This added to my feelings of emptiness.
After the banquet, we gathered in a room to share one last evening of laughs. Our lives will never be the same. A group of people from 16 different states, teaching elementary through high school, starting at age 27, forming an unexplainable bond that no one outside of the group will ever understand.
The Katori Group!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Group presentations
Today is the last full day in Japan. Everyone shows mixed emotions. We are missing our families, but so want to stay. There are still Tokyo neighborhoods to explore, and areas of Japan calling out to us. Group presentations are the itinerary for today. Each group has 15 minutes to present on any topic they wish relating to our experiences in Japan. Most groups us slide shows to share their favorite pictures. Every group is very creative in their method of presentation.
The Katori group, which is me, was a very serious presentation. The beginning did not start out serious. Scott, acting as Inoh Tadataka the map maker, introduced Katori City as if he was presenting in Kyogen Theater. Scott did a great job and was so funny. Then each of us went on stage to share a wish that we had based on a personal experience in the past two weeks. We had written our wish on a card with love and friendship written in calligraphy by the Elementary Principal. Then we tied the card on a frame to look like the ones we saw at the shrines and temples for tying Gomasticks.
My wish was as follows; “I experienced the feelings of illiteracy. I found shopping for snack foods was extremely difficult when you cannot read the signs and labels or successfully ask for directions. My wish is we all understand the daily realities of students with reading difficulties or people with limited English skills.”
After I finished the crowd started clapping. I hadn’t thought about whether this statement would impact others, I had only thought about how I felt while trying to shop at the supermarket. Many of the other people in my group had very serious statements like mine. All very emotional and some bringing us to tears with happy memories.
The other groups presented. Every presentation unique and very heartfelt. The last day was over. All that was left was the Sayonara Buffet this evening.
The Katori group, which is me, was a very serious presentation. The beginning did not start out serious. Scott, acting as Inoh Tadataka the map maker, introduced Katori City as if he was presenting in Kyogen Theater. Scott did a great job and was so funny. Then each of us went on stage to share a wish that we had based on a personal experience in the past two weeks. We had written our wish on a card with love and friendship written in calligraphy by the Elementary Principal. Then we tied the card on a frame to look like the ones we saw at the shrines and temples for tying Gomasticks.
My wish was as follows; “I experienced the feelings of illiteracy. I found shopping for snack foods was extremely difficult when you cannot read the signs and labels or successfully ask for directions. My wish is we all understand the daily realities of students with reading difficulties or people with limited English skills.”
After I finished the crowd started clapping. I hadn’t thought about whether this statement would impact others, I had only thought about how I felt while trying to shop at the supermarket. Many of the other people in my group had very serious statements like mine. All very emotional and some bringing us to tears with happy memories.
The other groups presented. Every presentation unique and very heartfelt. The last day was over. All that was left was the Sayonara Buffet this evening.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Another day of adventure in Tokyo!
Back in Tokyo for the last two days of the itinerary the atmosphere is weird. People are happy to see everyone again and we excitedly tell about our adventures in the host cities and ryokan stay. At the same time we know the trip is coming to an end and people seem a little sad to know good bye is just around the corner. But it is back to the routine; breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m., meetings start at 9:30.
Wendy and I decide to go on a little side trip this morning. We got up at 5:30 a.m. and took a cab
to Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market. This was a site. People everywhere bustling around with carts or motorized vehicles hauling fresh fish and I mean fresh, some caught just this morning. It was a little dangerous, the workers did not stop for spectators. You could tell some were very annoyed that people were wondering about. I understood how they were feeling; there is nothing worse than trying to work and having people gawk at you.
We wondered up and down the aisles looking at containers of sea food. There was everything
you could think of; octopus, mussels, crab, shrimp, and every type of fish that swims in the sea. But what we were really looking for was the tuna auction. We finally found the building with rows and rows of frozen tuna. We watched the buyers inspect each tuna, and then the auctions began. It was so interesting to watch. I have been to many auctions before, but there was something about the intensity of this one that made it so serious.
After the tuna auction, we wondered around for a little while longer. We watched a man cut off the head of a huge fish with a very long 
knife. The knife must have been very sharp because it cut right through the meat and bones with no problem. Then we got bored and decided it was time to go back to the hotel to shower and eat breakfast.
