Day 2 & 3, Host-family time, Serena

Serena:

I went to "field day" at school with my family Saturday and played games with my 2 host siblings! Played tug-of-war and got third place. 

I went to Chiba Boso no Mura open air museum and got car-sick on the way. I wore a kimono and made a necklace, a book and a candle! 

We had a BBQ with Ashley's host family and mine and played with their dogs! 

I also played Uno with my host mother and brother and lost miserably. My host brother and I like to color together 

I fell asleep on the couch because I was soooo tired.

Day 2 & 3, Host-family time, Ashley

Ashley:

Highlights, we went to a store and colored pillows and bags for Father's Day. 

We went to a bookstore that went against all expectations, it was loud, there were arcade games, and there were maids. 

We went to a dodgeball tournament

My family has 3 dogs and they are all fun to hang out with.

Day 2 & 3, Host-family time, James

James:

My family took me to a park, and we were able to fish in a pond. 

We also went to a zoo, and saw White Tigers, and a Grizzly bear. 

We also went to a Yakiniku place for dinner.

Day 2 & 3, Host-family time, Hope

Hope:

My family took me to the bonsai museum. We got to see all the beautiful plants and how they were made. 

We also went to family day with my youngest host brother. They sang songs and did wood working. My host brother made a bear. 

For lunch one day we went to eat udon since I had never eaten it before. It was very good but a little hard to eat. It's been a lot of fun.

Day 2 & 3, Host-family time, Savannah

By Savannah:

When I first arrived at my host family's home, they were very welcoming. They made sure I was comfortable and explained to me throughly about themselves and their home.

The next morning, we had breakfast all together and we talked about my travels to Japan. They were very shocked to have found that my flight was a total of 13 hours long. Later, my two host sisters took me to the Book-Off (used book store) and to a nearby park. We watched a little bit of baseball and then got some ice cream from the local McDonalds.

My host mom, "mama", took all of us girls to Okayama to enjoy a festival that was going on. We went to the mall and shopped a little, which included going to the Muji store. Next, we went to a small restaurant where the girls ordered something for me to surprise me. After we finished eating, we went back home and dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. We lit sparklers and enjoyed our night.

Day 2 & 3, Host-family time

Here are our highlights of the weekend with our Host Families. Coming more later...

By Savannah: The flight to Japan was actually not too bad. Despite not having much room to sleep, the free, large movie section was great.

Day 1 We are here!

Crew #1 Elise, Sensei, Serena, Hope, James and Ashley

              We made it! We are in Japan!

The airport has a lot of「ガチャガチャ」(gatcha-gatcha) Capsule toys.

"Gatcha-gatcha" is named for the sound the machine 

makes when you turn the crank.

Everything about the flight went really smooth. Weather is great, not too humid. 

Here are some first impressions:

Elise: I think that Tokyo is very busy like New York City, but we have seen a lot of trees so it looks similar to Eau Claire! Also, many Japanese people are in uniforms and I like it!

Ashley: A lot more Americanized than I expected. Looks a lot like U.S in terms of development but has a lot more cool and convenient machines around. Not as humid as I was originally expecting, hope it stays that way.

Serena: It's awesome. I love how green everything looks and the taiyaki is awesome!!

At Minneapolis airport, we told what we are looking forward to the most in Japan.

Today Cheng, Chai and Savannah joined us!