Fish Market and a Long Ride Home

Look at the size of that knife... he is cutting fresh tuna. Don't get in his way.

Lotta shrimp!

Tuna auction...yellow sheet shows who bought it.

Very loud, lively tuna auction.

Ick!

Eels.

Today is the day I leave. I will arrive home in Norfolk before I leave Tokyo. That International Date Line really makes things weird.

This morning I woke at 4 am to go to the fish market. It was bustling at 4:30. You have to be on your toes…these people are working and working hard. They don’t want a bunch of tourists in their way…and they would tell you so in their mannerisms. They were fast and efficient. I saw hundreds of very, very large tunas being auctioned. First the buyers inspected the tuna and then the auctioneer started his yelling. Very quickly the tuna was sold and carted off to another area in the fish market where it was carved up. I also saw live eels, huge shrimp, lobsters, and tons and tons of fish. Surprisingly, it didn’t smell fishy there. The must have been at least 100 vendors and all were preparing their specialty. Right off the property of the fish market there were many, many little restaurants serving sashimi, sushi, and noodles…at 5:30 am.

Staff waving goodbye...probably glad we are gone.

Come on bus #6....get a move on!

Kara-oke place!
I have packed…and I’m 5 pounds under. I was asked if I wanted to go shopping, but I don’t have room to bring anything back. So, I have re-arranged my pictures and worked on my follow-on plan. My students next year, will get a heavy dose of US/Japanese relations. Plus, there are so many fun things to learn about Japan.

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I am even here. I have experienced something that few Americans will ever have the chance to do. For all the teachers out there, I recommend you apply for this program. There are teachers from all grade levels and all disciplines. I would be glad to help you with the application and the proper things to bring…or not bring. LET ME HELP YOU! THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM. We had access to things many Japanese people probably haven’t seen or experienced. I heard, and I don’t know if it is true, that the Japanese Government pays approximately $20,000 per participant! Unbelievable…thank you Japan!

So the wait starts….the plane doesn’t leave until 6:30 tonight and it is 10:30 now. Suitcases are gone and I am about to read for pleasure. What? Pleasure? What is that? Once I get home, I have two huge books to read before I depart for NYC. Sayonara.

We waited and waited and waited in the the lobby of the hotel..until 2 PM. We had to be out of our rooms by 12 pm. Finally bus #6 arrived and we loaded the luggage and peeps. The airport was about an hour and a half away from Tokyo.

Upon arrival at the airport, we stood in long lines to get checked in. Everyone was sweating the weight restrictions. I was under by a tad, so all was good. We went through security and think of the irony here…didn’t have to take our shoes off.

The race to the gate was on. We picked up snacks and water. We were a large group of about 50 going to Chicago. After boarding, on time, we settled into steerage at the back of the plane. I was in the middle of people not in the group. This can be good…because you can rest and bad because you can’t fall asleep ON them. The movie selection included: Jumper, Penelope, 27 Dresses, Fool’s Gold, 10,000 BC, and something I can’t remember. I dozed enough to have a package of ramen noodles waiting on my lap when I woke up (uncooked that is). So eleven hours later, we arrived in Chicago…with sore knees and back. We had to wait in a looooooonnnnngggg line to go through immigration and then retrieve our luggage and check it in again through customs. We, Kathleen from Charlottesville and I had about an hour wait allegedly. It turned into a 5 ½ hour wait. The plane bringing us to Norfolk had not even left Colorado Springs. About 9:30 pm (we were supposed to be home by then), finally arrived and we boarded about 10. We sat on the runway another hour plus. Long story….I arrived home at 3:21 am. The lovely Sami and the Great Doug were there to meet me and we drove quickly home through the smoky haze of Tidewater.

This morning, the lovely Sami and I went through my mountains of stuff. All is good and I now need to read for the next adventure. It starts Sunday the 6th. I hope you will stay tuned.

Sage is glad to see me!

See you soon...July 6th "LIVE FROM NEW YORK"

Sayonara....

This is the Grand Prince Hotel. I am on the 14th floor. Do you see me? Of course you don't, I'm taking the picture. However, my sweater is hanging in the window to dry by sunlight. Can you see it?

