New photos

We are having a great day. I posted a new batch of photos with captions that tell about what we've done so far today. Check them out by clicking on the slide show to the right. It will take you to Picasa where you can view them one by one or as a slide show.

I'm in Tokyo!

I’ve been up for 24 hours now but it’s been a great day. After our 10 ½ hour flight and 1 ½ hour bus ride, we met a Fulbright volunteer who took us to dinner. But first, have you figured out why I arrived 27 hours after I left San Francisco? Here's a video that might help you.

We went to a restaurant called Wind and Flowers where we removed our shoes upon arriving and put them in small wooden lockers. We sat on the floor (this one did have an area to put your feet so it was like sitting in a chair. We sat in a small room with this sliding walls so we could hear others but not see them. The menu had many unfamiliar items so we picked a couple and enjoyed hearing about Japan from Satoshi Miyajima, a university law professor who lived in Chicago for two years.

Our first menu item arrived- yakitori- marinated meat on a stick. I know I had a couple of pieces of chicken but I’m not sure about the other two I ate. We ordered the variety plate so it could have included anything on the menu, including horse.

Next we ordered a variety soup. There were fish balls, tofu, Chinese radish, boiled eggs, some kind of dried fish and a few things I couldn’t identify. It was tasty. It makes me realize how narrow my view is about what I consider “acceptable” food to eat. There was a dish that has squid guts in it and our host thought it sounded really good, or sushami made with horse meat. I eat cow meat, why not horse? But I haven’t yet!

























Here is our host ordering for us. The waiter comes in and kneels on the floor.













The reception that we’ve received here is so gracious and special. There are people at every turn welcoming us.

And as a final note, the Japanese are serious about their umbrellas! There are racks of umbrellas outside our hotel (locked) that people can borrow or rent. Here's an example.

Let the adventure begin!

I'm all packed and heading to the San Francisco airport this morning for my flight to Tokyo. It's fun, and a little strange, to travel with 160 people I don't know and will spend the next 19 days with. Everyone is in the same boat (or plane?) so it's been easy to get to know other teachers and administrators. There are four of us from MN.

We had our orientation yesterday. We learned some important etiquette lessons which makes me realize how silly I'm likely to look when I forget. I'll be sure to post about those things! We also found out that we are the last teachers to participate in this program as funding has been cut. It makes me even more grateful to be here.

Last night we went to the residence of Japanese Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine in San Francisco for a nice reception and tasty food.

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My flight leaves at 11:30 a.m today (Monday) and arrives Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. That's 27 hours later but the flight is only 9 hours. Explain that!

Read a good book about Japan lately?

I've been reading some very good Japanese books, all on order for our library.



Chibi: A True Story From Japan by Barbara Benner and Julia Takaya. A story about a duck who has nine ducklings in the middle of Tokyo, near an eight-lane road; the road that stands between their current little pond and the big pond of the Emporer's Palace where the mother duck wants to bring her children. It reminds me of Make Way for Ducklings, the 1942 Caldecott winner.



Old Man Mad About Drawing: A Tale of Hokusai by Francois Place

We have many students who are interested in manga and drawing at BG. This book is about an artist from Japan in the early 1800s who is the original manga artist. It's a fun story about a young boy who wants to be an artist and how Hokusai helps him. There's lots of pictures and art work too. Did you know manga means "thought up drawings"?





Hiroshima by Lawrence Yep

Hiroshima is the city where I'll be staying for 8 days. In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima which killed thousands of people and made others very sick from the radiation. This is a book based on the true events of that time from a twelve year old girl who survived the bombing.

Getting ready!

I received my e-ticket and itinerary in the mail this week. I leave Sunday morning at 6:21 a.m. I think that means a 3:45 wakeup time! We arrive in San Fransisco for an afternoon of orientation, then a reception at the home of the General Consulate, Yasumasa Nagamine's home. We'll leave for Japan on Monday.

**Puzzler**
When I look at my itinerary, I see that I leave San Fransisco at 11:25 a.m. on Monday and arrive on Tuesday at 2:10 p.m. That's 27 hours later. On the way home, I leave Japan at 5:55 p.m. on Thursday and arrive in Chicago at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wait! That's two hours before I left Japan! Has a mistake been made? Find out when I return.

Pocky!

I'm not familiar with too many Japanese foods but I do love Pocky. It's a stick shaped cookie dipped in chocolate or other candy coatings. What kind of Japanese foods are you familiar with, that you think I should try?

what flavor pocky are you?

[c] sugardew

Tokyo and Hiroshima

I'll be leaving for San Francisco on October 12th and traveling to Tokyo on the 13th. I'll travel with 160 other educators, spend 4-5 days in Tokyo and then travel to Hiroshima with 16 other educators. There are 10 groups going to different host cities.

I've been pouring over books and websites about Japan as I figure out how to spend our very limited free time. I'm also working at getting my computer set up with everything I need to communicate with everyone at school. I'm learning more about Tokyo and Hiroshima every day.

I'm planning to visit Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away), Kamakura and the Tokyo Fish Market (Tsukiji).

I'm learning more about Kamishibai, the art of storytelling with picture cards. Wouldn't it be fun to have students create story cards?