Japan trip

2011 ホストファミリーの皆様、いい経験をありがとうございました！

2011-08-27T11:15:00.000+09:00

１8日間の日本での経験 !

高校生が綴った旅日記です。

「ホストファミリーの皆様、
お世話になりました．心より、ありがとうございます．」

２０１１年メモリアル／ノース高校日本旅行一同

Welcome to the Japan trip 2011 journal website.

We had a great experience in Japan! Let us share our insights of Japan.

2011 Japan trip DVD !

2011-08-19T02:13:00.000+09:00

Thank you Tom for making a great Japan trip 2011 DVD. We got together at Sensei's house to view it. It was very nice to see everyone again. ( We missed Jen and Tim!) We enjoyed the foods and conversation. The corns that Marianna brought were very sweet and tasty. The fresh corns were best! Also Margurite made delicious sushi. There were Sushi, pizza, salad, roll-up, Nugguets, Edamame,chips etc... Some plans to keep studying at college! Please always remember that we were in Japan together! please visit this we

2011 Day 17 ( Last day) hostfamily Day & Fly home

2011-06-26T10:11:00.005+09:00

Matt
My last day with my Showa family was fun and relaxing. I went to the hot springs
for the third time and had some delicious ramen! My host dad and I went to a
big mall near Showa that is a lot like the mall of america. For my last dinner
my family and I made hand-rolled sushi at home and it was amazing. Now we are
flying home and I am watching a lot of 'Burn Notice'. I am excited to be back
in Eau Claire!

Tyler
For my last night with my host family we went to LaLa Gardens to buy shirts and
go to an arcade. I also played pokemon with my host brother.

Serena is very tired because she didn't sleep very well last night. She had fun
yesterday going to a world culture fair in japan. However, she only wants too
sleep. See everyone soon! Why she's talking in third-person again is a good
question. (^ï½¡^)

Jenny
Just stayed home for a while with the kids and played bingo and UNO :). Around
3pm, Chihiro and I went shopping and I spent quite a lot!! I enjoyed the last
time with them and I was sad that I had to sleep early. The Showa host-family
was a fun and exciting one. :D

Tim
The last day was pretty fun. We went to Ginza where we proceeded to do the tea
ceremony. After that we walked around and my host grandfather showed me all the
different manikins he has painted around Ginza. It was amazing and his artwork
is really good! After that we went to a fish market where we had sushi for lunch
with crab miso soup. It tasted great so they decided to buy crab for supper that
night. That night after supper they showed me a tv program about the tea
ceremony that they only show once a year. It was really interesting to find out
some the history of the tea ceremony.

Tommy Lee
The last day with my host family was pretty fun. We ate fried steak. It was a
good supper. I also learned how to play "Go" from my host father. It was very
interesting and hard. We also went back to a used book store where I found my
waifu!!! :D It was very fun getting to know the host families and waking up in
the early morning also.

Andy
When I returned to my Showa family they took me to a karate-do class. How they
did it was different than back home but I don't think I was horrible. The master
there was nice and the dojo gave me a few gifts. After that I went out for ramen
and headed back home. The next day I got to buy a yukata but my credit card
didn't work so my parents had to buy it and sensei gave them money for it,
sensei is staying longer. Now we owe sensei some money but we have a party
august 19 where I can give her the money back.
As of right now it looks like night and I'll probably see you before you get a
chance to read this.

Again, Andy, thanks for the segue. This is Josie, if the sarcasm didn't already
give me away. My final day with my host family shall remain undisclosed at this
time. It's so super-special-awesome-sauce that you're going to have to wait
until I can see you in person to tell you. Happily, the wait will not be long. I
cannot believe that I managed to fit all the stuff I bought into my bags. I have
lots of presents for lots of people. I guess I missed you guys. But, boy howdy,
I can tell you one thing that I certainly missed. Cheese. Good cheese. I want
some freaking grilled cheese when I get home. I'm excited to get back into my
art-making again after the trip, to get started on several projects that had
been put on hold, and I know that this trip to Japan will really help bring a
new dimension to my story and characters. Can't wait to get to work!

Tom K
Today has been a long day so far. I stayed up really late last night intending
to sleep on the plane, but we've almost landed and I've only slept for a couple
hours. Lots of waiting. It'll be worth it, though, when I get home so I can
start working on the DVD and start playing my new shamise

2011 Day 16 Capsule hotel, Tsukiji fish market, Ueno

2011-06-25T09:57:00.015+09:00

At Japanese drum museum

浅草合羽橋

with Wada sensei

東京スカイツリー

Tommy Lee

The capsule hotel was ok. It was way to hot though. It was a small space but I guess it was worth it. I was sort of frustrated but at least I got to wear a yukata. Then we went to a shrine with a bunch of stores leading up to it. Someone bought a mask for me and now I'm wearing it with pride!

Jenny

The hotel was fun!! Everyone said it was hot, but for me, it was so so. After waking up, some of the group went to mister doughnut and ate some weird doughnuts. Then we went to a temple like place and had shopping free time. The rest of the day was spent shopping in the area... Now we are on our way to the Showa host families!!

Darryl Z (Chaperone)

I haven't done any updates yet since this is the student's trip, but I have to say that last night's capsule hotel stay was my most uncomfortable there yet. I've stayed at the same capsule hotel with this trip at least 6-7 times in the past, but last night it was so warm that the little exhaust fan did nothing, and I had to sleep with the capsule screen open just to get some cool air. I was like a dog leaning out the window of a car to get a face full of cool breezes! And the futon mattress seemed thinner than usual, and I had to supplement it with the comforter to bring it up to just "uncomfortable" instead of "miserable"! But the students all did a good job, and they can catch up on sleep tonight at their #1 Showa host-families and sleep in a real bed (or a real futon) tonight. See everyone soon, we fly back to the U.S. on Monday! And the morning fish market experience was amazing, and those who went had a really great breakfast of the freshest sushi and rice. :)

2011 Day 15 Back to Tokyo, Tokyo free time

2011-06-24T05:32:00.001+09:00

Well so far today we have ridden on the shinkansen. Yesterday was super fun. But I am looking forward to seeing my host family and shopping. - Marguerite

Serena

AKIHABARA! I am going to spend the last of my money there and get some awesome things. I don't think I can put anything more in my bag ... but I don't care! I'll be home soon with some new swords.

