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Our last day in Abiko: Chou Gakuin University

Furoshiki experience

Day of activity: August 4th 2015

Today was a day filled with interaction with students. The morning began with the arrival at Chuo Gakuin University, where we met up with a group of students from two universities. We had a day full of activities before us, so we soon began with the first one. Our first activity for the day was a lesson in using furoshiki. For those of you who have never heard of furoshiki before, it is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that is used to carry around all kinds of things.

After we all sat down in groups containing Japanese students and World Campus Japan members, we began very simply by making a small traditional hat.

We then wrapped and knotted several things with the cloths. The one I liked most was wrapping a bottle in such a way that it looked like it was wearing a kimono. It looked very pretty and it was fairly easy to do.

Next time I give a bottle of wine as a present I will probably wrap it like this.

Even though I liked the bottle kimono the most, it was also the most ‘useless’ thing that we made. All the other things we wrapped had some use other than just being pretty. For example, we wrapped a watermelon into the cloth in such a way that made it very easy to carry (as far as a watermelon can be ‘easy to carry’). We also made a bag, a backpack, and we learned how to wrap 2 bottles together to make them easy to carry. I was surprised by how many things you can do with just a square cloth.

After the furoshiki workshop had finished, it was already time to have lunch. Together with the students, we put our own lunch together. The lunch consisted of a hotdog and a ham-and-cheese sandwich, which was a nice change from all the rice (although I have to admit that the average bento box tastes a lot better).

After lunch we went to play a few games, beginning with our very ‘mature’ variant of Jankenpon (rock-paper-scissors) called Evolution. The students had chosen a mimicking game and a game of musical chairs. It was a lot of fun. I think that playing games and having a workshop like the furoshiki one are very good ways to interact with the Japanese students since most of them speak very little English. And the games and workshop allowed us to interact and have fun together without having to talk a lot.

After the games it was already five o’clock and time to go back to our host homes. My little host sister of 12 had promised to show me kendo, and today she brought her uniform with her. She was so kind to let me try it on. But as expected the uniform reached till just underneath my knees.

Since the clothing is quite loose I could still easily put it on though, and while I was dressed in my small kendo uniform, my host sister taught me some kendo techniques. Sometimes it was hard to understand what she was trying to explain since her English is just as limited as my Japanese (which is almost non-existent). Even so, she tried really hard and it was a lot of fun to do.

It was already the last day of our stay here in Abiko, so this night my host family was obliged to fulfill their promise to take me to a ‘rotation sushi’ restaurant. They could not explain it very well, but basically it was a restaurant where most of the serving was done by a conveyor belt. You can order sushi (and other kinds of food) using a touch screen, and then your order would be brought to your table by the conveyor belt. It was a lot of fun to see all the different kinds of sushi and other food (and apple juice) pass you by on the conveyor belt. I never knew that there were so many things you could make sushi out of! Sushi knows a lot more variety here in Japan than in the Netherlands.

After our last dinner together we went back home. It was sad to think about our inevitable goodbye tomorrow morning.

Yolande Schuijtvlot (The Netherlands)

Arigatou event in Abiko

Abiko Arigato event

Day of activity: August 1st 2015

Our Arigatou event in Abiko was different in several areas compared to the previous ones I have experienced. This Arigatou event was not a thank-you-and-goodbye event, as it usually is, but rather a welcoming event. The Arigatou event was already scheduled at the session’s third day. Another difference was the large amount of host family members who were able to come and watch the event. Including World Campus Japan staff and participants, the room in which the Arigatou event took place contained almost 120 people.

The Arigatou event started with an introduction of every World Campus Japan participant and corresponding family. The participant and a family member then had the chance to briefly elaborate on first expressions of each other, as well as the chance of wishing each other a good time together. After the introduction we had a potluck party. All hosting families had really put an effort into cooking and preparing the most delicious Japanese food for everyone present at the Arigatou event.

