School visit, and cucumbers. Day 4!

Thursday, July 12:

Today, we woke up to rain. We walked around with umbrellas that our hotel provided in our room.

We went to the small store again, and I bought my first piece of Japanese clothing! A shirt, and a rain poncho (since I obviously needed one).

We left at 8:30 for the Agriculture High School today. We were all really looking forward to this part, so we could interact with peers. They had a welcome reception, then we toured around the farm, garden, and green house areas. We sat with the students on the bus, and had lots of time to talk with them. After asking name, grade, and age, I tried asking about their favorite classes, music, movies, and TV shows. They don't have a very strong English program, so we knew more Japanese than they did English.

Outside of the school. Rainy day in Japan!

A poster they had for us.



Touring the grounds.

Walking around and socializing! :)

I think one girl in particular thought I was much better than I really am. She talked a lot, and I only understood about 20% of it. Otherwise I just smiled and nodded. She was very kind and interesting though!

This is her! :)

There was another girl, まなみ (Manami), who walked with me and shared her umbrella. We talked a lot, and I found out that she and a few others girls share music interests with me! It was really cool to talk about something we have in common.

Manami and I! :D

We also went into the barn where they milk cows. I fed one some grass, and it licked my leg! It was funny, because I'm pretty sure someone caught it on video.

Some students in their uniforms for working!

The cow that licked me, lol.

After the tour, we went back into the school to have lunch with the students. Three boys were at our table group. One was named たかし (Takashi), and he was very kind. We had a delicious lunch with onigiri, grilled salmon, eggplant, and various other things in a plastic tray. The whole school lunch tray is called Bento.

My Bento!

After some awkward attempts at conversation, we gave them gifts and candy. I handed out some honey sticks that I bought at the farmer's market back home, and Adam gave our tablemates pixie stix. I think the pixie stix were a little too tart for them. It didn't help that they tried to eat the sugar, instead of just pouring it on their tongue. It was actually a pretty hysterical sight.

Next, Sensei gave our gifts to the teacher. We provided cookies, and a t-shirt, which one of our tablemates modeled.

Our gifts for the teachers!

The t-shirt we gave them!

I was sooo sad when we had to leave, even though we only interacted for a couple hours. Kayla got an email from one of the guys she talked with, so we're going to try and contact the rest of our new friends through him.

Kayla and her new friend! He gave her his fan!

Me and some of the girls I talked to! :)

They also gave each of us a gift before we left. It was a packet with a picture of all of us, taken earlier that day, and some origami pieces, along with instructions to how to make each one!

Our gift ♥

After the school visit, we went to a building where we watched a video about the radiation and crops in the area, and how they test for radiation. Then we visited a rice paddy and saw a couple farmers show us a method to testing the radiation. Then we moved on to a cucumber greenhouse, where 5 of us got to pick a cucumber each. We went to a tech lab, where they actually did the testing radiation, and we got to see how it worked. Then we waited for the results, which turned out to be no radiation detected! So they chopped them up, and we ate them. It was yummy. :)

The lecture/video room 

Getting a cucumber sample to test the radiation.

These were salted cucumbers, delish!

Oh yeah, did I mention? A news crew was with us all day. Apparently, they're putting a bunch of footage together to a DVD, and do a short TV episode on us. Sort of like a 60 minutes thing. I was kind of shocked, but the crew was really cool, and I think they liked us a lot!

TV crew! :)

Waving goodbye!

We also encountered some middle schoolers before we left. They use the same building that we watched the videos at. They were kind of staring at us, so we started talking to them in Japanese. They run track in the area, and they said that they had never seen that many foreigners at once! Of course, this was a small town, so it's not surprising. :)

The guys we talked to!

We finally returned to the Regina, and had my favorite dinner yet.  しゃぶしゃぶ(Shabu-Shabu), which is thin sliced ham, swished through a pan of a boiling broth of vegetables and mushrooms. The ham cooks really quickly, then you put it on your plate with soy sauce or sesame sauce. It was sooo good! I want to try and make it at home!

Shabu-Shabu~

The ham for Shabu-Shabu!

