Tonight's Dinner

Tonight we were planning on eating at one of the restaurants that we had tried earlier this week. On our way out of the hotel we ran into the superintendent, so we invited him to dinner with us. While walking down the street a woman that works at city hall, who was on her way home, knew the superintendent and was talking to her. When we got to the restaurant it was full, so we had to find something else. We ended up inviting the woman to come with us, even though the superintendent decided to go home. She wanted to practice her English and said she would love to join us, and we were so glad she did. She helped us order traditional Okinawa and Miyakojima foods and drinks. We filled our table with many, many delicious plates and bowls and we filled the air with much laughter. They have saying in Okinawa that translates into something like: even though we meet only now, let it be special-and forever we will be like brothers. I think that this was especially true for us tonight.

It should be added that this was our last dinner on the island as a group, since we are spending the next day and night with our host familes.

The picture is of Chris goofing around at the end of the meal, he said I could post this picture!

Green Day

During after school activity time at Miyakojima High School today, I happened to come across a room above the art room (which is used for calligraphy class during the day) where a group of boys were practicing with their band. Upon entering they stopped playing, but with some encouragement they continued and played a Green Day song. They were rockin’! This was another example of a commonality that exists cross culturally, the power of a well-played guitar.

Dancing with the Seniors

The average life expectancy for an Okinawa woman is 87 years, and today we learned one of the reasons for their long life span.

While at Miyakojima High School today, many senior citizen women from the area came to teach us a traditional Miyakojima dance. They were all dressed beautifully and, when we danced, they could dance gracefully and demonstrate high levels of athletic ability by jumping and stomping. We danced until all of the American teachers were sweating and laughing together with the women. We performed the dance from beginning to end twice. It was then that we learned that the average age of the performers was 84 and a few of them were in their 90’s. It was amazing!

Miyakojima High School

Today was our last school visit, we went to Miyakojima High School, and it was an amazing day! It started with, yet another, welcome ceremony.

Then we visited classes. It was amazing to see how much English was learned between grade 9 and grade 10! It was interesting how many students in the 12th grade class would talk throughout the teachers’ lectures, but I am getting used to this as a cultural difference.

For lunch, we were treated to box lunches from a local restaurant (much better than the school lunches that we ate on our previous school visits). Although we ate in the library, about 40 students joined us. I had a chance to sit and eat with a fellow JFMFer, Christian, and three 11th grade students from the school. They had a lot of questions about American life and we shared information back and forth.

After that, we had the chance to dance with some of the senior citizens from the island (which was incredible).

Then, we had a meeting with the teachers to talk about the differences and similarities between our two educational systems and cultures.

We concluded the day with a reception with the staff of the school. There was more incredible food and more incredible dancing. A few of the teachers danced a traditional dance to a Miyakojima specific instrument called a, actually, I can’t remember what it is called-but it looks like a three stringed ukulele. After they were finished dancing they taught us how to do part of the dance. Then, we decided to teach them a traditional American dance….. the Chicken Dance! It was so funny, we were all laughing like crazy. I offered to lead the instruction of the dance to the group. We did not have the music so we all hummed the tune. When we were done the principal told me that I am a very good teacher. What a blast!

Miyakojima City Taira Junior High School

I forgot that I never posted about our experience at Miyakojima City Taira Junior High School!

They had the most amazing welcome ceremony for us. This included large flower arches that were held by students for us to walk through, which was done with the entire student body clapping in unison while the band played a song they learned especially for us.

After that, some students performed a traditional Okinawa dance, other performed a modern dance to some local music, two girls told the story of the Bamboo Princess (in English), and the principal gave us a lovely welcome speech. Once again, we felt like celebrities.

The students at Taira Jr. High School wear uniforms, but they are not very strict about enforcing the uniform policy and students are allowed to wear any socks they want (which were used to express individuality).

