December 4, 2006 Together Again
November 2006
The Last Shots I hope to see all of you very soon. This will probably be my last posting. Kanpai and Sayonara!
Of Note: One of the professors of English at Ryukyus University I have been communicating with said that he didn't see any pictures. So to see pictures you have to click on the underlined words. Good luck.
Performance Day November 29th marked the last official day in Tokyo. Each group of 20 educators had to do a presentation unique to their prefecture. We felt that we were the luckiest group in the world because of the beautiful island of Miyakojima, the warm breezes, beautiful beaches, historical monuments, but most of all the students we met in their schools, and the generous and hospitable people of Miyako-jima. When we asked Katsumori Kugai if there had been another group to Miyako-jima he told us, "No." He had tears in his eyes watching our presentation. We wore the shirts we were given (triathlon 2006) and did two native dances, one at the beginning and one at the end. In between we did a power point presentation while describing our experiences. We also gave everyone a piece of coral from the favorite beach Yomaha Maehama of Miyako Island. Being a Songweaver in my life definately enhanced this experience.
Last Dinner with Yumiko Tokiwa Yumiko arrived about 7:00 and we headed towards a special restaurant (part of a chain) that had Nobe which she wanted me to try. We found our way and took off our shoes, talked and shared many things and said a fond," Good-bye... until we meet again." I gave her a few things to keep in Japan. She had already eaten the chocolate turkey (three flavors) from Granite State Candy. So now I know she loves dark chocolate!
The Last Day of Classes The classes always seemed to be very frank and honest about the bullying, suicide rate, decreasing population, decentralizing education, teachers' long days, students' long days and cram schools, lack of creativity amongst students, and the major reforms the Japanese Ministry of Education is proposing. In many ways, I thought of Bow, and how lucky we are to have parents involved in the schools, and parents who care about their children, education, and support our goals in the District. I felt that our teachers actually commanded much respect from our students.
Hasa-dera Temple This was an outstanding park and temple. There were people from several countries enjoying the temple grounds.
The Great Buddha or Daibutsu - I had seen pictures of this fantastic Buddha and I was proud of myself venturing out of Tokyo alone. Without the help of a secondary school boy, a woman on the train, and a kind man on his way home from work, I would have been lost. It seemed everyone whom I asked for help was more than willing to assist. On at least 3 occasions in one day, people walked me to where I needed to be. Being a woman, I am never afraid to ask for directions.
The Ryokan Experience This experience was a true gift from the Japanese Government, as they wanted all 200 of us to share this traditional Japanese experience. Everyone was at a Ryokan on the way home from their prefecture. We were flown from Naha to Haneda Airport and bussed to Chiba to our Ryokan. Everyone else had one to themselves as well. It was pampering and delightful and oops, I forgot to show you the futons! Futons
Good-bye-Sayonara, Miyako-jima! What a wonderful, generous, friendly people. I hope to return some day.
New Marukatsu Hotel (inside) A conveniently located hotel in the middle of Miyako City. The people were very friendly although they didn't speak one word of English.
Little Kids (I found them where Michiko Sunakawa worked.)
German Village Read the incredible story below. I can't wait to share this story with Philipp, Gregor, and Rita Luecke, my German family from the GAPP in Concord.
Glass Bottom Boat I heard about the coral reefs everywhere I went and wanted to snorkel. This was much better!
A Brief Swim One of my wishes with my host family was to swim. Akira-san took me to the best possible place to do this. Even though there was a jet ski race, I was able to go in the water. I soon found out that he was worried about me. After all, I was his responsibility for a day.
Home Stay Mr. and Mrs. Sunakawa welcomed me into their home and took especially good care of me, as you can tell by the above links. Mrs. Sunakawa was cooking a feast fit for a Queen or King. I asked if there were 10 people coming. The food was the absolute best I had eaten up to this point and I wanted a doggie bag. She was honored and packed enough food for one breakfast and two lunches! Imagine shrimp cooked in a Sake reduction. After dinner I shared a map of New Hampshire and its many tourist attractions. They had fun locating them on the map. We then shared some pure maple sugar candy and I invited them to come to New Hampshire. I think someday they just may take me up on that offer.