The actual Arigatou event started after the potluck party. We had prepared a show for all the host families, which included Japanese medley dances, country trivia quizzes, as well as games to make all people in the room participate in the event. With 120 people in the room that turned out to be a small challenge. In the end however, it all worked out really well. Later, some members of the host families even performed for us!

The arigato event was a huge success, not only for the World Campus Japan participants, but also for the host families.

Kristian Wolstrup (Denmark)

Arrival day in Abiko!

Naginata experience

Day of activity: July 30th 2015

After a short eight-minutes trip from Toride to Abiko, the new city we are staying at, we were welcomed by the lovely LOC (Local Organizing Committe)-members of this town.

They made us familiar with our new surroundings by showing us where Abiko is situated and giving us some general information about the city, while they were at the same time explaining about its cultural aspects. In addition we met one of the mascots of Abiko city. I was so lucky and genki when they told me that I could wear his costume afterwards! It was so much fun and sort of awkward running around with the costume on, getting some pictures with friends while you are sweating like crazy since it gets so hot in that outfit. Afterwards we had lunch with the local people, which turned out to be really fun since they were really open-minded and not shy at all. They would walk up and talk to us, so we had some nice little conversations going on.

After a short ice-cream and ‘puru-puru’ (pudding) break (^.^ i love puru-puru), we got to experience one of the many Japanese martial arts, called Naginata. Not only would they perform for us, but we even got to learn some pretty cool moves and hitting techniques with our wooden spear-sticks (is that even a word?). They even brought along some presents for us which was really nice of them.

Next up was Taiko, also called Japanese Drum playing. The group that played for us, consisting of people of all ages, played 4 different songs with all kinds of rhytm patterns. Afterwards we got the opportunity to play the drums ourselves while the others were ‘dancing’ around in a circle. (we were all looking like potatoes)
The day ended with a welcome ceremony where we finally got to meet our host families and we eventually could go home and spend some time with them 🙂

Thomas Theis (Luxembourg)

Karate experience in Toride!

Karate experience

Day of activity: July 28th 2015

So today it was time for a Japanese Culture Experience… Specifically for me, Marie and Carla: karate! A Japanese martial arts sport I once practiced when I was very young.

One of the kind members of the LOC (Local Organizing Committee) drove us to a sports centre where we would soon meet our sensei. We changed into the thick white cotton uniforms that were given to us, and we even got to wear a black belt! (The white belts were too small… I guess kids start young in Japan!) We entered the traditional-looking training room and were surprised to find a group of about 20 children staring at us with big eyes.

After introductions by the sensei, and paying respect by bowing, we started the warm-up. Many punches and kicks in perfectly formed lines later, it was time for stretching. We teamed up in pairs of two, and each one of us joined one of the kids to help eachother stretch further. We were surprised to see how flexible they were!

At one point, when stretching the legs outwards while sitting crossed-legged, the sensei wanted us to stand on the knees of the children to stretch them further! Doom had come to the innocent children who had teamed up with us…or at least we thought so. After asking “Daijoubu?? Hontouni daijoubu?” many times, my tiny partner didn’t even flinch when I stood on her knees. Better yet, she was laughing at Carla’s shocked face!

After the stretching our bodies were ready. The children got out punching-pillows and the training started. Front and sidekicks were the main things we practiced, and I have to say it was rather fun to do again.

After a quick sip of sportsdrink, it was time for the kata; a fixed order of several defensive techniques and attacks. We would have to learn this kata by heart in only half an hour, as we were going to perform this at the arigatou event. Time went by quickly, and we were able to remember most of the kata.

Last but not least, we once again bowed to the front of the room twice to pay respect to both the teacher and the ‘karate environment’ and said our goodbye’s to the children and the sensei. We were so lucky to have them all joining us the next evening at the arigatou event.

It was a great experience. I really liked how respectful everyone was to each other and helped each other improve. Personally it was also really fun to re-experience karate. I kind of miss it now. Who knows, I might try it again once I’m back in the Netherlands!

Fleurtje Meijer (The Netherlands)

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)