Wrapping it all up

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - Ghandi

The Japanese Govt. has spent over $20,000 to afford me the experience of a life time. This investment is grounded in the hope that with understanding comes peace and a better relationship between our countries. We all know that relationships are tough in the best of circumstances, but to work on relationships with other countries knowing nothing about the heart of their people is useless.
My job as an educator and as a participant in this experience is to provide the bridge between our cultures, our schools, and our people. I am honored to have been chosen to do this for the country of Japan, and I will carry this country and its people with me always. After all, where else in the world do cars stop in the middle of streets and let walkers through by simple eye contact, or when people hear that you're a teacher, they bow in front of you, people on the streets and subways are willing to use their english at any time to help you when you are completely and totally lost, which happened pretty much daily. They don't only show random acts of kindness here, it's constant.
I look forward to talking to my school, students, and community about my trip. Meanwhile, I will be keeping this blog - although I won't post every day, come back and check - I'll be posting pictures and details of my follow -on plan that must be submitted by the end of April - complete. Lots of work to do - but it will be fun, too.

Sayonara!

Today was our last day in Tokyo. We each gave presentations on our experiences in our host cities this morning. This afternoon a Steve, Elizabeth, and I went to the Tokyo Tower and the Morri Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Morri Tower. The Morri was great - I enjoyed the exhibit by contemporary artist Annette Messager. The Morri Tower has a sky deck on it, and I was able to get a few photos of the awesome view. This evening was our 'Sayonara Reception' where we said our final goodbyes to the officials who sponsored our trip. Afterwards we went out for Karaoke and then we went back to work on packing for our big trip home tomorrow.

Japan's Philosophy on Education...

I've been working hard on getting all of this information down before I forget it! I'm finally getting 'caught up' from being gone last week. I'm looking forward to returning to the states, and in another way, I'm a little sad to be leaving. I've really gotten to know a lot of teachers, and we've become friends. Something about throwing complete strangers together for 3 weeks that helps you go the extra mile and work together. I've really enjoyed getting to know teachers from all over the US, learning about their schools and lives, and just spending time together. Shoot, we haven't done anything but that for 3 weeks - no cooking, no teaching, a lot of discussing. We're already planning a little reunion of our Unzen group in Philly this summer.

I've found it interesting observing the similarities and differences in our cultures. I think it's interesting that Japan considers it's education system broke - sound familiar? That when it measures itself, it measures itself against the United States, rather than other countries.
As a teacher we are constantly hearing how the US education program is broke, and it is comforting in a way that other countries feel the same way about their education systesms, but are still comparing themselves to us.
The Japanese govt pays their teachers better than any developed nation in the world. The avg teacher makes between 60-100,000. They believe that the power of a society is the education that you receive. 100 years ago a family's fortune would be paid just so one person in their family could get a good education. This would not only bring pride to this person, but to the entire family. In Japan's culture, there is a focus on the well-being of society as a whole. People make decisions based on what would be best for their family or community. The philosophy would remind me of 'the nail that sticks up gets beat down..'. In American Education/culture, we teach more of an indivuality - we are trying to make each student the best they can be - we aren't thinking of the welfare of our community as a whole, although that would be our ultimate goal, it isn't what we base our decisions on - hence self is more important than group.

I was amazed at their great discipline without needing to do anything to get the kids to cooperate and work together. They described an aspect of their culture - that in Japan people are driven by the shame they would feel (and inflict on their families) if they didn't learn, or they didn't do their best, or if they didn't get a good education. This moral code is guiding the students to do what's right - without needing much discipline. Whereas in the states, people may feel residual guilt for not doing what they should be doing, or for not completing a course of study, yet the guilt isn't always enough to keep them from acting on their impulses, because they feel it only effects them not their family, school, or community.

Return to Tokyo

Monday, October 27 - At the Haneda Nagasaki Airport we found a Starbucks! How do you say nonfat cafe latte in Japanese? ( you point and say "tall"). It is a two hour plane ride from Nagasaki to Tokyo. We got a short peek at Mt. Fuji on our flight in to Tokyo. We arrived 'home' in Tokyo and felt as if we were back in the states. Many westerners, signs in english, kind of like walking around Manhattan. Our first order of business (after dropping off our luggage was shopping in the Harajhuku district. (they even have a 'Gap'). We went to a thrift store called "Chicago" and bought Kimono's. Mine was only $42.00 (used). I plan on wearing it to make my presentations at my schools. At the thrift store we were amused to find Levi's for $70, old flannel shirts for $25, everything we'd already 'Goodwill-ed' - you know, "the 70's called, they want your clothes back..." Those scratchy wool blankets you can buy for $4.00 in Mexico were going for $50.00. If only I'd known... We also went to a toy store. I was especially impressed that they had an entire floor devoted to Joe Cool himself, Snoopy. Lots of Hello Kitty and Anime/Manga characters, too. We then went to Oriental Bazaar, which was disappointing - too commercial, not enough character. It was pouring down raining so instead of winding our way back to the subway, we took a taxi to Hard Rock and bought hamburgers and t-shirts. I'm embarrassed to say we paid $18 just for a hamburger (beef is very expensive because it is all imported), but we were so hungry for American food, we probably would've paid more. It was like stepping in to the states with an english menu and old 80's mtv videos streaming on the tv's. Our group has to give a presentation on Wednesday, so we worked into the evening preparing. We're staying really busy.

