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In Kyoto, students and teachers often traveled
by bus. If you think this is crowded, wait until they ride on Tokyo subways during
rush hour!
Wiley Magnet School, from Raleigh, North Carolina,
pauses for a group photo at the entrance to Nijojo, one of Kyoto's most famous castles.
Yoshiko Johnson, the Japanese teacher at Wiley,
describes how the "nightingale" floor was constructed to squeak like the
chirping of a nightingale, and thereby alert guards of the castle to the presence
of intruders.
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Sayonara to Kyoto, Konnichiwa
to the rest of Japan!
Sunday, June 10th marked the last full day and evening in Kyoto
for most NP:J students and teachers. On Monday, June 11th, everybody journeyedónear
and faróto their respective homestays and host schools. All NP:J participants met
their host families and the students and teachers at their host schools on Monday,
June 11th. More on that later.
Before leaving Kyoto, a full day of activities took place. Some schools enjoyed an
evening of kyogen drama. Another school group participated in a formal Japanese tea
ceremony. Castle exploration took up much of the day for at least three schools as
they toured either Osaka Castle, Himeji Castle, or Nijojo. Many went exploring in
the evening in the oldest, most traditional section of downtown Kyoto and some students
reported taking pictures with a rarely seen "feature" of Kyoto, an apprentice
geisha, known as a "maiko."
Sunday evening, June 10th, after a fascinating and rich day of exploring Kyoto, teachers
met with The Laurasian Institution staff and Nippon Express and went over the details
of Monday's elaborate travel arrangements.
Just to give you an idea of where everybody went:
On Monday, June 11th two of the school groups (from Kansas City and Raleigh) remained
in the Kansai region in and around Osaka and Kyoto, one school group (half of the
Boise contingent) had a long trip on Monday to Shikoku Island, another school group
travelled to Nagoya and points beyond (Brighton), and everyone else (the remaining
half of the Boise group, El Paso, Trafalgar, Valparaiso, Fairbanks, and St. Louis)
will be taking the Shinkansenóalso known as the high-speed "bullet" trainóto
the greater metropolitan areas of Yokohama and Tokyo.
Bright and early on Monday, June 11th, the majority of the NP:J group met in the
lobby before walking to the Kyoto "eki," or train station. Prior to leaving,
many of the students used the spare time to write post cards home, or to take a moment
to write some personal thoughts about their experiences in their travel journals.
By 9 a.m., the majority of the NP:J students and teachers were aboard the Shinkansen
and on their way to the next step in their journeysómeeting their host schools and
families.
The details of the activities at each host school and family vary from site to site.
Let's follow one of the school groups; from Fairbanks, Alaska, as they first met
their host school, Teikyo Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo. This should give
you a general idea of what happens when NP:J students and teachers meet their host
schools in Japan.
Upon arriving, the Fairbanks, Alaska students and their teacher, Nagaoka-sensei,
met two faculty members of the school's International Division, Aruga-sensei, and
Ito-sensei. ("Sensei" is the Japanese honorific used for teachers.) After
the 3 hour train ride from Kyoto, everybody was fairly hungry, so the first stop
was the cafeteria, where our NP:J students ordered their meals in Japanese. The kitchen
staff seemed impressed by everyone's knowledge of Japanese!
Following lunch, Aruga-sensei and Ito-sensei introduced the students and Nagaoka-sensei
to the principal, and served soda's and water to everyone in the school's air-conditioned
staff meeting room.
By the way, we have been very lucky with the weatheróknock on wood! Even though it's
Japan's rainy season, the weather has been very cooperative. It's a bit warm, but
rain-free.
The schedule for the next week was explained. Students will be participating in several
classes, attending after school "club" activities, and participating in
school field trips. In addition to attending Japanese, mathematics, biology and calligraphy
classes, students will also join the school's judo, soccer, and kendo clubs. Two
of the highlights of the week will include attendance at a regional girl's judo championship
and a field trip to downtown Tokyo.
At 3:30 p.m., after a welcoming party at the school, each of the NP:J students was
paired up with their host families and brought to their "homes away from home"
for the next 8 days. Everyone expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of meeting their
host families. For the next 8 days and nights, everyone will experience the warmth
and hospitality of their Japanese families and, in doing so, begin to arrive at a
fuller understanding of and appreciation for Japanese culture.
Our fourth and final web posting for the first of our three NP:J tour groups will
take place soon after their June 21st departure from Japan. Until then, thank you
for your ongoing interest and sayonara!
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