The breakfast boys...salmon and salad for breakfast!
The Lindbergh High School
group enjoying their "Viking" style breakfast.
The West Bloomfield group gets ready for a big
day of sghtseeing.
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NP:J Participants Meet Kansai
Today marks the second and final day of exploring the Kansai area
(Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji). Students and teachers have logged kilometers of sightseeing
via feet, train, bus, or taxi. Although the participants have had only two days to
visit sites in this region, they have used their time efficiently-some by getting
out the door by 8:00 am or staying out until 9 pm.
As in past tours, the participants create a daily itinerary based on the curricular
theme they studied prior to their arrival in Japan. Yesterday , Aldo Leopold and
Broad Ripple took a three hour walking tour from the hotel to Sanjusangendo (the
Hall of Thirty-Three Spaces), passing the Kyoto National Museum, stopping at the
Ear Mound, learning at bit about shogun rivalry in the early 17th century at Hokoji,
walked through the grounds of the Otani Mausoleum and along side Toribeyama Cemetary,
wended their way up the hill to Kiyomizu Temple, purifying themselves here
with the spring water, and wound their way down the hill through narrow streets lined
with shops stuffed with souvenirs and famous Kiyomizu pottery. Arriving at Koshido
(Three Monkey Hall), the group stops to look at the See no evil, Speak no evil,
Hear no evil monkeys. The final stop was Yasuka Shrine.
Four groups (Marina, Cape Henry, Cass Technical and Forest Area Schools) participated
in the Scavenger Hunt. As in past tours, these groups looked for various items
surrounding the hotel and attempted to determine what these items were. Upon returning
to the hotel, lively discussions ensued ranging from interpretations of what the
objects observed represented (red buckets filled with water placed in front of homes
and the cultural tradition in Japan to be sensitive to the risk of fire) and the
concepts of space in the U.S. and Japan (gasoline stations with gas pumps hanging
from the ceiling).
In the attempts to keep cool in the 90 degree heat with what felt like 90 percent
humidity, students found an easy excuse to sample the dozens of cold beverages found
in the ubiquitous vending machines. Sports drinks galore helped replace the liquid
lost from the intense perspiring done by all. But despite the heat, to their credit,
participants did not allow this to get in the way of exploring as much of this area
as possible.
In addition to seeing these sites, all participants wanted time to go shopping! Teachers
are beginning to wonder if their students' suitcases will close...indeed if their
own will close as well. (There are still ten more days...) But thinking about friends
and family, the desire to share this experience with loved ones back in the U.S.
resonates strongly among the participantsñhence the shopping desire is understandable.
Tomorrow, NP:J groups head for their host families. The locations these groups will
range are far and wide. These participants will go as far north as Sendai and as
far south as Fukuoka. Please visit this site next week for an update of the home
stay period of this NP:J tour. We will feature the schools visiting the Hiroshima
and Fukuoka areas. This is the first time NP:J schools have been placed in these
areas and we look forward to the new experiences.
Until then, sayonara!
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