Catching a cab in this neighborhood was not so easy. There were not many cabs around. Wendy went out and stood by the side of the street and waited until one came by. That made me nervous because traffic moves very quickly on the streets of Tokyo. The cab driver did not speak English. Luckily I had a card in my wallet that said in Japanese “please take me to the Grand Prince Akasaka Hotel”. He looked at the card and nodded with a smile. I sure he thought we were rich American tourists as the Grand Prince is a very upscale hotel.
After breakfast we went to our morning meeting. Art Education was the topic I had picked. Chihiro Tada, head of the Tokyo Toy Museum, talked about the need for children to play with simple traditional toys instead of the high tech toys of today. He talked of how playing is the first form of art education. Children need to be creative and technology does not allow creativity.
He was very concerned with how little people communicate with each other. Today people spend hours watching television and playing video games. We spend more time with media than we do with people. He refers to this as “malnutrition of communication” and it is causing huge problems in society. This lack of communication is causing people to become socially isolated and could be causing the increase in depression and suicide that is being seen in Japan.
Tada talked of the need for children to lean by using the five senses. When virtual reality is used as a learning tool children are not touching something genuine. Art education cultivates the five senses. Many educational programs take art out of the curriculum due to budget problems and emphasis on passing the entrance examination for high school. According to Tada art should be the last curriculum to be cut because it teaches children to be creative, teaches fine motor skills, encourages independent thinking, promotes communication, and reduces stress.
The Toy Museum is promoted as a way for children to play with traditional toys and to encourage creativity. The museum encourages teachers to volunteer their time to play with the children. Tada believes it will help reduce the high level of stress the teachers are experiencing.
This session was not what I thought it was going to be. But I walked away with many thoughts to ponder. Why do we cut art and music programs first in the United States? Why have we moved so far away from traditional toys that teach creativity? How can we change the way we teach to implement more independent thinking and creativity? Why do we shush students when we should be encouraging communication? Why do we think computers are the answer to all our educational needs?
A bunch of us chose to skip a sit down lunch. We had 1 ½ hours to explore another area of Tokyo. So off we go on the subway. I am starting to like the subway. You get on and then get off, walk for a short distance and you are there. The great thing about Tokyo subways is that they are clean, they do not smell bad, and are not creepy like the subways I have used in the states.
Where are we headed this time? Shibuya Senta Gai. This is a shopping area set up in the open air market style. The streets are like a huge maze of eclectic treasures. You name it, you can buy it. We stop at a yakatori stand to eat chicken on a stick. We ask the young man serving us if he speaks English. He tells us no, so we tease him that we know he does and we know he was taught English in Jr. High. He smiles and goes about his work, while he eaves drops on our conversations.
We don’t make any purchases, which is very surprising for us. We are a group that loves to shop. This was a great experience to see yet another aspect of culture in Tokyo. The venders working hard to get people to make purchases, “ladies, I have many things to buy”. We giggle and move on. It is time to go back to the hotel for the afternoon meetings.
The afternoon was a question and answer session with David Satterwhite, Executive Director Japan-United States Educational Commission, and Yukitsugu Kato, Professor Emeritus, Sophia University. The questions from JFMF teachers range from educational to cultural. Our guest speakers shared interesting information about life in Japan. They first talked about how culturally children are considered sacred. The average family has 1.3 children, but 2 children per family are needed to replace current society. Not many families are large because it is too expensive to raise children.
The speed limit is 80 km/hr. Police do not ticket until around 100 km/hr. and taxi drivers say you can go 119 km/hr before getting a ticket. Retirement pension is 1/3 of salary. Many retired people must have a part time job to supplement retirement. Life time employment is no longer common. People are changing jobs much like in the U.S.
The Japanese Constitution was written in 1946 and included an equal rights amendment. This is very progressive considering that an equal rights amendment has never been add to the U.S. Constitution. Women still are not hired in management positions and are solely responsible for the raising the children. Kato made the comment that “women vote with their feet”. What he meant by this was that women are leaving Japan for employment opportunities in other countries and this makes him very sad.
When the session was over, we quickly organized for another great exploration of Tokyo. This time we are off to Harajuku. This is a shopping area with many restaurants, boutiques, and specialty shops. There are times when the street is blocked off to make room for all the pedestrians strolling along window shopping. Our mission was to see teenagers dressed up for the evening.