Following dinner, we went to the convenience store and found an upstairs section, called the relaxation room. We just chilled since no one else was there, and drank from our juice boxes. Tomorrow we leave Fukushima. :/

Experiencing Tohoku: Japan Day 3

Wednesday, July 11:

Today, my roommates Kayla, Serina, and Savannah got up at 6:30, and walked around the lake to take pictures. We had our temperatures taken, and we ate breakfast.

Exploring the lake around the hotel!

A cool deck, with all of my roommates! (Serina and Savannah in the back)

I tried なと(Nato), which is famous in our classroom for Sensei's great hatred for it. Nato is refried beans. Although I didn't love it, I could've finished a serving if I had to. Although, given the choice, I wouldn't pick it again.

Yummy breakfast! I love having Miso soup and rice at every meal. :)

We stopped at the convenience store in the hotel, and I bought Pocky(yum!) and a stuffed rabbit, the mascot for the Regina no Mori. It is the same bunny that welcomed us when we first arrived! ^^

We left at 8:45 for the Tenei village. We toured around and saw Japanese style homes, gardens, farmlands, and Buddhist and Shinto temples. The village had definitely not seen the likes of tourists before. Nonetheless, everyone was super kind and welcoming.

Some hand-painted flags around the path to the temple.

A Shinto temple!

A cemetery on the same grounds as the temples.

Me ringing the bell at the temple! Awkwardly sideways, sorry :P

Katayama-Sensei by the hand/foot-washing thing!

Our tour guide and his grandmother, hahaha.

Farmland!



Pretty flowers, and a farmer!

After that, we went to a building with a gym, and we watched the making of rice cakes, where I volunteered to try and pound the rice myself. We ate soup poured over a rice cake, and two other dishes, one consisting of a red bean based sause. とてもおいしかった＾＾

The soup/rice cake! It was good!

More rice cake dishes.

The bean paste one. This was my favorite!

Next, we went to a town with temporary shelters with residents who had to evacuate because of the tsunami. We listened to speakers who had their own personal stories of the tsunami. It was very sad.

Then we had discussion groups where we could ask a victim questions. The woman we had was 80 years old, and lost her farmhouse. She is completely separated from her family, who she last saw on New Year's. I specifically remember her tearing up as she said we remind her of her niece, who is our age. She told us to value life, and not take anything for granted.

After that, we came back to the Regina (the bunny was there again!) and we tried out the あしゆ, or foot onsen. It's an outdoor heated bath for your feet. It was hot and relaxing. :)
Then we went to dinner, shich was especially fancy compared to other meals we've had so far. It was delicious!

Yumyumyum. I even tried the raw shrimp on the right!

Then I went for a walk around the lake with Kayla, where we encountered many frogs. After a turn in the foot onsen one more time, we returned to our hotel room, and watched football(soccer) on the Japanese television. It was really cool seeing how much we could understand things they said!

Today was very hot and tiring, but we learned a lot about the GEJE. Tomorrow is the school visit, so I am really looking forward to that! :D

Bullet trains, bunnies, and squatty potty. Japan Day 2.

Tuesday, July 10th:

Last night we stayed at the Keio Plaza in Tokyo, which I talked about in my previous post. My roommate, Kayla, and I played Japanese radio, and we got to sleep in complimentary kimonos!

Our complimentary night kimono! Sideways :P

This morning we were roused by a 6 o clock wake up call, which I answered with a slurred, "もしもし," after dropping the phone once.

Looking out the window, the sun had already rose, and I saw several pedestrians and bicyclists at that early hour.

We had an American style breakfast, before taking off for our first full day in Japan.

The breakfast room at the Keio Plaza! It was huge.

We went to a college for the beginning of orientation. We listened to an interesting lecture by Professor Nakamura about the Great East Japan Earthquake(GEJE). We learned a lot about the damaging effects of the disaster, and the things that led up to it, and what things were like following.

After the morning lecture, we had some debriefing about our trip to the Fukushima and Tohoku area, which is still struggling to recover.

After the orientation, we went to an all-you-can-eat 肉やき (grilled meat) buffet. Basically, you go through a buffet line and get raw meat, and a separate plate of cooked dishes if you wish. Then you return  to your seat where there is a grill in the middle of the table with a fire underneath. You grill your own meat! It was very yummy. I attempted to grill my own squid tentacles, but they were really chewy. :P

While at the 肉やき, I had the pleasure to wander into the bathroom stall, and find the infamous, "Squatty Potty," on the floor. Imagine a urinal on the floor, but smaller. And yes, you squat over it to go.

