Final day of study tour

Today was our final day in Japan. We spent the morning at the National Museum of Japanese History. It was such a good conclusion and wrap up for our study tour. Then we went to the airport. I am headed for Ho Ci Minh City, Vietnam, while the rest of the group is going back to the states. This has been an incredible opportunity for all of the teachers on this trip. We learned so much and shared a lot with each other too.

Location:Narita,Japan

Okinawan traditional dance performance

The traditional dance performances were beautiful. Each dance told a story, with haunting music.

Location:Okinawa, Japan

Okinawan dinner

Tonight we went out for traditional Okinawan food and dance performance. OK, who thought I might try pigs ears? Yikes! That has never been on my "want to eat" list!


Yes, I tried it. Not my favorite. The whitish strips are the pigs ears and they are CRUNCHY! Here is our entire menu for the various courses. Please read carefully.


I did sort of like the pigs feet.

Location:Okinawa, Japan

The girl with the white flag

I read a great book this spring, The Girl With The White Flag. It recounts a little 7 year old girl's experiences wandering the battle area of Okinawa alone in 1945. She started out with her older sister, but became separated. When she eventually came out of hiding, a photographer for Life magazine took her picture. She was walking down a path toward the US troops, carrying a white flag of surrender. I came across her statue at Okinawa World.


I have a copy of the book at home, if anyone would like to borrow it. I highly recommend reading it for grades 5 to adult.

Location:Okinawa, Japan

Himeyuri Peace Museum, Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, and Okinawa World

"Of all the war memorials, this one affects me the most, perhaps because it gives a personal dimension to the tragedy of war." - Frommer's Japan. The author goes on to explain that it gives the story of 240 girls and teachers who in March 1945 were assigned to serve as nurse assistants in an army hospital buried inside a series of caves. As the US forces approached, the girls were thrown out of the caves to fend for themselves. 226 of them perished. Here is the entrance to their cave hospital...


We visited the Peace Memorial, where they recognize all who died in the Battle of Okinawa, regardless is nationality. Americans, British, Australians, Japanese, etc.


We spent most of our afternoon at Okinawa World, learning about traditional crafts, dances, and food. I tried my hand at bin gata, a style of painting...


Then Sally and I were dressed in traditional Okinawan clothes...


We ended our day eating shabu shabu (a favorite of mine!) in a tree house! Yes, a tree house!

Location:Okinawa, Japan

Beautiful beaches in Okinawa!

The beaches on this island are spectacular! The blue is so blue! I visited one on Sunday night to watch the sunset.

Location:Okinawa, Japan

Funny signs

I didn't understand this sign until my Japanese friend, Naoko, explained it to me! It was at the top of a stairway as we were going to a lower level in the mausoleum. Naoko says it means "Please hold on to the handrail while you are trying to get off."

I saw an ad on a street car for ice cream that promotes ice cream as healthy and safety for you! :) I love it!

Location:Shuri Castle Mausoleum, Okinawa

Okinawa, American bases and influence on their culture

Okinawa is so tropical and beautiful.

I wish I could see it the way it was before WWII. After the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the American presence here is so evident. It saddens me, learning about their recent history and the presence of the American military.

American food choices influence their foods... taco rice?



Our American bases take up SO much of their land. We have changed the natural beauty of their land. :(

Location:Okinawa

Okinawa

Here in Okinawa, there are shi-sa on the houses to protect the inhabitants from evil spirits and keep the good spirits happy.



Look on the green overhang. I love them!

Location:Shi-sa

Shuri Castle

Today we went to Shuri Castle, the long time historical capitol of Ryukyu Islands and of Okinawa. It was destroyed during WWII and restored in 1992.


We were able to tour the castle and grounds and also see a traditional Okinawan dance.

We went to the Prefectural Museum today too. These kids were being photographed with their Taiko drums. I love the sound of these large drums!