We were also welcomed to visit any class that we wanted and freely take photos. It was surprising to me that several students were talking and sleeping during class and the teachers never told them to stop. During a discussion with teachers at the end of the afternoon we asked them about this. I am beginning to understand that the cultural expectations are different here than what I am used to in the United States. I am used to teachers saying direct commands such as “please stop talking,” “sit down,” or “you need to do your homework.” These types of direct instructions are not as much a part of Japanese culture. Even as adults, our leader is consistently saying things like “maybe they will close at 6pm,” “maybe you will be back on the bus in 10 minutes,” or “I think that you might not want to do that.” Additionally, the teachers do not believe that it is their responsibility to teach manners or ethics, that is the role of the family. Therefore, if the parents have not done a good job the teachers have to deal with the consequences, but they still are not expected to step in. It is also important to understand the emphasis is on the collective instead of the individual, and the feeling is that other students should be responsible for communicating to their classmates that certain behaviors are unacceptable.

It is amazing how many of my stereotypes have been shattered through this experience. I cannot express how wonderful this trip has been and how appreciative of the Japanese Government for affording me this opportunity.

Weaving

On Thanksgiving Day we toured many areas on the island. This included a short stop at the Reiko Shinzato Textile Studio, where they still weave the traditional cloth of Miyakojima. The thread for this cloth takes 6 months to produce a spool. We were allowed to try on a robe made of this material, only to find out that it costs 1,000,000 yen to purchase from the weaving and 3,000,000 yen to purchase from a store. This means that I got to wear a robe that would cost as much as $30,000!

Underground Dams

During our tour of the island on Thanksgiving, we went to the Miyakojima Underground Dam Museum.

Miyakojima is an island with no above ground rivers. This is due to the fact that the first layer of rock under the surface layer is limestone and coral, which are extremely porous. The water immediately goes underground; however it is stopped once it reaches a hard mud layer under the rock. There are large dips and valleys in the mud layer and some water is stored in these underground lakes, but much of the water washed out to the sea through the underground rivers.

Although we have experienced high levels of humidity and rain on a daily basis, Miyakojima often experiences drought during the summer months (followed by the typhoons in late summer). This is potentially devastating to the agriculture of the island, as well as the people that need water for survival. The island also likes to maintain a high level of self-sufficiency.

Therefore, they have created underground dams. These are large structures that block the exit of the water from the underground lakes, preventing the water from returning to the sea. They can then establish water pipelines to access this water as needed.

Miyakojima Burials

Miyakojima is known for having a history of ancestor worship. It might be due to this that history of burials on Miyakojima is very interesting. Until the 1960’s the original system of burial preparation was used. Bodies were carried by loved ones in the community to the burial location, which are large above ground tombs that are used by a family. Apparently a potential groom was interested in the size of the bride’s family’s tomb. After about 7 to 8 years the body was taken out, the bones cleaned, and then placed into a large ceramic container.

At this point in time, people are usually cremated.

Meeting my host family!

Today I got to meet my host family!

The families were invited to meet us for lunch at a fancy Miyako hotel. It was, by the way, the best meal ever….our very own Thanksgiving feast. My host father was there to meet me, and although he did not speak very much English (actually he knew the following: mom, dad, Grand Canyon, yes, and soup) we had a wonderful meal. There was lots of smiling, a great deal of nodding, some pointing, and a little bit of drawing.

He is an office worker, but also the president of the Miyako High School PTA. He has a 17 year old daughter and a wife, both of which I met later in the day (following a meeting we had with the Miyako PTA at City Hall). I showed him pictures of my family, some trips I have been on, and he lifted up his hand in the air to indicate that Eric was very tall.

This was a nice way to introduce us to our host families, because it was for a shorter time and there was less pressure. It was also nice because we got to plant the seed to them about the things that we would like to do on our day with them. For me, I had the interpreter let him know how lovely I thought the beaches here are and how I would not mind seeing them again: wink, wink.

Later this afternoon, after our meeting with the Miyako PTA, the mother and daughter arrived to meet the father and I-and we all met and took pictures! I am excited to spend the day with them Saturday to Sunday.

Miyakojima Houses

While at the Miyakojima museum we learned a little about the history of the island. The housing was of great interest to me. We discovered that, until the 1950’s, the most common type of house on Miyakojima was made of naturally grown fiber-like stalk material, similar to hemp. I asked the translator to ask the museum worker why they have changed completely over to the concrete structures that exist everywhere on the island today. I only understood one word of what he said, because it was in Japanese. However, the one word that I heard was enough to completely answer the question; it was “Typhoon.”