Another successful expedition! We did a little shopping, got to see wildly dressed teens, and went to a four story 100 yen store. The 100 yen store is like a “dollar store” in the U.S. For dinner we went to the same pizza place as last night. We just cannot eat enough pizza!
After eating we returned to the hotel to make Scott a costume for our group presentation tomorrow. We had such a good time dressing him up like Inoh Tadataka, the map maker from Sawara.
Another perfect day of adventure in the “land of the rising sun”. Why do we have to go home?
Wendy and I decide to go on a little side trip this morning. We got up at 5:30 a.m. and took a cab
to Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market. This was a site. People everywhere bustling around with carts or motorized vehicles hauling fresh fish and I mean fresh, some caught just this morning. It was a little dangerous, the workers did not stop for spectators. You could tell some were very annoyed that people were wondering about. I understood how they were feeling; there is nothing worse than trying to work and having people gawk at you.
We wondered up and down the aisles looking at containers of sea food. There was everything
you could think of; octopus, mussels, crab, shrimp, and every type of fish that swims in the sea. But what we were really looking for was the tuna auction. We finally found the building with rows and rows of frozen tuna. We watched the buyers inspect each tuna, and then the auctions began. It was so interesting to watch. I have been to many auctions before, but there was something about the intensity of this one that made it so serious.
After the tuna auction, we wondered around for a little while longer. We watched a man cut off the head of a huge fish with a very long 
knife. The knife must have been very sharp because it cut right through the meat and bones with no problem. Then we got bored and decided it was time to go back to the hotel to shower and eat breakfast.Catching a cab in this neighborhood was not so easy. There were not many cabs around. Wendy went out and stood by the side of the street and waited until one came by. That made me nervous because traffic moves very quickly on the streets of Tokyo. The cab driver did not speak English. Luckily I had a card in my wallet that said in Japanese “please take me to the Grand Prince Akasaka Hotel”. He looked at the card and nodded with a smile. I sure he thought we were rich American tourists as the Grand Prince is a very upscale hotel.
After breakfast we went to our morning meeting. Art Education was the topic I had picked. Chihiro Tada, head of the Tokyo Toy Museum, talked about the need for children to play with simple traditional toys instead of the high tech toys of today. He talked of how playing is the first form of art education. Children need to be creative and technology does not allow creativity.
He was very concerned with how little people communicate with each other. Today people spend hours watching television and playing video games. We spend more time with media than we do with people. He refers to this as “malnutrition of communication” and it is causing huge problems in society. This lack of communication is causing people to become socially isolated and could be causing the increase in depression and suicide that is being seen in Japan.
Tada talked of the need for children to lean by using the five senses. When virtual reality is used as a learning tool children are not touching something genuine. Art education cultivates the five senses. Many educational programs take art out of the curriculum due to budget problems and emphasis on passing the entrance examination for high school. According to Tada art should be the last curriculum to be cut because it teaches children to be creative, teaches fine motor skills, encourages independent thinking, promotes communication, and reduces stress.
The Toy Museum is promoted as a way for children to play with traditional toys and to encourage creativity. The museum encourages teachers to volunteer their time to play with the children. Tada believes it will help reduce the high level of stress the teachers are experiencing.
This session was not what I thought it was going to be. But I walked away with many thoughts to ponder. Why do we cut art and music programs first in the United States? Why have we moved so far away from traditional toys that teach creativity? How can we change the way we teach to implement more independent thinking and creativity? Why do we shush students when we should be encouraging communication? Why do we think computers are the answer to all our educational needs?
A bunch of us chose to skip a sit down lunch. We had 1 ½ hours to explore another area of Tokyo. So off we go on the subway. I am starting to like the subway. You get on and then get off, walk for a short distance and you are there. The great thing about Tokyo subways is that they are clean, they do not smell bad, and are not creepy like the subways I have used in the states.
Where are we headed this time? Shibuya Senta Gai. This is a shopping area set up in the open air market style. The streets are like a huge maze of eclectic treasures. You name it, you can buy it. We stop at a yakatori stand to eat chicken on a stick. We ask the young man serving us if he speaks English. He tells us no, so we tease him that we know he does and we know he was taught English in Jr. High. He smiles and goes about his work, while he eaves drops on our conversations.