Farewell to Unzen, Nagasaki

Our group was treated to an overnight stay at the Kyushu Hotel - a hot springs japanese style ryokan. The sulphur water is believed to have healing effects and is a popular tourist spot for the japanese. We had already checked this place out on Tuesday and had spied a cool little pottery place on main street - we were devastated when it was closed. The hotel actually called the owners and they opened just for us - (we made it worth their while). The owner had her own pottery wheel right in the back of the room, and she gave us a 20 % discount and pepsi, to boot! She was so happy to have such good customers, and I was so happy to find something that was authentic - not made in China.

We were treated to a beautiful dinner - very fancy, 5 courses, and the food was really presented beautifully. Unfortuneately it was raw squid and other unidentifiables, but it was really pretty. I'll post a picture. We were served by girls in kimonos, the food was cooked with little candles right on our little tables on the floor, and we wore our Jakkata, or bath robe. When you give a toast in Japan, you say "Kam - Pai" - it's like 'cheers'. After the meal we sang Karaoke - which is huge here in Japan. There are karaoke places everywhere. You can pay 2,000 yen ($20) and rent a room with a karaoke machine with yuor friends. We had a contest - like American Idol minus Simon Cowell. I sang ' material girl' by Madonna (inspired by my earlier shopping spree). It was pathetic. There weren't many songs to choose from in english though, so you'll need to let me off the hook.

At a Ryokan (pronounced YOKAN) - ther are communal baths in the hot springs. The maids lay out your beds at 8:00 pm (futons) on tattammi mats - (made of rice straw). You do not wear shoes, and walk around in bath robes called "jakkatta". It would remind me a little of an American Spa. We had a good time.

The next morning we stopped by the Unzen Dept. of Ed to say good bye. The whole staff waved American and Japanese flags as our bus pulled away. It was very nice. We were getting used to feeling a little bit celebrity, as we made the tv news every night, and the paper twice. There had never been a group of Americans stay in their town in this manner.

Now it's back to reality - on to Tokyo.

Homestay

Saturday, October 25, 2008
On Saturday morning I met my host family – Mikiko Matsuyama, a music teacher, and her husband Nadio Matsuyama, a technical (woodshop) teacher. They picked me up at the hotel – I was surprised to see that they drove a Chrysler, and they made sure to point out their American car. They were very nice – they didn’t speak a lot of English, and I know about 10 phrases in Japanese, so we used a lot of sign language. When we got to their house, I gave them a book on Missouri that I had bought for them, and they got the world atlas out and looked up exactly where I’m from. I showed them pictures of where I live and they couldn’t believe the space and the cows. In Japan, land is sold by Tatami mat – about 2 square meters for $2,000 each. It is very expensive, so most houses are right next to each other, and they build on a 2nd story. Nadio and Mikiko’s house was brand new, only 3 monthes old, plus, they had a small yard. It was very nice. When you walk in, you immediately take off your shoes. There is little furniture – no couches or chairs, only a low table on the floor and rugs. Everyone sits on the floor . The kitchen dining area is more similar to ours in America. After struggling through an hour of charades, Mikiko invited her colleague at school, Richard, to come over and interpret for us. I thought we were doing fine, but anyway, he was very nice, and ended up staying all day and evening until 8:00. This allowed us to talk much more freely . Richard is a JET from Iowa.
Saturday morning we went to their daughter, Tomoka’s preschool for a performance. The 5 year olds were in a drum corp. They did a great job! I couldn’t believe they were only 5 as they were able to keep time, and even march while drumming out a rhythm. We then checked out the preschool. I wish I had video footage of it to show you. After that, they treated me to a lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. We sat on the floor around a table - noodles again – but this time we were supposed to break a raw quail egg over the noodles – then add some kind of sauce. I did it because I didn’t want to seem rude – and ate it, brave, huh?
We picked up their daughters and went to the grocery store to prepare for dinner, as Mikiko’s brother and sister in law and their two daughters were coming over for the evening. They made sushi for dinner – the raw salmon and tuna was actually very good. We rolled our own sushi in seaweed. It was better than the sushi that I’ve had in the states. We spent most of the afternoon/evening talking with the help of Richard. Everyone was very kind, continually apologizing when they didn’t know an English word. Mikiko’s brother and family spent the night as well.
Then I slept on a futon in my own room. In the morning Mikiko had me make the Miso soup for breakfast. We also had fish, eggs, sunny side up, rice, and salad. At the end of every meal they serve fruit, usually cantelope, asian pears, or grapes (large ones that you don’t eat the peels).

