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July 1, 2003

The Bluffton group was the first to arrive in Kyoto. Here, they pose in front of a Gion Matsuri display in the lobby of the Rihga Royal Hotel. The Menomonee Falls group arrives next. Ikeno-sensei also arrived with the group but is in front of the hotel speaking with the tour consultant, Ms. Takayabu. The Milwaukie group arrives mid-afternoon after a long train ride from Gunma prefecture. Cape Henry arrived at the Rihga Royal Hotel around 6 PM on Tuesday after a full day of sightseeing. They stopped at Himeji Castle and the Osamu Tezuka Museum on their way up to Kyoto from Hiroshima.

Three Days in Kyoto Participants of NP:J's third tour this summer arrived safely in Kyoto, Tuesday, July 1, after a full week with their host families. The morning of the 1st was a tearful one as teachers and students said goodbye to their new friends before embarking on their journey to Kyoto. For the last eight days, students have attended classes, gone on fieldtrips, and learned first hand about life inside a Japanese home. The homestay portion of the NP:J study tour is consistently the most highly-rated aspect of the program. Not only do students learn a great deal about Japanese life, language, and culture during the homestay experience, they also create strong bonds of friendship with their host families and classmates. After the sad goodbyes on Tuesday morning, NP:J participants boarded trains for the journey to Kyoto, one of Japan's early capitals and the home of Japan's Imperial Family from 794 to 1868. Participants arrived throughout the day, and those that arrived early enough had no sooner dropped off their luggage at the hotel than they were out the door to explore a few of Kyoto's numerous temples or shopping arcades. Over the course of the next few days, the exploration will continue, with groups visiting Osaka, Nara (Japan's earliest capital city), or Himeji, home of Himeji castle, built in 1580. Tuesday evening, students once again had the opportunity to check their e-mail in the TLI computer room and reconnect with friends and family back home -- but many students have already been in contact, having located one or another of the several internet cafes that are popping up throughout Japan. Students that were not taking advantage of the computers, were reconnecting with NP:J participants they had met in Tokyo and comparing their experiences. Still others spent a night out on the town, exploring the shops and restaurants at nearby Kyoto station... Several students broke down and had McDonald's for dinner. The groups still have two full days left in Japan before they return to the U.S., likely to be filled with a healthy mix of sightseeing and shopping. Check back in on the 4th of July to see what everyone has been up to! Ja, mata ne!