Dazaifu, Day 12 and 13 - School day activities

One of the things I enjoy about the school visit part of MTP is that I am in one place long enough to actually get to know people and students. I have been joining the principal during his morning greeting time before the start of the school day, and students are beginning to smile and respond more freely as I greet them.

On Wednesday I work on computer things, then eat lunch with another class. More students are interested in actually asking questions and trying to hold some kind of basic conversation, so I am learning more about what students here like to do during their free time and what clubs they participate in at school. Several students in the brass band club have asked that I come to see them during their afternoon rehearsals, so, after the cleaning period is finished today, I grab my camera and head for the music room. This group meets every day, but they seldom stay in the classroom; with no air conditioning, it's usually easier to catch a breeze out in front of the main school building, so students unpack, grab stands and music and head outside.

Once there, they group themselves into practice sectionals - flutes and oboes down by the front gate, saxophones and trumpets spaced at intervals along the main walk, and a very large group of clarinets, horns and euphoniums near the main front door. Each group has both warmup exercises to do and some portion of music to work on, and there is at least one older member with each group who is the nominal leader of that section and directs the rehearsal time.

The teacher in charge is within sight (or sound), but does not stay with any one group during the hour-long gathering; instead, he will work with the entire group during early morning practices. This has the effect of helping students learn how to listen to each other without the necessity of making the teacher responsible for every minute of available practice time - a good way to encourage independent study and still have an effective group.

Around 5:20 PM, I suddenly realize that I need to head for my apartment; I am to meet Rebecca-ALT and another ALT teacher for dinner. We walk down the street about two blocks from my apartment and enter a yakitori (Japanese barbecue), find seats in the back area, and order beer.

The two ALTs have been here before, many times, and I defer to their judgment as to what to order; my only request is that no chicken skins be included (it's a delicacy favored by some Japanese, but I don't care for the chewiness). What follows are several sets of very interesting meats and vegetables (and even some cheese) skewered and grilled on an open flame - it's all delicious! More beer and (later) some plum wine and sake to wash it all down, and we have spent an enjoyable evening talking about schools and life in Japan.

But we must all be at school the next day, so we reluctantly head for our apartments for sleep.

Thursday, and I am visiting more classes. One thing I am trying to do is get pictures that show daily school life (to show my students back in the U.S.), and the best way to do this is to visit different classes each day and take just a few pictures of classroom activities.

Today's lunch is with a 9th grade class. The students are getting much braver; several of them come up to ask questions about what I like in the way of Japanese foods, and I get answers from several of them about their favorite after-school activities. (At least three of them are on the school basketball time, a fact made self evident when they stand up and tower above me.)

After school, I spend a little time with the Science Club; they will be working on our paired project (a study of how climate affects leaf color changes - when they happen and what colors occur with various temperatures and rainfall), and I want to have pictures of the club members so that my students will hopefully know a few names before our first video conferences in the fall. They proudly show me their growth chart from the Fast Plant project; their seeds did quite well in all of the soil types, but seemed to have the best growth in forest soil, according to the chart.

Evening finds me doing laundry; Friday is a half-day for Nakagawa-san and I, since we will leave mid-afternoon for Hiroshima and our regional conference on Saturday.

Dazaifu, Day 11 - Meeting with the PTA

Today’s activities are more like everyday school activities. I start the day by joining Principal Yagi at the front gate, where we greet students as they come into school. The principal says, “Ohayo gozaimasu,” I say, “Good morning,” and students respond as they walk by. There are quite a few who respond in English or in both languages, and these earn a broad smile from both of us – part of encouraging English conversation.

Mid-morning, the PTA mothers have a regular meeting. Nakagawa-san and I are both attending, I to be ‘officially’ introduced to the group (although I have already met quite a few of them during other activities), and Nakagawa to offer a report on his visit to my school and some of the tasks we hope to accomplish during my stay at Gakugyoin.

Nakagawa-san has a video prepared from the tapes that he and Ishii-san filmed during their visit, with Japanese voice-overs provided by Sasaki-san. It’s a fairly comprehensive look at our joint school visit in Washington, D.C., and the visits to the Fort Zumwalt schools as well as Jefferson Middle School in Saint Charles.

Then I spend some time trying to work on my computer. It has been ‘behaving badly’ for more than a few days; apparently I managed to corrupt something during a reinstall of the drivers for my video camera. I get necessary mail sent off, but have little or no luck getting to various websites. I think tonight is going to be a rebuild night; at least I’ve got the blank CDs to do backups.

This afternoon Ishii-san and I met with his elective science class to look over some BUGS collection sites. Most of these sites were used for the spring BUGS count, but we discover a problem at one of them; what had been a great high grass area has now been mowed down. (What is it about tall grass and people with cutting implements? We had the same problem in Missouri.) A new high grass site will be selected once the fall semester starts.

Then Ishii takes me on a short walk down the street from the school. We take a closer look at the site of the original Dazaifu city government offices and the original location of Gakugyoin School (both destroyed during the various invasions by Korean warriers during the latter part of the Nara period), and look at the temple for which this street is named, Kanzeonji shrine. This shrine has one of the three oldest bells still in general use in Japan; the bell is rung every year during traditional New Year's celebrations, and is one that 'ordinary people' are allowed to ring (rather than just the temple priests).

It's hot and steamy (we've finally had a bit of rain), so we head back for the comfort of the teachers' room at school (where the air conditioning is running at full tilt, thank goodness), and then home to my apartment.

(ADDENDUM - after an evening of backups, the machine is rebuilt. Not all files were successfully restored (notably e-mail and a couple of downloaded programs); I should be able to pick up most of the missing stuff from the home server at a later time. At least, it's not locking up every 10 minutes any more, so that is a distinct improvement on things.)

Dazaifu, Day 9 and 10 - Settling In

Sunday was a day of rest, and this time, for the most part, it really was. I had journal writing to do, but not a lot, and I did laundry. Otherwise I spent the day being lazy or shopping, both favorite activities. I did find a couple of the video games that my son wants, one of them in a tiny gamer's shop not too far from my apartment, so the first box home will have something he likes.
Monday, it's back to school. The morning meeting starts with a short introduction and speeches by uniformed practice teachers, here from university for the next two weeks to hone their skills. They look just as nervous and green as I was the first day I entered a school as a student teacher. These three are studying to be social studies teachers, so they will be paired up with older teachers at all three levels in that subject.

A bit later during the morning, the principal invites me into his office to meet the supervising teacher from the university, who seems intrigued by the fact that I trained in music, but also enjoy working with computers (mathematics), and projects for MTP (science). I explain that I have always had an interest in continued learning and feel that I can be a better teacher by learning about more subjects.

I strike up a conversation with Rebecca-ALT, who asks how I liked the trip to Nagasaki (I liked it very much, even though it was quite hot). I told her about my shopping excursions on Sunday, and she and I look at a map to find another store that she thinks I would like to see. When Rebecca-ALT sees where I live, she asks if I have had a chance to try any of the local restaurants - there are some good ones close by, including a yakitori. I explain that I had not yet tried any local restaurants, but that my nose told me there must be a good barbecue somewhere in the area - I noticed it as I walked home last night. She points it out on the map (yes, that's where I smelled it), and we agree on Wednesday evening as a tentative night to go there together.

Right at the beginning of 4th period, Sasaki-san and Rebecca-ALT come over to ask if I am free and would I like to join them for English class? Of course, so we head for the 7th grade classrooms. Today's lesson is about 'like' and 'play' - English verbs used in a lot of short conversations about favorite activities. Rebecca-ALT and I take turns reading short English sentences such as "I like music.", "I play the piano.", "I like baseball.", "I play soccer.", and helping students figure out what activity is begin described. Then it is the turn of the students; they must write three English sentences, giving their name, saying what they like, and describing what they can play. We three teachers move around the room, looking at results, and making corrections or offering ideas as needed.

Finally the students group up and we play a variation on 'Jeopardy' with Rebecca-ALT offering hints about Sports, Music or Special characters, and the groups required to answer "You are......" once they figure out who is being described. I know more of the answers than I expected, and all of the groups succeed in guessing correctly on at least one question.

Lunch is with a 9th-grade English class, and a teacher who was an MTP 2003 participant (now I know why he looked vaguely familiar). He encourages his students to come up and talk with me; a couple of them are actually brave enough to have short conversations, so I learn that one of the boys plays guitar in a band, and one of the girls is interested in classical music played on the violin. These students will be taking their entrance exams for high school next February; while there is some kidding and horseplay during the lunch time, in general this is a more serious bunch who know that the heavy work is rapidly drawing nearer.

