Linking Maine and Japan

Konbonwa,

Good evening! (Morning to you). It is amazing to look at the moon and realize that we share the same moon, half way around the world.

I learned in a restaurant that the Red Sox won today! Most Japanese know the Boston Red Sox and the Green Monster, because of Daisuke Matsusaka and Okajima. I’ll have to go online to learn about the game. Several teachers with me are big Red Sox fans. The game was on in the morning here. I was in meetings with teachers in the middle school at the time — no chance to get to a TV or computer.

Today we visited a middle school in Himeji. The children wear uniforms to school. You should be able to see the uniforms in the photos I attach. I ate lunch with an 8th grade class. Unlike the elementary students, who all eat school lunch together in their classrooms, the middle schoolers bring lunch in bento boxes from home. The food is in separate little compartments, and the children bring their own chopsticks. I gave each of the students in my lunch classroom an Artist Trading Card from Maine. They loved our Maine leaf prints!

After school today we got to visit several after-school clubs, that children take part in every day until at least 5:00. I visited the sumo wrestling club (the school has won some awards), the kendo club (Japanese fencing with old fashioned armor and bamboo poles), and the tea ceremony club. There were more girls than boys in the kendo club, which surprised me. The children also have ping pong and baseball and soccer. I can’t wait to tell you all about the things we learned today in this school. Their school, like yesterday’s elementary school, has a large swimming pool. It is one of the teachers’ jobs to teach swimming. That must only be in summertime, though. Yes, they go to school in the summer.

Wally met a big porcelain cat when we went out to dinner. We see these cats everywhere, I believe they mean “good luck.” I will be away this weekend, staying with my host family. I probably won’t be able to write or email for a few days. They we stay in a ryokkan, a traditional hot springs resort. We already know there is no internet access there. So the pictures from today and tomorrow will be all for a while. I get home in about one week. I wonder if there are still autumn leaves on the trees? The trees haven’t really started to peak much here, this far south. I am really enjoying Japan, and wish there was more time for everything, But I am thinking of everyone in Maine.

Konbonwa,

Mrs. Grumbling