As per usual, Josie is doing something different than everyone else. Going to the Ghibli museum today. Serena's been kind enough to shop for me at Akihabara. I really did want to go there, but I figure that I can BUY stuff from anywhere online, right? As long as I am in Japan, since I am very interested in animation, I think this is the best choice. On a side note, Ma and Pa, I would love it if I could see Lindy when I get home. And Elise. And Jayne, too, I guess. I has gifts for them.

Jenny

Woke up at 6:00am to get ready for breakfast and leave from Hiroshima to Tokyo. The luggage I've been carrying is gaining weight!!(I buy too many things). Now everyone is just relaxing on the Shinkansen.

Andy

Yesterday I tried to climb a mountain [Mt Misen] at Miyajima but didn't make it the whole way to the top. There was 1.8 km left and we couldn't go on much longer. Today we return to Tokyo from Hiroshima by Shinkansen. We get a few hours to buy some things then thats it for the day after this long ride.

2011 Day 14 Hiroshima & Miyajima & Daisho-in Temple

2011-06-23T05:13:00.002+09:00

Marguerite -

So first off I really miss my host families and secondly I love being in Hiroshima. Right now I am in hiroshima and have already gone to the peace park. It was beautiful! When I was younger I researched the bombing of hiroshima so it was interesting to learn more about it at the museum. Otherwise Japan is great and I am having lots of fun! Like I said before I just really miss my host family!

Tyler/Tim

We stayed in a hostel last night. It was very nice to be able to do laundry and shower. We had to walk up a big hill to get there. The hill wasn't bad but the luggage made it slightly harder to walk up. We alternated writing sentences back and forth and wrote this one together.

Andy

Last night after we got off the Shinkansen we waited a short while at a bus stop outside and headed for a youth hostel. There we slept and today we went to the Hiroshima peace park and are now headed to miyajima shrine.

Josie?

Yes, Andy, thanks for the segue. Hiroshima Peace Park was devastatingly sad and eye-opening. That day was hell on earth for those poor people. I understand well that no-one was blameless in this conflict, but the only thing that was running through my mind the whole time was that there must have been another way.

Serena

Well today we went to the peace park. Just walking around and seeing the statues was sad enough but after going into the museum ... I almost couldn't get out of there fast enough. The sight of wax figures like the victims plus the actual huge pictures of skin melting off people made me very sick feeling. That was all before lunch too. Also today we went to and island. There was the giant water Tori that I have always wanted too see there. It was cool.

Jenny

Today we went to the Hiroshima peace park!! We were able to place our cranes in the container of other cranes. The designs which others made was unique and beautiful. After, we went to the Miyajima temple. We had to ride a ferry to get there which was really fun!! It was my first time, but anyways it was humid. It also was a long and hard walk due to the steepness of the hills, but it was alright. At the temple, there were many activities such as the blind walk, where we walk through a tunnel of total darkness; tossing coins; tower viewing; and more. In the tunnel, Tommy Lee decided to stop half way and scare people. He scared me so bad that I screamed loudest of the group. After, we just hung out on the island and waited for the ferry.

Tommy Lee

Hiroshima was good. It was fun in down town Hiroshima. There were a bunch of shops to go to. I found an interesting manga shop there also!

Tim Barnet

Hiroshima was amazing. The peace park was just beautiful to walk through. Then going through the museum to see the damage that had been done was heart wrenching. I would absolutely go back there again someday.

Tyler

Walking through the Hiroshima peace park was an amazing experience. We also went through one of the museums about the atomic bombs that were dropped. I will definitely come back if I ever get the chance.

Matt

Hiroshima was really fun and one of my favorite spots so far. We went to a famous temple called Miyajima that is right on the ocean. It was a very nice day and the view was beautiful. Earlier that day, the Hiroshima peace park was very interesting and moving. The set up of the park is awesome and the museum is very well put together. For dinner we had okonomiyaki, which I had been looking forward to all trip. It was everything I hoped for and more!

2011 Day 13 Kyoto Free day

2011-06-22T05:31:00.001+09:00

Jenny :)

Today was a free day and I went with the manga group. It was a good way for all of us to use our Japanese skills in asking for directions. Haha it was weird being lost but it was fun. Anyways, the manga museum was closed when we got there which was disappointing. We traveled a long ways to find out it was closed for only today :/. After, we went to see two temples/castles. The golden temple was an exciting one to see. It was all gold and was very peaceful looking. After, we just shopped around the southeast part of Kyoto, which was long and tiring. It was interesting when we were in that area because we had to learn to ride the correct bus. It was confusing but we were successful!!!

Tom K

There was a lot of walking today. One group went to the manga museum, which turned out to be closed, but I went with Tim, Andy, Tyler and Matt. We visited at least four temples, tried to find a karaoke place but couldn't because we didn't look for very long, and spent the rest of the time trying to figure out the bus system.

Marianna.

Today was the day that I feared, being left alone in a large Japanese city without sensei to follow around and translate. Little did I know that Sachiko Aoyama would show up early this morning and offer to drive Marguerite and I to the temples of kyoto. What a wonderful way to spend the first half of today and after walking through the golden temple, we flew around town enjoying the many many sites including the very large red arch or tree to Sachiko. After sharing a refreshing lunch with Sachiko, Akemi, and Marguerite, we said our goodbye and thanks. I invited both young ladies to come to my farm in Eau Claire. After that the two of us went mother-daughter shopping in an air conditioned mall --- oh joy!