Even though I'm not teaching a class every day, I still have tasks to complete. I have a spring BUGS collection report and pictures ready to be uploaded to the JFMFMTP XOOPS server, but I still need to create JPEGs of the data charts. I also need to start editing some of these journal entries to create a weekly report and dig through the pictures of activities to find good photos to add to that. I will have plenty to do over the next couple of weeks.

Dazaifu, Day 8 - A Visit to Nagasaki

Before I came to Fukuoka, I was asked what sightseeing things I would like to do while I was here. Nagasaki was on that list, and so today Ishii-san and Sasaki-san pick me up at 9:00 AM for a day trip to that area.

Our travels take us along the Nagasaki Expressway – a toll road that travels through the mountains of this southeastern peninsula of Kyushu. There are plenty of tunnels along the way, and lots of valleys; it’s a beautiful drive, reminding me a great deal of driving through the Appalachians in the eastern U.S.

Sasaki-san has grandparents that used to run a fish shop in Nagasaki, and she has spent a lot of time there, so she has a list of things for us to see and do. Our first stop is along a river that runs through the center of the older part of town; this river has many stone bridges that cross it, but one in particular is noteworthy. The bridge is listed as the oldest stone bridge in Japan, and it is called the Spectacles Bridge, because its stone arches and center support pillar look very much like old-fashioned eyeglasses (complete with a nose upon which they sit). The effect is heightened when the water is at usual levels and calm, because the reflected arch completes the circle of the eyeglass frame. While low water prevents us from seeing this view directly today, there is a display of photos not far away, some of which show the bridge at its bespectacled best.

Nagasaki is known for its Chinatown area, one of the three largest in Japan. For more than 200 years, Nagasaki was the only open port available to foreigners of any sort wishing to enter Japan (during the 1600s and 1700s), and so its resident population of Chinese and other foreign nationals was much larger than in any other part of Japan for a long time. The Chinatown area has shops and many, many restaurants, famous for good Cantonese and Mandarin cooking.

When we sit down for lunch, we decide to order several different dishes and share them around, a custom that is quite popular among Japanese. (In fact, Sasaki-san tells me that some Chinese restaurants have tables with center sections that turn, a la Lazy Susan style. I have also seen this arrangement at one or two Chinese restaurants in the U.S., ones that are noted for authentic cooking styles.) We end up with fried rice, lo mein with vegetables, a noodle soup also with vegetables and pork, and steamed pork dumplings topped with shrimp.

I have always known that, like “Mexican” food, what Americans call “Chinese” is something that has been adjusted and modified to suit American tastes, but confronting the reality is something else. While this may or may not be completely Chinese, it is a far cry from the American stuff – fried rice that actually has a bit of a crunch, vegetables that haven’t been lost in the soup or sauce, dumplings that are freshly steamed and delicious. It’s a great lunch, and one that I would like to try again sometime.

After lunch, we walk to the tram station (in the center of the street). Nagasaki and Hiroshima both have these instead of subways – cable cars that get their power from overhead electric lines and run on tracks in the middle of the street (very much like San Francisco’s cable cars). Our destination is the Nagasaki Peace Park and the A bomb museum.

The Peace Park has a fountain dedicated to the victims of the blast, in remembrance of their terrible thirst in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and a statue of a great being, representing both God and Buddha, praying for peace over the victims. Not far from the park is the epicenter of the bomb and the museum.

I had already seen the Hiroshima museum (in 2003), but it is still an unsettling experience to view these exhibits about the atomic bomb blast and its effects on the land and the people. Nagasaki had a smaller death toll, due to a difference in terrain and placement of the bomb, but it was still terrible, and it was made worse by the fact that this was the second such bomb to be dropped – the basic destructive capabilities were already known and being displayed for the world at Hiroshima. Another surreal image was that of seeing several videos made during the initial tests before the bombs were used. These are the same films that those of my generation used to see over and over as part of our education on ‘what to do if they launch the big one.’ To see those images side by side with real pictures of real people suffering was more than a bit unnerving.

Our final stop of the day is Urakima Cathedral, a Catholic church built during the open port days of Nagasaki, located not far from the bomb epicenter. While the church has been completely rebuilt (and has an active population of worshipers), there are plenty of artifacts left from the destruction of the original building to remind one that an atomic bomb has no boundaries, either political or religious; only a few of the statues survived intact, and the large stone crucifix at the front of the sanctuary was dashed to pieces; only the body of Christ remained (identified by the spear mark and nails). A most sobering reflection, indeed…..

Ishii-san and Sasaki-san have gifts for me when we return to the car for our trip home – books from the museum gift shop, showing the exhibits and information about the Nagasaki Peace initiative. These will be used with my classes.

Back to Dazaifu, and a long night’s rest. Sunday is a holiday for me ; nothing scheduled and I can sleep in.

Dazaifu, Day 7 - "Field Experience with students" and other activities

Today is the last day of testing for the junior high students, so I will be elsewhere for much of the morning. The schedule indicates that we will visit a school in the morning and I will have a ‘field experience with students’ in the afternoon.

Our first stop is another high school visit, Chikushidai High School, not far from Gakugyoin (in fact a number of Gakugyoin students attend this school).

The school is fairly old, but we start in a building that has only been open for a couple of months. This building has energy features designed to take advantage of modern means of generating power; the roof has a large bank of solar panels, and a control screen in the front hall indicates how much solar energy is being received and converted into power for building use.

Most of the school offices are here, and some specialty classes, including high-intensity studies for university. These are small classes (comparatively – 20 to 25 students per class, instead of the more common 35 to 40 students), and are designed for students who wish to enter the best universities in Japan. The American equivalent might be advanced placement classes, but Japanese students do not receive college credit for the work, as is often the case in the American AP classes.

As we walk through the various buildings, I notice that there are two distinct types of classes here – the traditional book-learning classes common to most high schools, and a large number of technical/vocational classes, ranging from auto mechanics to construction trades to computer programming. Chikushidai was originally started as a technical high school for boys, offering hands-on training in vocational subjects; when they were converted to a co-ed school, regular coursework was added, but the vo-tech training classes were also continued and expanded. Today students can work towards university exams and study such subjects as surveying and medical technology equipment repair.

My student guides are shy at first, but relax as we walk around and are soon answering my questions about their school. One will graduate at the end of this school year; the other has one more year beyond. Both are personable and polite, and should do well in their future endeavors.

After our school visit, Principal Yagi stops at a souvenir shop on the edge of an area leading to one of the major shrines in Dazaifu (not far from the high school). It seems that one of his oldest friends is the proprietor; he would like to introduce me to his friend, and I am honored. Principal Yagi also wishes to give me a special souvenir, which we select together – a carved representation of a bullfinch, a bird that is common to this area and often associated with Dazaifu and the temple there. I also receive hand-carved chopsticks for myself and my husband. These are unique and lovely gifts, and I will remember Dazaifu well whenever I look at them.

Upon our return to Gakugyoin, Nakagawa-san tells me that we must hurry just a bit – my ‘field experience with students’ has been moved to mid-morning. It’s rice planting – I am joining a group of elementary students at the rice fields attached to Fukuoka Agricultural High School, where we will all plant seedlings. I ditch the dressy jacket and grab my stuff.

I had been warned about this, so I brought my newly-purchased straw hat, outdoor sandals, and a towel for hand cleaning. I also have a water bottle; it’s going to be hot. In Nakagawa’s car on the way over, I roll up my pants legs, take off the nice shoes and stockings and put on the outdoor sandals. Once we arrive, we find the students already lined up in the middle of the field, beginning their work; I climb from the car, don my hat and take off my shoes, and step out into ankle-deep mud. The field is not full of water - there has been a shortage of rain this year – but the section we are planting has been watered sufficiently to make a deep mud suitable for planting seedlings.

This school also has an MTP teacher, Quinton; we greet each other and move to places alongside students in the 5^th grade. My student partners are very helpful, showing me how many seedlings (approximately 3) to take from the ‘pad’ of plants given to each of us. There is a string on top of the mud in front of us; when the whistle blows, we are to push the roots of the seedlings into the mud behind one of the red beads strung at 6-inch intervals along the string. Most of us end up planting two to three sets of seedlings on each whistle blow, until every bead has a plant showing.

On the next whistle blow, everyone moves backward one step, and smoothes the mud out in front of them with their feet (to prepare for the next row). I say “Squish, squish” when my feet make sucking sounds as I move, and my partners quickly understand that this is an English ‘word’ used to describe the noise. Soon, “Squish, squish” is heard all along the line near me; funny sounds travel fast with elementary students.

The string is moved toward us, about 6 inches away from the preceding row, and we start the planting process again. In all, we succeed in planting about 12 rows of plants, with a group of 120 or so students stretched out along a very large field – not bad for an hour’s work. (But it also explains why mechanical rice planters are beginning to replace field workers – labor costs would be sky-high.)