Early morning again! Today was our presentation. We set up a rehearsal at 8:15 am. Lorry and I had stayed up late, late last night to work on it. She stayed up even later I’m sure. She is truly a genius at this kind of stuff. The rehearsal went well and we were the second group of ten to present. Our presentation was spot-on. We felt really, really good about it.

All of the groups did well and we learned so much about some of Japan’s other prefectures. Two of the groups went to the earthquake area. I believe about 12 people died there in the earthquake. While they were there, they had another 5.0 earthquake and a 3.0…plus about 100 aftershocks. They were told it would take ten years to fix all the roads that were damaged.

The groups were each given 15 minutes and we all actually stayed within our timeframe, so we were finished about 3 pm. Right before we broke for the day, the director said that all of the groups did a great job, but the visual presentation of the Tama group was number 1. We won the “Emmy.” Lorry was so proud…our group coordinator and guide, Keiko was bursting. She was pretty stern at first, but really warmed up to us. She took really good care of me (Kelley-san) and tried her best to have something other than fish served to me when she could.

I will receive 10 college credits for this adventure (it isn’t over yet….much to do) from Seattle Pacific University. So, I had a few papers to fill out for that and then we were off to do our last souvenir shopping.

I think I could get to a shopping area on the subway by myself now, but it is still much more reassuring to go with others. Today, I bought fake sushi and pocky (a chocolate recommended by Cameron and Travis). I had already packed my bags so that I could weigh them…I am pretty close to the limit.(This is not me in the picture...I just thought it looked cool)

Things to note:
-you don’t eat or drink while walking…so you don’t see people with ice cream, snacks, soda, or water.
-Food and drinks are not "walked" around at Disneysea either...they are losing a lot of money! Oh, did I tell you that if you don't eat before 8 pm, you are out of luck. AND, the popcorn choices are black pepper, strawberry, or coconut. Ick.
-Japan has some of the most polite people I have ever met. The service, almost everywhere, is impeccable.
-There is no “tipping” in Japan.
-a bow is considered a sign of respect and the deeper the bow…the more respect.
-We are more similar than we are different.
-The US and Japan are great allies. We can still learn a lot from each other.
-This was an amazing experience for me...I can't even begin to tell you. However, I have told you a lot and I'm glad I wrote this...it will help me remember it all. Thanks for reading.

Tonight, we had the Sayonara Dinner. The dinner was delicious and then we saw a short video montage of the “experience.” We saw an aikido demonstration. It was fabulous. The girl beat the boy everytime. I believe this sort of martial art is used as protection only. At the end, our group guides sang the Japanese version of “Auld Land Syne” and then we sang it in English. Really, really nice send-off.

This is a picture of Kyoko and the school board representative from Tama.

A bunch of my friends and I went off to do some Karaoke singing. In Tokyo, you rent a room with couches and sing just for yourselves. My camera was out of juice, so unfortunately, I don't have proof that I was there...yet. There were lots of pictures taken. I left them there singing “Country Roads” which is the song used for cleaning at the end of the school day. A popular Japanese film was taped in Tama and the music was “Country Roads.” When the kids hear it, they break out the brooms and mops and sing along. It is amazing.

Tomorrow at 5 am, I am going to the fish market. All the fresh fish comes in and the big buyers are there to load up. I understand you shouldn't get too close, because these guys are really good and fast with their sharp knives. I'll tell you about it when I get home.
Take care.

Working on a script...

Yes, I can read this...can't you?

Lorry, working on the presentation.

My hotel...the Grand Prince.

CS...it is a huge shrimp or prawn and I did try to eat it. However, it had a lot of grit on it...so I didn't make it very far.
TM...found the Pocky!
LF...Yes, in some homes and in our ryoken there are separate slippers for the bathroom. From what I have seen, they are shared. It keeps that bathroom germs in the bathroom, I guess.
LF...my group, the Tama group, was about an hour west of Tokyo, so we rode a bus. Around Tokyo and Tama, I have taken several subways and trains. Some of the groups had to fly or take bullet trains to their destination.
CS...the volleyball coach at the Jr. High school was really, really tall. Much taller than any teacher or student. He said he was "asked" to coach volleyball and being a first year teacher he said "YES, SIR." He said he doesn't know anything about volleyball and feels pretty awkward coaching it.