We don’t make any purchases, which is very surprising for us. We are a group that loves to shop. This was a great experience to see yet another aspect of culture in Tokyo. The venders working hard to get people to make purchases, “ladies, I have many things to buy”. We giggle and move on. It is time to go back to the hotel for the afternoon meetings.
The afternoon was a question and answer session with David Satterwhite, Executive Director Japan-United States Educational Commission, and Yukitsugu Kato, Professor Emeritus, Sophia University. The questions from JFMF teachers range from educational to cultural. Our guest speakers shared interesting information about life in Japan. They first talked about how culturally children are considered sacred. The average family has 1.3 children, but 2 children per family are needed to replace current society. Not many families are large because it is too expensive to raise children.
The speed limit is 80 km/hr. Police do not ticket until around 100 km/hr. and taxi drivers say you can go 119 km/hr before getting a ticket. Retirement pension is 1/3 of salary. Many retired people must have a part time job to supplement retirement. Life time employment is no longer common. People are changing jobs much like in the U.S.
The Japanese Constitution was written in 1946 and included an equal rights amendment. This is very progressive considering that an equal rights amendment has never been add to the U.S. Constitution. Women still are not hired in management positions and are solely responsible for the raising the children. Kato made the comment that “women vote with their feet”. What he meant by this was that women are leaving Japan for employment opportunities in other countries and this makes him very sad.
When the session was over, we quickly organized for another great exploration of Tokyo. This time we are off to Harajuku. This is a shopping area with many restaurants, boutiques, and specialty shops. There are times when the street is blocked off to make room for all the pedestrians strolling along window shopping. Our mission was to see teenagers dressed up for the evening.
Another successful expedition! We did a little shopping, got to see wildly dressed teens, and went to a four story 100 yen store. The 100 yen store is like a “dollar store” in the U.S. For dinner we went to the same pizza place as last night. We just cannot eat enough pizza!
After eating we returned to the hotel to make Scott a costume for our group presentation tomorrow. We had such a good time dressing him up like Inoh Tadataka, the map maker from Sawara.
Another perfect day of adventure in the “land of the rising sun”. Why do we have to go home?
Monday, June 23, 2008
Ryokan - Traditional Japanese Inn
The stay at Wakamatsu Honten in Narita-shi was a wonderful experience. 
We stayed in traditional Japanese rooms with two other people. As you entered the room you took of your shoes because the floors were made of straw mats called tatami. We slept on futons, which were mattresses on the tatami mats. Shortly after we arrived a staff 
member came in to serve us tea. Unfortunately we were on our way out to shop and didn’t have time for tea.
A traditional Japanese banquet was held at 7 p.m. The food was all traditional Japanese food; raw salmon, whole shrimp, escargot (snails), and broiled eel. There were also cooked vegetables, soup,
rice, and tofu. Everyone wore yukata, a cotton robe that is lighter weight than a kimono and more casual. I wore my new sumo pajamas I purchased on our latest shopping trip. After we ate the entertainment was to sing karaoke. This is a favorite pastime of Japanese people young and old.
We stayed in traditional Japanese rooms with two other people. As you entered the room you took of your shoes because the floors were made of straw mats called tatami. We slept on futons, which were mattresses on the tatami mats. Shortly after we arrived a staff 
member came in to serve us tea. Unfortunately we were on our way out to shop and didn’t have time for tea.A traditional Japanese banquet was held at 7 p.m. The food was all traditional Japanese food; raw salmon, whole shrimp, escargot (snails), and broiled eel. There were also cooked vegetables, soup,
rice, and tofu. Everyone wore yukata, a cotton robe that is lighter weight than a kimono and more casual. I wore my new sumo pajamas I purchased on our latest shopping trip. After we ate the entertainment was to sing karaoke. This is a favorite pastime of Japanese people young and old.Before we retired for the evening, the ladies decided to take a traditional Japanese bath. This was a public bath where you must completely wash before entering the large hot tub. The purpose of the bath is to relax and rid yourself of stress, so it is 
important to be clean before you enter.
