Day 8

With crusty eyes and long, sleepy faces, we dragged ourselves out of bed only to plop ourselves in front of a buffet of food. Although not what we’re usually used to eating, our feast of vegetable soup, eggs, “bacon”, fruit, boiled potatoes and cauliflower beckoned to be consumed. After our meal, we hopped onto the bus en route to a 5 story tall action figure, also known as a giant Gundam. Although it was just a pit stop where we could take a picture, it was a sight nonetheless to see a giant action figure.

Following that, we made our way to the Miraikan Museum of engineering and science where we could roam freely to learn about various topics including the universe, our DNA, genomes, health, and robotic advances. Most importantly, the latest advancements in robotics was shown to us through Asimo, Japan’s latest and greatest robot. In just a brief ten minutes, we were shown how far technology has progressed. Asimo walked, talked, and won over all of our hearts with her amazing dance moves. The most disappointing feature Asimo lacked was doing “the robot” when she was grooving out to the music. How ironic. Regardless, we were all impressed with the speed, flexibility, balance, and smooth moves shown. A small child was even placed in front of the robot to play soccer. Her kicks went smoothly with uncanny accuracy. This only further amazed us and made us believe that Japan’s innovative technologic progress has no ceiling.

Walking and watching helped to build up an appetite, which could only be eased with our delicious sukiyaki lunch. Sukiyaki is a traditional Japanese dish that became popular after the Edo period due to the growth of trade in beef. Sukiyaki is thin slices of beef and various vegetables cooked in a sweet and salty sauce. The consumer can then choose to dip their meat into raw egg, which makes brings out the flavor of the meat while making it tender as a baby’s bottom. It may not have been Kobe beef, but it’s the closest we’ve had yet. The main difference from the sukiyaki we eat in the states and what we had for lunch was the freshness. Most places prepare the dish for you, and serve it all as one finished product. However, we had the privilege of preparing our own food to ensure maximum freshness.

With bulging bellies, we made our way to a special exhibit featuring various arts around Japan. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a cute baby toddler who had mixed feelings about us. Initially, she approached us with the courage of a lion, only to flee away with the shyness of a stray cat. We just had to take a picture with her. Insert picture here. Once inside, We (or for me anyways) weren’t expecting much. However, this turned out to be one of the most interesting parts of the trip. All we did was sit in front of a projector, watching short films (4-5 minutes each) of various arts around Japan. With high definition, professional filming, we were transported into the life of different workers showing off their trade. We were introduced to blacksmiths, cooks, tool makers, basket weavers, box assemblers, and fish preservers. Although it sounds rather dull, it was definitely a “you had to be there” kind of thing. It was something that thoroughly described the passion and pride these Japanese civilians take in their work.

Harajuku. A wonder of Tokyo that inspires even Gwen Stefani-san to make her own line of bags. Once arriving, it was clear that this place was definitely a place to “shop till you drop”. Hundreds of thousands of civilians swarm to search for the kawaii-est items at the not-so-cheap prices. A couple of us went out to find a Japanese specialty: a ball shaped wheat flower batter pan fried with octopus inside also known takoyaki. Although rather rich with the mayonnaise topping, it was simply delicious. Our eyes also feasted on the act cooking portion which the chefs due with uncanny speed and accuracy. Definitely a sight to see. with our bellies once again filled with something new, we had the fuel to walk, or rather, dodge the many citizens as we weaved to and fro to search for our exotic Japanese goods. Purchases included jam, clothing, lightsaber chopsticks, k-pop calendars, beanies, and fancy button down shirts. Although happy with our purchases, our wallets definitely took a hit due to the steep prices.

After dropping off our goods at the hotel, we walked to our dinner location with steak awaiting us. Although definitely not as tender as the meat during lunch, we feasted on a hamburger patty, steak, corn, bean sprouts, and rice. Although unnecessary, the chunk of butter melting atop the steak definitely provided a rich, juicy mouthful of beefy delicious-ness. Gochisosamadeshita!

With our bellies once again filled with delicious foods, we decided to walk it off by visiting a local department store. Tokyu hands was probably the biggest stationary store any of us have seen, boasting 7 floors of anything and everything you can ask for in an arts and crafts store. Although a great find for many of us, our wallets were definitely feeling a little slimmer by the end of the night.