Interestingly enough, and this won’t surprise you die-hard blog fans, I am going to miss the Grand Prince Hotel and it’s amazing toilets. Yep, I didn’t tell you that the toilets make a loud water sound when you sit. I guess it is to “discreetly” cover any other sounds. I will also miss having my bed made everyday and my towels washed. Hmmm… I know none of that will happen on my next Historical Adventure to Columbia University on July 6. Stay tuned for that!

Today, we had an art lesson. The owner/curator of the Tokyo Toy Museum led a discussion on the lack of true play time for children. We looked at some of the pre-TV and pre-video game toys and made a few.

A professor from Sophia University discussed the education system in Japan and made comparisons to the US and other countries.

I received an email from my host family. They used a translator on the web and did a good job. They said they were happy I was with them and they know that the experience was especially good for their little girl. Me too.

I had a chance to really go through my luggage. The weight restrictions are worrying me a bit. We were only allowed one suitcase and a carry-on on the way over. The suitcase could not weigh more than 50 pounds. Mine weighed in at 49.5. We are allowed to bring back two suitcases, so I had placed a duffel bag in my big suitcase. It is full and I wish it were bigger. I may be “carrying-on” a lot.

Lorry, Caroline, and I have been working on the group presentation since this afternoon. Lorry is a film teacher in Florida and is very talented. She has on her competitive face and is bound and determined that our presentation will be the best….and it is already. So, it is 12:54 am and I’m ready to go to bed. Last night, it was 3 am before I went to bed.

So, night-night.

3 Days without internet=one long blog

This is going to be a long one..three days without internet adds up!

Saturday was the day of the home stay. We had to have our big luggage in the lobby by 9 am so it could be sent back to the hotel in Tokyo (the luxury hotel…the other two were luxury in the lobby and small in the room). At 9, the Tama group had a meeting to discuss our presentation. Aaron from Minnesota and I will be discussing the visit to the Jr. High and the non-sighting of Monster and Helicopter parents. The term was brought up at four different occasions…and not by us. It was in English too!!!!

So, after the meeting, we all sat there in a line waiting for our host family to arrive. One by one, they arrived and the rest of us felt like the “unchosen.” My family…made up of Hirofumi, Fusako, and Sakura (age 8) arrived right at 10. I was in the bathroom. For those of you who know me, that won’t surprise you. For those of you that don’t know me…read this blog. I seem to have a fascination with bathrooms. BTW, if you walk right out of the Tama City women’s restroom and don’t make a quick right…you are in the men’s bathroom. How do I know?

Guess what? They speak NOOOOOOOOOOOOO English! We went to their car and it is a HONDA. The man told me he works for Honda. I said, "I have a Honda!" Immediately we have a bond. He thanks me for buying a Honda.

We stopped at a store and the Fusako got out and returned with iced coffee and a cold Coke for me and drinks for everyone else. Off we were to Kamakura. They had not been in four years and Sakura was really excited about it. We stopped at Denny’s (Japanese version) on the way there. It was a long ride of little talking (about 2 ½ hours). Fusako had a Japanese to English dictionary, but I had nothing. I mentioned this and we stopped at a 100 yen store to buy one. It had a good selection of words, but not spelled out phonetically…but in Japanese characters. When I wanted to say something, I had to show it to them.

We finally arrived in Kamakura and walked through the crowds to the Giant Buddha. Sakura was really excited and we took lots of pictures. You will notice that she does the peace sign in every picture. Seems all the children do that. They bought me three souvenirs and we lit some incense and swept the smoke to our “hurting parts.” The family is Christian (rare around here) and I imagine that is one of the reasons they have me. I put the name of my church on my bio. It was nice to share that bond. Interesting note…the entire music selection today was in English and he played the Backstreet Boys and Billy Joel. We were able to talk a little about movies. They love Indie Jones and Harry Potter.