November 25. My magnificent home stay! Mr. Akira Sunakawa came to the hotel to get me and take me to his house. He asked me what I wanted to do. Lucky me! I wanted to go to the famous German Village that was built in "Hakuai" Ueno-son. HAKUAI means charity, benevolence and philanthropy. A German ship named "R.J. Robertson" headed from Australia was shipwrecked during a typhoon and stranded on Upupishi (meaning big dock) Reef near Miyaguni, Ueno-son (former name for Miyakojima) on the 12th of July 1873. The people of Ueno-son who discovered the stranded vessel, cheered the sailors by burning a large torch through the night and rescued them in the high seas using a small canoe, despite the risks involved. Then, after nursing them for 34 days the local people sent the sailors back to Germany with a new ship. Emperor Wilhelm I received a report from the captain and was so deeply impressed that he sent the "Chclop" warship back to Miyako to build a commemorative monument. I saw this monument--it is an EXACT replica of the Marksburg Castle which has stood along the Rhine since the Middle ages. Inside the castle are rooms which were reproduced from the original castle, complete with traditional German furnishings, and a model of the Rhine with the miniature castles along the Rhine. The castle is the Marksburg Schloss. This aim was towards a more internationalized society. What it accomplished was a tremendous amount of gratitude towards the Miyugani people from the people of Germany.
A promise is a promise. It has been a busy day. We started at 8:40 for Miyako High School and returned home at 5:00 with a short stop. Returning at 6:00 pm we have to plan for a presentation upon returning to Tokyo on Monday morning. Tomorrow, Saturday you will not be hearing from me (but there are lots of links to check out) because I will be with my home-stay family, the Sunakawa's. I am looking forward to seeing the culture first hand. I made a DVD to share with them. It has Bow Elementary School information, our trip to Odiorne with the tide pool animals, a trip to the White Mountains, Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, a view from the trail off South Bow Road looking towards the Monadnocks, Kearsarge and the White Mountains. I even managed to capture an eagle, a little bit of a female moose, and the smoke from the Cog Railway. Good thing I have pamphlets so I can" pause" and show. I am very proud of our beautiful state! Thank you, Christine St. Onge for the Maple Syrup. That is just one of my gifts to this family.
November 24th Okinawa Prefectural Miyako High School.
* Number One The beginning of the High School day when students present special speeches on our behalf and we see the school day just beginning.
A Day at Miyako City High School (cont'd) This day drew to a close as teachers spoke with teachers, a small party where we taught them the "Chicken Dance", but the very best thing of all was captured on the Japanese Journal collection by the Bailey technology team. It is the picture of the older women in their traditional garb (each kimono being work 1,000,.000 yen which translated into about $90.000, It takes one year to make a kimono out of the special rami fiber). The 25 women were very happy to have all of us dance their traditional dance with them. The Superintendent, Principal and Vice Principal of the Miyako City High School brought about 7 of these women to the airport to see us off. One woman even grabbed my hand and kissed it. What loving people they are...what a treasure we all have in our hearts to remember.
November 22 We visited the very precious Miyakojima City Taira Junior High School where we had chills when we were honored by beautiful, artistic presentations. This students were fun, studious and candid in their interactions. It was a memorable experience.
Taira Junior High School We meet the Principal, and are given a world class presentation! Wow! I just love this music. It is now available on DVD and can be checked out at several libraries in Bow and Concord (after March 10th, 2007)
Classes Take off your shoes first and THEN visit classes with your slippers on!
Students Students, shoes, baseball, classes, cleaning and breaktime...
Music The music teacher at Taira Junior High School played "Stars and Stripes" for us when we arrived in the morning. I had to seek this place out!
November 23, Our Thanksgiving! We took a tour of this gorgeous island where the triathlon was held on April 23 2006. Beautiful waters to swim in and wonderful rural areas to bike and run in. What a national treasure this island is...So small, yet so precious.