To end the night, we ended up at the top floor of city hall, where we could take in the city lights at night. Although the San Francisco skyline is amazing, Tokyo’s night show is a close rival with pretty city lights as far as the eye can see. By the end of the night, we were all tired and weary. Moans and groans could be heard throughout Japan as we learned we would be waking up at 5:45 am the following day. It is now 12:10. We also have to pack and get ready to leave since it’s our last night in Tokyo. With probably less than five hours of sleep, I sincerely hope my host student will be patient with the half-awake shadow of myself individual I’ll be dragging around tomorrow. Straight from Japan, Sayonara!

Day 7

Amy Hung, Amy Luong, Kelly Zhen, and Malgosia Sikorski reporting in for the days event. This is our first day back in Tokyo after spending three nights and 4 days in Ibaraki. At 7 AM, everyone received a wake up call from the hotel. Since buffet style breakfast started at 7:30 AM, we were left with only 30 minutes to get dressed and pretty up ourselves for this exciting day. It was quite disappointing to have woken up to gray sky, but it still turned out to be a really warm day. Japans weather is quite amazing if I may say. After breakfast, we got on the bus and started heading to a Shinto/Buddhist Temple. Since the bus ride was over 40 minutes long, some slept while others had a fun time playing cards and other games. As we arrived at the temple gate, the size of the shrine had us in awe. After making our wish at the shrine and getting our written fortune, we headed in the directions of the mini shops. Amy Huang drew a Excellent Fortune stick by the way. She was very delighted. As we walked through the crowded street where the mini shops are located, we discovered many fascinating items.

 After an hour of shopping, we met up with the other schools for lunch. It was a buffet style restaurant with BBQ!!!! YUMMY! But since we were somewhat behind schedule, we didn’t have much time to enjoy the food to the fullest. As we waited for the bus to pick us up to go to our next location, students from Moss Point High School joined in on our game of “Hanky Panky.” The next location was to Tachikawa Bousai-Kan (Life Safety Learning Center) where we were able to experience the dramatic shake of a magnitude of 7 and the fire escape through their Earthquake and fire stimulation. We learned about what we should do in life threatening situations of earthquakes and fire. Though we’ve done Earthquake drills at school many times, this stimulation actually let us experience the shake which led to a deeper understanding of the pain the local people had experienced last year. And for the fire stimulation we were able to learn that we must stay as low as possible for avoid breathing in the dangerous chemicals. Though the instructor specifically said the smoke in the stimulation was not dangerous at all compared to the real thing, it still got our hearts racing. Though we were scared, we had an amazing time. The Edo Tokyo Museum was next on the schedule. We had to take the escalator all the way to the 6^th floor where we started the tour. The first thing we saw as we went in the door was a Edo period bridge. As everyone rushed to take his or her own pictures, sensei stopped us for a group picture on the bridge. As we finished, some went their own ways as some stayed with sensei as he explained to us the significance of the artifacts. At the beginning of the museum, it depicted the Edo period’s life style and with each step we took, we were taken to a more modern and advanced period in Tokyo. Seeing the advancement from Edo to the present Tokyo was an unforgettable event. Not to forget the photographic memories we now have to share with all of you! After a long and enlightening day, we joined Abraham Lincoln and Moss Point High School for a delicious, traditional dinner with tempura.

Right as we left the restaurant, the slight drizzle quickly transitioned to pouring rain. However, no need to fright, convenient stores were around every corner! As we battled through rain, we finally found ourselves at the Tokyo Train Station. All of us were quite surprised at how similar their transportation system was to ours. The train got crowded very quickly. We got off at the last stop and arrived at Shibuya. This is where we began out shopping session, or at least tried. It was very big and different from our American malls. Shibuya has streets with shops next to each other along the long streets, so it was easy to get lost. Before leaving for our shopping, sensei told us about walking back down the hill to get back to our meeting spot, so we didn’t worry too much. Some shops had the cutest things, but were very expensive! Some of us wandered around looking for things we liked, but ended up buying nothing, while others decided to save up. By this time, the rain had subsided and at 10:00 p.m., we met at our meeting spot and took the train back to our hotel. We were even at the world’s biggest train station in Tokyo! After that, we went back to our rooms and that is the wrap up of our exciting day! By the way, Malgosia, Amy L., Amy H., and Kelly would like to say that we are having a great time and that we miss you Family and Friends!!