Additionally, after a little more thinking I realized that, with the incredibly moist environment that exists here (you always feel damp), it must be a bit frustrating to have your house mold away on you.

Today is Thanksgiving...on a Subtropical Island :)

Today is Thanksgiving.

Although I miss celebrating this day of thanks with family and friends (I love you mom, dad, Leah, Eric, Grandma and Grandpa Specht, Grandma O, and everybody else)—I have to admit that I was pretty darn thankful to be here on this beautiful subtropical island today.

Thanksgiving is also a holiday in Japan, although they do not celebrate the Indians and pilgrims or anything like that, it is more that a work day off. Anyway, because of that we did not have a school visit today. Although I have very, very much enjoyed my time at the schools, it was exciting to have the day to spent touring Miyakojima.

They hired a tour bus to take us all over the island and, although they did not originally have time a beach stop planned, the consistent questioning about the beach encouraged a 10 minute stop at the longest white sand beach in Japan. I should remind you that when they say 10 minutes they mean 10 minutes, the fact that we extended this stop to almost 15 minutes was frustrating to our leaders….but it sure felt darn good to stand in that water. However, we also went to an overlook where you could see the South China Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. I am not sure that the color blue/green that I saw today exists anywhere else in the world. It was amazing.

The weather also held out for us today as well, it was a beautifully sunny day and the temperature was in the low 80’s. It was impressive because it did not rain for the first time until a few minutes ago, at about 10pm. In this climate you ALWAYS need to have your sunglasses and your umbrella with you, when it rains it pours and when it is sunny it is glaring. I have used both almost everyday.

Our day was full of tours and visits to different places-I will discuss more of them individually in different blog entries. Overall, I have to say that being in a subtropical environment on Thanksgiving was something new to me and I have to admit that I did not miss the snow.

World War II

Today I learned a little about what Miyakojima went through during World War II.

Okinawa is a few hundred kilometers from Miyakojima, which is a well known location for ground battle between the U.S. and Japanese troops. Because of the close proximity to Okinawa, the Japanese military sent troops to Miyakojima in case they needed back up at any of the nearby islands.

The pre-war population of Miyakojima was about 35,000 people, and the population of the island doubled during the war due to the large number of Japanese soldiers that were stationed on the island. This caused a huge shortage of food and water, which was only intensified when U.S ships blocked the soldiers on Miyakojima from leaving for other island.

In addition, the island of Miyakojima was bombed by the U.S. troops. This destroyed a great number of the buildings on the island, the botanical gardens, and many of the farming institutions that existed on this island at the time. The majority of buildings here were created following the war and the gardens have been rebuilt.

The people on Miyakojima, like those we met in Tokyo, concentrate on the present and future instead of the past. There is a large degree of concentration on peace education in Japan and the idea of peace was written into the constitution of the country that was established following World War II.

Also, the people of Japan always flash a peace sign whenever their picture is being taken.

Clean Up At Elementary School

There are no custodians at the Elementary School that we went to today, because all of the students help clean on a daily basis.

There are students that have to clean in the morning, and they were at the school sweeping when be first arrived. The biggest part of the cleaning day happened directly after lunch. All of the desks are cleared out of the rooms and the floors are cleaned, then students all take brushes and rags and clean the rest of the room. The bathrooms are also cleaned very well by students, as well as the hallways, offices, windows, and every other part of the school! This process took about half an hour after lunch and before they are allowed to participate in recess activities.

This was very impressive to me.

Japanese Classes

Today we had the opportunity to attend and observe the elementary school classes. I was very surprised by what I saw.

Overall, the students had a great deal more freedom than students in American schools. They were allowed generous time in between classes to run around, usually unsupervised. At times there would be large groups of students together with no adult around. However, it was interesting to see that when students are used to that type of Independence they did not take advantage of it and nothing bad happened.

Class sizes were quite large, usually at least 30 students. We were told that if the number reaches 40 in a class they split it in half and form another class with an additional teacher. We were joking that a teacher with 29 1st graders prays nightly for one more to move to the island!