Nakagawa has promised to take pictures of me; because we are in the middle of this large field, he ends up taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants to join us in the mud, so that he can get better pictures. We end up with a leg shot each, showing our feet buried in the mud.

Then we walk back up to the sheds in the main yard of the farm, students and teachers alike saying ‘ouch’ as we find gravel (on the driving road) and hot baked soil on the walking path. There, hoses and large tubs of water are available for rinsing our feet and legs and washing hands.

Nakagawa gets some pictures of Quinton and me, then we climb back into his car and head back to our school.

I will have two ‘lunch’ times today, one at the usual time during 5^th period, and a second one during the preceding time. My usual lunch time will be spent with Ishii-san’s class, who have prepared posters and greeting speeches for me; pictures show the results of their handiwork. But I have been invited to eat with Matsumoto-san’s special education class, who have spent the morning learning how to prepare curried pork and rice. (And it is delicious.)

The students in his class are special-needs students, those with profound disabilities such as Down’s Syndrome and other significant learning disabilities, and they spend a good portion of their day in a separate classroom area with one set of teachers and aides, learning basic living skills along with book work. These students are not isolated – they have home rooms with the rest of their age level classmates, and join in music, gym and some elective classes, with a teacher or aide along to help with any issues that may come up. The separate-and-together model is also being used in American schools; it keeps these students from becoming frustrated with book learning that is far beyond their level, but enables them to participate in many of the same activities as their classmates.

(There is also at least one student here who has significant physical handicaps, but who participates in regular classes using a special wheelchair; the building does have elevators, so she can move from her home room to elective classes without problems. She is a member of the school’s culture club, which emphasizes learning about Japanese customs and history, and serves as their spokesperson during the afternoon gathering.)

Once the regular lunch period is over, tests are done, and the students do their regular cleaning (a common activity in Japanese schools at all levels – while the cleaning is not a spotless job, it goes a long way toward keeping the dust and dirt at bay, and it encourages students to take pride in their building). Then there is one more gathering in the school gym, for all of the activity clubs to tout their upcoming events to the student body. The sports and athletic clubs will all have ‘playoffs’ during the month of July; the other groups, such as the brass band and culture club do not have playoffs, but offer encouragement to the competing teams. Then the day is over, and students and teachers (and me) head for our homes.

Dazaifu, Day 6 - More school visits

This has been a rather quiet day. As I mentioned previously, junior high students are taking their final exams for the remainder of this week, so rather than wander the halls and distract students, I have other things to do.

The morning begins with a visit to Mizuki Elementary School, next door. The principal greets us and takes us on a tour of the building. This is a big school, the largest in this district - over 800 students. As I walk through the classrooms, I am reminded of my previous visit to Japan (when I represented an elementary school and worked in one); first graders are bouncy, 4th graders are working hard, 6th graders are serious - all very much like their American counterparts. Since elementary students do not wear uniforms in most public schools in Japan any more, these classes look remarkably like similar ones in the U.S. The major difference is in the size of each class - 30 to 40 students, instead of the 20 - 25 students more common in the U.S.

One class is special - several older teachers are watching in the back of the room as a uniformed instructor speaks up front. I thought at first that this might be a general observation class (a common practice in Japanese education, where fellow teachers watch a lesson and offer critiques), but this is a bit more - a student teacher doing one of her first classroom lessons. (Thus the uniform - she is still attending university.) As I join the ranks of those watching, I can see that she is nervous (hey, you would be, too, if you were doing your first live lesson with teachers, principals, and a foreign teacher all looking at you), but she gains control of her young students and starts the lesson - an observation activity that requires the students to look at several pictures of transportation types and try to remember which ones were seen most frequently. The students seem to be interested in keeping track of how many cars, bicycles, etc., they can spot, so the lesson proceeds smoothly.

Then we return to Gakugyoin, and I have some free time, which I use to catch up on e-mail, journal entries and finally an IM chat with my family! They are fine, and we enjoy the chance to see each other (on our webcams) and catch up on daily happenings.

Members of the school board have arrived for a meeting; as that meeting finishes, the head of the school board asks me to meet him in the principal's office. As a thank-you for the cup I presented to him, he wishes to give me a traditional Japanese thread ball, very intricate and handmade by his mother, and a basket wrapping cloth, a decorated piece of fabric used to wrap packages for carrying (lunches, for example, are often wrapped in these, because the fabric provides some insulation as well as basic protection from the elements). I am deeply touched by the thoughtfulness of his gifts and thank him profusely.

Then it's time for lunch, which I share with another teacher and her class. The students seem to be interested in the fact that I made my own sandwich; when I tell them that it has peanut butter inside, another student smiles and opens her own sandwich a bit to show a similar filling.

After lunch is another open time. I knew that I would be involved in fewer activities on these few days, so I have planned to use this time for computer work, and I am just about caught up.

Finally it is time to go home. I need to do some shopping - I have spotted some straw hats at a local store and want to get one to keep the sun off my head when I walk around town. I have other items to buy as well.

Random Thoughts

During my last stay in Japan, I took to watching evening TV, channel-surfing to see what was available. Even with a language barrier, the images shown offer a good representation of popular culture. And I must confess to a fondness for Japanese anime, mostly the kids shows (and a few of the darker adult series).

So I've been watching TV in the evenings this week. Lots of baseball, plenty of news reports, all kinds of new anime' series, U.S. movies subtitled or dubbed, and - makeover shows! Hmm, this should be interesting.

I do not know the name of the series (it's on TVQ, according to the programming list in my weekly inn) but its premise seems to be based on Iron Chef, but for hair stylists. Two salons do a hair and make-up re-do on two different people, and a panel of judges decides which makeover was the best.

Interesting concept and the make-overs are fun to watch (ranging from wow! to what were they thinking???), but what caught my eye was some equipment being used by one of the stylists. This particular salon apparently prides itself on doing on-the-spot microscopic hair analysis; the stylist was shown using a computer and a USB Shot Microscope, displaying the pictures on the computer screen for the customer to view. This is the same microscope used by all of the MTP participants as part of their BUGS collection and classification projects.

Gee, and we thought that microscope could only take pictures of bugs! Amazing what you can learn on popular TV.

(Oh, and that particular salon won the night's competition. Science at work........)

Dazaifu, Day 5 - How to pick a good (high) school

The rest of this week will be spent on visits to other schools and some extra-curricular activities, since junior high students will be taking their final exams this week. (They don’t need distractions like American teachers taking pictures.)

Before I describe today’s activities, I need to explain something about Japanese education. Compulsory (and free) public education is available for students ages 6 – 14 (basically 1^st – through 9^th grade in American schools), and ends with the final year of junior high school. All Japanese students have advanced education available, but they must pass entrance examinations and pay tuition, even at ‘public’ high schools.

In general, public high schools tend to draw from a geographic region (much as American schools do) and cost the least in tuition; as a result they are crowded, and because of the testing requirement, there is no guarantee that you may be able to enter the local high school. Private high schools cost much more, but generally have more slots available. Many high schools (both public and private) have specialties – fine arts, mathematics and science – and students who have those kinds of interests may elect to try for one of those schools to further their ambitions.

Japanese parents know that the best company jobs are reserved for those who complete both high school and 4 years of university, so they encourage (as most parents do) their children to study hard, and they work to find the best possible high school, one that has a high rate of college-bound graduates.

Today’s activities are an example of that kind of parental dedication. This is a school tour trip for mothers of 3^rd-year junior high school students, organized by the PTA. Three busloads of mothers (about 130 moms!) gather just before 9 AM and get seats on the tour buses, along with the principal and myself. The fee (for the buses) is quite reasonable – about $8 – and lunch will be provided.

The journey takes us from Dazaifu to Fukuoka City (about a half hour by bus), where we will visit two different private schools. Our first stop is an all-boys school, and the air is decidedly masculine and no-nonsense; I am reminded of private military-style academies in the U.S. (and the gym teacher running a group of students around the school yard certainly lends credence to that image – he had a great drill-sergeant voice). This is a very large high school – about 2000 students – and their graduation rate for students moving on to the best universities is quite good.

Even with the strict discipline atmosphere, though, there are unmistakable signs of teen-age boy here. The summer uniform is trousers, worn with a belt, and short sleeved shirt, tucked in, but I saw several students with shirts askew and more than a few with ‘low-riders,’ even with a belt. It makes me feel better to know that teenagers are still much the same in any country.