Serena worn a hole through her shoes. Also sweated a lot today. Saw many bodacious temples and ate many radical ice creams. She only wants a shower. She doesn't know why she is talking in third person. So cowabunga dude.

Tommy Lee

Just chilling in the city of Kyoto. Was fun and getting lost was even better! it was pretty fun and even better when we went to the book store.

Andy

Today and yesterday we all had free time around Kyoto. I chose to try and see as many temples, shrines, and castles as possible but only got to see so few. This place is covered in them. When there wasn't time enough to see any more I walked around the Kyoto train station. In the same building complex as the terminals there are many, many kinds of shops to look at. Darryl said we should buy some melon bread and as it turns out it's really delicious. Now I'm sitting on the Shinkansen bound for hiroshima.

Matthew Steele Reagan

Konbanwa! We are now riding the Shinkansen from Kyoto to Hiroshima and it is extremely fast and smooth. It is a nice rest after our long day in Kyoto. From 9 to 6 we had time to do anything in Kyoto. My group (Andy, Tim, Tyler, Tommy) went to a few cool temples and the Kyoto castle. We had 'Straight Burger' for lunch which is like a Japanese Burger King. For dinner I had a delicious sukiyaki bowl (grilled meat and rice) with a double shot of hot sauce (thought you'd like that dad ;) ). Tonight we will stay in the Hiroshima youth hostel! Based off our experience so far in Japan, I'm sure it will be very comfortable and clean!

Hi. Josie here. My stomach is still giving me a hard time after five curry snacks last night. Bleeeeeeeeargh. Besides that, fun day in Kyoto. I will live here someday. I miss Lindy alot. I don't know if she's reading this, but if not someone should give her a hug and tell her I posted to Dulaman in Kyoto. Also that I found some Kenshin stuff. And that Serena is caught up to all of the plot including Lighthouse. And to tell her to tell Roman that I ate some pineapple jam. There is more irony to that story, but I'll save it for later.

2011Day 12 Kyoto, Kiyumizu temple & meditatio

2011-06-21T05:25:00.003+09:00

Serena

Woot! I love it here. Today we went to two temples which were awesome. One of them had the statues of the buddist gods. I was actually able to recognize some of them. I Had more yummy foods and am going to meditate soon. Unfortunately, my shoes have caused the skin to rub off on my ankles so I'm hurting pretty bad. But the hotel will be really nice tonight.

Josie is excited to stay at the hotel.

Matt

The two temples we went to today were very fun and interesting! At the 'clean water temple' we found out how good our luck is by doing 'omikuji'. We also found out if we will find love: we walked one at a time with our eyes closed and tried to walk from one stone to bump into a rock straight ahead, about 30 yards away. If you bump into the rock you will find love. I was not even close to hitting the rock haha. Then we went to a temple with a thousand buddhas. Every Buddha sculpture looks almost the same and is made of wood, painted gold. I had some delicious Japanese curry with karoge (fried chicken) for lunch today! I am looking forward to the Japanese style inn tonight.

2011 Day 11 Osaka, big Budda in Nara

2011-06-20T14:00:00.017+09:00

Tommy Lee

Went to see an awesome Budda. Was huge and magnificent. Didn't go through the nose hole because I'm fat and would probably get stuck. It was fun seeing the giant Budda. Also did lots of walking in the rain. Pancho man for the win!!!

Jenny <3

Went to Oosaka and went shopping like crazy with all the shops. After, we went to Nara to see the big Buddha. I wanted to go through the nose hole thingy but I chickened out. Anyways, I got to feed the deer and they chased me. Josie got a picture of Matt trying to teach me how to feed the deer!! Haha it was fun. After, we just left to buy ice cream.

Andy

So today we spent in Osaka and nara. It was fun.

Serena

Today was awesome! Well besides the rain. At the temple we got to feed deer. They are truly evil; one bit my hip because I did not give it a cracker. After, I got more ice cream. Since coming here I have never been starved. Tonight I karaoke with my host mother and sister. My only regret is that I didn't bring better shoes!

Marianna

More sightseeing but the big Buddha in Nara was incredible and well worth the trip and walking. The little deer are very cute but I wonder about chronic wasting disease. Oh well cute wins out and people love to hand feed these fat deer. I loved the peaceful park surrounding Buddha.

2011 Day 10 Travel to Osaka on Bullet train

2011-06-19T13:54:00.002+09:00

Marianna-Generosity is the overwhelming feeling of the day. The time on the bullet train was a wonderful time to relax and reflect and sleep. I am so glad that my host family in Yokohama made it possible for me to ship my extra bag ahead to Hiroshima and my life was lighten. Note to myself... Next time pack light. The train system is amazing but very confusing to me so following sensei is such a blessing. She shepherds our group up stairs and downstairs. Into castles and out of subways. Coming home to our host families home is the most wonderful part of my trip so far. Generous and loving and alway looking out for my needs and comfort- thank you Showa family and Yokohama family and now Kyoto family.

2011 Day 8/9 Day with Yokohama host family

2011-06-18T13:35:00.001+09:00

Tom K

It was a really fun day. First we went to the Daibutsu in Kamakura, then we saw the biggest shrine in Japan. After that, the host family took me to a shamisen store (again!) and I received a special lesson on how to play. In the afternoon, I finally met the host father and we all did karaoke together (for 3 hours!)

Tyler Staniszewski

My host family and Andy's spent the day together. First we went to the Daibutsu and learned about that. Then we went to enoshima. The first thing we did when we went to enoshima was eat. I had rice, eggs, and tiny sardines. We then went up the mountain to all the shrines. After that we went home and had curry. I also ate a fruit called bewa which looks like a small orange. After eating, my host sister and I played Mario cart, Mario party, and a game like rock, paper, scissors.