Location:Okinawa

Japanese wedding starts at the Shinto shrine

Many Japanese participate in more than one religion. They often go to Shinto shrines for baptisms, weddings, and funerals, and it is acceptable for one to pray in other religions too. We have seen Christian churches; some of the teachers in my group went to a Catholic church service while we were in Tokyo.

We have seen families bringing their babies to the shrines for baptisms, and today we saw a family wedding.








I understand that they will move on to celebrate the wedding, with the bride probably changing clothes a couple more times. We saw beautiful traditional white bridal dresses and lovely blue ones too! For the party celebration, she may dress in her white bridal dress, then maybe a beautiful blue one, and then more pretty clothes!

Location:Miyajima, Japan

Miyajima Shrine

The famous torii gates in the sea...


We arrived at high tide and the shrine was surrounded by water...


The shrines and temples are so peaceful to wander through and pray...


While at the Miyajima Shrine, we encountered a wedding. It was beautiful. Due to the heat and humidity, the bride was being fanned the whole time, right up to this picture.

Location:Miyajima, Japan

Hiroshima Castle

A few of us went to see the Hiroshima Castle that was reconstructed in 1958. It was a very ancient castle destroyed in 1945.




We toured the inside and then climbed to the top of the tower. It has a very large moat surrounding it.

Location:Hiroshima, Japan

Japanese students learning English

Some students from Hiroshima Elementary School stopped us in the Peace Memorial Park to practice their English skills. They spoke very well! They asked me what my favorite Japanese food is and where I have traveled. Then they gave me a origami rabbit!

Location:Hiroshima, Japan

Peace Memorial Park

Today has been a very emotional day with lots of reflecting and thinking. We started our day at the Peace Memorial Park and the A-Bomb Dome. It is a very quiet and serene place on the river.



We met with a gentleman who lived through the atomic bombing of Hiroshima as a 16 year old. He is a retired teacher and was the best presenter.



His speech was extremely moving as he described the day of the bombing and the succeeding days.

We moved on to the area of the park where we hung our 1000 origami cranes. Do you see the one you made? There are now 100 paper cranes in Hiroshima from our Cobbles kids!

Location:Hiroshima, Japan

Arriving in Hiroshima, Japan

Today we left Kyoto by Shinkansen (bullet train) for Hiroshima. We will be here until Saturday, when we will fly south to Okinawa. Tomorrow we will meet an atomic bomb survivor and tour the Peace Museum.

The Cobbles incredible art teacher, Susan Vadakin, worked with our fourth graders to create beeeaaautiful water color paintings of trees. Then she bound some paintings into a book for me to give to the A-bomb survivor tomorrow. I also have 100 origami paper cranes to hang at the Peace Museum, cranes folded by Cobbles students. The teachers in my group and I will have 1000 paper cranes all together, to hang there. Thanks again to Mrs. Vadakin, and Mrs. Ercole, for helping me get 100 origami cranes from our students.

Hiroshima...


Restaurant for dinner, on the second floor...

Location:Hiroshima, Japan

End of float parade

The parade started at 9:00 AM and the festival lasted all day. At the end of the afternoon we saw them dismantling the floats and marching back to the Yasaka Shrine...





Most of the participants were dressed as above, but some were in sumo pants.

Location:Kyoto

Kiyumizo Temple

After the parade of floats, we went to two temples. I was especially excited to go to the Kiyumizo Temple, as it is the setting of one of the Japanese kamishibai folk tales I read with our third graders.






As we walked back to our house, we passed some geisha...

Location:Kyoto, Japan

Gion Matsuri (Kyoto's biggest annual festival)

Gion Matsuri is the biggest festival in Kyoto every July. The preparations for it have been going on all month, but really got rolling this week! Today was the biggest day of all for the festival, with the parade of floats rolling through the city. This festival has been occurring since the year 869, and the floats can weigh up to 12 tons. The floats are pulled through the streets by people!






The little boy on top, with the painted white face, was specially selected to rode on the lead float. He has not been able to set his feet on the ground for the past 4 days!

Location:Kyoto, Japan

Temples

The Buddhist temples are so beautiful...

Location:Nara, Japan