Sapporo

We packed our bags today for our home stays later, and headed off to the Red Brick Building of the Hokkaido Government. We learned a lot about the history of the island of Hokkaido, which has a relatively brief history, compared to the rest of Japan.



Continuing with the history of this area, we traveled by bus for about one hour to the Ainu History Museum. The Ainu were the first inhabitants of Hokkaido. We had a boxed lunch and a lecture from a local expert.



As we traveled through the city of Sapporo, we passed the park where they have the annual Sapporo Ice Sculpture Festival. We learn about this festival in our 3rd grade classes at Cobbles!



Off with our home stay families!

Location:Sapporo, Japan

Sapporo Odori High School

Our visit to Sapporo Odori High School today was very special. The students were so welcoming and loved speaking English with us. Their curriculum includes some different electives than our American students a offered:
Tea ceremony...




And judo...




We also visited Hokkaido University, where William Smith Clark made the famous saying, "Boys be ambitious!" I loved the number of bikes in the bike rack! And this is just looking to the left! You should see the bikes to my right!




We ended the day with a Genghis Khan dinner, Mongolian style. It was lamb and veggies, soooo delicious! You place the raw meat and veggies over the grill in the middle to cook your own dinner.




We go to our home stays tomorrow evening for the weekend, so I will probably not be online until Sunday night at the earliest. I am so looking forward to my home stay!

Location:Sapporo, Japan

Off on the Shinkansen to Hokkaido!

We were up early on the 4th of July to catch our train to Sapporo - on the northern island of Hokkaido. The bullet train goes under the Tsugaru Straits from the main island of Honshu to Hokkaido. The tunnel lasted for about 30 minutes. We will be here until July 10, with our home stay this coming weekend!




Our lunch was a bento box on the train!

Location:Sapporo, Japan

Meiji Shrine

Today we went tithe beautiful Meiji Shrine. It is set in the city of Tokyo, but Is such a large green space within the city. It was beautiful and peaceful.








I brought my shrine book along with me and was able to get the official stamp and writing added. There were many people participating in the service inside.
For lunch, a small group of us went to a Vietnamese restaurant for pho and cafe sua da (delicious iced coffee Vietnamese style). Stacia, it was called Restaurant Saigon! It was not the same as I had in Vietnam, but it was delicious!
Then we were treated to a private koto concert. The koto is a traditional Japanese instrument. The musician was extremely talented.

Location:Tokyo, Japan

Food!

The food is always a work of art. It is beautiful! And, delicious!
In Asakusa...









In Kawagoe...





I can't stop taking pictures of the food! It is so pretty! And, the cappuccino is as good as New Zealand's flat whites (a favorite of mine)!

Location:Japan

Yasukuni Shrine, Ginza, and bath house

We started our day at the Yasukuni Shrine for fallen Japanese soldiers. There is a lot of controversy about this shrine and museum. Only Japanese soldiers who are Japanese are recognized. Soldiers of other nationalities, such as Chinese and Koreans, who were forced into war for the Japanese emperor are left out. Also, many Japanese soldiers who have been tried as war criminals are enshrined there. So, while many go to this shrine to pray for their family members who have died in battle, many others do not support the shrine or museum.



Then we traveled to the Nihonbashi bridge, the historic entrance to Edo. From there we walked to Ginza for sight seeing and shopping. Ah... Ginza!



Two of us hopped on the subway and went to Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants baseball team...



And, we finished our day at the bath house, relaxing in the outdoor public baths.

Location:Tokyo, Japan

Kawagoe with Megumi!

Today was our free day in Tokyo. I was able to spend it with Megumi, my tour guide from my last visit to Japan! It was the best day!

Megumi picked me up at my hotel and we were off to Kawagoe, northwest to the city. It is a historical city relatively untouched by the war and still has so much history to share.

We went to a beautiful temple...



and visited 538 Buddhas! Each one is different, with different faces and expressions...



We enjoyed a traditional lunch...



I loved my time with Meg!

Location:Kawagoe, Japan