Tommy Lee

Well I first woke up at 7 and just sat around talking with my host grandma. Around 9:30 we left to go out. We took the bus which was very different. Our first stop was a temple in Yokohama. It was cool because there was a wedding going on. I thought it was beautiful. The wedding was very traditional too. We left after offering to the temple. We went to a china town in Yokohama. Maybe it was Yokosuka. Not too sure but it was pretty sweet. We ran into Jenny Lor's host family there. Shortly after we saw a Totoro shop and went in. It had lots of cool stuff in it. We then met up and walked to Yokosuka park. A place with a lot of young people and couples. The park was very peaceful and pretty. After we went to a theme park where we rode two rides in the rain. That was possibly the best time ever. Rides + rain = Awesome. We then went home to relax a bit. Later around 8ish we went to eat out. It was all so good. Then my host dad told me about a Japanese custom that after work the men usually eat food and drink. Then after that they would eat ramen to end it off. It was painful to eat ramen on a full stomach. I don't think I'll ever forget that time.

2011 Day 7 Hakuyo High School in Yokohama

2011-06-17T13:26:00.000+09:00

Tommy Lee
We went home and I saw an impressive manga collection from my host sister
Koto-chan. I learned that Yukika-san plays the gaki. It sounded great! My host
brother totally owned me at playing Mario Kart.

Marguerite
After I met my host family my host sister to me to Print Club. It was fun! Then
at my host family's home we ate sushi and some roll cake. It was really good!

Timothy
When my host family picked me up my host sister took me to print club. It was
very different from photo booths in america in a good way though. There are many
options that you cn do to your pictures. After we went home and they introduced
me to several funny TV shows.

Matt
Yesterday night I went home with my host family and had some teriyaki which is
bean paste in pancakes. I also had sukiyaki which is grilled meat and vegetables
dipped in raw egg. Very yummy! I hung out with my two host brothers and it was
sweet.

Serena
Yesterday was so awesome! I am loving my host family. They don't speak much
English but we have a translator through the cell phone. Last night we ate
freaking SUKUYAKI! With raw egg! Best food ever. Then we watched pokemon and
naruto. I can't wait till tonight. (@¡½@) Love you!

Tom K
Yesterday was pleasant. I met my second host family, and since they have a piano
and guitar, I played some music for them. After that, we played some Reversi and
Sudoku.

Andy
At my Yokohama host family I had seafood curry last night. Most of the time I
talk in English because they want to learn it. The mother teaches English
classes. Now I'm at the high school, gotta go.
横浜柏陽高校

2011 Day 6 Meiji Shrine, Harajuku & Shibuya

2011-06-15T11:24:00.006+09:00

Matt:
Hello to Wisconsin! Last night we stayed at the youth hostel and it was very
nice. Not many people were there so we had a lot of the place to ourselves. We
were on the nineteenth floor which had a great view of the endless buildings and
skyscrapers.

This morning we travelled to the Meiji Shrine and walked through massive Torii
gates. We washed our hands and mouth before entering the shrine using cool
little wooden ladles. We also learned what to do when you pray in the shrine.明治神宮

We went to a popular street called Harajuku where one can buy a lot of trendy
clothes. A lot of workers picked us out as tourists and tried to sell us
clothes. Then we went to Shibuya which is a big city and popular spot in Tokyo
with a lot of tall buildings. It looks like Times Square! There was awesome food
and shopping in Shibuya. Now we are on the train to Yokohama where we will meet
our new host family!

2011 Day5 Imperial Palace and Waterfront park (Odaiba)

2011-06-15T11:17:00.002+09:00

Tommy Lee
The imperial palace was cool. I felt as if it were sorta empty. There were small
amounts of older buildings. Although there were not many buildings the view was
magnificent. It was very cool when I thought about it.

The waterfront park was very pretty but there were no good arcades. I was sort
of sad, but oh well. I bought one thing and went to the history garage where
there were many old cars. It was freaking awesome! There were so many sexy cars
there. We also saw dogs that were $4000! They were very cute.皇居の花菖蒲

2011 Day 4 Elementary School

2011-06-14T11:10:00.003+09:00

At the school, it was very fun. We had to present and I know I messed up several times. It's ok though because it was worth it. I told everyone I like pokemon, so when I got to the classroom, everyone started asking me about it. I stayed in the fourth grade class, which was exciting. The hilarious part was that Mariana brought in the candy which riled up all the children. Anyways, we played dodgeball outside which was fun, but I didn't know how they played. After, my group moved to the first grade class. They were so adorable. We made origami planes and got along with them. Then ate lunch: ramen, veggie something, and riceballs. It was really yummy :). After school, some of the girls (kids) came over and I played a bit with them... But I knocked out so I kinda left them.. I was sad that I was so tired, but the day was great!! <3 Jenny

春日部市中野小学校（Elementary School)

2011 Day3 Sushi and Daruma

2011-06-13T10:51:00.008+09:00

Tim Barnet

The Daruma making was very interesting. I learned what the symbolism behind the Daruma and the paint we put on it. Afterwards we went to a sushi bar and I managed to eat twenty plates. It was fun and delicious and I felt a little sick. All in all it was a very good day.
だるまについてのサイト

かっぱ回転寿司　

2011 Day2 Showa Hostfamily

2011-06-12T10:45:00.001+09:00

Here's our experience with our Showa host families!

Tom Kokemoor: I have a host mother, father, brother, and two sisters. I also met my host mother's brother, who brought a guitar. I played some music for them, which they really liked. Later they took me to a shamisen store, but it was closed so we went to Laketown Shopping Center instead. After that we saw a museum of traditional dolls. It was very interesting!

Greetings. Josie here. Host family is best. I am living with the two grandparents, but they have two daughters about Elise and Jayne's age and the elder daughter has two daughters. Found my photo album, so we had lots to talk about. The granddaughters LOVE Tangled!! And they really liked their presents and my sketchbook. Had a fun time introducing my characters to the girls, too. Lots of good food. They think lefse looks exceptionally good. Also, they're taking me to Disneyland on the last day. Sorry, Lindy, I'm going without you. I will continue to take lots of pictures. Later.

