The time that I have spent in Japan has truly been an unforgettable experience. I can’t emphasize enough how this trip has affected me both personally and as an educator. I am so grateful for the Brookline Education Fund, the Gelfand family, and SET-J for supporting me with this experience.

I am really looking forward to sharing everything I have learned about Japan with all my future second graders! I think this experience will allow me to be a more confident and enthusiastic teacher for our unit on Japan. My struggle will be figuring how to fit everything I want to teach into 1 unit!

As I reflect on this week, I know I am taking back with me far more than information for my Japanese unit. I cannot get over the kindness and generosity that I was showered with this week. Every person we met with, whether it was for a meal, a site visit, or just to help us travel from one place to another, was unbelievably kind, generous and humble.  Thank you to everyone who helped make this an unforgettable experience for me. 

July 6, 2015

Before I left, Alice, Clara’s mom, shared some recommendations for Japan. She highly encouraged a visit to Hama Rikyu Garden. Ms. Gannon and I had a few hours the morning before our flight, and we couldn’t have picked a more perfect time to visit this oasis in the city.

Hama Rikyu Garden is a beautiful public park in the middle of Tokyo, much like the Public Gardens in Boston. It was a rainy morning, and we arrived as the park was opening, so we practically had the garden to ourselves.

We walked around admiring the perfectly landscaped park as well as the quiet stillness that is so rarely found in any city. We made a stop at Nakashima, which is a teahouse that rests on the edge of a pond. Alice informed us that Prince William visited here a few months ago, so we felt like royalty! We entered the traditional teahouse, removed our shoes, and kneeled on tatami mats as we learned the proper way to participate in a tea ceremony.

Here are a few tips that I learned…

1.     Eat the sweet first.

2.     Pick up your tea with your right hand and place it on your left palm.

3.     Drink all the Matcha tea in three to four sips.

After we finished our tea, we walked back out into the park as the crowd began to trickle in. We left grateful for the time we had to reflect on our trip in such a perfect setting.

* I forgot to mention that last night, we visited the Tokyo Sky Tower, which is the 2nd tallest building in the world. Wow. 2R, I think you would have been in awe like I was! Let’s just say, it was FAR taller than the one we built in the classroom that Toshi’s grandparents sent us! 

Over the past three days, we’ve had the opportunity to visit three public schools in the Tokyo area. All the schools have been extremely welcoming, and Ms. Gannon and I feel so grateful we were able to witness the similarities and differences between Japanese and American schools first-hand.

On Wednesday, we went to Fukushima to the Fukushima First Elementary School to visit former 2G student, Rio Wattanabe. The school was extremely welcoming and the vice principal gave us a detailed overview on the school’s history. We learned that at this school, there is only one class per grade and there are about 32 kids in each class. We spent our time at the school with Rio’s fifth grade class. We were very excited to be able to teach a lesson to the students with the help of Rio’s mom, Aya, who served as our translator. First, we showed the class a slideshow about Boston and more specifically Lawrence School. The students were excited to see what schools look like in America. Then, we led the class in a game of “Simon Says”. The students picked up on the English words quickly and only a few students did the movements at the wrong time. It was a lot of fun! Lastly, we gave the students the opportunity to practice speaking in English while having a simple conversation. Using modeled sentences and pictures, students practiced saying

“Hello my name is _____________”

“My favorite hobby is ____________”

“What do you like to do?”

The students were quite successful and Ms. Gannon and I were very impressed!

Before leaving for Japan, we had our second grade students in Boston make postcards for the students in Fukushima and were were excited to give them a book of Boston landmarks. We were even more excited to find out that the students in Fukushima made a book for our classes explaining important features about Japan and many things that are a part of children’s culture. It will certainly serve as a wonderful teaching tool during out Japan unit!

After our school visit, the Wattanabe Family took us to a delicious authentic Japanese restaurant where we feasted on sushi. We then went to COM COM, which was a public indoor play space. It resembled the Boston Children’s Museum, and we had fun as Rio showed us all his favorite activities. These indoor play spaces were particularly popular after the earthquake.

On Thursday, we went to the Fujisawa city Daido Elementary School. Former Lawrence students Toshiki and Riku Suzuki are currently students at this school. We met Mrs. Oka in the lobby of our hotel at 6:45am. We were so happy she met us to lead us around and translate for us throughout the day! We would have been lost without her!

Upon arriving in Fujisawa we were greeted at the train station by the Suzuki family. We were incredibly happy to see the dynamic brother duo- Toshiki and Riku. They greeted us in their Red Sox jerseys and we were off to the school, walking amongst the students. The principal of this school planned an interesting day for us and we were able to see many different class settings including a traffic safety class, gym, shodo, math and more! We even got to eat lunch in Toshiki’s 4th grade classroom! We especially enjoyed playing dodge-ball with the students at recess!