The trip home was very long. Sakura was delightful and we played Nintendo DS (learning to write in Japanese), rock, paper, scissors, slap the hands, thumb wrestling…just about anything that didn’t require talking. We stopped at the supermarket to pick up dinner fixings. I was a little concerned when she picked up the octopus. I learned very quickly to not look anything too long or it ended up in the basket.

Finally at the home, I was able to really relax. They have a very nice 3 year old home. Beautiful floors and lots of room…more than I expected. I presented them with my gifts and they were overwhelmed. They loved the HMS shirts and Hirofumi put one on immediately (thanks HMS PTA). They loved the Virginia coins and the Virginia book. Later as we looked through it together and we were able to piece a conversation together, she pointed to the words “a treasure” in her language book. I was touched. She really liked the Bath and Body Works lotions (great suggestion from Mrs. Gale).

While Fusako fixed dinner, Sukura and I did origami. She is amazing…especially for only being 8 years old.

Dinner was…ShupaShupa (probably spelled and misinterpreted) and it was a thin beef slice that you swished in boiling liquid 3 times. It was delicious. Shrimp pizza…pretty good. Pasta with cabbage and ham – good. Warm custard of ???? and two other things. It was a feast. I really enjoyed their company.

The bath part was next. The bath is an experience. First the “bath” room is separate from the toilet room. So make sure you “toilet” before bathing. The bathroom is completely wet-able. First you wash your hair, face, body, etc. Show off onto the floor and then get into the hot water. BUT, you don’t let the water out…because you were already clean, everyone can use that water. I was first. I made it. I think I was supposed to take longer, but I was a little nervous about the whole deal. Great experience though.

After the bath, we all looked through the Virginia picture book. It is a beautiful book. We got out a small globe and figured all that stuff out in our halted English. I was really happy to have had this experience.

So now (as I write this) it is 11:30 pm and I’m about to go to sleep on a tatami mat…and looking forward to it. Tomorrow, I think we are going to a big electronics store before they drop me off at City Hall.

Sunday – I heard the clanging of pots and pans about 7 am. So, I readied myself in my “room” and headed downstairs. Only Fusako was up. We looked at picture albums of her friends, Sakura as a baby, Fusako in the hospital (she was badly bit by a dog), and the grandparents. It was a special time, because we could ask questions or point out similarities and differences in our lives. Sakura joined us a little later and we played more WAR and did origami.

After a huge breakfast, we went to the department store. Seven stories of stores – Sakura said “Shopping is Gooooooooood.” Again, I had to watch where I was looking because she wanted to buy me everything. She insisted on buying origami paper for my students and she sneaked away and bought a lovely plate for my family. I don’t know how I’m going to get all of this stuff home.

At 3 pm, we had to be at the Tama City Hall to board the bus. All of the Tama group’s home families stayed until the bus left. They waved us away and it poured outside.

We rode the bus for about an hour and a half to a ryokan. This is a traditional Japanese Inn. It was in the most beautiful setting. It sits along a rushing river and it was so lush with greenery and flowers. I shared a room with Tammy from Missouri and Tiffany from North Carolina. The room was very simple, yet very lovely. The floor had tatami mats on it. There was a low table with some citrus tea waiting for us. There was a small porch that overlooked the river (about 15 feet away). We were told to take our bath and meet in the dinner room at 6:30. Note that a traditional Japanese Hot Bath is for everyone…at the same time. You shower first, then get into a big “hot tubbish” thing. It was a citrus bath, so there were lemons floating in it. Well, the three of us decided to wait until after dinner to bathe. So, we put on our robes (I can’t think of what they are called – but make sure it is left over right when you wrap it around your body!) and headed to dinner.

Dinner was beautifully served. Everything was “food show” worthy…looks-wise. I tried to taste everything, but most of it was beyond me. We had a great time learning Japanese songs and a Japanese dance.

After dinner, Tammy and I headed to the bath. We are both pretty modest, so she showered and hit the bath while I waited outside and then she did the same for me. Oh well…

We slept on futons on the floor. It was very comfortable. They were all laid out when we arrived back from dinner.

Breakfast was another feast of stuff I won’t eat. There was soup, salad, fish, rice, stuff and stuff and more stuff. It was beautiful to see.

