Last Day

Well, our last day in Tokyo was spent doing 15 minute presentations for each group's city homestay. We were finished by 3 p.m., so with two friends, we went to Harajuku to see the Meiji Shrine (http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english ) and the Harajuku girls (http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/tokyo/harajuku_girls.htm). Being that it was Halloween and all, we really thought the outfits would be outrageous, but they weren't. Here is a photo of me with a couple of Harajuku girls near the shrine, some just stood at the bridge and blew bubbles.

The Meiji Shrine is "the" shrine in Tokyo as it is dedicated to the Meiji emperor family

"Meiji Jingu is the Shinto shrine dedicated to the divine souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Emperor Shoken. Emperor Meiji passed away in 1912 and Empress Shoken in 1914. After their demise, people wished to commemorate their virtues and to venerate them forever, and so this shrine was constructed, and their souls were enshrined on November 1, 1920"

We ended the evening with a sayonara buffet, that included Japanese food, fruit and drink. I would have to say my favorite food that was introduced to me in Japan are the Asian Pears. They are so crisp and delicious!

I am saddened to be leaving tomorrow, but am happy at the same time. This is a wonderful land with wonderful, hardworking people, who are not afraid to show all their sides, good and bad. The Japanese I encountered were always looking for ways to better themselves, and were not afraid to ask for our opinions and suggestions. I also learned a great deal about other parts of our own country by interacting with the 200 teachers that traveled to Tokyo.

I know I am a different person as a result of this experience. The more I learned about this culture, the more I came to understand I know nothing about this culture. Our sterotypes of Japan are full of traditional images of kimono, kotos, and samurai to name a few. Although those are part of the Japanese culture, there is a contemporary culture that exists, a culture that demonstrates its strengths through its kindness to strangers in the hopes of building a more peaceful world. This country, only a short time ago (62 years), experienced first hand what hate and ignorance could do to a nation-both within the country and from other parts of the world. I have come to understand that through diligence and patience, a nation could foster peace in the world one person at a time, one teacher at a time. The diplomatic policy of bringing teachers from the U.S. to study in Japan, to gain a better understanding of this nation and to foster better relationships is brilliant. The Japanese government understands the importance of education, and that it is the most effective way to foster understandings between countries. Understanding the differences can halt actions that are born out of hate and ignorance. For this, I am grateful to the JFMF program.

See you soon!

kw