Then we travel to an all-girls school. This one is not only private, but parochial – it is run by Buddhist priests associated with a major shrine next door, and the curriculum reflects both traditional and religious training, much as Catholic or Lutheran high schools do. In Japan, as in the U.S., there have been a lot of studies done to determine whether single-gender or mixed-gender schools are better for girls interested in math and science training, and these studies (in both countries) seem to imply that single-gender environments may be more encouraging for girls. Working forward from this idea, the school has two basic education tracks – one that is general education, and another that loads up on math and science courses – and the results (as far as university acceptance) would appear to validate the single-gender theory.

At both of these schools, there are definite marketing ploys seen – slick, full-color brochures, cooling drinks for everyone (and Japanese bento lunches at the second school), careful discussion of the graduation and university acceptance rates, and an atmosphere of happy students in a clean and cheerful environment designed for study.

By contrast, the 3^rd school – a public high school not far from Gakugyoin – is almost utilitarian in looks: older buildings (still very clean), a fact sheet printed on plain paper (there are color brochures available, but we are asked not to take them unless we need them), no extras. Because the public high schools do not charge as much for tuition, they do not have the spare money to spend on fancy buildings and ‘fluff’ as some of the private schools do.

But…the presentation shows many cheerful students and a wide variety of classes and activities available for all. The graduation and acceptance rates are certainly equal to either of the private schools. And as we walk down the halls, nearly all of the students were working very hard in their classes; even those who recognized parents in the crowd (or saw my American face) did not, for the most part, respond out of hand. This is a very self-disciplined group – I could wish for a lot more just like them in my daughter’s high school.

We head back to Gakugyoin around 4:45 PM. It’s been a long day, but a very informative one; I think I have a better understanding of how Japanese parents view education and its importance, and I have enjoyed seeing several different schools today.

Dazaifu, Day 4 - My first class time

Tuesday, and I will finally get a chance to be with some students. The morning is free time for me, which gives me a chance to work on a journal entry and answer some e-mails.

Sasaki-sensei comes over and tells me that I am to join her and the other English teachers (including the American ALT, also named Rebecca!) in an afternoon English lesson. She asks if I have any suggestions for a song with English lyrics that the students might be able to learn. After a little discussion, I decide on the Disney song, “It’s a Small World”. I find the lyrics without any problems and write them in a Word document, which I then copy to my trusty flash drive and pass along to Sasaki.

(By the way, this is much easier than trying to set up a printer directly on my machine; there are both network issues and enough differences between the American and Japanese versions of XP, that setting up certain hardware drivers can be problematic. As long as we are both using the same word processing programs [MS Word, in our case], we don’t have any problems with just transferring documents from one machine to another, and XP handles USB flash drives quite easily.)

Lunch is with Sasaki-san’s class – I sit at an empty desk and look at what people have for lunch. Unlike the elementary school, lunch here is an individual affair (but still eaten in individual classrooms); milk is provided to all students, but most bring lunches or buy breads from the school store/snack bar. Some pay for box lunches that are brought in (these are pre-ordered, apparently). I’ve got yogurt and a small sandwich to eat, so I am fine.

After lunch, we all gather in the room usually assigned for kendo practice – there are three English classes sharing this time today. Rebecca-sensei (the ALT) and I are both in front, with the three Japanese teachers spaced throughout the group. The lyrics have been turned into a worksheet; specific words have been replaced by a blank, and a word bank has all of the possible answers. Rebecca-ALT asks who has been to Tokyo Disneyland, and a sizeable group of students raise their hands; then she asks who has been to the one in California (she and I and a couple of others). Finally she asks who has been to Paris Disneyland (only her - that girl has traveled!), and then she indicates that this song is well known at all of those places.

We both sing the song a few times, then ask students to listen for the missing words and fill in the blanks as we sing it again, line by line. Then we have the students say the words, and finally sing them, in small groups and together. By the time class is over, we have succeeded in getting most of them to sing most of the lyrics correctly, and nearly all of the students seem to have written the correct words on their worksheets. I think my first class was reasonably successful.

Home to my apartment, where I make an early night of it – I am still feeling the effects of the heat and some lingering jet lag.

Dazaifu, Day 3 - Greetings at Gakugyoin JHS

This is my first day at Gakugyoin Junior High School, and I am nervous. I will be making short speeches at both the morning teacher's meeting and the afternoon all-school assembly. The speech is written (so that I can give a copy to the English teacher who will be translating for me), and I plan to ask Ishii-san to print a couple of copies for us. Nakagawa-sensei is picking me up this morning.

I remembered to pack my school shoes today, so when we get the school, my first stop is to put my street shoes in my 'cubby' and put on the shoes I have brought for indoor use. I learned last time that my large American feet simply do not fit in the one-size Japanese slippers (nor can I easily buy shoes unless I buy men's styles), so I came prepared.

We arrive at school and I am shown to the principal's office, then we go to the teachers' room. Unlike American schools, Japanese teachers do not stay in one room all day; instead the students stay mostly in one room (their home-room), and the teachers come in to teach the various subjects during different class periods. Teachers all have desks in the teachers' room, where everyone can confer with each other between classes, and meetings and work sessions are held.

I have a desk waiting for me in the teacher's room, and my first order of business is to set up the computer and try to get it working. I have a separate cable to use, and my machine seems to recognize that there is a network somewhere out there, but I cannot get connected. Nakagawa-san looks at my settings, then calls over the computer teacher, who determines that I need to establish a specific IP address and gateway, as well as a DNS before I can connect. Once that's done, I finally get online.

All kinds of mail is waiting for me, including a reminder that we will start our weekly video conferences (between JFMF and the American teachers) this afternoon. Before I can get too involved, however, the morning teacher's meeting starts, and I'm on.

I stumble a bit on the school name, but manage an opening paragraph in Japanese, then complete the rest of the speech in English, with translation provided by another teacher. Everyone seems to be very happy to see me here. After that, Sasaki-sensei takes me on a short tour of the school.

Then I get to spend more time on computer chores - uploading journal entries and pictures, answering e-mail and getting caught up on things in general.

When lunch time arrives, one of the English teachers asks if I would like to eat lunch with her. I'm feeling a bit under the weather, though, and decide to concentrate on keeping liquids in me (it's hot, and while the teachers' room is air-conditioned, the rest of the building is not - and I am really beginning to feel the effects of the heat). Shortly after lunch the principal and I drive over to the City Hall building, where the office of the board of education are located. We meet the superintendent of the district there and talk for a short while; he has apparently spent time in the north because as soon as I mention Komatsu, he describes a view of Mount Hakusan, the most famous mountain peak in that region.

After our return to school, it's time for the afternoon all-school assembly, which is a welcome ceremony. I listen to speeches presented by the principal and student council members (who did a fine job on their English readings), and give my speech. I also present one of Jefferson's mascot dolls, a jaguar. Then I get the opportunity to hear the school brass band play a selection of numbers (they have some fine soloists in their ranks, and the group itself is very good), and a presentation by the Taiko Drum Club. I am especially impressed when the prinicpal tells me that they have only been practicing since March - this is a new club for the school.

Finally I am presented with gifts from the school - a book filled with pictures and notes created by the students, and a name stamp, something I have seen but never expected to have! Name stamps are used in Japan and China as legal signatures; they are created by special artists who guard their equipment and processes very closely (to avoid the danger of fraud). To do financial business or get a driver's license, one must have a legally verified name stamp; most children receive theirs at some point after they start school.

Because my last name is not easily written in any form of kana or kanji, the school has elected to have a stamp created using my first name, Rebecca. As I have already discovered, that name is easily written in katakana and the syllables also correspond to known kanji. I am very impressed and touched by the thoughtfulness represented by such a gift. Now all I need is one of the red ink pads that are traditionally used for stamping (and those are available at any stationary shop here in Japan).

Back to the apartment after a long day - I am exhausted and head for bed early.

Dazaifu, Day 2 - A Day of Rest?

Now it’s Sunday, my first complete day of rest. But I’ve got things to do, so I get started on the day.

First job is to install the drivers and such on my computer so that I can upload some of the video that I have filmed on the new camcorder. The kit included an install disk with the Canon ZoomBrowser software and USB2.0 drivers that I need, and I also found updated versions of both on the Canon website, so I start by installing all of the necessary software. Except for a glitch involving PhotoStitch (which I most likely will not be using), everything seems to install correctly, including the updates, so the next step is to plug in the PC Card that has a USB2.0 connection, and then the camera.

I read through the information about uploading video and pictures. Among other things, I find out that the camcorder does have FireWire capability – it’s part of the AV-to-DV converter – but you have to buy a separate FireWire cable. Not a problem for me, though; the camcorder came with a USB2.0 cord (which is actually faster) so I will use that.

Plug in the camera, turn it on – okay, the machine seems to recognize the equipment and even realizes that there are videos to be processed. The manual indicates that Windows Movie Maker 2.2 is needed to process the videos; I have no idea if I have the right software, but I will give it a try.