Hola! I have a huge host family. There is my host mother and father. They have two daughters and their husbands living with them. There are 3 grand children a boy, a girl and baby. The mall we went to is so big. It's as big as the mall of america. I love it here even though it's so hot. I fell asleep early so hopefully tomorrow I won't. <3 Serena

2011 Day1 Fly to Japan

2011-06-10T09:52:00.006+09:00

We left Minneapolis but the traffic in Chicago was a little delayed due to rain. However we had enough time in the schedule that it was no problem getting our connection. We had free time to roam around the Chicago airport and get food and explore, getting ready for our long flight.

The ANA flight went well, we left on time and got to Japan on time with no

problems and only a tiny amount of turbulence.

Here are messages from students that we made during the train ride to our

hostfamilies:

Marguerite - well so far so good :) the plane ride was long and I didn't get

much sleep. Otherwise besides the humid weather I'm having fun! I talked to a Japanese man on the plane he helped me with my japanese and gave me a English to Japanese phrase book! It was awesome!

Hello, my name is Josie and I function strangely on four hours of sleep in two days. Sitting on a subway now. Sorta hot but not as bad as the trains in Europe were. Just realized that I don't have my photo album, so it looks like I'm going to need to use my mad illustration skills. My host families are going to think my relations are Disney characters. There are worse things, I suppose. Trip over was okay because I was next to friends and got to watch Tangled again. It's still a good movie. Not as nervous to meet my hose family as I thought I was going to be. Dang, the really cute Asian guy that was sitting next to me just got off at his stop. Yeah, lots of pretty people. Good, I'm going to hand this off before I say something stupid. Looking forward to seeing Japan through better rested eyes, especially since it's so interesting now. Love Josie.

I feel sick from traveling... Airplane sick.. So the girls decided to buy coffee

before the first ride, and after boarding the plane, we all got stomachaches.

After that, no one wanted to eat in Chicago. The plane ride to japan was a long and cramped one. There was barely enough space to sit, but the food was ok. I loved the fact that we were able to watch movies on board :). I watched three of them which was really fun!! Now we are on a train, which is making me fee better and less sick. <3 Jenny

Four hours of sleep and I am functioning. The first time on a plane the

turbulence was horrible. At least the food was good. It is way too humid but I'm having fun. >3 Serena

Andy :Its been a lot of waiting and sitting so far but tomorrow looks more promising and enjoyable !

Tommy :Hot very hot sweating like a beast while waiting feels like forever!!!

Tim :The flight was long but I managed to get a good amount of sleep... Three hours was definitely enough and I'm excited to meet my host family!

Tyler : I think I only slept about 2 hours on the plane so I am very tired but I am very excited to meet my host family.

2010 Day 15 Fish market

2010-06-26T10:28:00.003+09:00

The fish market was amazing. We were glad to wake up early to see this market. Please check out our photo site. Our breakfast is a raw fish bowl. We visited the kitchen tool street by Asakusa, a big shrine in Asakusa and an american street in Ueno.

Thank you very much for our hostfamlies.

2010-06-26T10:18:00.001+09:00

お世話になりました．心より、ありがとうございます．

２０１０年メモリアル高校日本旅行一同

2010 Day 14 Back to Tokyo

2010-06-25T10:31:00.000+09:00

After 5 hours Shinakan-sen ride we came back to Tokyo. Some went to Giburi Museum, Some did shopping in Akihabara. Some went back to Odaiba to challenge the famous amusement park. We had dinner together and then some went to Karaoke.

2010 Day 13 Hiroshima and Miyajima

2010-06-24T10:32:00.003+09:00

James

The were a lot of Volleyball players at our hotel. We could not watch

the Nigeria v American match. It was lame. The Shinkansen is fast.

Tommy (Kishaba)

I met up with the class in Hiroshima and went staright to the hostel.

It was a fairly lengthy walk uphill to the surprisingly crowded

building. We watched the world cup for a bit before going to bed and

it was great to see everyone again.

Dani - The first night in the hostel was not a good experience. There

were bugs in our room so Elan and I could not sleep there. Instead, we

slept for about two hours on the couches in the lobby. So, today, I

was too tired too focus much. However, I did manage to focus on the

Horoshima museum. I felt like I shouldn't have been there, but it gave

me time to reflect on the mistakes of the United States. I am very

glad that we went because it was a good history teaching.

2010 Day 12 KyotoFree day

2010-06-23T10:35:00.000+09:00

Tommy

Yesterday, I won $240 at pachinko. Today we just kinda wandered around Kyoto, hitting up various temples and shops while making sure to fit in about an hour worth of karaoke. All in all, a very fun, but exhausting, day.

Alex

Today, I hung out with Xai, James, Hakim, Kyoko (James' foriegn exchange student) and her mom, and my host sister, Mai. We first went to a sukiya for breakfast and was really surpirsed when kyoko's mom paid for all of our food. I was so very grateful. We then all went shopping and looked at some random stores. Kyoko and her mom then took us to a really nice tea place and it was super delicious. Again the mom paid for it and would not let us buy our food and tea. It was a lot of fun, my host sister then met up with us and we all went to kareoke and that was a blast! We sang the most random songs and it was amazing! The whole free day in Kyoto was fantastic.

Ron!

Today I went to an underground mall. I bought a lot of presents. I also ate cold soba noodles and a beef bowl with egg and green onion. I did karaoke. They had a lot of popular American bands like Journey andLady Gaga. They also had obscure bands like Enter Shikari, Marilyn Manson, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. They also had oldies such as Led Zepplin, The Beatles, and AC/DC. There was even a song that featured

Se7en!!!