Squatty Potty! Haha.

From the restaurant, we made our way to Tokyo station, where we boarded a 新幹線(bullet train) to Fukushima. The bullet train reaches around 180 mph.

At Tokyo Station!



Waiting for our train!

Kayla and Adam at the Tokyo station!

Before getting on, we waited on the lower level of the station for 15 minutes, where there was air conditioning. My friend Rebecca and I made our way to the bathrooms. We almost walked into the men's, before we saw another man walking out. I think he knew what we were about to do, too! It was embarrassing, and we raced into the ladies', red and laughing.

The bathroom Rebecca and I almost walked into! -.-

I also had my first experience with a Japanese vending machine today. The main differences between America's and Japan's is that in Japan, they always work. Always. Also, they serve both cold drinks and hot drinks, rather than room temperature. We even saw one that served small heated meals. At the Tokyo train station (東京駅), there was a touch screen vending machine! They also are very reasonably priced, ranging from 100-200 Yen.

Lauren using the vending machine! :)

Today I stopped at a few different vending machines. I had a flavored tea, fruit-flavored water, and what I thought was chocolate milk, but turned out being some form of chocolate-coffee-cappuccino. It was cold, and tasted more like watered down chocolate milk with slight coffee flavor. I'm not that into coffee, but I actually enjoyed it. My fourth was some odd flavor of tea, which turned out to be the only one I disliked.

While on the bullet train, I was notified that we would be seeing my friend Takako this Friday! She was an exchange student at Kennedy during the 2010-2011 school year, and we became pretty close. This made me SUPER excited, since I haven't seen her in over a year!

Getting off the bullet train, we had a bathroom break, where I had a wonderful opportunity to use the Squatty Potty again! Although I honestly felt much more adept this time.

After arriving in Fukushima, we boarded another bus to go to our hotel, the レジーなの森(Regina no Mori). We went up and up a mountain to get to the area, around a forest and lake. It is really beautiful. Our hotel rooms are stand-alone buildings shaped like domes, with 4 beds and a bathroom. After dropping off our stuff, we went to the restaurant hall for the welcome reception. Outside, they had someone in a giant bunny suit! It was sooo cute!

A sign for our hotel! レジーナの森 ^^

Our hotel rooms! 

Our dome! It seems bigger on the inside. :)

The giant bunny!

Coming into the restaurant, we had our own table for CR schools. They had some introductions, and showed us a video about the destruction from the GEJE. There were surveillance videos that showed entire rooms and buildings shaking, bookshelves falling, and one clip of debris falling off a building on the road. There was a clip that showed the inside of an office building, and you could hear a woman's panicked screams. It also showed a large break in the middle of a road from the quake. There was footage of water rushing in from the tsunami, which was frightening.

They had a welcome banner in the restaurant!

Overall, the video showed more than any news broadcasts did, and it portrayed how terrifying it was to be there.

After that, there were more intros, followed by our group presenting a t-shirt, Iowa flag, and an Iowa photo book to the workers there.

Then we ate supper, which was finally a Japanese style meal. YUM.

The restaurant hall at Regina no Mori.

During dinner, there were musicians that played ががく, or a traditional Japanese style music. It was very different, but I thought it was cool.

I ate soba noodles, and some other dishes that I don't remember the name of. I truly loved about half of what I put on my plate, but at least I tried all of it!

The buffet they had set up for us! Yum.

There was the CUTEST little boy at the reception. He had to have been 3 or 4. He smiled at me!

After dinner, we went outside on a deck for a laser light show, projected from across the lake. It was all green, and reflected off the water, and shined on the treetops behind us.

On the way back inside the restaurant hall, I saw the little boy again! I nudged my friend next to me, then pointed and said, "かわいい," which means cute. However, I think his father was behind me, and overheard! He laughed though, and made an effort to get his son to say hi to me. He was really shy and embarrassed though, so he didn't. :( But maybe I'll have more chances to see him over the next few days we'll be staying at this hotel. :) If so, I'll try to win his heart. がんばって！

First day in 日本♥

I am FINALLY posting!
I have returned from Italy. I got a full night's sleep in my own bed, which was bliss. Yesterday was exhausting, but I feel much better today.