Windows Movie Maker seems to be installed and appears to know how to handle the 13 minutes of video it has found on the card; it even realizes that there are several clips within those 13 minutes, and saves them correctly. For now, I am using this function as backup; I will not erase any of the tapes until I get an opportunity to view them directly on TV.

(A check of the Help information appears to indicate that I have MM 2.1.something installed, so I will probably need to do some upgrades when I get connected to the Internet again, but it’s working for now.)

As I finish up the tape work, my phone rings and Matsumoto’s voice is heard – would I like to take a short drive to the top of a mountain that overlooks Dazaifu City? He picks me up about an hour later, and we drive up a mountain road reminiscent of those I traveled in Komatsu or roads going to the mining towns in Colorado, where my father grew up. Matsumoto has interesting tastes in music; he has a CD with vintage Bob Dylan, and I enjoy it greatly.

Near the top, we park and walk up a steep set of stone steps that lead to a large, flattened area. Matsumoto-san indicates that an old castle once sat here overlooking the city; its inhabitants provided shelter and defense against Korean invaders who crossed the short distance from the mainland on a regular basis. Now this area provides a spectacular view of the valley that includes Dazaifu and other cities in this part of Fukuoka. Out comes the camcorder, and I become a travelogue producer, filming the view and offering a short commentary. (Very tourist-y, but I can show this to my family and students.)

Then we head back to town; Matsumoto needs to be at school this afternoon, and I have some shopping to do for the week.

Grocery shopping is the next item on my to-do list. I need more breakfast things and something with which to make lunches. The supermarket down the street is a ’15-minute walk’ according to my partners (which means it’s more like 25 minutes for my leisurely pace), but well worth it. I find just about everything I need, including peanut butter and jam.

Journal updates are another task for the day; I also need to write a short ‘speech’ to give during the welcome ceremonies planned at the school on Monday. I’ve got BUGS and Soil data to finish processing and prepare for a XOOPS report, and I need to be sure I know what to take with me tomorrow morning.

Did I say this was a day of rest? Yeah, sure……

Dinner is with Ishii-san and one of the English teachers. Ishii tells me that he wishes to pay for this dinner and that it is a special one to thank me for my concern and care during his visit to St. Charles (see Visiting Our Schools). The restaurant is a famous one in nearby Tosu, one that also specializes in wedding parties and receptions.

Beefsteak and other things are the order of the day; a new twist to the ‘sizzling platter’ appears, but this one actually cooks your food! The steak is grilled on a pre-heated iron plate, and you must turn the meat to complete the cooking once it arrives at your table. It is a very popular way to serve steak in Japan, I am told.

Of even more interest to me is the dinner entertainment – a violinist and pianist who are both quite good, performing a nice selection of classical repertoire and modern melodies. The first set finishes with one of the Slavonic Dances written for violin; the performer takes it at full speed and never misses a note. Brava!

The second set of music features a piano solo, then more violin selections (including Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ in a traditional solo arrangement). Then we have a surprise; she sets down the violin and picks up another insttument – a viola! She plays a couple of arrangement of well-known Japanese melodies, which sound quite nice on the lower-pitched instrument. She finishes on the violin – a twentieth-century sonata for violin and piano.

When we leave, I offer a compliment on the music (through the English teacher), and the cashier indicates that she is a well-known musician in this part of Japan. I can see why – she obviously enjoys playing.

Home to finish the evening and prepare for my first day at Gakugyoin JHS.

Dazaifu, Day 1 - Learning my way around

Saturday morning, and I get to do something I haven’t done since I got to Japan – sleep in! That’s quite a luxury, so I take advantage of it. Once I am up, it’s time to try some breakfast. I’ve got tea, and yogurt and bread to eat.

One of the teachers mentioned yesterday that I didn’t need a toaster (when the office clerk asked) – the microwave oven can toast bread. He showed me the button that starts it; the instruction book confirms that but also shows that the bread should be set directly on the rack underneath the glass tray in the oven. Okay – I remove the tray and place the bread, push the button and set it for one slice, and hit “start”. Three minutes later, I have a piece of toast to eat! (Apparently this oven also has a convection function.)

After breakfast, I decide to work on some basic chores – I want to wash the dishes and work on my journal. While I work, I find a baseball game on TV, with both English and Japanese play-by-play (depending upon which channel you watch). The Cubs vs. the Yankees – the Cubs get a lead, but Matsui (of the Yankees) hits a three-run homer that turns our to be the game winner. Announcers in both languages get excited about it – Matsui is very popular in Japan because he played for the Giants before he moved to the U.S.

Another game starts just as the first one finishes. Let’s see, I’ll bet I can guess what one of the teams will be…yep, it’s the Seattle Mariners vs. the NY Mets. Ichiro is a member of the Mariners and almost as popular as Matsui, so one can usually find games by their two teams on Japanese TV. And (as I learned the other evening), one does not have to hear play-by-play to follow the game of baseball in either country.

At lunch time, my partners arrive, along with another English teacher, who has her young daughter in tow. Daughter (3 years old) is very hesitant when she sees a strange face, and refuses at first to sit near me; Mom helps ease things when she pulls a picture book from her purse. The story is about Dumbo, the flying elephant; as I read along with the story, the youngster begins to relax and, by the time we arrive at our restaurant for lunch, she is very willing to smile at me across the table. We have noodles in soup broth, rice with egg and vegetables (or meat), and a small salad.

Ishii-san has a set of maps showing the local streets with several places of importance marked for me. After lunch, we head back to my home, and begin to walk down the street near my building. There are several shops along here – food, general goods, a place that sells CDs – and a number of office-type buildings, including a couple of hospitals and a bank. A bit further down, we find a convenience store (7-11) and, after turning the corner, we come to some larger stores, including a supermarket and a department store, which also has food. (Both of these places have Y100 shops inside as well.)

I have brought a list of things that I need to purchase and find most of them in the last couple of larger stores. After I finish my shopping, we get into Nakagawa’s car and head for one last stop – Yamada Electronics, where I have been assured that I can get the larger camcorder battery that I need. They have it, so I purchase one (I also take a quick look at their price on the camcorder and see that I did indeed get a great price in Tokyo).

As we drive back, I ask them to show me where I might find an internet café – I really need to let my family know that I have arrived safely, and haven’t been able to find an international phone yet. We drive by one and I note which direction to turn if I want to come back later.

(Matsumoto-san calls me later and says that there may be an internet connection kit available at my place for a monthly fee. The office doesn’t have one, but indicates that I may come in and use their computer to send a short message, which I do. I should have internet available at school on Monday, so this will cover things until I can get online for a longer stretch.)

Once back home, I take a load of laundry down and start it. I suddenly remember that a store just down the street had sturdy plastic hangers in a box out in front, apparently free for the taking, so I walk around the corner to see if they are still there. They are – I grab half-a-dozen, show the clerk what I am getting (she smiles and waves me on), and return just in time to pull my clean clothes from the dryer and head back upstairs.

Dinner tonight is with my partners and one of the English teachers, at an Italian restaurant not far from my apartment. (Italian-style cooking is quite popular in Japan.) We all end up with spaghetti alla carbonara, but each of us has a different style of sauce; mine is the traditional one with fresh asparagus added, and the others have tomato-based, cream sauce and a Japanese sauce made with shoyu.

The restaurant has an attached bakery that appears to have both Italian and French-style baked goods. After sampling some during our meal, I decide to buy some bread for my breakfasts. Then it’s home and time for sleep.

On to Fukuoka

It’s Friday morning, and time to go to my school community. Packing is interesting; while I haven’t accumulated too many things yet (I did learn a few things from 2003), what I have to add to the suitcases is bulky, starting with the box for the camcorder (I need that to prove that I bought it here). Again, I call on my last experiences here; the formed-plastic ‘innards’ are discarded, as are all of the little plastic bags for cords, etc. (except for those that I am unlikely to use while I am in Japan – those stay sealed up until I have need of them), and the box itself is collapsed. Ah, now it fits nicely on top of the rest.

Most of my clothes are dirty – rather than pay hotel prices for laundry, I will carry the wash to Dazaifu and make laundry a first priority there. I made certain to pack enough underwear to make it to my main destination (and I have a set to spare, so it has worked out well). That does mean that most of my clothes are now in plastic bags, so I rearrange the stuff inside the suitcase and add in the last of the souvenirs from the baseball game.

Hmm, these bags seem to be heavier – did we get that much paper in our meetings? Oh well, things will lighten up once I get to the school.

Breakfast and check-out – my partner has requested a taxi for 10 AM, and it arrives on schedule. We load up (one of my suitcases ends up riding in the front seat) and head for Haneda Airport, where we will catch a flight bound for Fukuoka.

