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.