During classes the students often demonstrated less attention than one would expect, sometimes getting up or talking during the lesson. This was especially true with the older students.

During the day students typically have 5 classes, with a two hour break for lunch and recess. At lunch time, a few students are sent to the kitchen to get the days lunch and serving dishes. These are then brought to the classroom. The meal is then served to each person before anybody is allowed to eat. There is a high level of concentration on equality, making sure that each student receives the same amount of food (although there is more than enough to go around).

Overall, it was very enjoyable to see the classes and it helped break a lot of stereotypes that I had about the Japanese education system. For example, there were no computers in any of the classrooms that I visited and the library only had one computer. There was a small computer lab, but it was closed every time I tried to visit. I believe that it was important for me to see the classes in efforts of better understanding Japan.

Celebrity Status for One Day

Today I got to be a celebrity, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it! We were told right away that we are the first group of American teachers to come to Miyako Island.

First thing this morning we walked to Miyakojima City Kita Elementary School to spend the day observing the students. Instead of the normal 1st period class they had an assembly for us. There was incredible dancing (was a James Bond theme and kid wearing fake sideburns) and singing. We were also required to introduce ourselves in Japanese, something that I have become accustomed to (Watashiwa Ohio no Dana Specht des).

During school observations the students were eager to learn as much about us as possible. Countless of times I would be sitting and a young student would come up and almost touch my eye, looking into my greenish eyes with curiosity. They were also exciting to have us join in their classes, including phy ed. I was even recruited to play kickball-and they were impressed to see a girl who could kick it so far (granted, I was playing with 3rd graders, but I hit it mighty far in comparison).

I was brought my lunch specially on a tray and shared pictures of my family with them, they were very excited about that as well.

Also, I cannot even express the number of autographs that I gave today. Seriously, autographs. One of the other teachers said it perfectly, "Now I know how Katie and Tom feel."

Okinawa Airport

Well, right now I am sitting in the Okinawa airport-where I have been for several hours.

It is almost 6pm right now and our flight was supposed to leave at 3:15 and arrive in Miyakojima at 4:05, but that did not happen. Instead, we boarded the plane, began to taxi, and then slowed down. There was a malfunction. We had to turn around and head back to the airport building, then off the plane, on a bus and back inside.

We were then told that we would be taking a different flight later in the evening (6:30) and given meal passes for dinner. There is also free Internet (which is why I can write you).

The only bad thing? We were supposed to meet the mayor and head of school in the city at 4:30 tonight, which we are now doing tomorrow, and we are all dressed up accordingly. Overall, though, I am glad that we did not take off in a faulty airplane! Besides, next stop is the beach!

Naha, Okinawa

Today I left Tokyo for Naha, Okinawa by plane. Okinawa is located closer to China, Taiwan, and the Korean peninsula than it is to the main Japanese island. In part due to that and in part due to the historical importance of the Okinawa islands to the Pacific theater during World War II, more than 2/3 of the American military forces that protect Japan are located on the main Okinawa island.

It was a two and a half hour flight from Tokyo, which we took on a 474. However, the seats were much closer together than I remember in the past and there were no fans. So, by the time we landed I was a little warm. On the plane there was a large screen in the front of our section of seats. At take off and landing a camera should us live video of the ground, which was exciting to watch. At one point during the flight the screen had several women demonstrating stretches that could be done in your seat. It was very funny when I looked behind me and everybody was all stretching together!

Upon entering the Naha airport, we discovered that there were large numbers of orchids growing in pots everywhere! They are an amazing purple color. (Later tonight there was one on my fish platter.) From the airport the bus took us directly to Shuri Castle. We spent a few hours touring the castle, both the original components and the parts of the castle that have been rebuilt since its destruction during WWII. The castle was amazing!

It was pretty late at that point, so after checking into our rooms we dropped off our luggage and went out to find some food. We found ourselves on the Kokusai-dori, the main drag of Okinawa and a place that is made of a large number of international restaurants and stores. We found a great traditional Japanese restaurant to fill ourselves up and spent some time after dinner walking down the streets and people watching before retiring to the hotel. I also ate some pineapple ice cream (with real chunks of pineapple in it).

