Feels great to be back in South Carolina!

Although a bit tired and jet lagged, it feels so good to be back on South Carolina soil! Coming back home was bittersweet...I wanted to be back to see my family, friends, colleagues and students while at the same time sad to leave Japan and all of the new friends I have made there. The other teachers and I enjoyed a trip that was a trip of a lifetime, taken care of with extreme detail and care by the Fulbright office staff and Japanese people. I am very excited about sharing my experiences in Japan with all of you. I am looking forward to my return to Ballentine Elementary on Monday and my first presentation at the upcoming South Carolina Art Educator's Fall conference in Greenville, SC next weekend. I will write again with photos on Monday, but until then I will say goodbye for now and rest up a little. Thanks to all of you who have followed my travels through this blog. It has been great getting messages throughout my time in Japan!
Until next time...

Back in Tokyo!

Group photo at Aso-chi Ryokan after our traditional Japanese meal.

One of the views from our hotel, overlooking the Japanese garden in Aso.

My host family was so gracious and welcomed me to Uki with open arms. Here is a picture after receiving BES as a special gift from our school. She will give BES a great home in Japan!

I have been off line for a few days since we were traveling back from my home stay and then on to Aso, a mountainous volcanic area that is absolutely beautiful! Our ryokan (pro-nounced yo-kan) was located in the middle of the area, actually in a part of an old volcanic opening from a long time ago that is nestled beneath the mountains. It was surrounded by beautiful water, gardens and quiet hills. This would be our last evening before traveling back to Tokyo, so we had an authenic, traditional Japanese stay, including our dinner, eating a large Japanese style meal while wearing our kimonos and sitting on the floor and room, sleeping on tatami mats on the floor. It was something I will remember always. I will send more information later on, but for now will be off line until my return to the U.S. I am working on our group presentation now and will be presenting that on Wednesday morning. I will try to write again before leaving Tokyo, but not sure if I will have time, so check back often for more updates later.

This has been a trip of a lifetime that has forever changed me in such positive ways. Learning more about another culture is overwhelming, but an experience I will share with you through photos, presentations and just conversation. I look forward to seeing all of you back home very soon!

Love ya bunches...

Visit to Shihnui Junior High School

This photo is of their faculty along with administration and our teachers. The beautiful mural we are standing in front of was a commissioned mural by a local artist carved into stone and then painted. It is made in panels and then hung together to create the final mural.

Students were waiting for us before lunch to do an origami lesson. Yippee!

There were lots of posters around the school created by students to welcome us!

Our visit to the junior high school was awesome! We were greeted by smiling faces, both from administrators and students. They were all so eager to talk with us and we were excited about spending the day there. The junior high system is set up for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders who are called "first", "second" and "third" grade. It was the first day we were given the opportunity to eat with the children in their classroom setting. Did you know that students in Japan actually have a designated time each day to "clean" their school. They do it themselves and they do it every day for approx. 15 minutes. Sweeping, raking the school grounds, dusting, cleaning the floors...all of these jobs done by students every day.

On the day of our arrival, all of the students were participating in a school wide program to prepare for their annual "cultural festival" which is a competition in choral music, speech/diction, drama/theatrical performance, mandolin and chimes and taiko drumming. None of the students had classes during the morning in order to give them time for rehearsals, so we met with administrators during the beginning of our day and then walked the school with the principal for a tour. It is a new facility, just opening in March, but the school has been around for over 100 years. They have already begun a new gym and are building a new pool. The Mayor of Uki City has designated education to be his number one goal and told us in our meeting that there is "no holes barred" on the amount of money they will spend for the education of their children. It is evident that a lot of time, effort and funding has gone into the renovations of the school.

At lunchtime we met with the first graders for an origami lesson and singing. After that we were split into groups and were hosted in classrooms for lunch. Students help prepare all of their meals and take turns serving the food every day. Students in Japan do not use a "lunch room" system, but instead eat in their classrooms. I was assigned lunch with a third grade class (9th) and found that not knowing the language was really tough. But the students and I were patient with each other and found ways to figure out our questions. They had a sheet of suggested questions for the teachers which helped a lot.