Day 6

Konichiwa everyone. I hope parents and friends aren’t worrying too much about us. We’re doing great, but the week has pasted by so quickly. We’ve returned back to Tokyo, but we all miss staying at Ibaraki, Tohoku. The experience from the past three days was eye-opening, inspirational, and amazing. We’ve gained so much knowledge relating to the tsunami and earthquake. The traditional inn, ryokan was also a new experience for most of us. The manager and the staff  were very nice and polite. They always greeted us with heartwarming smiles and bows. We were all very fortunate to have stayed at such a wonderful place. On Thursday we went to the beach to clean up garbage. The beach clean up was so great even though it was windy and hot, it was nice knowing that we were making a difference and helping out the Japanese people. When cleaning up the beach, a boy about the same age as us came to help. After a while, we realized that he wasn’t one of us. He was just a normal Japanese boy who decided to lend us a hand. Like the staff and manager at the hotel, he was very caring.

After heading back to Tokyo, we ate lunch at a conference room in Tokyo, where later on we met U.S ambassador to Japan, Mr. Roos. He was very generous to take time out of his day to answer our questions about the disaster, his job, and anything else we wanted to know. He was the one who contacted president Obama about the disasters in Japan. He was inspirational and funny. He also grew up in San Francisco and attended Lowell high school. We were all disappointed because Lowell is our biggest rivalry. Mr. Roos decided to take a picture with us and said that he would put it on his twitter account.

After Mr. Roos talked with us, we were told that we were going to make a small presentation about our overall thoughts of the experience we had in Tohoku and what the most important thing was. We said that bonding was the most important thing we learned throughout this experience. Bonding and friendship can raise the hopes of others and aid those who are in need the most. Even though we are so far apart we are always connected and close. At the beginning of this trip, most of us didn’t know each other, but gradually we all became friends. We all made a bond, a connection with each other. We also made bonds with the staff, locals, victims of the tsunami and earthquake, and with the other students in the Kizuna Project from other schools.

Later on we discussed the Dos and Don’ts in a host family, host school, and in public. We also created small skits about the Dos and Don’ts. Once the meeting was done, we went to a restaurant named Kirara and ate dinner. Lastly we were supposed to go to Shibuya, but it started to rain and we ended up postponing it until tomorrow. The trip to Shibuya was not part of the Kizuna project schedule, but Morikawa Sensei and Mrs. Saunders wanted to reward us for our hard work these past few days in Tohoku. Going to Shibuya is a nice reward, but getting to know, connect, and bond with the Japanese people from Tohoku was a reward in itself. Until next time, this was Shirry Tan and Moira Vinnett. 

Day 5

Hi parents and friends, this is David Zhong reporting in for July 5^th. Everyone woke up half asleep this morning, but the day started kicking in right away. We also noticed that the breakfast was gradually becoming more eastern style. First thing in the morning we left our ryokan (Japanese style inn) in Kitaibaraki to go to a senior citizen nursery home in Hitachi. We got a quick tour of the nursery home before spending quality time with the senior citizens. Some of us had the chance to learn Japanese flower arrangements with the seniors and the rest of us would be in a separate area helping other seniors decorate their tree and hang our wishes. Later, our group gathered together and made a brief presentation about San Francisco to the senior citizens. After the presentation, everyone got in the groove and was ready to perform our “Walking on Sunshine” dance to entertain the senior citizens. Our performance turned out much better than I had expected. At the end of the performance, each of us went around the room and gave high fives to all the senior citizens. Watching the smiles on their faces during our performance was truly heart warming. We left the nursery home with a sense of glee when the senior citizens and the staff came out to wave goodbye to us. 

The next thing on the menu was to grab something delicious for lunch to satisfy our stomachs. We had arrived at the Hitachi Civic Center and were served sandwiches, bagels, fruits, and juice. After lunch, we had a small amount of free time for us to go shopping. This was the first time we had shopping time, so everyone reached into their bags and pulled out their souvenirs list immediately. The next destination in the afternoon was to head out to the beach. All three high schools, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Moss Point, worked in sync to help clean up the beach. Each of us received a small plastic bag and a pair of construction worker gloves and we all went to work. It’s surprisingly humid on the beach and the sand that went into our shoes and socks didn’t make it any better. After clearing a lot of the trash, we decided to stockpile the large wood pieces. There were some insanely large items such as a barrel, a table, and a huge tree trunk. The tree trunk was probably one of the hardest to move. We had at least 20 guys working together just to drag the trunk to the pile. We even received help from local middle school boys that were at the beach just to have a fun time. This just shows you how much Japanese people care about their environment, helping others, and benefiting the community.