We will remain in Naha for the night. Early tomorrow morning we will pile into the bus to go to Ryukyu University to meet with both professors and education students, to learn about the educational training that exists in this part of Japan. After that, we will board the plane for Miaykojima. We were informed today that there is no internet access in the hotel in Miayko Island…. I promise that I will be in touch as soon as I can!

(I keep saying “we,” I am with a group of 20 teachers from all around the country and we will all travel to the same city together.)

Leaving for Island

Early tomorrow morning I am leaving for the island. I am not sure what type of internet access I will have, but I know that I will not have it in my room. I promise that I will be in touch as much as I can.

Kamakura

Today was our “off” day. During the JFMF program participants are giving one day to spend as they wish, starting at about 5pm yesterday and going until this evening. Some people in our group went off to Kyoto or Hiroshima, which would be incredible experiences. However, they had several hour train rides each direction and the trips cost a few hundred dollars. The money would not be a huge deal if you got to see everything in the city, but with the limited time we had available I decided to go with a different option.

Therefore, after talking to a lot of Tokyo locals, I decided that to take a day trip to Kamakura and then spend the afternoon in Tokyo.

Kamakura, located about an hour (by train) from Tokyo, was a beautiful location. It is the location of an 11.4 meter tall bronze Buddha dating back to 1252. Basically, the Buddha was enormous. I could not help but to stand there thinking about how they possibly created in the thirteenth century without the use of modern equipment or computer imaging, because it looks amazing. In addition, the stature originally sat inside of a building, which was washed away by a tsunami in 1495-but the Buddha remained, in part due to its massive weight of almost 850 tons. For only 20 yen (less than 20 cents) you could pay to go inside the statue, which was kind of neat to do.

While in Kamakura we (my friends and fellow JFMF’ers Susan and Carrie) also visited the Hase-dera temple. The gardens at the temple were amazing, as well as the large number of statues. At first I thought that the many, many little statues were fun because they were everywhere. I also thought it was a little silly because some of them were dressed up in children’s clothing. However, after a little more reading and talking to people I came to know that the statues represent Jizo, who is the saint of travelers and lost children. Women who have lost their own children through miscarriage or other means come to dress the statues to keep the souls of the children warm.

We also saw the Kannon statue, which was a 9 meter tall wooden statue of the goddess of mercy and compassion. This statue was located within the temple building, which was very beautiful.

Overall, going to Kamakura was incredibly rewarding and relaxing at the same time. It allowed me to see a part of Japan that cannot be discovered by remaining in Tokyo and it has made me much more excited about my host city visit this week.

Hachiko

Today I saw the statue of Hachiko outside of the Shibuya Station in Tokyo.

In the 1920’s there was a professor that lived near the station and everyday his dog, Hachiko, would meet him at the train station after work. The man died in 1925, but for the next 11 years the dog faithfully went to the train station to meet him. Then Hachiko died as well. The story is one of loyalty and love, and there is a statue of the dog that has been built near the place that he used to wait for his owner.

The area that the Shibuya Station is located in is now very, very “hip.” On average the I have found the people of Tokyo very fashionable, but the Shibuya area took this to a whole new level. I am being totally honest when I say that the mass majority of the people looked like they had just walked off the pages of a magazine. I felt as if I had misread the invitation to a black tie event and accidentally showed up wearing blue jeans and sneakers.

NOT Lost in Translation

Some of our speakers did not speak English and most of the teachers from the United States do not speak Japanese. Therefore, we have been provided with translating equipment that is placed over the top of your ear. Then, you set the device for either the English channel or the Japanese channel. After that point, whenever somebody is speaking the “other” language an interpreter translates and you can hear it in the earpiece. It made me feel like a member of the United Nations.

Roads and Subways

Many of the road here are triple or double “deckers,” meaning that there are multiple layers of roads on top of each other. It is very interesting to see and experience-and I cannot imagine what the traffic would be like on the roads without taking advantage of space in that way.

In fact, the subway system also works on multiple layers. You are able to go deeper underground to get to different trains.

Managing space in this way is effective when trying to move large numbers of people everyday, all day.

I have included some examples of pictures from the roads and from the subway stations nearest our hotel in Tokyo.

