We got to the temple and there was a Monk waiting for us to teach us Zen, as soon as we got there, [...]]]>

This day we had a pretty good idea of what we were going to do, we didn’t know it was going to be as challenging and difficult as it was.

We got to the temple and there was a Monk waiting for us to teach us Zen, as soon as we got there, we went to the tatami room where the altar was with the statue of Buddha. Everything was prepared for us to be there. The Monk then started with his explanation about the Meditation Technique.

Some of us knew what to expect but the majority of us were just nervous to do something wrong in such a perfect environment, you could hear a needle drop.

There we were at the temple with a Monk with a wooden stick on his hand standing in front of us waiting for one of us to move so he could punish ourselves hitting us with the stick on our back. The sound of the “punishment” was very loud and truly scary. My jaw dropped when i saw him do it to the person next to me.

Zen… meditation technique that taught us to listen to our hearts and thoughts through concentration.

Two sessions of 15 minutes of immobility for us was a life time and a nightmare for a few nor for the 28 year old monk who was teaching us about Zen, his longest period of meditation is 8 days and a few hours.

To end our day we had a pretty big dinner party with [...]]]>

After a long day of activities from rainy visit to temples to Big Buddha, from seeing a sword maker to listening to a banjo player, it was a day full of new experiences for the participants of World Campus – Japan.

To end our day we had a pretty big dinner party with all the host families, LOC members and World Campus – Japan Participants at a temple which was also one of our host families’ house, there was so much food, from things we never tasted to things we were already used to eating. Everything from eggs to beef, from sushi to nato (fermented beans), from sashimi to fruits, from beer to sake, from green tea to juice and water, from chicken to guacamole (Mexican avocado deep)… all on one long table.

Once again we had the opportunity to use our senses in Japan, a country with unlimited choices when it comes to food. WCJ enjoyed trying new things and seeing familiar things on the table.

After dinner we danced to the rhythm of the banjo played by one of our host dads, a true sign of cultural globalization!

In the morning we had the chance to go on a scavenger hunt. We [...]]]>

Uda City is a beautiful place with truly amazing nature around it, around us. Rice fields, rivers, mountains, etc. Green everywhere you look, soft sounds at night, refreshing air in the morning and wonderful, super fresh smell of nature.

In the morning we had the chance to go on a scavenger hunt. We got to not only see all the trees around us but also we got to breath pure air and smell fresh wood. More than 1000 trees through our nature walk / scavenger hunt, a very refreshing experience. On the same day (I have to say that Uda was a City with a full schedule) we had the opportunity to experience three different ways to make art. We worked with bamboo to make little crabs, we also learned about tie die and about kirigami (The art of cutting paper), this last one by a very important artist in the area, who was also a host dad. He has been practicing this art for the last 30 years receiving awards in places like France.

Pretty nice to be able to learn from the best of the best!

From the start we understood very quickly [...]]]>

Our visit in Uda City, was as always full of surprises. We arrived about an hour before the scheduled time which it was nice after such a log travel day. Perfect time to rest, get refreshed and get ready to meet our new host families.

From the start we understood very quickly that using our senses was something we were going to do a lot in this city, touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing. Uda City was the City of the senses and if you keep reading the next four articles you will also understand why we decided to give this City a theme like that.

Our next post will be about smell… very interesting.

Back to the first night in Uda City… the host pick up was not the exception of the week, in fact, thats when we realized the LOC (Local Organizing Committee), had a lot of fun and interesting plans for our stay.

To start with the theme of the City, Senses, that night we had to Touch, to be able to find our host families… The host families had a box with objects inside, we had to put our hand in, without being able to see, to be able to match ourselves with the right host family. It was intersting, funny, scary, slimy and sometimes even furry.

Uda City, a great small Japanese Town with amazing places, people, food and very rich culture. World Campus – Japan experienced ALL in just one week and we were force to use our senses very consciously, something we, as people, normally don’t do.

When World Campus – Japan Participants crossed those doors we could already feel the positive energy in the air, around 400 handicap people and about 200 volunteers helping to [...]]]>

Fureai Event was celebrating 10 years. It was the year 2000 when they started with this amazing celebration for physically and mentally handicap people.

When World Campus – Japan Participants crossed those doors we could already feel the positive energy in the air, around 400 handicap people and about 200 volunteers helping to make that afternoon, the best one ever for them, at the end ended up not being the best only for them but also for all of us volunteering.

Age or language were not important, just giving yourself like they do to everyone. What you see is what you get, nothing less, nothing more, they give themselves exactly as they are, honest and free. That day we learned
from handicap people how to be truly genuine, best lesson ever.