Everyone was extremely tired after the clean up, so we headed to an Italian restaurant for an early dinner. The restaurant served amazing Italian cuisine and also had a stock of the weirdest flavors of soft drinks. We were all expecting to return back to the ryokan after the wonderful meal, but it turns out we had something planned for the evening too. We arrived at a Hitachi elementary school and viewed a dance performance from a local dance group. It was a traditional Japanese dance, but was very empowering. Things turned out really fun when we received clackers and go to participate in the dances with them. Even though I couldn’t keep up with their movement and my dancing looks like jelly, it was probably the most entertaining activity of the day.

Some of the students even got to change into costumes. Lincoln High School’s Japanese Club performed their Japanese dance and it was pretty amazing. Many guys tried the test of strength by attempting to wave around a humongous flag, but only a few succeeded.

Finally, we are on the bus about to return to the ryokan. It has been a long and exhausting day. I am writing this blog under the dim lights in the bus and everyone is taking a quick nap before we arrive. This is our last day at Kitaibaraki and life at the ryokan wasn’t so bad. We will be returning to Tokyo tomorrow morning. David Zhong reporting out.  

Day 4

Hello everybody in The States! I hope all is well back home, because things are definitely going perfectly here in Kitaibaraki, in the Ibaraki Prefecture in northern Japan. As of now, we have spent three full days in Japan, and two days in Ibaraki. However, we are still left in as much shock and awe, blissfully lost in translation, as we were when we had first arrived. This country is truly a breathtakingly beautiful place; where nature and industry collide, the traditional and the contemporary fit perfectly side by side. Here in Kitaibaraki, we are currently staying at Toshimaya Ryoukan, or traditional Japanese inn and enjoying its many customs, such as bathing in an onsen, or wearing yukata. While some of these traditions take some getting used to, they are all enjoyable and an opportunity to experience Japan more intimately.

For those who don’t know, the Ibaraki Prefecture is one of the regions that have been impacted the most by last year’s 3.11 Great Earthquake and Tsunami. Both the land and its people have been shaken up quite badly, but are still making an impressive effort to recover. However, there are still traces of the disaster that remain. It is painfully clear that the great quake and tsunami has left its mark on Ibaraki, especially upon seeing Otsu Port, and getting a first hand look at how the disaster has altered the region. Often times, we must remind ourselves to be sensitive toward their struggles and their pain.

Today, our group met with Ibaraki’s Fire Chief who discussed with us the extent of the damage dealt by the great quake, as well as measure being taken to recover from the disaster, as well as prevent a future event. He reminds us that people must carry a switch within their hearts that sparks the will to survive. Safety measures only come so far, but when it comes down to it, it’s self-preservation that determines who will still be here to see the next day.

Lastly, we were able to visit the Izura Institute of Arts and Culture to learn from, connect with students and representatives of Ibaraki University. Together, we examined Ibaraki’s cultural assets, such as various works of art and architecture, and how many have been either damaged or destroyed by the disaster. Efforts are currently being made to restore these assets back into their original state.

Overall, our stay in Japan has been surreal, adopting an almost dream-like quality to it. I feel as I have been thrust into a different universe with it’s own rules and manners, and we are just beginning to scratch the surface. There is still so much left here to explore and enjoy. There are eleven days left, and I will be here, enjoying every minute of it. This is Jaison Cabebe, over and out. Stay classy, San Francisco.

Day 3

Noelle He

HI BRIAN. IM WRITING TO YOU TODAY! I HOPE YOU SEE THIS! Today we all had a wake up call at 6AM. We had a delicious buffet style breakfast at 7AM and left our first hotel, Keio Plaza Hotel, around 830AM. The breakfast included mushy but delicious scrambled/boiled eggs, cream of mushroom soup, sausages, ham, variety of bread, yogurt, fruits and vegetables, salad, and cereal. Before we left the hotel, we walked around the convenient store that was located on the bottom floor. I spent my first 105 yen on a water bottle, but there ended up to be free water bottles given to us by the JICE. We were introduced to JICE today, the generous company who coordinated our trip to Tohoku, in which we will be staying at for 3 nights and 4 days. We attended orientation around 9AM with two other high schools, Abraham Lincoln High School and Moss Point High School, where we were learned about the structure of this Kizuna Project trip and the disastrous earthquake on March 11^, 2011. 