After breakfast we went to Mikiko's school. Their brass band was practicing, so we went in to observe, and I talked to the students for a brief few minutes. Most of the kids understand a little english. The arts are considered 'clubs' and practice on school off hours - after school, or on weekends. Also, there were only girls in their brass band. As children get older, the boys are encouraged to take what they consider 'serious studies' - math and science - so only girls were in the art classes, choirs, and bands. I think that's really sad. They played a piece called 'sing, sing, sing' it is a big band era song - American, I believe. I recognized it, and they were doing really well.

We then went for a long car ride to a japanese garden where the wild cosmos were growing - it was very beautiful, but very cold and started to rain, so we went back home. They prepared 'japanese pizza' for lunch. It is kind of like a pancake with cabbage, shrimp, pork, etc in the batter. They fry it like a pancake, then afterwards they put dried fish powder on top, then a sauce that is a little similar to barbque sauce and mayonaisse on top, no cheese. It was unusual, and I'd have to say I prefer st. louis style.... but the food they prepared was much better than any I'd had in Japan.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking - and at 4:00 they drove me backt to city hall where we met my group. Mikiko and Nadio gave me a set of chop sticks and little ceramic chopstick holders. Mikiko cried, we exchanged e-mails, and they promised they would brush up on their english and come over to Missouri to see me. I hope they do.

I was surprised over all by how similar their family life style is to mine. They are very liberal with their children, I don't know if that was because they had a guest (my kids know they can nearly get away with murder when we have company)... The girls were very sweet, though. Hamura was so shy that she wouldn't let me hold her the entire weekend, Tomoka and I started getting acquainted on Sunday.

Obama High School

Friday, October 24, 2008
We didn’t have to be at the high school until 9:00 a.m., so I was able to take a long walk along the coast line this morning. The beach isn’t a swimming beach, although it is certainly warm enough here, the water is very cold, and it has a rocky coast line.
We visited Obama High School in Unzen City, Nagasaki. It is only a 5 minute drive from the hotel. Again we were introduced to the teachers, then we were asked to observe classrooms. We met a J.E.T. teacher from Los Angeles. JET stands for Japanese English Teacher Exchange program. The program, funded by the Japanese govt. allows American teachers to teach English in Japanese schools. They get free housing and are salaried. The program is for 2 years. She had only been in Japan since July, so she had an interpretor in the classroom with her as she worked on teaching English. I inquired whether the states has a reverse program, as I think it would be very beneficial for our students to learn Japanese – particularly if they are interested in a degree in international business. But no, we don’t have a reverse program.
I observed an English class, World history class, and a music class. Then we went out and played soccer and volleyball with the kids. The morning was long because we didn’t understand the lessons. I also observed a web design class - they were teaching html. I was surprised that they were teaching html when there are so many programs for web design that do the html for you, dreamweaver, frontpage, publisher, etc.
During lunch we met with the student council. I had lunch with two young boys who were seniors. They spoke very limited English, and my Japanese is limited to about ten phrases, so we used a lot of sign language and charades. I figured out that their favorite movies are Harry Potter. Favorite actor – Johnny Depp – although that’s also my favorite, so maybe they were just being agreeable! This school is more for students who didn’t do as well on their entrance exams, and probably won’t be advancing to University. About 70% of the students will seek employment after graduation, the other 30% will go on to college or technical trade schools.
After lunch the principal and vice principal talked with us for several hours. Of the three schools, they were very forthright explaining the positives and shortfalls of their school. Most of the other schools would not say anything negative, as to only shine a positive light on their school district. We learned that Japan also has some trouble with bullying at the high school level, and that there are some problems with parents - the principal called them ‘monster parents’ defending their child even when he/she needs to be disciplined. It was a very enjoyable session – he had a great sense of humor.
At 3:00 it was time for clubs – my students would be interested to know that in Japan, you have to specialize – all of the clubs meet every day after school – and that includes sports and the arts. So if you are in soccer, you can’t be in boxing, or band, or choir. They all meet at the same time. It was fun to go around and see what all the kids were doing from 3-5 pm, the end of the school day. We watched boxing, which was great – they have a boxing studio there. Then Judo, kendo, and track practice. The baseball and soccer teams were practicing on the field. Inside the school, we participated in a tea ceremony. The ceremony is a Japanese tradition, and many girls are taught this ancient custom so that they might be hired at a traditional Japanese inn, called a Ryoken. They also have a tourism division, where students learn to make beds, serve tea and drinks, and act as a hotel cashier. Their vocational program is doing well.
Our horticulture team would have loved all of the ‘ikebana’ (flower arrangements) that the students prepared for our visit. I have lots of pictures that I will share with you. They were beautiful.
I’ve been wanting to buy some souvenirs from my host city, but I haven’t found anything other than dried fish. It’s everywhere. Tomorrow I will be going to stay with my host family. I’m a little nervous about meeting them and whether they will speak any English, or whether we will be doing charades all weekend. They have a 5 and 2 year old girls, and I brought them some polly pockets, so I’m planning on that being my secret weapon. If nothing else, I can play. I know that they are both teachers. One teaches music, (so I’m hoping they have a piano, as I play and that will be another connection….) the other teaches industrial arts.