Commodore Elan Jane C. G. Mccallum:

I could begin in a million different ways how today was, but I'll just record it as I remember. Breakfast was at Mickey D's, which, while not the best place to experience Japanese culture, has my favorite fish sandwich outside of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Grazie, Paul, Morgan, and I then went to northwestern Kyoto's Gion district to look for Maiko; success was achieved only because I happened to notice the kimono in the dim light of the shop. After feasting on a hasty conbini lunch we went to a "luxury" karaoke building, where we sang such worldwide, quintessential classics as "God Bless America" and "Girlfriend." All this frivolity tuckered us out, however, so we took an hour long nap on a bus while simultaneously heading to Nijou Castle; the castle was beautiful in a way I can't begin to describe--not unlike how Gackt's looks both perplex and leave me awestruck. Perhaps that sounds like an insult, but it's definitely a compliment; just only slightly back-handed. Regardless, we had more fun than I can say while using an iPod Touch (I have yet to figure out how it works exactly). (PS, the title is a historical joke) (PPS, Caffeine and exhaustion have been doing strange things to me)

Xai

After the free day at Kyoto, we rode the Shinkansen. One train lasted only about 15 minutes. The other, 1 hour and a half. On the train ride everyone was quiet for the most part. Everyone seemed tired and fell asleep, while others roamed the train. After the Shinkansen we took a bus near the foot of a small hill. For being notorious for tiring out students, the hill was easily conquered by this year's students. We are now at the Hiroshima youth hostel with many other Japanese students. Everyone is now watching the England vs Slovenia complaining why the American game isn't on TV.

2010 Day 11 Meditation and Kyoto

2010-06-22T10:43:00.001+09:00

Dani - Getting to Kyoto was the most difficult thing for me. I went

around the Osaka loop before finding out that I was on the wrong

train. So, I was about an hour late to arrive. However, I did get to

see everything that the rest of the group did. The water at the Mizu

no Tera was very refreshing. Walking to the San-Ju-Sangen-do temple

was very interesting and fun. It is something I would enjoy doing

again. Temple itself was very intriguing to me. All the statues and

what they stand for was amazing. It was a bit dull at points but

reading about what everything meant made up for that. Overall, Kyoto

is a very enjoyable place so far.

Hakim: Kyoto today so far was really interesting. We saw so many

temples and Buddha statues and it seemed like more of the same at

times but things like the fortune paper and love stone made up for

those times. I had a bad luck fortune but I walked right into the love

stone. At the temple we saw an army of statues and different gods and

that was very interesting and I also got a fortune that said I would

meet someone great and that made up for the bad luck earlier. Now off

to meditation!

2010 Day 9 : Bullet-train to Kyoto

2010-06-20T11:24:00.004+09:00

Hakim: We rode the Shinkansen yesterday and I thought it was one of

the greatest methods of transportation. The seats are comfortable and

you can turn your row of seats the other way which I thouht was pretty

cool. It was really smooth throughout the entire ride and we just

chilled eating some snacks that our hostfamilies gave us and it was a

lot of fun. I could also see mount Fuji from it and got some nice

pictures of it from the Shinkansen. Jim Spina and I then met up with

our third hostfamily. The mother rode a scooter and we walked home

with our host sister who is really nice. We went shopping for a bit

then we went back home and made a facebook page for Hiroko, the host

sister, and played Mario Brothers Wii for a bit. It was fun.

Eric: I enjoyed a spaghetti dinner cooked by my host mother and father

and I played my host father's gorgeous guitar. Their house is

gigantic! All in all, it was a fun experience!

Dani - The shinkansen ride was very relaxing. I was very grateful to

sit down and take a rest from carrying the bag around. Then meeting

the family was very interesting to say the least. My host sister was

late in picking me up, but that was quite all right by me. The parents

are very nice and everyone speaks English. They want to practice their

English on me. I am more than fine with that, though. They do have

some different words than the Japanese ones we learned. Nonetheless, I

am more than glad to have the family that I do.

Jim - Yesterday was pretty uneventful though we did get to ride the

shinkansen and meet our new host family. I share a host family and we

were able to get our host sister to make a facebook page. Today we

stopped at the oosaka castle. It was pretty big and I got pictures

with pigeons and an iguana.

Tommy: Oosaka was cool. Some homeless dude had an iguana. Blah blah

blah. Really though, this whole entire country is absolutely

beautiful. I can't really compare it to anywhere else. Even the big

cities, which I usually detest, are unusually clean and have a unique

feel. They also grow a ton of rice.

Elan: I'm continually impressed by Japan

2010 Day 8 : Yokohama hostfamily -2

2010-06-19T11:29:00.005+09:00

Xai: I had permission to follow my penpal until whenever. I went to

math class to learn calculus integrals. Although I said not much in

class I paid very well attention. Afterwards I followed her to chorus

club. At first I was reluctant but I eventually sang along. That night

I left home alone and found my way back to my host family's house.

Dani - Going to the high school was really fun. I enjoyed doing the

flower arrangements. My host mother then asked me to remake it for her

so she could take pictures of it. On Saturday, we went to minato

mirai. We did a lot of looking around at stuff that my host sister

thought I would like. When there, I bought a few things to show to my

family and friends. I'm really glad to have spent that time with my

host mother and sister. I am also glad to have gone to my host

sister's track meet. A lot of boys wanted to talk to me and take a

picture with me.

Ron: On Friday night I had sukiyaki. My host sister Megu taught me

kanji after dinner. The next day we went to a bakery and picked up

breakfast. It was very good! A couple of hours later I went to the

Landmark Tower with Megu and my host mom. We went to the Pokemon

Center. It was amazing!!! Afterwards we went to an anime store and a

Hello Kitty store. I helped my host mom make tempura for dinner.

