Jet lagged, stuffed from bento boxes, and an oversized Daruma doll on my lap, I returned from a three week trip to Japan. As a seventh grade social studies teacher from North Kingstown I had the privilege of being chosen by the Japan Society of New York City to participate in their 2014 Educators' Trip along with nine other teachers from around the country. With an applicant pool of over 200, amazingly, I was the first teacher to be chosen from Rhode Island.
Our trip began with a three day crash course on Japanese culture and language in New York City. As I stumbled over the new sounds, I began to panic, thinking I would never master the phrases. I quickly became the proverbial student practicing new vocabulary using flash cards. We reviewed Japanese history along with bathing and toilet etiquette. Learning more should have eased my anticipation but this caused my excitement to build.
Our three week adventure proved to be a cultural immersion trip. We took public transportation that included riding the high speed train, the Shinkansen. We visited traditional Japanese restaurants where we ordered noodles from a Raman noodle bar, ate the dangerously delicious fugu (puffer fish), and ate lots of sashimi. Amidst rousing chants, drums, and orange waving towels the twelve us mimicked the words and movements of the home team, the Yomiuri Giants, as we watched a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome. Our last evening in Japan felt very fitting as I sampled my bento box during intermission of a Kabuki performance.
To deepen our understanding of Japanese culture we were placed in two home stays, one in an urban setting and one in a rural setting. We were dropped off on a Thursday and picked up on Sunday. I slept on tatami mats, ate all my meals while sitting on the floor, and watched sunsets over mikan fields (a type of citrus fruit). We looked at maps together and marveled at the distance I travelled. We talked about our coastlines, the fishing industries of Rhode Island and Japan all while we ate rice grown from the field next to the host’s home. Here I practiced my limited language skills, experienced life in a Japanese home, and forged new friendships.
To help us understand the Japanese school system we visited six different schools from elementary to high school, rural to urban, and one private school. The Japanese schools differed greatly in their large class sizes and national curriculum. Students walked the halls in slippers and ate lunch in their classrooms. Students stood, bowed, and sat as they greeted their sensei (teacher) and began each class. We were mesmerized by students singing in English and by students of all ages cleaning their classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms at the end of each school day. Schools honored our visits with all school assemblies and speeches. The Confucius approach to education will give us many new ideas to try in our own classrooms.
We saw many sights from Tokyo to Hiroshima that included multiple shrines, temples, and museums. One highlight of our adventure included meeting two Hibakusha survivors, survivors from the atomic bomb. Not only were we moved to tears but more importantly, we were moved to take action. We listened to their stories determined to share the lessons they taught us with our students.
It would have been easy to just have just toured Japan without acknowledging the "triple threat" that hit the eastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011: earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster. For two days we toured Fukushima prefecture. At one point we were within five kilometers of the reactor where ghost towns and boats dot the farm fields. Due to the radiation, entire communities have been relocated or dispersed and buildings left to rot. It was an important reminder that the people of Japan are still suffering more than three years after the accident.
Back home in Rhode Island, I feel as though I am a changed person and a changed teacher. For over a decade I have been teaching about Asia through text books, artifacts, and videos. Now, I am able to teach from personal experience. Boarding a plane with 9 new friends and two knowledgeable guides was a healthy risk that opened my eyes to new experiences, new foods, new friends, and a new culture. This greater depth of knowledge sprinkled with personal stories (some funny, some sad, and some embarrassing) will help to deepen my students’ understanding of a culture far from their Rhode Island homes. I am inspired to try new hands on lessons with my students from making Daruma dolls to writing Haiku. I have even made arrangements for a two day Taiko drumming workshop for my students. With my guidance, my seventh grade students are going to experience Japan in a way that will generate excitement and greater understanding for a culture on the other side of the planet,
Our trip began with a three day crash course on Japanese culture and language in New York City. As I stumbled over the new sounds, I began to panic, thinking I would never master the phrases. I quickly became the proverbial student practicing new vocabulary using flash cards. We reviewed Japanese history along with bathing and toilet etiquette. Learning more should have eased my anticipation but this caused my excitement to build.
Our three week adventure proved to be a cultural immersion trip. We took public transportation that included riding the high speed train, the Shinkansen. We visited traditional Japanese restaurants where we ordered noodles from a Raman noodle bar, ate the dangerously delicious fugu (puffer fish), and ate lots of sashimi. Amidst rousing chants, drums, and orange waving towels the twelve us mimicked the words and movements of the home team, the Yomiuri Giants, as we watched a baseball game in the Tokyo Dome. Our last evening in Japan felt very fitting as I sampled my bento box during intermission of a Kabuki performance.
To deepen our understanding of Japanese culture we were placed in two home stays, one in an urban setting and one in a rural setting. We were dropped off on a Thursday and picked up on Sunday. I slept on tatami mats, ate all my meals while sitting on the floor, and watched sunsets over mikan fields (a type of citrus fruit). We looked at maps together and marveled at the distance I travelled. We talked about our coastlines, the fishing industries of Rhode Island and Japan all while we ate rice grown from the field next to the host’s home. Here I practiced my limited language skills, experienced life in a Japanese home, and forged new friendships.
To help us understand the Japanese school system we visited six different schools from elementary to high school, rural to urban, and one private school. The Japanese schools differed greatly in their large class sizes and national curriculum. Students walked the halls in slippers and ate lunch in their classrooms. Students stood, bowed, and sat as they greeted their sensei (teacher) and began each class. We were mesmerized by students singing in English and by students of all ages cleaning their classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms at the end of each school day. Schools honored our visits with all school assemblies and speeches. The Confucius approach to education will give us many new ideas to try in our own classrooms.
We saw many sights from Tokyo to Hiroshima that included multiple shrines, temples, and museums. One highlight of our adventure included meeting two Hibakusha survivors, survivors from the atomic bomb. Not only were we moved to tears but more importantly, we were moved to take action. We listened to their stories determined to share the lessons they taught us with our students.
It would have been easy to just have just toured Japan without acknowledging the "triple threat" that hit the eastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011: earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster. For two days we toured Fukushima prefecture. At one point we were within five kilometers of the reactor where ghost towns and boats dot the farm fields. Due to the radiation, entire communities have been relocated or dispersed and buildings left to rot. It was an important reminder that the people of Japan are still suffering more than three years after the accident.
Back home in Rhode Island, I feel as though I am a changed person and a changed teacher. For over a decade I have been teaching about Asia through text books, artifacts, and videos. Now, I am able to teach from personal experience. Boarding a plane with 9 new friends and two knowledgeable guides was a healthy risk that opened my eyes to new experiences, new foods, new friends, and a new culture. This greater depth of knowledge sprinkled with personal stories (some funny, some sad, and some embarrassing) will help to deepen my students’ understanding of a culture far from their Rhode Island homes. I am inspired to try new hands on lessons with my students from making Daruma dolls to writing Haiku. I have even made arrangements for a two day Taiko drumming workshop for my students. With my guidance, my seventh grade students are going to experience Japan in a way that will generate excitement and greater understanding for a culture on the other side of the planet,