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July 5, 2003 |
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The students and teachers from Chesterton High School pose for a shot shortly after arriving at Narita International Airport. Just two more hours by bus, and we'll be able to sleep!
Here, some students wait to get on the bus that will take them from Narita International Airport to downtown Tokyo.
Service is excellent in Japan. Here, a tour bus guide is speaking with John Sparks, an NP:J teacher from Chesterton High School, and explains how the luggage will be loaded, as well as the schedule for departure.
Kim Roberts, the "sensei" (teacher) from Juanita High School, waits with her students outside the student dormitory at the Olympic Village. It's almost time to unpack!
One enterprising student from the Pacific Northwest proudly poses with his pet panda! |
Happy Fourth of July, Tokyo! With apologies to Thomas Jefferson, et al... When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one group of students and teachers to temporarily travel to Japan...a decent respect to the opinions of humankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to go to Tokyo! On Friday, July 4th, Independence Day, the eight schools which comprise the fourth and final New Perspectives: Japan (NP:J) 2003 tour group landed at Narita Airport outside Tokyo, Japan. In spite of one harrowing mad-dash rescue of a passport, all the students and teachers arrived safely and were greeted by the staff of The Laurasian Institution (TLI). Over seventy students and teachers from eight schools are participating in the fourth study tour, one of our largest groups to ever take part in NP:J. As has been the case all summer long, the schools represent a widely-distributed cross section of the United States. The following schools will be exploring the culture of Japan from July 4-18:
The weather continues to be very good in Japan. It was sunny, but not too hot on Friday, and the students all enjoyed excellent views of the skyline of Tokyo when they arrived. Saturday morning was sunny and cool, approximately 21 degrees Celsius (that's 70 degrees!), with bright blues skies. It quickly warmed up to the eighties later in the day, but there's been a cooling breeze throughout. Back to Friday night, however. Upon arriving at the Olympic Village, the first buses were momentarily blocked by a film crew that was shooting a scene for a movie. Many of the students jokingly volunteered to audition as extras, and this humorous development served to help wake up some of the sleepier students and teachers. It's quite natural for many of the participants to feel sleepy on Friday afternoon and evening. Most NP:J participants have been traveling for at least 12 or more hours, and are ready for a hot shower and a much-deserved night's sleep! The Olympic Village will be our Tokyo "home-away-from home" until July 7th, when everyone departs for their homestays and host schools. The Olympic Village, more formally known as "Kokuritsu Orimpiku-kinen Seishonen Sougo Senta," is a sprawling complex located near the heart of Tokyo. The "Sangubashi" eki (train station) is located a mere ten-minute walk away, and this makes it possible for everyone to get to Shinjuku eki and all other Tokyo points beyond very quickly. Shinjuku is one of the world's busiest, if not THE busiest train station---1 to 3 million passengers transit through Shinjuku every day. Saturday morning, students began waking up at 3 a.m.! This may be difficult for many parents to believe, but for the first few days students will be very early risers. We think this is probably not due to any newly-discovered desire to become industrious early birds catching worms, but more of the natural result of jet lag and adapting to a new time zone! Juanita High School wins the prize for getting started at the earliest hour on Saturday morning. By 4:45 a.m.! Yes, 4:45 A.M.!, they made their way to Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market to soak up the atmosphere of the tuna fish auction and the hundreds of shops and stalls that cater to wholesalers and families that come seeking delicious fresh fish and "yasui" (inexpensive) sushi and ramen. But more on travels in Tokyo will come later. Our next installment of the NP:J newsletter will be posted on Wednesday, July 9th. At that time, we'll fill you in on everybody's activities in Tokyo and on their host school visits. We hope you enjoy taking a peek at the pictures we've taken thus far. Please don't be alarmed if you can't find a picture of your daughter, son, or friend in this first issue. We will do our best to give everyone their "close up" camera shot by the end of the study tour! Thank you for supporting this wonderful cross-cultural education opportunity. All is well here in Japan, and everyone sends their warm wishes to you. We all hope you had a happy 4th of July! "Ja mata!" (See you later!)
One student from Valparaiso High School is so happy to be in Japan, he performs a "sakudachi" (handstand)! Where do these young people get their energy??? |