Elan: after school on Friday, my host sister and I played video games

and chatted about our favorite characters. For dinner I helped to make

an unknown fried dish, which was amazingly delicious; we watched the

America soccer match afterwards. Saturday we slept in before going

shopping at a few malls in Yokohama -- accessories being our main

target. Then after hitting up my host-sisters' favorite ramen shop, we

went to China Town and spent an enjoyable time walking around shopping

or looking at the fish in the aquarium. That night we all went out to

dinner in China Town where I had the best Chinese food I've ever had;

when we got home we watched the Japan soccer match. Good experiences

overall.

James P: We saw a lot of cats and surfers at the enoshima. The caves

were very dark and small. The big buddha had lots of Lily leaves made

of copper behind it.

2010 Day 7 Hakuyo High School

2010-06-18T11:39:00.000+09:00

Elan:

I was absolutely ready to collapse into whatever was soft and immediately fall asleep when we arrived in Yokohama. The reality of life was, however, that I had to walk up several sloping hills with my host sister/pen pal before arriving at my Yokohama host family's house. Dang. Things picked up after I found that my host sister and I were both really into manga, anime, and Japanese rock music, though, so I was more energetic as I helped make dinner.

Jim- We had some free time in a popular shopping district of Tokyo, found a lot of strange things. Then we took the train from Tokyo to Yokohama and I met up with my new host family. After that we just ate dinner and talked.

Paul: Yesterday we got a lot of free time in Tokyo. A few of us went shopping at a giant mall. After that we left to Yokohama, and it's beautiful here. I met my host brother, who ended up being awesome. Later that night we walked downtown to karaoke, upon arrival Hakim also walked in with his host family. We all sang karaoke and ate wayyyy too much food! Overall Yokohama rules!

Ron

Yesterday I met my new family. They have two high-school students. I went with the older one, who is 17, and the mom to a conveyor belt sushi. It was very good. I had bacon sashimi. Next we went to a book store, electronic store, and grocery store.

2010 day 6 Meiji shrine, Harajuku, Shibuya

2010-06-17T11:42:00.002+09:00

Alex: today we hung out at Shibuya, a huge shopping district. Xai, Hakim, Jim and I went to a Hawaiian restaurant. At the restaurant as we were leaving Xai overheard the girls talking about me so he asked them if I was cute and they said yes. So I asked them if they wanted a picture with me and they became super excited. It was a very funny experience. We also got lost while trying to find one of the biggest stores in Shibuya, so we asked for directions and all the people gave us different directions. All in all a good start to a day in japan.

Eric: My feet? In shambles, but I tried a new clothing store for the first time

today, and it was extremely enjoyable!

Tommy- we arrived at this high-school today. It's very interesting, you could say. I basically just talked with my host family all night, which is cool by me, considering they have much to share. My host dad surfs and is an avid cuttlefish enthusiast!

2010 Day 8 : Yokohama hostfamily -1

2010-06-17T11:33:00.005+09:00

Morgz: My free day with my host family was a lot of fun. Woke up to

yet another delicious breakfast; though I forget the name. We left

shortly thereafter and went to Ofuna and met up with Tommy and his

host family. From there, we went to Yokohama - which was gorgeous.

Scenery and atmosphere just as San Francisco. We went to the

Mitsubishi Technology museum - fascinating. Saw historical and

futuristic scale models from space ships to war ships, as well as

learned a ton. Afterwards we went to the Yokohama Landmark Tower,

supposivly the tallest in Japan, beautiful view of the area, even

Tokyo. Then we went to a giant mall at the bottom, and visited the

Pokemon Center and Jump Store. So rad so rad. Then off to China Town,

for a delicious meal. My host sister and I then went back to Fujisawa,

visited the Shonan beach which is comparable to a clean and friendly

Santa Monica Beach. We hung out, then went to the Onsen (hot baths).

Then we returned home and watched Japan lose. Sad. Woke up today and

went to Enoshima, a rad island. Great great.

Paul: I spent the day with my host brother, Hakim, and my host

brother's friend. We walked through Yokohama and went to Chinatown,

where I purchased a dragon ball! Afterwards we walked over to the

mitsubishi science museum, which was rather interesting. We also took

many trains to get to enoshima, which hands down was my favorite place

i've seen yet. It had a very strange vibe to it, Almost eerie. While

there we climbed to the top and on our way we saw soo many cats

roaming freely through the forest. It was strange to say the least.

Eric: Woke up to an amazing breakfast, and I got to go to the high

school, super fun! The lunch my host mom made for me was so good and I

got to go out after school with my host sisters friends! Tanoshikatta!

Saturday me and my host sisters did karaoke then after that we went

shopping in downtown Yokohama. We went home and reminisced about our

time together and they gave me a beautiful photo album with all of our

events. A great end to a fantastic homestay!

Hack 'em: Yesterday was probably the coolest things so far. With my

host sister, Paul, his hostbrother, and his friend, we went to

Chinatown where we ate some wierd stuff and bought some souvenirs. We

then went to the Mitsubishi science museum and saw a robot that

responded to things you said in Japanese and I shook its hand. We then

saw a street performer and he did some really crazy things like

juggling fire on a unicycle. Then we went to enoshima where we saw

tons of cats everywhere and did a bunch of rituals and went to the top

of the tower and finally we went to the beach. Fun stuffff...

Alex: I loved my Yokohama host family so much. My host mom was a lot

like my real mother. Yesterday I spent the day with my host father and

he took me to the Yokohama harbor, then we went to the landmark tower

(tallest building in Yokohama) and that was super cool and it was very

pretty. We then met my host mom in chinatown and had dinner, it was

super delicious. We then returned home and my host mom and I made

yakesoba. My host brother and I then watched the Japanese soccer game.

All in all it was very fun.

2010 Day 5 Imperial Palace and Odaiba

2010-06-16T11:44:00.002+09:00

Paul: today we headed to the imperial palace, it was pretty rad, but my feet are killing me now. I also went to uni qlo, and I got an awesome shirt that helps with the steamy weather. The scenery is incredible. Also, the beach is

beautiful, it's probably one of the best sights I've seen!

