Day 1 & 2

Konnichiwa! (hello!)

 

We arrived in Japan!  After 17 hours of long flights (SFO – MPS – Tokyo), finally we landed in Tokyo.  Our first day of the trip was a series of transportations, so needless to say, students looked exhausted, but they are excited about being in Japan.

After landing at the Narita airport, we were treated like VIP guests.  Two people from the travel agency were waiting for us with the sign of Washington HS.  Then we took our own limousine bus to Shinjuku, where our hotel is located.  They took us to a "izakaya" restaurant and had our first meal together.

We will take a turn to update this blog to share what’s happening with us.  Hope you will enjoy reading it.

If you have any question, please email me at morikawasensei@gmail.com.  I will email you back as soon as possible.  If you need to reach us immediately, please call me at 415-824-3367.

You can find more emergency contact information in the handout that we distributed to you.

Here is the itinerary for the rest of our Kizuna project trip:

July 3 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel) 

• AM: Orientation and Lecture: Tohoku Earthquake and Restoration Plans
• PM:  Leave Tokyo and go to Kita Ibaraki (link: http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seikan/kokuko/en/travel/index.htm)

July 4 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel)

• AM: Presentations by the head of the Kita Ibaraki city fire department presents: aftermath of the earthquake and recent restoration process.  Visit the Ootsukou port and meet members of the Ootsuku fishing industry: 

• PM: School visit – meet local university students and discuss their efforts for restoring damaged shrines and temples.

July 5 (stay at Toshiyama Tsukihama Hot Spring: Rocky Seaside Hotel)

• AM: volunteer activity (1) – visit a local kindergarten / a senior citizen nursing home.

• PM: volunteer activity (2) – Hitachi city coastal clean up

July 6 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Students will go back to Tokyo in the morning and attend a debriefing session in the afternoon.

July 7 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Tokyo sightseeing (1) – visit NHK studio park, Harajuku, Meiji shrine, etc.

July 8 (Keio Plaza Hotel)

Tokyo sightseeing (2) – visit Imperial Palace, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Odaiba, etc

July 9 (home stay)

Students will visit our host school in Tochigi: Hakuho High School (link).  They will stay at their host family’s home.

July 10 (home stay)

Students will attend classes at the host school and give presentations to Japanese students.  They will stay at their host family’s home.

July 11 (Hotel Keihan Kyoto)

Leave Tochigi and take a bullet train to Kyoto in the morning.  Students will visit Nanzenji temple, Kiyomizu temple, etc.

July 12 (Hotel Keihan Kyoto)

Visit more historical sites in Kyoto such as Heian Shrine, Ginkakuji temple, etc.

July 13 (Ramada Osaka)

The last day before going back to San Francisco.  Students will visit Kobe and meet local people who experienced the Hanshin earthquake in 1989.

July 14

Take a domestic flight from Osaka to Haneda, Tokyo.  Then, go to the Narita airport: Delta airlines #208.  We are expected to arrive in San Francisco at 9:35 AM on Saturday.

dewa, oyasuminasai (good night)

T. Morikawa