During the afternoon we watched the rehearsals in the gym. This was really nice because we had a sneak peek at what would be going on during their festival on Sunday. At the end of the day we met with administrators and teachers for a question/answer time and finished our day with a group shot. It has been a tremendous learning time for all of us and the students were simply beautiful, very respectful students. I miss them already!

OK, here is your question of the day...How tall is Mt. Fuji? Until next time...

Visit to Mtasubase Senior High School

Senior High School is not mandatory in Japan. It is the students choice to attend, but 97% of Japanese students choose to continue their education in a Senior High School setting. Senior High School consists of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, but they are called "1st, 2nd and 3rd graders", very different from our schools. BES the Bear and I enjoyed our visit!

Students participate in "club" activities. This flower arranging club meets after school. They are learning how to arrange in Japanese asymmetric style with unity and simple design.

Our visit to the art class was exciting. Students had each read a book and were painting to demonstrate their feelings about what they had read.

Calligraphy is a big part of the language arts programs of Japan. We could tell the difficulty level had increased a LOT from the lesson we had observed at the elementary school. The boards the teacher is using were re-usable. He is using water which looks like ink on the board. In brushstroke writing, it is important to use the correct direction when writing and the correct end to your stroke. Students observe the teacher and then practice on their own at their desk.

There are four main "tracks" in the Senior High School education system. Business, Sports, Data Processing and Home Economics. Here a student is in a cooking class. Both boys and girls are learning how to prepare meals including selecting the proper foods, how to cook the food and cleanup. They were all doing a great job and after finishing, they get to eat it!

The visit to Matsubase (mat -so-bas-e) Senior High School was wonderful. We were greeted by the Japanese and American flags flying high in front of their school as we drove up. All of the staff and administration were busy getting ready for us. We started with meetings with the administration of the school. Their school band played the National Anthem and their own National Anthem prior to meeting and then they played a traditional Japanese song for us. They played beautifully. They also prepared a great video for us on the curriculum and club activities of their school which we all received a copy of. I will share that when I return.

The day was filled with classroom observations, students sharing and more meetings. We met with their student council where we answered questions they had about American teens and schools. Most of their questions were about the same issues and concerns that American kids would have. We also enjoyed a special arts presentation by some of the students in puppetry and plate spinning which the principal participated in. The Japanese Tea Ceremony was most special for us as we learned the traditional art of this and the history of it.

Our day ended with a meeting with administration and several of their teachers for a question and answer session from both parties. Students created beautiful little goody bags for us that contained special candies and origami.

My observation of this school was a mutual respect from both teachers and students while providing them a LOT of opportunities for hands on learning. Their "club" activities are another way to continue learning about their history and culture.

OK, here is your question of the day: What do all students at every school have to do before they walk into the building every day? Until next time...

Visit to Tounah Elementary School in Uki

I got a taste of what it is like to be in an international school today as we visited an elementary school in Uki, Kumamoto. We were there early enough to watch the children arrive. No buses, only walkers, so you can imagine how busy the cross walks were. Something I found interesting was an outdoor clock on the wall and the fact that they LOVED BES the bear! It was obvious that they were having a great time and even looked for ward to their school day.

We started by loading the bus and traveling into Uki City. We arrived early so that we could greet the children as they arrived. We had a meeting with the administration first thing and that is when I gave my speech on behalf of the Japanese Memorial Fulbright scholarship participants. We also had a great administrator there at the school who totally believed in a sound arts education. We had "free reign" of the school and the classes during the day. I made a lot of new friends that will last a lifetime!

As I reflect on my day at the elementary school I realize that there are so many miles between us, but our issues are many the same...we all want a sound education for our students and we want to instill in them a love of learning. No small task, but certainly possible. I met amazing teachers and students today and I look forward to continuing a great relationship with them, one that crosses all boundaries of diversity!!!!