Hiroshima

Today I had a life changing experience.

I had the opportunity to attend a Peace Education seminar. There were three different presenters at the seminar, all of which were incredible. However, a gentleman named Mr. Koji Ikeda that I will remember as long as I live.

Mr. Ikeda is currently 90 years old. However, he was a young man when the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. He was only about 1 mile from the hypocenter of the bomb. When the bomb was dropped he was holding his 20 day-old son in his arms. His wife, who was on her way home, came in a while later. He explained that she had been so badly affected by the radiation that she was physically unable to feed their child. He said that in her youth she was very, very beautiful, but the skin on her face was melted and she was left with keloid scare for the rest of her life. In addition, he explained the high rate of otherwise rare cancers that have plagued the lives of the people living in Japan since the A-bomb was dropped. Also, many of the people that came into the city to look for loved ones or to assist in the rebuilding efforts were later diagnosed with various types of radiation illnesses (cancer included). He said that, as long as he is lucky to live, he will go around and spread the message of peace to anybody that will listen.

I cannot easily express in my own words his story. Perhaps this is because I was so deeply moved by what he had to say that, being an emotional experience, I was not taking detailed notes.

I am ashamed to say that, as much as I have studied this topic on an academic level, I’ve never had the opportunity to hear from a survivor of the Atomic Bomb. It is a perspective that I wish I had heard when I was younger, but I am glad that I had the chance to hear today. The type of devastation and death is not something that I am interested in witnessing in the future, and it is also something that is painful to think about a man holding his 20 day-old baby having to experience in the past.

100 yen store

Last night was had a short break in between our sessions and the reception that was held in our honor. We don’t get a lot of free time, so we were very excited. We decided to take the hour and fifteen minutes to make our way to the 100 yen store, which is the Japanese equivalent to a dollar store. The walk took us there the “Times Square” of Tokyo, which was an adventure in its self (none of us knew that we have been so close to the heart of Tokyo, we have been in lectures so much).

The walk was about 20 minutes, plus eight floors of escalators to get to the part of the store that was for 100 yen only. However, it was worth it.

The 100 yen store was amazing! You could not imagine the things that you can get for so little-particularly when you consider how ridiculously expensive Tokyo can be. There were all different kinds of chopsticks, little ceramic bowls, bath salts, chap stick, paper, candy, and more! It was very exciting and we all bought too much junk because of it. On thing, though, we ended up in one of the neighborhoods that we are not supposed to go to, especially after dark, but we did not realize that we had crossed the tracks (figuratively and literally) until we were on our way back.

Toliets

The toilets here are something else. Some of them require a person to squat to use them, while others require an advance degree in computer programming. In either case, it made me hope that I was handling the situation correctly (which I have been so far). It is hard to even read the directions because they are all in Japanese. I know, I know-this is probably too much information.

Instead of continuing my explanation, you can use the picture to better understand my confusion.

Fuji-san

On Wednesday I had host city orientation. I was told to go to the Moonlight room on the 43rd floor of the Main Tower of the hotel building. As soon as I walked into the room I was pleasantly surprised. The room had windows on two sides and the view was amazing. It was a clear day and I could see Mount Fuji in the distance, although half of the mountain was blocked by the Tokyo Municipal Government building across the street. The result, however, was something very interesting to look at; it demonstrated the contrast that exists here in Tokyo of the old and natural compared with the very modern. It is interesting that, as fast paced as this city is, they still seem to show a great deal of interest in a clear day when the mountain is visible.

In addition, we learned during one of our sessions yesterday that the government of Japan is encouraging schools to teacher students to be more nationalistic and proud of their country. The member of the House of Representatives, Yuji Tsushima (who has served in the Diet for over 30 years), was asked how teachers are instructed to teacher nationalism. In response, he explained that teachers should ask their students the following questions:
Do you see Fuji-san?
Do you love Fuji-san?
Don’t you think that it is wonderful that Japan has Fuji-san?
Do you think that you should love Japan as much as you love Fuji-san?

Personally, I think that Fuji-san is simply wonderful and I can see why Representative Tsushima thought that it might be enough to inspire the type of nationalism they are trying to encourage.