We were informed about the damages done to the areas that the earthquake and tsunami had affected. I was shocked at how much damage both the earthquake and tsunami had impacted the lives of innocent people. Millions of dollars worth of damages were made and even to this day, there are things that still have not yet to fully recover. Orientation also taught us about how to deal with future natural disasters. After the two hours orientation, we all headed to a restaurant in Aqua City family mall. There were many Americanized stores like H&M, Forever 21, and Old Navy. There was also a store with the cutest puppies EVER! They were all so tiny and had their fur trimmed perfectly! We walked into the restaurant and had to take off our shoes! It was the first time we had all been forced to take off our shoes and walk into a restaurant with socks only. Seeing cushions on the floor, I thought we had to sit down criss-cross applesauce, but there was actually a sunken in floor under the table where we were able to dangle our feet!!!!! It was so cool. I was in awe with this intelligent invention; it had deceived me. We served mixed brown and white rice, along with miso soup. Unlimited appetizers were also given to us where we served ourselves. The main dish was a type of fish that I don’t remember the name of, but it was delicious. White radish with soy sauce came along with the fish where we were to eat it together. All I can say is that, it was a very yummy fish. 

And the rice was so tasty. After eating, we went to the bathroom and got ready to go on a three hour ride to Tohoku. After two hours, we made a pit stop at a tourist convenient store. There were so many random new drinks my friends and I were staring at. After about a 20 minute break, we continued onto our journey towards Tohoku. After another hour, we arrived at a ryokan, a Japanese style hotel(with a tatami and futon) where we dropped off our baggage and had a presentation. The manager talked about how the earthquake and tsunami had affected his hotel, and his personal life. Afterwards we chilled for half an hour before dinner was served. I’m tired now, its 11:12PM and I can’t think anymore! To sum it up, I went to the onsen tonight with friends and it was sooooo refreshing. The end. It was a fun official first day here(: Time to wake up at 630AM tomorrow!  

Day 1 & 2

Konnichiwa! (hello!)

 

We arrived in Japan!  After 17 hours of long flights (SFO – MPS – Tokyo), finally we landed in Tokyo.  Our first day of the trip was a series of transportations, so needless to say, students looked exhausted, but they are excited about being in Japan.

After landing at the Narita airport, we were treated like VIP guests.  Two people from the travel agency were waiting for us with the sign of Washington HS.  Then we took our own limousine bus to Shinjuku, where our hotel is located.  They took us to a "izakaya" restaurant and had our first meal together.

We will take a turn to update this blog to share what’s happening with us.  Hope you will enjoy reading it.

If you have any question, please email me at morikawasensei@gmail.com.  I will email you back as soon as possible.  If you need to reach us immediately, please call me at 415-824-3367.

You can find more emergency contact information in the handout that we distributed to you.

Here is the itinerary for the rest of our Kizuna project trip:

July 3 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel) 

• AM: Orientation and Lecture: Tohoku Earthquake and Restoration Plans
• PM:  Leave Tokyo and go to Kita Ibaraki (link: http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seikan/kokuko/en/travel/index.htm)

July 4 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel)

• AM: Presentations by the head of the Kita Ibaraki city fire department presents: aftermath of the earthquake and recent restoration process.  Visit the Ootsukou port and meet members of the Ootsuku fishing industry: 

• PM: School visit – meet local university students and discuss their efforts for restoring damaged shrines and temples.

July 5 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel)

• AM: volunteer activity (1) – visit a local kindergarten / a senior citizen nursing home.

• PM: volunteer activity (2) – Hitachi city coastal clean up

July 6 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Students will go back to Tokyo in the morning and attend a debriefing session in the afternoon.

July 7 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Tokyo sightseeing (1) – visit NHK studio park, Harajuku, Meiji shrine, etc.

July 8 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Tokyo sightseeing (2) – visit Imperial Palace, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Odaiba, etc

July 9 (home stay)

Students will visit our host school in Tochigi: Hakuho High School (link).  They will stay at their host family’s home.

July 10 (home stay)

Students will attend classes at the host school and give presentations to Japanese students.  They will stay at their host family’s home.

July 11 (Hotel Keihan Kyoto)

Leave Tochigi and take a bullet train to Kyoto in the morning.  Students will visit Nanzenji temple, Kiyomizu temple, etc.

July 12 (Hotel Keihan Kyoto)

Visit more historical sites in Kyoto such as Heian Shrine, Ginkakuji temple, etc.

July 13 (Ramada Osaka)

The last day before going back to San Francisco.  Students will visit Kobe and meet local people who experienced the Hanshin earthquake in 1989.

July 14

Take a domestic flight from Osaka to Haneda, Tokyo.  Then, go to the Narita airport: Delta airlines #208.  We are expected to arrive in San Francisco at 9:35 AM on Saturday.

dewa, oyasuminasai (good night)

T. Morikawa