Underground Dam A fascinating story of how a specialist from Hawaii came to Japan to help them learn about how to preserve their rainwater with a special "material" and also creating an underground dam to store the water. The original island land didn't "hold" water in its soil.
National Treasure The islands "National Treasure" is the special fabric that is made here. Miyako-jofu Indigo. It takes one year to weave this fine rami thread into a cloth for the traditional kimono. We were told that it cost 1,000,000 Yen for this Kimono. That's roughly 90,000 US dollars.
Additional Treasure Info We learn how the fiber is taken from the bark of a small bush (similar to the Mulberry)
*Thanksgiving pm We head out for a southern island and Maepama beach in the afternoon followed by the magnificent cape of Higashi Hennazaki on a very long peninusla with the Pacific on the west (left) and East China Sea on the right. A tsunami threw the boulders OVER the peninsula to the Pacific side! They have about 5 tsunamis a summer.
*Thanksgiving am A swim and a Museum Tour
Thanksgiving am2 Museum Tour, then we meet our host families for lunch.
Kita Elementary School is a Grade 1 to 6 They begin their day at 8:00, have lunches in their classrooms, they serve their own lunch from the large fiberglass food containers brought to their rooms, and clean their dishes up, and then sweep their classroom floors. Many students wore socks and some were barefoot. They have a break after lunch, continue their studies, then they all stay after school for activities.
Presentations from Kita Elem. School
*Break Time, Lunch, and Responsibilities *
November 21 We departed for Miyako City Kita Elementary School to visit the students, classrooms, and have a discussion with teachers afterwards. Our day began at 8:00 at the school. We introduced ourselves to the students in Japanese and then we were honored with student presentations in dance, music, and skits in the gymnasium. It was quite fun. We met with the Principal, Tsunahero Kurima, then we visited classrooms. At lunchtime each class came to the JFMF central location and invited a teacher to eat lunch with his/her class. Two girls from a first grade class came to get me to lunch with them in their classroom. Although the language barrier was great we managed to communicate with motions, finger play, and photographs. I found a teacher excited to be "Pencil Friends" (Pen Pals) with and hope to begin classroom communication upon returning to NH. Class sizes averaged around 25 in the second grade and 34 in the third grade.After school the JFMF educators and Kita teachers were able to discuss with each other. We had two wonderful interpretors so communication was easy.
November 21
Meet the Mayor of Miyako-Jima City We met the Mayor, Mr. Akira Ishimine; and Mr. Kugai Katsumori, the Superintendent.
November 18, 19 and 20th
After the castle we went to our Hotel Sun Palace with tiny rooms and a bathroom that reminded me of a camper's. A few of us went out to see the International Market where there are goods for sale from around the world.
After taxiing back to the terminal because of a faulty hydraulic system, we waited for a new flight. As I write, we are flying to the island of Miyako. We learned today that Okinawa means "rope on water" because that is what the chain of islands looks like. Looking forward to a good night's sleep.
Ryukyus University In the morning we were up very early to visit the beautiful University of the Ryukyus. The "new" campus surrounds a pond with many heron. It offers degrees in Medicine, Law, Education, Math, Science and others www.u-ryukyu.ac.jp. As is Japanese tradition we started with a formal, "Thank You" to our hosts. I was honored to represent our Miyako-jima group to the University's Vice President, faculty, and freshmen students majoring in Education. We had a question and answer period for over an hour and a half, then toured the campus. We left the campus, had lunch and are now destined for the island of Miyako.
Shuri Castle Remains This castle is located in Naha, the capital of Okinawa. Shuri Castle was our first visit after flying from Tokyo on Sunday. We toured this ancient castle which was built in the 15th century and destroyed in World War II. The site itself was rebuilt to hold the original University of the Ryukus and the model that was used for this university was the University of Michigan. When the castle was then reconstructed in its original form in another location, the Shuri Castle was reconstructed on its original site! Now it is historically and internationally preserved.
What Kids Do for Fun Odaiba where the FujiTV station is, gorilla statues, amusement parks, ice cream!
Kids also ride their bikes, listen to music, go fishing (if they are near the sea) and play at video arcades.
