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July 10, 2004 |
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The four shots located above are all of the Olympic Village (OV), the location where the NP:J students and teachers stayed while they were in Tokyo. The OV is located in the heart of Tokyo, a mere two train stops away from Shinjuku, one of the world's busiest train stations. The central building (top photo) is where the cafeteria and computer room are located. The plaza (2nd from top) is a main gathering point for groups before they begin exploring Tokyo or going out for dinner. The Olympic-size pool (3rd from top) is a site that saw a lot of activity, especially given the hot and sticky weather! Lastly, the bottom photo shows one of the main athletic practice buildings at the OV. We thought you'd enjoy a look at NP:J's "home away from home" in Tokyo! |
Tokyo, Trains, and Tadaima! From very early on Wednesday morning until late Thurday night, all of the NP:J participants spent most of their time exploring the city of Tokyo. Two full days and nights can hardly do a world-class city like Tokyo the justice it deserves, but the students and teachers seemed up to the task. It takes most people a day or two to begin making the adjustments for jet lag, so spending the first few days in Tokyo provided everyone with a good foundation for getting acclimated to Japan. Here are a few of the highlights of everyone's exploration. The Wissahickon group enjoyed a playing percussively and powerfully at the Drum Museum. Meanwhile, the Marina High School group spent time enjoying the contemplative zen nature of Meiji-jingu, before scouring the shopping delights of Takeshita-dori. Alicia Chacon International School reported that their trip to the Earthquake Museum was educational, but not nearly as enjoyable as their exploration of the high-rise Shinjuku district, which was perhaps their favorite outing in Tokyo. Lastly, our friends from the Tarheel State (who have said the summer weather is very similar to Charlotte's---hot and humid!) thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the temple at Asakusa, Senso-ji. As Friday drew near, everyone began get a bit more excited about the next phase of their study tour—the homestay! During this stage of the NP:J journey, each school group travels to a different part of Japan to spend approximately eight days with their host famikies and going to classes at their host school. This tour, the hosting schools are as follows.
Friday, July 9th was the busiest day of the study tour. The staff of The Laurasian Institution coordinated travel for all of the schools to their host communities. Three of the school groups had relatively short trips because they were staying the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, but the two remaining groups traveled a bit farther, to Nagoya and to Iwate. Each year, without fail, the host family portion of the study tour receives the highest praise on evaluation forms. While yesterday was a time of some understandable anxiety, the awkwardness of meeting new families and classmates and teachers will soon be replaced with feelings of warmth as new friendships develop. While each school's experience will differ, the next week may unfold with the following experiences that are typical of the host family week of the study tour. Friday, students introduced themselves (in Japanese, of course!) to their host families and went home for their first home-cooked meal since arriving in Japan. Please note that Japanese host moms are sure to have plenty of food on hand, especially if they are hosting American boys! Saturday morning, after a good nights' sleep, Japanese host sisters and brothers are making sure the NP:J students get to school, and classes will be attended. After school, special club activities (for example, kendo, archery, baseball, go, etc.) will take place and special field trips will also be planned. By the end of the week, most of the American students won't want to leave—they will be too comfortable and happy with their Japanese families! On Saturday, July 17th, everyone will gather in Kyoto and spend their remaining three days and nights in Japan exploring this ancient former capital city. We'll be staying at the Rihga Royal Hotel, and you can look forward to our next newsletter, complete with some host school photos and Kyoto arrival photos, on July 17th. Everyone is "genki" (in good health and spirits), and the students are having a marvelous time. We'll see you on the 17th!
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