The flight is uneventful. I had forgotten that Japanese planes use a nose camera to show you the takeoff and landing; we get a good shot of the southern part of Tokyo before the plane climbs above the clouds (and later a nice picture of Fukuoka as we arrive).

Upon our arrival in Fukuoka, we are met by Ishii-san and Nakagawa-san (now fully recovered) and one of the English teachers at our school. We load into Nakagawa-san’s car (actually an SUV, one of the first I have seen in Japan – almost as big as an American one!), and head for Dazaifu City. Our lunch stop along the way is at a local eatery known for its tempura; you decide on what combination of items you would like (vegetables, fish, or a few other things), buy a ticket from the machine near the front door, and enter the eating area, which is set up much like an American diner (stools around a long counter).

Once seated, one of the servers takes your ticket and puts a colored token in front of your place along with a bowl of rice and some miso soup. Side items are found in serving containers placed at intervals – pickles and relishes of various sorts – and a small bowl with something like soy sauce is sitting beside a small metal tray with a wire rack inside. Unlike most Japanese restaurants, green tea and water are self-served at dispensers around the edge of the room, so free refills are readily available.

The reason for the tokens soon becomes clear. Tempura is best served directly from the fryer, but things cook at different speeds and temperatures. This shop accomplishes the task of keeping things piping hot by cooking items one set at a time and serving them to everyone within a defined area immediately. A piece of fish appears on my metal tray, and one of the other teachers shows me how to dunk it in the soy sauce. Almost before I finish that one, my next item appears in the tray; I watch as the server takes a small tray with several of the same items and walks along the counter edge, serving it to those whose colored token indicates that their order includes such. Once you have received all of your items (which are apparently served in a specific order), the server removes your token, indicating that your meal is complete. By the time lunch is finished, I have eaten several kinds of fish and quite a few vegetables (including slices of pumpkin and eggplant) that are delicious and quite filling.

After lunch, we head for my new home, a Weekly Inn in Dazaifu. I have already seen some pictures online, so the size of the room is not a surprise (it’s small), but I discover that there are some new things to learn about this style of living in Japan. (I stayed in a residence-inn style of hotel in 2003.) The first surprise is when I enter the room – the office clerk shows me that I must insert my room keycard into a slot on the wall, which turns on the electric power for the lights and microwave. Hmm, that’s a new one, but it seems to make sense.

There is some soap and shampoo, and toilet paper, but not enough for a month-long stay, so I will have to plan on buying those things as I need them. The tiny kitchen does have a microwave oven and refrigerator as well as a single burner gas hotplate, and we discover that a set of dishes, pots and pans are included in this room, so I will be able to cook without difficulties. Dishwashing soap and a scrub sponge are sitting on the counter, so I don’t need to buy those items.

A short discussion with the clerk provides the information that weekly cleaning is done – in my case, on Thursdays – and that linens and towels will be changed then. That should work well; I will just need to remember not to leave things strewn about on that day each week.

I get some instructions on how to use the TV (which does offer one of the English language channels so I can see some news and other shows in English) and figure out basic settings for the microwave, lights and air conditioner. Then my partners ask what I need immediately to settle in; I mention that I want to get laundry soap and something for tomorrow’s breakfast, and some tea. They decide that they will go to a grocery and pick up those basic items while I get some things unpacked, and a short time later, they return with the basics and some ice-cream (Haagen-Daas, no less!) for all of us to share.

Then I am left alone, to settle in and unpack in earnest. Laundry first – there is a coin-operated washer on the first floor, and wonder-of-wonders, a tumble dryer (the first I have seen in Japan – while they are available, the cost of electricity makes them expensive to run, so most people do not have them). The clerk comes out of the office and helps me determine the correct settings for water level (as well as how much soap to use – Japanese laundry detergent is much more concentrated that most American brands, so a very little bit goes a long way).

She even starts the machine for me, using a token that she apparently keeps handy for running the machines to wash towels, but indicates that I should bring Y100 coins the next time. I hold up a coin as an answer, and she and I both smile. I manage to do two full laundry loads, which takes care of immediate needs – I will do the last load on Saturday or Sunday, and be ready for the week.

Nakagawa-san picks me up at 7:15 PM, and we head for the school, where I get to meet the principal and a few more teachers. The principal is the administrator member of this year’s MTP team, and he is eager to meet me and discuss his impending visit to our school in the fall. His English is quite good; during subsequent conversations, he tells me that he has been working to increase the amount of time spent on English conversation in the school because he feels that his students need to improve their speaking abilities to go along with the reading and writing studies.

A PTA meeting (yes, they have those in Japan) is in progress, and the parents have planned a welcome dinner at a local yakitori (Japanese barbecue) after the meeting is finished. We walk over to the restaurant and join others around a long table. Introductions are given all around, some in English and others in Japanese (I manage a decent introduction of myself in Japanese, so I have remembered some of it).

Appetizers are on the table, beer (and later sake) appear at every place, and the leader of the parents’ offers a toast, then various types of barbecued foods appear. The remainder of the evening is long but very enjoyable; I get a chance to talk to several of the parents and have more than enough food and drink to fill me. It was a good party.

Back to my new home (via taxi, with my partners – we’ve all had more than enough alcohol to drink, and no one needs to be driving), and I crawl into bed. Tomorrow I get to sleep in!

Tokyo, Day 5 - The last of the meetings

Today's meetings start with a discussion by Jones-san about a project called the Cooperative School Science Network. This will involve work with museums, universities and middle and high schools to develop and use science kits that explore various aspects of future life (perhaps on the Moon or Mars).

The discussion rapidly moves to a discussion of science education in general - how it is currently implemented and what kinds of changes may need to be made to continue to foster an interest in science with future generations (something that has become a concern in both Japan and the U.S.). Some of the issues involving science education are very different between our two countries, particularly the issue of teaching evolution and/or creationism in science classes in the U.S. (which creates a lot of puzzlement in Japan - "Why are you teaching about folk tales in a science class?" is a common question, since our Jewish/Christian Bible is not well known here, and close-knit connections between religious belief systems and basic education simply do not exist in Japan).

Before the discussion can get too heated, we move away from that discussion (most folks are more than willing to do so - none of us are interested in fighting any wars here). Now we actually try to get our computers to connect to the 'Net, a very involved process. The group is almost equally divided between wired and wireless connections; while those of us with wireless cards are up and running, the wired connections require that some network hubs be brought in.

Soon the room assumes the properties of a network support center in disaster recovery mode - rainbow-colored wires snake all over the room, adding to the maze of black, white and grey power cords and extension cords coming from every available outlet. At one point, someone from the building tech support staff comes in and asks if someone has gotten a shock - the equipment monitoring the power consumption of the building has detected a short circuit somewhere in the room. It is determined that someone did indeed throw a spark when they plugged in to their outlet - most likely a static electricity discharge which did not cause further harm. (That is some monitoring system!)

Everyone that can get connected does so, and several of us soon find family and friends online, so multiple conversations spring up all over the room. I get to see my husband and daughter, and we chat and wave; daughter grabs cats as they wander by and holds each up to see the screen (one of them promptly tries to climb on the screen when she sees me there). Theckla and her partner are sitting behind me; when they see my husband and daughter (who they met during the March visits), they wave and my family waves back.

Meanwhile, several people are having problems, Theckla among them. Unfortunately, her computer is a much older system, one with very little in included hardware, and (to make matters worse) the tech who set it up has locked out the administrator functions. Theckla has a PC Card with an Ethernet connection, but no drivers were loaded for it, so the only connection she has defined is an AOL dialup; that's not going to work over here. After much gnashing of teeth (and some muttered curses), she decides that she will contact her administrator as soon as possible and try to get the needed passwords. If she is successful, I will help her tonight or early tomorrow morning to get things loaded; otherwise the tech in her Japanese school will have to work on the machine.

(Note for future participants - always insist on having admin privileges on whatever machine is traveling with you. Remind the tech support person that it will be rather difficult to make a house call if the machine is in Tokyo and the tech is in Missouri.....)

After lunch, we have one more set of discussions, this time about building working communities as we go through our year. While this is old news for those who have already participated in MTP, it is very useful information, and provides valuable information for the new MTPers.

We head back to our hotel earlier than expected; a discussion ensues about what to do with the evening. I would like to go back to Shinjuku to get another battery for my new camcorder; several people are thinking about going to the baseball game, between the Giants and the Eagles (Japanese baseball league). My stand-in partner assures me that I can find good electronics stores in Fukuoka, so I join the baseball party.