November 18th. What a day for a Dreamweaver! It started late with Yumiko Tokiwa, Bow's very own Japanese intern from 2003, arriving at Keio Plaza Hotel at 10:30. We shared a cup of tea and looked out the window. Across the street in the park was a flea market. That became our first stop. Perfect for finding a bag to carry things around. We witnessed a 7-5-3 Shichi-go-san occasion for little girls. We headed towards the Ueno Zoo, with many a diversion along the way. We took in many sites in Tokyo which you will see. We ended our day at 11:30 and promised to meet again when I return to Tokyo in a week.
Morning... (Nov. 22 ) Yumiko, the Flea Market, and the Kumano Shrine
Ueno Zoo (Nov.22) These are just a few of the animals that Yumiko Tokiwa and I saw at the zoo. The Giant Panda, the snow monkeys, the Gibbons Monkey and the D'Hole made it all worthwhile.
Eve of November 16th and a long day on November 17th. The JFMF 10th Anniversary Reception was held last night, complete with beverages, appetizers, musical entertainment and guest speakers. We felt honored to be a part of the celebration. With Susan Bailey's help I was able to talk and see my 2nd grade class via SKYPE last night. "Woohoo," as Susan would say. It was 10:45 pm here and 8:45 am in Bow. Then it was up and atem' this morning to go to the famous fish market auction at Tsukiji Market. The auction started at 5:40 am! View these pics at your own risk. What an experience. Upon returning to the Keio Plaza Hotel, we went to seminars. Mine were on Science Education and Peace Education. After lunch we were presented two books by Kenji Miyazawa. The last seminar of the day was on "Women's Status in Japan." The day was full of surprises.
November 16th. Today was an immersion in Government and Education. This afternoon we witnessed and participated in a panel discussion called "Japan and U.S. Superintendent's Dialogue." The panelists included 3 Japanese Superintendents and 2 U.S. Superintendents and one Assistant Superintendent. The U.S. representatives were from Wisconsin, Michigan and Texas. Our representatives made me proud to be an American!
Panel Discussion/Government and Education
November 15th. This morning our 20 member Miyako-jima group had a brief orientation with our Japanese,Yomoko Harada, guide/leader who speaks fluent English. We then boarded a bus to take a city tour of Tokyo. We stopped at an area called Asakusa, which began at the Kanimari-mon Gate, and had lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. Then we visited the many little shops that Asakusa is famous for, the Hozomaon Gate where people burn incense for health, the Senso-ji temple, the Asakusa Shrine, and finally boarded the bus to visit the Japanese Governent (DIET) official offices. After spending an hour touring the magnificent marble building with rich wood inside, we returned to our well-appointed hotel that hosts up to 1400 guests. We had an hour before our Kyogen and Kabuki demonstrations, so a few of us went to the top of a nearby government building and took pictures of Tokyo. A dinner with 6 women from all over the US ended our evening. We were all exhausted at the end of this very busy day.
November 14th. After a very long day on Monday going fast forward in time to Tuesday night, we finally arrived in Tokyo! No problems with any flights and the company was stimulating. 200 educators joining each other in a foreign land! Now that's a Wow! I wanted to connect with all of you, but it is 3:44 am here so I won't be writing much right now. Just know that I am thinking of you. Later this morning we will be going to a cultural area with famous shops and also the Japanese DIET meeting Japanese dignitaries. Sayonara!
November 13th Boarding plane in San Francisco in 5 minutes. It is 12:35 Pacific time...3:30 Eastern time. Lots of energy in this airport. We expect to arrive after 11 hours 17 minutes in flight...Sayonara!
Japan Consul General's Reception November 13th evening We were treated very well at this reception. Enjoy the sushi tray!
November 6. On Friday, November 3rd I received my travel itinerary for Japan. I will be flying out of Manchester, NH on November 12th at 6:40 am on United with destination of San Francisco.. At 2:00 Pacific time, all 200 Japan Fulbrighters will begin our orientation program. The evening will end at Consul General Makoto Yamanaka's home, where there will be a reception for all 200 educators participating in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund this November.
The beginning of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program experience begins here!