We had a great time together. The evening of laughter bonded our friendship. We toured Japan and have many memories of our special adventure that will last a life time.
important to be clean before you enter.We had a great time together. The evening of laughter bonded our friendship. We toured Japan and have many memories of our special adventure that will last a life time.
This morning we walked through the gardens at Naritasan Temple again. It was so quiet and peaceful at 5:30 in the morning. We found paths I had not walked yesterday. Every turn was a site more tranquil then the path we had come from.
Now it is off to Tokyo for the last leg of our journey. 
Again we are sad to go. The thought of leaving peace and tranquility to return to the fast pace, modern Tokyo does not excite us. We also know are trip is coming to an end.
Again we are sad to go. The thought of leaving peace and tranquility to return to the fast pace, modern Tokyo does not excite us. We also know are trip is coming to an end.We spent our afternoon exploring the electronics district of Tokyo. We didn’t buy anything, but it was interesting to look at the newest electronic gadgets. For dinner we had pizza. The last pizza I ate was before I left the U.S. It is amazing how good something tastes when you have not had it for a long time.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and catch of the day for lunch!
Breakfast at 8 a.m. Did I want a traditional Japanese breakfast or a western breakfast of toast and coffee? I selected toast and coffee, it sounded easier to prepare. Sumie also made a salad of fresh greens, tomatoes and onions. After breakfast I packed my suitcase and wrote in my journal. We left at 10 a.m. for Narita-shi to visit the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.
We arrived at the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, a temple of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, just in time to watch the Goma rite be performed. This is the most important service conducted at the Great Main Hall. In the hall is enshrined the image of Fudomyoo, which was believed to have been carved by Kobodaishi, the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect.
The visitors to the service pray to Fudomyoo for fulfillment of wishes. Gomasticks are burnt by the chief priest. Wishes are written on the Gomasticks. As the pieces of wood go up in smoke, the wishes will be granted. Visitors can also have personal items blessed by having them waved through the smoke of the Gomasticks.
It was very interesting to watch the service. Naoki explained the Goma rite to me as it was being performed. It made much more sense to have someone explain the service as it is going on. I really appreciate the time Naoki took to explain the beliefs to me. He also told me he knew the head priest personally and had been to his house many times.
After the service was over, I wanted to buy some charms to keep family members safe. Naoki
purchased a Gomastick for me to take home to keep my home safe. Then we walked around the park surrounding the temple. There were also many other cathedrals and halls in the park. The most beautiful building was the Great Pagoda of Peace built in the 1984. Messages and prayers for world peace made by world leaders are in a time capsule that is buried under the Great Pagoda of Peace.
It was a very pleasant walk. The traditional Japanese park had so many
beautiful areas. I could have sat for hours watching the Kio fish in the ponds.
We also ate lunch in Narita-shi. The street near the temple had many traditional Japanese shops and restaurants. We ate at a sushi restaurant. The man behind the counter did not speak English. Sumie told him I was from America. He made great efforts to try to get me to eat many different things. I tried types of sushi that I had not eaten yet; such as tuna belly, sea urchin, salmon eggs, squid, and a whole shrimp that was huge. I was supposed to also eat the head, but I couldn’t do it so Sumie ate it. She told me it was very good. Everything I tried was so good.
As we walked back down the street to the car, we did a little shopping. I bought a vase made out of a bamboo stock, an uncut ruby, and an uncut amethyst. I plan to make necklaces from the stones. I also bought two bracelets that were very reasonable priced. Naoki bought me shrimp flavored rice crackers to take home with me.
Our shopping took a little longer then it should and we had to quickly return home to pick up my suitcase. We did have time for afternoon tea before I left. It was very nice to sit and talk with Naoki and Sumie; such a huge difference from the day before. We talked about many different things and did not seem to have problems understanding each other. It was time to go at 2:30 p.m. and I wished I could stay longer. The time had gone so quickly.
We arrived at city hall at 3 p.m. as scheduled to find the others from my group saying good bye to their host families. The entire group was having difficulty saying good bye, no one wanted the experience to end. A group picture was taken and the last good byes were said. The group of teachers was escorted upstairs for a discussion with the Mayor of Katori City and the Superintendent of Katori City Board of Education.