At 10 am, we started our two hour trek back to Tokyo. We were all excited to arrive back at the big fancy Grand Prince Hotel. We were given the same rooms and our luggage had already been delivered. The service here is impeccable.

Eight of us went to lunch…craving something that was not fishy. Across the street is a pasta and pizza place and they were able to fit us all. Although it wasn’t what we would have served in America, it was delicious. We all snarfed it up.

Back at the hotel, three of us worked on the presentation that we will make on Wednesday. So far, it is looking goooooooooood. Lorry from Florida teaches film and she has some great ideas and knows how to do it right.

Five of us decided to meet at 4:30 and go to DisneySea right outside Tokyo. It is just two subway rides away. They have a 6 pm to 10pm pass that was just right. We arrived at 6 and walked right in. The weather was slightly rainy, but there were no lines anywhere. We rode a version of the Tower of Terror, the Storm Chaser, and Indiana Jones thing, a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea thing, a couple of roller coasters and watched a couple of shows. It was a lot of fun.

Okay, that was a long one. Night

Public or Private?

Studying a little US geography...you go girl!
A Silk moth emerges from the silk cocoon. It will never fly. I don't know how it works, but the thing never flies. The silk is pretty coarse...just in case you wanted to know.

Mrs. Davis exchanges meishi (business cards) with the principal.

This is Miki. She is our interpreter and she is amazing.

I stepped out last night to the Blue Lotus. It is a Hawaiian themed restaurant that serves Italian food in Japan. Hmmm…. I pointed to something under the pizza section and received risotto. The only thing I know about risotto is that Chef Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen yells about it a lot. It was really good. We played darts and pool. It was a nice break.

Back to Japanese Education – today we went Hijirigaoka Junior and Senior High School. It is a private school that costs approximately $8,000 or 800,000 yen (ish) per year to attend. They had about 600 students and a majority of them were boys. They wore uniforms and they all looked very nice. They did not have a welcome reception for us, so we headed right to their classrooms. To attend this school, you must take an entrance exam. The exam would be the one I spoke of yesterday in which many students go to Juco “cram” schools to master.

This school was very regimented. The students sat in rows, were quiet, and the teacher talked and talked. The kids pretty much stay in the same room for most of the day and the teachers move to them. What would I do with all of my stuff? What about my DOT board, my timeline, my fabulous prizes (and do I have some doozies for next year – to include a toilet seat cover from the legislative Diet building in Tokyo – YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!!!!!)

I attended three different English classes and all three were going over the same thing. “I have seen many movies.” However, not once, was I asked if I have seen a movie. Hmff… These children didn’t talk with us like they did at the other two schools. They were very friendly in the halls and around the campus, but in the classroom they were for the most part tuned into the teacher.

***Things to note…on a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji from the windows of the school.

***The school is attached to Tama University and many teachers in training practice on the students.
*** An upside-down triangle (is there such a thing?) on a window means breakable glass – intended for firemen.
***This school had a swimming pool.
***They have both “western” and “Japanese” toilets!
***Misconception…I thought Japan was super high tech…not. I still have not seen a single computer in a classroom. Every school did have one computer lab with one computer for every two students.
***PS – my camera started working again. I will buy a new one before I go on my next historical adventures to NYC, DC and Boston (all before the end of July!)

Like the other schools, the students had cleaning time. At the end of the day, the desks were moved to the back. The floor was swept and then the other side was done. All, again, without the supervision of an adult. It is amazing.

Again, like the other schools, there are club activities after school. Although every teacher sponsors a club or sport, I didn’t see an adult anywhere. The basketball team/club practiced with a strict student drill sergeant, a dance team practiced in the hall and got one teacher to dance with them, baseball, swimming, volleyball, etc were all going on.

I’m a little nervous about tomorrow. In the morning, my host family will pick me up at 10 am. They will be my guides and companions for 29 hours. I hope they speak some English… I don’t know if I can play “Pictionary” that long. And, did you know that if you make yourself louder…it doesn’t help! After they bring me “back,” wherever “back” is, we will be going to a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn). I hear it is pretty “rustic.” So, this may be my last entry for a couple of days….maybe not.

Wish me luck with the family!

16 teachers in one elevator...things are tight! We try to make two trips!