Host-family day in Isehara

Samurai village

Day of activity: July 19th 2015

It started with a car trip to Hakone where there is a small samurai village. There was a recreation of a village for samurai, made to look the way it would have in the edo period. It was amazing! The nature and the atmosphere was refreshing. The temprature was perfect for a guy from Northern-Europe; Not too cold, and not too hot.

After that, we went to a hot spring with panorama skyview! I loved it! When I felt like I was boiling, a nice and kind breeze cooled me down.

On our way home from the hot spring, we stoped to buy some kind of fish cake. It was not the best fish cake I have tasted, but it was good.

When we got back home, my roommate Simon and I had some time to rest. Our host-family prepared dinner while we were resting. The dinner was extremely good! Fried chicken, fish cake, salad, beer, milk and potatos (because I am from Norway, and LOVE milk and potatos). It was a delicious dinner and a perfect ending to this adventure in Japan with World Campus International – Japan!

Marius Einmo (Norway)

My last World Campus – Japan 2015 day

Calligraphy exhibition

Day of activity: July 18th 2015

Hello everyone,

Today was the last World Campus – Japan 2015 day for some of us, including me. In the morning we met some of the local kids who are taking english classes. We played multiple games with them and talked to them in english.

After that we got to experience calligraphy. A japanese lady showed us how to do and it looked really easy, but in the end alot of us were struggeling.

Then we made our own lunch. We could choose between “Fujisan-sushi” or “Flower-sushi”. (The sushi was named after what it looked like)
While we ate we got to talk to the ladys who had demonstrated how to make the sushi, and they were all very nice.

In the evening we had our Arigato event. It looked like the host families had a great time, and so did we. After the event was over, we had a potluck party. And the host families selected three kanji (Chinese characters) from the calligraphy we did that they thought were the best.

At last we all said goodbye and went home with our host families. Tomorrow is host family day, and after that most of us have to leave Japan again.

But I hope I get to see everyone again.

Thank you for reading

Magnus Krumbacher (Norway)

Isehara Science Center

Day of activity: July 16th 2015

Today, following a delicious lunch at a steakhouse, we visited the Isehara science center.

While some of us waited for the rest to arrive, we played some children’s games we had picked up on our trip.

There was a lot to see and try inside the center. It was physics, biochemistry, evolution, and illusions. It was so much fun trying everything! The only problem I had was that the instructions and posters were all written in Japanese. It made it hard to understand some of the machines. But when I managed to use the machines and understand what just happened, I immediately wanted to try three-four times more.
After 30 minutes of looking around, we met outside the planetarium. There was a show planned for us, where we got to see the starry sky over Japan. We saw many constellations, including the scorpion, Sagittarius, and other characters.

Then we got to see a short film based on a Japanese fantasy novel called ‘Ginga Tetsudo no Yoru’, by Kenji Miyazawa. It was fun to watch. The effects of the planetarium and the animation were incredible. But because of the Japanese voicing, I did not understand what was happening. It was hard keeping my eyes open throughout the film because the music was so relaxing. I saw that some of the other participants actually fell asleep.

When the film was over, I asked Hiro Nishimura about it, and he told me about Kenji Miyazawa and his novel. Remembering its long and difficult name, I looked it up on the Internet. The story is actually very interesting and one I want to read now after watching the film.

Tomorrow is personal day, and the plan is to visit Akihabara and one of its electronic stores with 6 floors! I’m really looking forward to that!

Marius Einmo (Norway)

Our first activity day in Isehara

AMADA exhibition

Day of activity: July 15th 2015

Today we did a bunch of different stuff! First, we visited Oyama elementary school, where we were met by its few- but extremely motivated- students and teachers. First, we taught them various things about our own countries. Then, we did a game where you introduce yourself to as many people as possible and collect a signature from every person. Next, we tried a traditional wooden toy that you send spinning by wrapping a rope around it and pulling back fast on it. The two girls who taught me made it look easy, but trust me: it wasn’t! I still had a lot of fun though!

Our next activity was a visit to the AMADA company, whom specialize in making machinery for cutting into metal plates. I’m not usually that interested in industrial machinery and such things, but the visit actually turned out to be really interesting. The precision and speed of the machines was really impressive, and we actually got a much closer look at them in action than I ever thought we would. The best part for me though (and I suspect for many of the others too) was going to the large exhibition room where special art pieces made with AMADA’s machines are on display. They were often made by students, and many of them were incredibly detailed, thanks to the use of laser-cutting and the like.

After our tour of the AMADA facility, we went to the Kikawa sake brewery. Located in a nondescript residential area, it’s the kind of place that you would easily miss if you just happened to walk by. But once inside, you could immediately tell that this place is special. They still make much of their product the old fashioned way, relying on a mix of ancient techniques and old trusted machines. We started our visit by watching a short video about sake brewing. Then we got a guided tour by the brewmaster himself, a man who is clearly very passionate about his work. Once the tour was over, we all got a small bottle to take back as a sample if we so pleased. I drank it with my host family, and I was very pleased!

So to summarize: school visit, industrial machinery, and sake- all in one day! It was an awesome day.

Simon Presley (Denmark)