The mayor explained that Katori City was formed 3 years ago by combining 4 municipalities, Sawara being one of them. The people voted to consolidate before the national government did it for them. At the national level they wanted to reduce the number of municipalities in Japan because they thought there were too many for the size of the country. They have reduced the number from 3,ooo to 1,800. The mayor talked about a master plan of a comfortable city to gather and work together. The citizens promote education to open doors for tomorrow with collaboration between school, home, and community. This is very similar to the belief of “a takes a village to raise a child” that was adopted by Scales Mound years ago.
The Superintendent of Board of Education talked about the biggest challenge for schools was curriculum and develop responsible children. He believed good capable children must have good capable teachers.
We arrived at the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, a temple of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, just in time to watch the Goma rite be performed. This is the most important service conducted at the Great Main Hall. In the hall is enshrined the image of Fudomyoo, which was believed to have been carved by Kobodaishi, the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect.
The visitors to the service pray to Fudomyoo for fulfillment of wishes. Gomasticks are burnt by the chief priest. Wishes are written on the Gomasticks. As the pieces of wood go up in smoke, the wishes will be granted. Visitors can also have personal items blessed by having them waved through the smoke of the Gomasticks.
It was very interesting to watch the service. Naoki explained the Goma rite to me as it was being performed. It made much more sense to have someone explain the service as it is going on. I really appreciate the time Naoki took to explain the beliefs to me. He also told me he knew the head priest personally and had been to his house many times.
After the service was over, I wanted to buy some charms to keep family members safe. Naoki
purchased a Gomastick for me to take home to keep my home safe. Then we walked around the park surrounding the temple. There were also many other cathedrals and halls in the park. The most beautiful building was the Great Pagoda of Peace built in the 1984. Messages and prayers for world peace made by world leaders are in a time capsule that is buried under the Great Pagoda of Peace.It was a very pleasant walk. The traditional Japanese park had so many
beautiful areas. I could have sat for hours watching the Kio fish in the ponds.We also ate lunch in Narita-shi. The street near the temple had many traditional Japanese shops and restaurants. We ate at a sushi restaurant. The man behind the counter did not speak English. Sumie told him I was from America. He made great efforts to try to get me to eat many different things. I tried types of sushi that I had not eaten yet; such as tuna belly, sea urchin, salmon eggs, squid, and a whole shrimp that was huge. I was supposed to also eat the head, but I couldn’t do it so Sumie ate it. She told me it was very good. Everything I tried was so good.
As we walked back down the street to the car, we did a little shopping. I bought a vase made out of a bamboo stock, an uncut ruby, and an uncut amethyst. I plan to make necklaces from the stones. I also bought two bracelets that were very reasonable priced. Naoki bought me shrimp flavored rice crackers to take home with me.
Our shopping took a little longer then it should and we had to quickly return home to pick up my suitcase. We did have time for afternoon tea before I left. It was very nice to sit and talk with Naoki and Sumie; such a huge difference from the day before. We talked about many different things and did not seem to have problems understanding each other. It was time to go at 2:30 p.m. and I wished I could stay longer. The time had gone so quickly.
We arrived at city hall at 3 p.m. as scheduled to find the others from my group saying good bye to their host families. The entire group was having difficulty saying good bye, no one wanted the experience to end. A group picture was taken and the last good byes were said. The group of teachers was escorted upstairs for a discussion with the Mayor of Katori City and the Superintendent of Katori City Board of Education.
The mayor explained that Katori City was formed 3 years ago by combining 4 municipalities, Sawara being one of them. The people voted to consolidate before the national government did it for them. At the national level they wanted to reduce the number of municipalities in Japan because they thought there were too many for the size of the country. They have reduced the number from 3,ooo to 1,800. The mayor talked about a master plan of a comfortable city to gather and work together. The citizens promote education to open doors for tomorrow with collaboration between school, home, and community. This is very similar to the belief of “a takes a village to raise a child” that was adopted by Scales Mound years ago.
The Superintendent of Board of Education talked about the biggest challenge for schools was curriculum and develop responsible children. He believed good capable children must have good capable teachers.
After an hour discussion, we left city hall to travel to Wakamatsu Honten, a traditional Japanese Inn and Spa, in Narita-shi. This is where we would spend our last night before returning to Tokyo for the final week.
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