Dani- The palace was very pretty. All of the flowers and trees were gorgeous. I'm sure that all the pictures taken there will turn out great. Then the car show was interesting to say the least. The futuristic cars were the best. Very imaginative.

Alex: today we went to the imperial palace and saw a beautiful garden! We all took many pictures and had a great time. Later on in the day we went out and spent the night in Tokyo. This was one of the best nights I have spent in japan, Xai and I did ninja warrior. That was very entertaining, and the guy working the station was very enthusiastic. The whole day was a great experience and I absolutely love Tokyo.

Xai

Yesterday at the water it was spectacular. At first, mine and Alex's goal was to find Mcdonalds. We were lost for quite some time but asked our way around. We approached a weird back door and went up to the fourth floor. There we found ninja warrior sasuske and had a blast failing.

Ron

Yesterday I ate at Mos Burger. It had the best burger I ever ate! I had the

spicy burger. It had onions, peppers, mayo, a huge slice of tomato, and ocurry. Later that day I had a sandwich with a breaded salmon fillet. I also had a cheese burger. The food here is amazing!!

Hakim

Yesterday went to the imperial palace and saw some beautiful scenery but the fact that I had to walk in hard flip flops the entire time was murder on my feet. I bought some nice souvenirs in the big plaza and rode the train around Tokyo.

James

The harbor was really pretty from the top of the ferris wheel also the water

near the statue of liberty was really pretty. we got some really profound pics

also the old car museum had a dolareon super awesom

2010 Day 4 Nakano Elementary School

2010-06-15T11:47:00.002+09:00

Xai: Today playing with the elementary kids was amazing. They are wonderful at playing all sports. They work as a team and they cheer very strongly for their teammates. The Japanese has something to teach the everyone.

Eric: The kids treated us like Hollywood superstars! Haha they were so happy to see us. Alex got mobbed by about twenty little first graders during lunch. The food was delicious, as usual, and the kids were super fun to play soccer with! Those kids are super good at soccer! It was high schoolers versus the kids and they STILL beat us! After that, I played soccer with my host brothers and had traditional ramen for the first time! Oishikatta ne!

2010 Day 3 Daruma and Sushi

2010-06-14T11:49:00.003+09:00

[In the morning we walked to the Daruma workshop where they make the traditional papier-mâché good-luck figures. Then we went to Kasukabe for sushi on a conveyor belt and had some free time afterwards.]

Tommy

Today, we went to the daruma factory! Daruma are pretty rad, and they also serve as a cheap souvenir. However, it seems that everything here is much more appreciable in the experience, as are most things in life. Byebye! Kaiten sushi time!

Jim-today we went to paint daruma. After that we had some conveyor belt sushi and stopped by a Japanese mcdonalds located in the basement of a 5 story store After that Dani, Ron, and I went to my host mothers private school and played some games with the kids there.

Dani - daruma making was really interesting. Very difficult to do everything

correctly. I was surprised at how bad of a job I did at painting the face on. It

was fun nonetheless. I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of the

trip.

Alex: the daruma factory that we went to was very cool. I really enjoyed

painting my daruma, even though I am bad at painting. His house was super cool,I also enjoyed the kaiten sushi. It was a very nice experience and really differet but it was very good. The free time that we had was also very fun,we went to wondergoo, and a sports store. The people here never cease to amaze me with their willingness to help us and their kindness.

2010 Day 2 First day with hostfamily

2010-06-13T11:54:00.003+09:00

Eric: oh man, it has been so fun! My host family and I went to the mall and I bought my Japanese guitar! My host family has been great so far, and tonight we are going to watch the world cup! The food is good, my host brothers are the best-behaved children I have ever met, and this is shaping up to be a great trip!

Hakim: the first full day with my hostfamily was fantastic. My host brother's interest in soccer was a great surprise and we played a game of soccer with his team. I signed an autograph for one of them and i felt so flattered. We then went to the mall and ate ramen and I bought some souveniers. So much has happened and I can't believe it's only the first day.

Alex: yesterday I woke up to a wonderful meal, and hung out with the host

family. Then we went to a park and had a picnic. Then we went to a hundred yen [$1] store and looked around. We also did print club and then we went to an onnsen. We came back and hung out and ate dinner.

Ron

We went for a walk in the morning. After that we went to an art supplies store and two clothes stores. Next we went to a ramen shop, then to a 100 yen shop. I bought many Hello Kitty things. The end.

Elan: of all the things we could have done, we did the best. First we went to anosenbei [rice cracker] factory, where my host dad called me an "osenbei master"!ahaha, it was hilarious. After that we went to lunch and then a seriously large mall. I'm really looking forward to what happens next!!

2010 Day 1 Yes ! We are in Japan

2010-06-12T11:57:00.001+09:00

Yes, we are in Japan!

By Everyone

The weather is an incredible shame, but the scenery makes up for it. Can’t wait for more! Dani

The flight was long but we didn’t get in a crash or anything. It’s humid here. Jim

Oudes, the plane is rad. So is Japan. Tommy

The airport is the calmest quietest I’ve seen. People are quiet in the bus but we are loud. Xai

Japan is sweet, I love how all the people are super friendly. On the plane Xai and I talked to a guy named Akira for hours Then at the airport we took pictures with police officers, did they were all super nice. Alex

Dude, Japan is the best. Hey to all back home Eric

It’s really humid here! There is lot of rules, but people dress very nice. I miss you guys. Ron

There is a lot more English than I thought, weird colors, awesome! James

YES ! Hakim

Before my eyes a new world has blossomed; I am drinking in the sight. Sadly the non metaphorical blossoms here are wilted and dying. Elan

Utopia. This country is everything America should be; at least as far as airports and bus rides Morgan

Long plane ride, but Japan rules! I can’t wait for more! Paul