The Beautiful City of Uki

Just when I think it can't get any better it does! Today was overwhelming for me both spiritually and artistically! After stopping by a local bakery to pick up our lunches for the day, we started our day at Misumi West Port, a beautiful area in Uki beside the ocean surrounded by mountains. The weather was just perfect and as we stepped off our bus we could feel the sun on our face. It was about 80 degrees today with a slight breeze ever so often. We left the port for a visit in a neighboring area where we participated in a ceremony at a temple. As I stood there video taping the ceremony by the temple priest, I stopped to think about all of the people who had stood there before me, feeling spiritually blessed by what they were experiencing. The architecture of the temple was beautiful and very intricate. The time there was brief, but long enough that I felt a sense of comfort by what we had all participated in. After leaving there we traveled to another small area in Uki where we visited a Buddhist shrine. Although the priest did not perform a special ceremony for us, he did speak to us about the religion of Buddhism and discussed the different aspects of the shrine. Once we left, we had our lunch on the bus as we drove into Uki City for an afternoon of pottery and a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Kenturo, a local potter and his father have a beautiful studio where they display many of their pieces, both in porcelain and stoneware. We all created tea bowls and I even had time to make my own sake cup. The time there was a great close to my day. As we drove back to the hotel I took in all of the sights of the local landscape which is filled with beautiful cosmos flowers, fields of rice that is being harvested and wide, open blue skies! Oka, our tour guide took us all into town this evening for dinner at her favorite noodle house. We rode the cable car into the city and also visited the local supermarket.

Tomorrow is a big day, our first visit to an elementary school. I will be giving the official speech to administrators and teachers on behalf of our group during our afternoon meeting. We will be spending the whole day at the school, starting very early with waiting for the students to arrive in the morning. I am so excited!

Until next time...

Another Amazing Day in Japan!

On Monday, our group visited Kumamoto University and were hosted by their education department. Much of our morning was spent touring the campus and meeting with several of their professors, administrators and students from the education department. The head of the department made arrangements for many of the senior art students to meet with the art teachers which was a wonderful opportunity to ask questions about their art education program there. We also had a performance of traditional Japanese music by two of their faculty members and had a brushstroke/calligraphy lesson. All of us learned how to write our name in Japanese calligraphy. We also learned symbols in Conji that represented our names.

After lunch we spent our afternoon in Uki City, Kumamoto. This city is relatively new, formed in 2005 by consolidating 5 smaller towns. The Mayor is amazing and very ambitious, looking toward the future for their city and setting goals that include a "no ceiling/no holes barred" philosphy on education and education programs including the arts, promoting a green/healthy environment for all of the citizens of Uki City and better health care, implementing the first of its kind MRI/ health screenings free of charge to citizens 60 and older. We met with the Mayor and many of the city government officials first, then moved on to meet with their Superintindent and Board of Education. Our final meeting for the afternoon was with parents from various schools in Uki. I can say that when we left City Hall we all felt it was time well spent. Both the Japanese and US parties had opportunities for questions. What did I discover? That no matter the country or the little town, many of us have the same issues and we all want what is best for our children. It is as simple as that!

We concluded our evening with a dinner in our honor hosted by the Mayor at the White Palace in Uki. Most of the foods were traditional Japanese foods, including horsemeat. Uki is an agricultural area and one of their biggest is Napong oranges, a special variety they developed. They have begun to market Napong wine and ship it all over Kumamoto.

The best part of the evening for me was the performance by a local drumming group. Their performance was amazing including choreographed movements, loud beautiful sounds and very powerful sound! It was incredible!

Tomorrow I will be visiting an elementary school. I am soooo excited! I am the designated teacher to give a speech to their administrators and teachers during our visit. We will also have time to go to recess with them. It is going to be another fantastic day in Japan!

OK, here is your question of the day...what is the primary religion in Japan? Until next time...

Our day was incredible and a learning experience for all of us. It is obvious we have made permanent friends with the people of Uki City that will last long after our visit to Japan has ended.