We arrive at Tokyo Dome in plenty of time, get fairly good seats in the upper area directly above the visitors' dugout, and settle in to enjoy the game. And it turns out to be a spectacular one - the home team Giants' pitcher has a perfect game going until well into the 7th inning (the final was a three-hitter, with the last two hits coming off a reliever), the home team wins 4 - 0, and the game is played without a single error on either side.

Japanese baseball games are noisy - the bleacher section is much larger than the usual ones in American baseball stadiums, and it is full of partisan, vocal fans who dress the part, have plenty of energy and keep up the organized cheering throughout. (Even the visiting team has a sizeable group of cheering fans in one area of the bleachers.) They also have cheerleading squads who provide entertainment between some innings and offer things like slingshot prizes (t-shirts, etc.) thrown to the crowd. (American baseball in the major leagues have gotten too 'sophisticated' for most of those activities these days, but teams in the minor leagues still offer such attractions.)

I enjoy the game enormously - I have not had the chance to see a live major league game in a couple of years, but I do follow the scores and listen to games on the radio and TV (and I have seen several games with our local minor league team). It's fun to be in the ballpark, watching the action, questioning the umpire's calls (this one seemed to have a strike zone that was rather high, but he was consistent with his calls), and cheering when the home team gets a run.

When we return to Akasaka, my partner asks if I am interested in finding some dinner. I say yes, since I did not eat before we went to the game (and ballpark food in Japan is exactly like that in America - long lines and very high prices). We go to a good Japanese restaurant just down the street from the hotel, and enjoy a very traditional meal with chicken and tofu. Then it's back to the hotel, where we agree on a meeting time for tomorrow.

It's time to go to my partner's community.

Tokyo, Day 4 - The Big Reception

Today's schedule sends us to another campus of Tama University, in Shinigawa Inner City. While it is possible to get there via subway and train, we have been advised to take a taxi, since we will be carrying our computers. The drive is not too long, except that we have to wait for several trains to pass at the crossing just before we get to the campus.

Once there, we find out that "we won't be using the computers very much today - this is a discussion session". Oh, well, it's a chance to work on setting them up and testing wireless network access, so most of us do just that. Those who are veterans have (for the most part) remembered to bring things like extension cords (purchased during our last visits when we needed them before), so everyone eventually gets connected. A few do not have wireless cards; hopefully there will be some wired access available tomorrow when we test.

I have my wireless card, but suddenly remember that I did not reload the drivers for it after I upgraded my hard drive. Fortunately, I also remembered that driver install disks are an important thing to carry, so I dig out the CD wallet and find the correct disk. A few minutes later, I have a working card again, and it swiftly locates a couple of possible networks for connection. One is labeled 'computer-to-computer' - I suspect that it is for internal connections only (no 'Net access), so I opt for the other one, and it works.

While we are describing our paired projects, I use the time to check e-mail and work on getting my webcam running (something that is still giving me trouble). As I sign on to Yahoo IM, my daughter hops on and says Hi; we chat for a minute, until she has to leave for a dance rehearsal. She likes the two pictures that I sent showing the dance team from Tama HS, and I tell her to look for more when I upload pics to Dad's web space. As she leaves, husband signs on.

I have been looking at FAQs regarding Yahoo IM webcam access and my firewall (Zone Alarm) and am busily checking settings as I listen to the other teachers. I know the camera will work; I used it for my online Japanese lessons during April and May. The problem seems to be the difference in security settings between my home network and the public ones I am using now. I don't want to turn off my firewall (which has been suggested), so I need to find a solution that will connect properly through it.

As I read, something catches my eye; a couple of users indicate that Yahoo IM needs to be set up with 'No proxies' to work correctly behind certain firewall products. Hmmm, I didn't think I was using a proxy server, but let's go check....aha! I've got 'Firewall with proxies' checked! (Why did I do that? Oh, yeah, our home network does use an automatic proxy setting, for security purposes - ack!) Change that to 'No proxies' - hey, now I can see me!

Husband is still on, so I ask him to turn on his camera and try to view mine. At last - we can finally see each other. We wave and say hi, then he indicates that he wants to head for bed (it's late there).

After lunch, I return to the meeting area and visit with Jones-san. As I am sitting, someone asks if I am Rebecca-sensei; I indicate yes, and he introduces himself as Matsumoto-sensei, a 'stand-in' for my teacher partner from Dazaifu. My partner became ill this morning and could not fly up to meet with me. I immediately ask if my partner is okay, and Matsumoto assures me that it is not serious; Nakagawa-sensei will be able to meet us at the airport when we arrive on Friday. Whew! That's a relief.

I actually have already 'met' Matsumoto via e-mail; he was the MTP2004 participant from his school and wrote earlier to introduce himself and find out some of my interests on behalf of my current partners. We chat for a bit, then move into the meeting area. During the afternoon session, all of the teachers get an opportunity to describe how our initial BUGS collections went; since Matsumoto was not involved this spring, he described his last collection from the previous fall.

Then it's back to the hotel and time to dress for a formal reception introducing the newest group of JFMF Teacher Program participants (200 of them). The Teacher Program folks have just arrived for their three-week visit and they are excited and nervous (as is to be expected). All of the MTPers have stickers saying 'Ask me about MTP' and several teachers do ask, so we get an opportunity to explain the longer program and its benefits and interests.

Quite a few teachers have already read about our program, but several indicate that they thought only science teachers could apply (because of the science requirement for the paired projects). I assure them that while one has to be willing to do science projects, one does not have to be certified in science, pointing to myself as an example since I teach music. I also explain that in our group of 25 teachers, roughly one-third are not certified in science; our subjects include history, art and computer technology as well as music.

The reception is quite good; we hear Japanese music on koto and shakuhachi and have many kinds of foods (both Japanese and American) to eat, as well as wine and beer, juice and soda, and later coffee to drink. My partner and I enjoy a great dinner, including sushi, and some wine.

Then it's back to the hotel to sleep.

Tokyo, Day 3 - Tea Ceremony

Today is more of a general 'life in Japan' orientation, but it's fun. We meet the Tama University MTP staff at our hotel, and go to Shinigawa History Museum, a process that involves both a subway trip and two JR train rides, as well as a walk.

One of the Tama teachers is a graduate of Sofia University; while there, she was very active in the Tea Club. She and other club members have arranged to serve tea to our group in a traditional Japanese style, using the large tea room facility at the history museum. This is an informal setup; picture-taking is encouraged, and parts of the ceremony are explained as they occur. During my two trips to Japan, I have been able to participate in both formal and informal ceremonies, and, while I enjoy the formal process, I am always glad to see a more informal ritual, since it allows me to learn more about it and feel comfortable that I will not be making too many faux pas.

The history museum has a small but very complete Japanese garden as well as a much smaller tea house (suitable for only 2 or 3 participants) along with the larger room. After our ceremony, we wander in the garden, taking pictures and enjoying the views available.

Lunch is on our own, and we are also on our own to find our way back to Tama's Meguro campus (where we met yesterday). This is again part of our orientation; while a few people are still a bit hesitant about it, most folks have begun to figure out how to read the signs in the stations and retrace a path. We do still tend to stay in groups, but now the groups are smaller.

Once I get to the Meguro area, I walk towards the university campus, looking for likely lunch prospects. There is a shop along the way that seems to have lunch things to take with you, so I stop and look around; I end up getting a small sandwich with what tastes like tuna salad (it was good), a bottle of orange drink (but it has a lot more actual juice in it than similar drinks in the U.S.), and a package of what I think are wafer cookies with chocolate filling (they are).

As I look a bit longer, I realize that this shop, unlike many of the convenience shops I've seen, seems to have different items, all priced the same. Ah, I understand - this is a variant of a well-known type of Japanese shop, the 100 Yen Store, only this one is competing at a new level; everything here is Y98! Cool, even the Dollar Stores have competitors.

When we all meet at Tama, we have a discussion of what to look for on food and product labels (for example, milk does come in both whole and low-fat forms, but you have to find the part that gives the percentage of milk-fat to determine which is which). We then break into groups, and students from the Tama JHS/HS International Club join us for a shopping trip; they will be available to answer questions about labels and help us find things we might be needing. This time, we head for a grocery store that also has a Y100 shop in it; those who have not seen these stores are amazed at the variety of items one can buy.

When we head back for dinner, my group makes one misstep on the subway ride; we didn't pay close enough attention to our maps (or the color of the stripe on the train, which tells you what line it follows) and go a couple of stops beyond our first transfer point. So we get to get off and backtrack just a bit. It's not a problem (and was probably a good thing to have happen for the new people in the group), but it does help reinforce the need to look at the signs and train indicators. Other than that, most of us are beginning to feel comfortable with daily travel.