As an after school treat, Mrs. Suzuki took us to Kamakura for sightseeing and dinner! We really enjoyed this quaint and historic little town. It was especially exciting for Yu and Go Fukunaga to join us for this part of the day as well!

On Friday we met Mrs. Osaka at our hotel in Shinagawa and she  traveled with us to Mitaka where we met the Ito family. We went to Rio’s school, which was called Mitakashiritsu dai 5 Elementary School. We were greeted by the principal, vice principal, and Rio’s classroom teacher. Mr. Ito was kind enough to take the day off from work to translate for us.

At the beginning of the day, we introduced ourselves to the school during an assembly similar to Lawrence Community Meeting. As we walked around the school it was so nice to be greeted by the students. They were very excited to say “hello” in English. If you ever want to feel really popular, go to a school in Japan for the day as an American teacher!

During first period, we were invited to participate in the Shodo lesson. We were both a little nervous as we hadn’t had much practice with Japanese calligraphy. The students assured us though that we did an okay job. We spent the majority of the day in Rio’s fifth grade classroom. We observed a few lessons and got to participate in the sewing class as well as library. During library, we read the class the book Take Me Out to the Yakyu. The students seemed to enjoy this though it is written primarily in English. We also enjoyed playing card games with the students during break and chatting with them over lunch. We quickly learned that there are many more similarities than differences between American and Japanese students.

The teachers and students at this school could not have been nicer! We feel incredibly lucky to have had the experience of visiting Rio’s school. 

Classrooms:

The set-up of the classrooms we saw in Japan had some differences than our classrooms at Lawrence. At the entrance of the school, there was a space where students stored their outdoor shoes and umbrellas. Students’ backpacks were kept inside the classroom, because there were no cubbies or lockers outside. Japanese students tend to have the same backpack from kindergarten through fifth grade, and they can cost between $300 and $900. Oftentimes, grandparents give the backpacks as gifts. Students spend most of their time at their desks, which were organized in rows. The teacher stood in the front of the classroom to give directions. Student work was displayed on the walls, otherwise the walls were left empty. The math tools included an abacus and the clock from the wall.  

General Environment of the Schools:

When the students are not in class, there seems to be more freedom for the children than we have at Lawrence. Most children get to school independently. We were surprised by the private school students (as young as first grade) who were taking the trains in Tokyo by themselves to get to school. The children who attended public schools would walk through the neighborhoods on their own beginning in first grade. They receive training on this each year, and sometimes, parents would wait in designated spots along the commute to make sure children are safe. Each student also has an alarm on their backpacks that they can pull if they have an emergency and need help from adults.

Once the students arrive at school, they can walk around the school freely while the teachers get ready for the day. The schools have music and chimes that can be heard over the loudspeakers that signal transitions throughout the day. When the students changed classrooms or got ready for lunch, they did not walk in lines, but went on their own without the teacher. With this freedom, came responsibility. The students took turns serving food to their classmates in the classrooms. They were also responsible for cleaning the classroom and the school each day. After lunch, you would see students wiping stairs clean, emptying and flattening milk cartons, sweeping the floor, and cleaning the bathrooms.

The students hold the adults in high regard, bowing when exiting the office to show respect, and thanking their teachers before and after each class (ahem...2R should take notes on this section!).

June 30, 2015

It is difficult to put into words how I feel after our visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. It was both saddening and inspiring to learn about the effects of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The courage that the people of Hiroshima displayed after the atomic bomb destroyed their community, especially the children, is inspirational. We had an interpreter for the day who walked us around the park (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) and gave us a plethora of information. Ten minutes into our tour, Ms. Gannon and I realized we needed to start taking notes!

2R, do you remember when we read the story, Sadako, about the girl who contracted leukemia because of the radiation? We visited the Children’s Peace Monument, where Sadako Saskai’s statue is. It is surrounded by hundreds of thousands paper cranes, and we added the 1,000 cranes that the Lawrence School community made. It is amazing to think about how children all around the world honor the citizens of Hiroshima by making thousands of paper cranes like Sadako did.

We also saw the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims where there are hundreds of books, which hold the names of the deceased. We placed a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the Cenotaph to show our love and respect for the Hiroshima community. Nearby, is the Flame of Peace, which will be put out when there are no more nuclear weapons in our world.

Next, we rang the Peace Bell, and saw the A-Bomb Dome, which is the skeletal ruins of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. It was the building that was closest to the hypocenter that partially remained intact. Originally, there was a debate about whether to keep the dome. Some feared it would be a devastating reminder of the destruction and evil, while others felt it would be a way to remember and honor those who had died. It ended up being the children of Hiroshima who convinced the mayor to maintain the structure.

After visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, we were able to sit down with a survivor of the atomic bomb. Only 1% of survivors are willing to share their stories, so Ms. Gannon and I felt very privileged to have an intimate conversation with her. Her final words were a message she wanted us to send along to the students of Lawrence school:

1.     Do something to contribute peace to our world.

2.     Enjoy life.

June 29, 2015

We had another unbelievable day in Japan with our fantastic tour guides. We began our day by traveling on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto to Hiroshima (John, I took pictures of the train just for you! The Shinkansen is much cleaner, quieter and faster than the MBTA!) The Shinkansen travels about 172 miles per hour.  Once we arrived at the station, Mrs. Kamei and her son, Kota, were waiting for us on the platform. We passed off our luggage to Mrs. Kamei’s sister and got on the subway. After traveling about 20 minutes on the subway, we boarded a ferry to Miyajima Island.

Once we arrived on the island, we were quick to notice the wild deer that wandered around. We were told to be cautious of these animals because they do not shy away from people as they do in America. In fact, they boldly approach visitors with the intention of eating scraps of food, paper, and cloth that stick out of people’s bags and pockets. I also immediately noticed the lushness of the island. It is forbidden to take down any trees.

The next thing we saw was the beautiful Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine’s complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many people would probably recognize the Otorii (Grand Gate) that appears to float in the ocean. While we were there, it was low-tide so we had the privilege of walking out to the temple and touching it. During high tide, the temple looks as though it is floating on the water.

Then, we had lunch. Before I left, Mr. Keser gave me advice about what to eat on the island. I think he’d be happy to hear I tried both of his recommendations. For lunch, I had 2 of the largest and most flavorful oysters I have ever had! I also enjoyed some rice and tea, as well as a bite of Mrs. Kamei's unadon (white rice topped with eel). As a snack later in the day, we ate Momijimanju, which are maple leaf shaped cakes that are filled with a red bean paste and then baked. The one I tested was delicious…and then I had one that was deep-fried…which one do you think I liked better? This famous dessert was created in Miyajima as a local specialty to represent the popular maple leaf viewing spot.

After lunch, we climbed some steep hills and visited a variety of temples. To ease our tired feet, Mrs. Kamei thought it would be a good idea to stop by a hotel and bathe our feet in warm water – she was right! I couldn’t have asked for anything more than a foot soak and ice-cold cola!

Mrs. Kamei and Kota then took us to our guesthouse for the night. We opted for the traditional Japanese room, which meant we made our futons on top of the tatami mats. We also wore kimonos rather than our pajamas. The room was bright and simple. There were no decorations, and when we opened the shoji sliding doors, we had a beautiful view of the city.  

For dinner, we joined Mrs. Kamei and her sons, sister, and niece. We ate sushi that arrived on a conveyer belt. The kids loved it because once you ate 5 plates of sushi, you could play a video game and have the opportunity to win a prize. We won two prizes, and the children were kind enough to let us bring them back for our students to see. I ate some delicious sushi, and something new I tried was fried dough with corn. I had my share of fried food today!  

Thank you to the Kamei family for such a fantastic day. We are so grateful for your generosity and entertainment. We hope you will visit with us next year when you come back to Boston! 

Over 36 hours ago, Ms. Gannon picked me up in Boston (at 3:30 on Friday morning!), and we’ve finally arrived! The plane rides were not as difficult as we expected. We slept, read, chatted (mostly about how we missed the fabulous students in 2R and 2G), watched some movies, and ate some questionable airplane food. 

Once we arrived at the Kansai Airport, we went through customs. We had to show our passports, and get our fingerprints and pictures taken. Then, we exchanged our US dollars for yen. Lastly, we had to find the bus to take us on our 2-hour ride to Kyoto. Although this should have been easy, we struggled! This was our first time using yen and the bus was about to leave. Before we knew it, the kind people at the bus depot had loaded our luggage, taken money from our wallets to pay for the tickets, and we were on our way! 

Tonight, we explored a bit of Kyoto. We went to the top of the Kyoto Tower (the tallest structure in the city), which gave us a great view. We also walked around Kyoto Station. We browsed in some stores, and admired the food displays. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and some tea. 

I am looking forward to a full night sleep tonight! Tomorrow, we have a big day exploring the Golden Pavilion, visiting a couple of temples and shrines, and we will go to the Manga Museum with Mr. and Mrs. Oki!

Keryn and I will be visiting four cities while in Japan (Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo, and Fukushima). My mission is to experience the history, cultures and traditions that represent the 50 – 70 Japanese students Lawrence School educates each year.

I will visit multiple schools in order to attain an understanding of the education system that our Japanese students experience before and after they attend Lawrence. By visiting different schools in Japan, I hope to have a better understanding of the value and depth of education that our Japanese students have when they come to Lawrence and accommodate to their needs and desires.

The second grade curriculum requires teaching of the geography and culture of Japanese people, past and present. Students are expected to know the geography of Japan, as well as the beliefs, foods, clothing, literature, shelter, music and visual arts of Japanese culture. Students should understand how Japanese culture has changed over time and how it is both similar and different to our lives in Brookline. Keryn and I are looking forward to collaborating and creating an authentic, accurate, interactive and engaging curriculum for all of our future students.