The journey began early on Monday, May eleventh: a three hour ride to the airport, a three hour wait at the airport, and a grueling nine and a half hour flight. Finally, we arrived at Narita International Airport on Tuesday afternoon (Japan time) and then took another long ride to our hotel, The Prince Takanawa Hotel.
The next morning we woke up at about three o'clock in the morning to go to the fish market, but it was closed for reasons still unknown to us. We wandered around town a bit until our real day began with the discovery of the Japanese transit system. I'm not sure how to describe this to you; all I can say is that it's quite an experience to not only bath in your own sweat, but at the same time to be so crowded that you can't move your arms and always have this nagging feeling that someone is trying to dig something out of your pockets. Luckily, there is practically no such thing as stealing in Japan. Anyway, our first stop was Meiji Shrine, mostly a place of worship, followed by a trip across town to Asakusa, a temple surrounded by a Japanese marketplace.
On Wednesday, we took two trains to Noheji, and from there a bus to our final destination, Mutsu City. After a short meeting, we were taken to our host families' houses. I was treated to the equivalent of a Thanksgiving feast and I also got to meet the entire family of my host student, Tomoko.
The next day found Kim, Jill, and I at Tanabu Junior High School, where we were swamped with questions, presents, and many male admirers among the 800 students. I got the opportunity to both watch a class in action from afar and also to participate in learning and teaching in an English class. After our adventures at school, I went shopping with Tomoko, attended an evening of dancing & games at the city gym, and went to the house that Kim was staying at to light firecrackers. That night I had the cultural experience of eating raw fish and I also got to meet Tomoko's older sister, Yuko.
Saturday, we went with a group of Tanabu students to sightsee around Shimokita Peninsula. We saw the Mutsu City Science Museum, Shimokita Lighthouse, Osorezan (the dormant volcano where spirits are believed to pass through on their way to the afterlife), and Yagen Hot Springs. That afternoon we arrived at the Nature Institute for Boys and Girls, where we made bamboo helicopters and keychains, played sports in the gym, and then spent the night.
Sunday was the day of Mutsu's city-wide sports festival. I went to Tomoko's school, Mutsu Junior High School, along with Kim, Jill, Bethany, and Tracie. We mostly sat around and watched all day, but we got to participate in the warm-ups and the giant jump rope contest. Tomoko won third place in her race. That night was the hard part: The Farewell Party. Tears, speeches & thank-you's, and more tears. Need I say more?
The tears didn't stop until late Monday morning after our bus was miles away from Mutsu. We made our way back on the trains to Tokyo and on to Narita. We spent the night at another hotel, and the next day we toured around a bit at another temple and finished our shopping. Another long plane trip and we were back home in Port Angeles. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible!