I want to go look for a digital camcorder in Shinjuku, but am not particularly comfortable with the idea of going by myself at night. (It's a reasonably safe area, as long as you stay on the main streets, but it's usually better to go with someone rather than solo when it is dark, much as it is in many American cities.) Jim doesn't need to shop, but is willing to go with me, and we plan to get dinner afterwards.

We get to the area without a problem, and find several well-known electronics stores. I browse through two or three - surprisingly, the shop I remember best has the least selection in camcorders (although they do still have a great supply of translators and still cameras). I end up with a Canon - it's a very new model, and uses both MiniDV tapes and SD Media cards (for video and still pictures). It is lighter than the Sony camcorders I look at, and has some features that the Panasonic I liked didn't have (specifically an anti-shake focusing system for handheld video filming).

Unfortunately, the store does not have a user manual in English, but they assure me that one can be ordered for later pick-up (I will get it when I return to Tokyo in July). We spend some time while the store clerk helps me learn the basics of how to use the camera; even with Japanese labels, it is surprisingly easy to figure out how to use it. I leave with the camera, some MiniDV tapes, a larger SD Media card (256 mB; 16 mB never holds very much, and it's easier and cheaper to buy it right then), and a bag and extra strap (thrown in as a bonus).

A quick check online later confirms that I have gotten a very good price, and the store had the proper forms for tourists to avoid paying the Japanese sales tax (legal as long as you are a foreign visitor and have the store fill it out and attach it to your passport for the customs people to take later), as well as a properly validated warranty.

I like shopping in Shinjuku - there are always good buys on electronics equipment and you can usually see a lot of new things.

Jim and I head back to the hotel, and find a small restaurant that specializes in Italian cuisine. He orders pizza, I get Fettucine alla Carbonara, and they are both delicious. There are a couple of interesting items in the alcohol list (for an Italian restaurant, at least): Tio Pepe (a well-known Spanish sherry) is available by the glass, and they offer a "Homemade Sangria" (also a Spanish specialty), which I decide to try. It's good....

Back to the hotel, where I play with the camera for a bit and then plug it in to get a full charge on the battery pack. I end up going to bed much later than on other evenings; I think I'm finally acclimated to Japan time.

Tokyo, Day 2 - Meetings and a school visit

Today is Monday, and it is our first 'working' day.

The morning is spent over at the JFMF offices in Sanno Grand (about a block from our hotel). This is another orientation meeting; we get a lot more paperwork, turn in our first receipts for the research allowance, and discuss what to expect when we first arrive in our partner communities next weekend. Lots of good information is given about how to live comfortably in a strange environment - ways to shop, and how to find places that you might need, such as the post office or a grocery store. There is also some discussion of security, with a warning that we need to carry our passports at all times since the police are being more vigilant about checking on people who are obviously not part of the local area (the Iraqi war has created a lot of nervousness here because of Japan's participation and a previous hostage situation that ended tragically).

We actually finish a little bit early, and everyone scatters to find lunch. I head back to my room to check on e-mail, grabbing a McDonald's along the way (just like home, but the fries are hot!). I find my family still up and online, so we get the chance to chat via Yahoo IM; I cannot seem to get the camera going (firewall issues), but promise that I will check it further when I have more time.

Then, it's back to Sanno Grand, to meet some of the Tama University language instructors. We are headed to the Meguro campus, where a Junior/Senior High School complex resides. We are given a school tour and allowed to view a number of classes at all levels of study.

When we take a break for tea and something to eat, several students arrive to ask questions about American schools and teenagers. I get to field answers about fashion (what's hot with American teens in clothing - shopping with a teenage girl does have some benefits - thanks, Marjorie) and what Japanese comics (manga) are liked by Americans (Thank you, John Joseph!); other teachers answer questions about testing, what classes are offered in American High Schools and how students plan for university attendance.

Then we have a back and forth discussion with the Japanese teachers, talking about discipline and how curriculum is arranged. It's a great opportunity to learn quite a bit about the similarities and differences between Japanese and American education.

As we leave the meeting area, we find students who are practicing various sports and other activities. One group in particular catches my eye - a group of girls in a single line, with a CD player sitting on the ground, playing good beat music. Hey, I recognize this - it's the school dance team (cheerleading), and they're practicing a kick routine! I stop to take pictures, and explain that my daughter is a member of the dance team at her high school, which elicits a cheer from the girls.

Back to the hotel - a couple of groups are headed for specific activities this evening, including a visit to a fine restaurant and a local country-western bar where line-dancing is available. Some of us, however, just head for the noodle shop up the hill, and then back to our rooms for bed.

Tokyo, Day 1 - Scavenger Hunt

This is our "get-acquainted-with-Japan" day; our language teachers from Tama University are in charge. The primary purpose of the day is to give people a chance to become acclimated to finding their way around in a strange city and culture in spite of language difficulties (especially written language).

Our teachers have put together a short picture-based 'scavenger hunt' - we are to find our way to the large temple at Asakusa, using the Tokyo Metro system (subway) and then find our way back to the hotel. Additionally, several of us have opted to take advantage of an opportunity to view an afternoon performance of Kabuki, so we also have to find our way to the National Theatre of Japan, both to buy our tickets and to attend the performance.

We divide into groups of 5 or so and, with a teacher or mentor in tow, head for the subway station to learn how to buy tickets and read the signs. Since this is my second trip, I've got a reasonably good idea of what to do, so I buy a metro pass (Y1000) and follow our leader as she takes us to the Hanzomon subway line to go the to the theatre. We ride to the next stop and leave the train; the theatre is a short walk from the station.

When we get there, we discover that the box office doesn't open until 10 AM. We have a half-hour to kill, so we walk across the street and down a block or so to the back gate entrance to the grounds of the Imperial Palace. That entrance is not open (it usually isn't) but it gives us a good vantage point for pictures, showing the huge moat and wall system that have been in existence for over three hundred years, and serve as protection for the Palace. I have not seen this portion of the wall and moat - we viewed the grounds from the Tokyo Train Station side two years ago.

Back to the box office, where our teachers confer with the ticket sellers to find a good seating area. We pay our money (Y1500 per ticket - not a bad price for a theatre matinee), and receive our tickets. Some of us also pick up some of the playbills available for patrons - they make excellent wall posters in American classrooms, since they usually have good pictures of Kabuki actors in full costume and makeup.

Then it's back to the subway to find our way to the temple. This involves riding one subway line and then transferring to another (the Ginza line), which is a bit trickier (you have to go through a particular set of turnstiles to avoid paying an extra fare), but still very doable. In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, the exits are clearly marked with numbers, and station names are written out in romaji (western alphabet) as well as kanji, so as long as you know the name of the station you wish to use, you can usually find your way around. The various subway lines are marked on the maps with different colors, which also makes it easier to figure out when to change lines.

Asakusa is crowded - it's Sunday, which is a day for family outings in Japan. Lots of people are here to see the sights and visit the shrines, and the shops that line the street leading to the temple are busy. I've been here before, so I buy very little, but I do find a clip on watch to get (I managed to leave the U.S. without a working watch).

Before I left the U.S., I had felt that I was leaving something out of my packing, but could not remember what it was. Today, I figured it out - I left my temple book back home. This is a bound paper journal used to record one's visits to the various Buddhist and Shinto shrines; a priest at each facility will sign and stamp a page of your book for a small offering, which provides a record of your visit to that shrine. So, I now have a new book, with stamps from three shrines. One change for this one - you are encouraged to write your name on the front cover of your book, much as Christians write their names inside their personal Bibles, so I ask the first signer to write my name in katakana, and she obliges.

After our temple visit, we eat lunch at a small restaurant at the edge of the temple complex - they have pork cutlets with rice and curry sauce, which is a favorite of mine. Then we head back to the subway to return to the theatre for the performance.

This afternoon performance is designed for Kabuki novices - there is a short lecture before the performance, where basic information about the staging and story are given, and the particular play is a light story, suitable for anyone. There are English-language radio receivers available to rent that have translated dialogue and side comments about the story - many of us take advantage of those, and they were definitely helpful.

The story is a hero-vs-villain type, with an improbable plot, one designed to show that the good guy always wins. I had read previously that Japanese Kabuki plays are similar in style and substance to American melodrama, and this does seem to be the case, right up to the use of makeup to clearly identify the players (white face for the hero and red for the villain, much as melodrama uses white hats and black hats). Having been raised in river towns all my life and being very familiar with the idea of melodrama as a common performance venue on the old paddlewheel steamboats that used to make the river runs, I enjoy the performance greatly.

We head back to the subway after the show; a few hardy souls confer with our teachers to find the correct subway stations to go do some shopping. Most of us, however, are really feeling jet lag (myself included), so our tired group heads back to the hotel for an early meal and lots of sleep.