I journaled all about Italy as well, but I'll update Japan first. It will go in chronological order of course, and I'll date each entry.
Enjoy! ^^


Monday, July 9th
Today was the first day of my Japan adventures. After leaving Minneapolis/Saint Paul around 2:30 PM, Sunday, going through a 13 hour, sleepless flight, we arrived in Narita Airport on Monday at about 5 PM, Japan time.
You'd think we'd be jet lagged and exhausted by the time we got off, but rather we were fueled by adrenaline.

After getting through customs, we were joyously welcomed by the Narita Kokusai students who visited Kennedy in March. They even brought a poster that they all made! We were all so happy, and one of the Narita students was almost crying. There were many screams and hugs.

The poster they made us! ♥

 

Shiho, me, and Moeko!
I was so happy to see them, thank you for coming and seeing us!! :)

Even though we only got to know them for two weeks, followed by Facebook connections and messaging, it was amazing how I think we all saw how important we are to each other. In a way, I think my international friendships are some of my most valuable.
After our short reunion with our friends, we filed onto a charter bus. Before leaving, our driver welcomed us with some broken English. He was very cheerful and friendly, and had us laughing with a few jokes.

Then we left for our hotel in Tokyo, about an hour and a half away. The time flew by though. We were all mesmerized by our surroundings, taking pictures of everything through our windows.

Coming through downtown Tokyo was an amazing sight. I've been studying the Japanese language and culture for three years now, so I had some sort of idea what Tokyo would look like. I'd seen pictures and videos, and I had been told of how crowded it was there. But getting the full real-life view of the streets of Tokyo from a raised highway, was remarkable for me. I could see all the narrow streets from the curving ramp. There were many pedestrians, and even though it was 7 PM, we could still see many people working in the soaring office buildings.

A view just outside downtown Tokyo. Note the ferris wheel! :D

Arriving at our hotel was particularly awesome. The grand Keio Plaza is very fancy. It has tall ceilings, large mirrors, crystal chandeliers, and lovely furnishings throughout the large lobby.

After getting situated in our rooms, we went out to eat. As we sat down, there was already a pan of vegetables, meats, and broth cooking over a fire directly on our table.

Our meal! :)

The place settings.

Adam showing off his chopsticks skills!

This was our first official Japanese meal, and we also encountered some Japanese table etiquette. Of course, you eat with chopsticks, but we also learned some things we didn't already know. For example, we learned the proper way to hold your rice bowl. One major thing we caught on to quickly, was that it is impolite to serve yourself at the table. You always serve others first, and someone will return the favor. Also, you are supposed to say, "いただきます," before meals, and "ごちそさまでした," after meals. Oh, and the food was reeeeaaalllyy good.

Leaving the restaurant, we were all definitely exhausted. Most of us went directly back to the hotel, but Sensei, I, and a few others went to the post office to withdraw Yen from ATMs. When I was there, I kept an eye out for fashion. One woman that caught my attention had a dull rose maxi dress, with a loose, white, crocheted sweater, which was almost crop-length. I thought it was adorable, and discreetly snapped a picture.

The girl on the right, with the outfit I talked about. ^^

I also had my first experience at a Japanese public bathroom today. It was cleaner for one thing.
I used a stall with a washlet. The door went all the way to the floor, and the toilet had buttons with different functions, one of which was a seat warmer. I didn't use it, but overall, the experience was much more pleasant than those in the U.S.
Later on, I used another public bathroom before boarding our charter bus. I was shocked to sit down and find that the seat warmer was already on.
Everyone has been so kind since we got here. I'm adjusting to trying to speak Japanese to everyone, but a lot of the times, they try to speak English to us first.
Overall, today was incredible! :)

Almost-Japan.

Hello. I am back from my two-week trip in Japan. As promised, I journaled the whole time, and I plan on posting it all on this blog. But not quite yet.

As my family and friends already know, the end of my Japan trip is shortly followed by my Italy trip. I returned home around 9 o clock last night, and I am leaving home tomorrow morning, around 5:30.

Therefore, I will not start posting all about Japan until I return from Italy. I will blog about Italy as well.

So while I am completely unpacked and almost completely repacked for Italy, my electronic entertainment devices are charging, and I am relaxing, I don't have time for much more than some teaser photos from Japan.

Ciao!
じゃあね！:)