Home Sweet Host City

After a week of learning about Japan and Japanese education and culture in general, I have finally made it to Takeo City in the Saga prefecture. In Japan, a prefecture is kind of like a state. The 158 teachers on the JFMF program were divided into groups of 15 or 16 and each group is spending the next week in a different prefecture. The cities that are hosting us in those prefectures are called "Host Cities". While we are in our host cities we will meet with various officials and visit schools to learn more about these specific areas. In one week we will go back to Tokyo to meet up with the other teachers, and each group will give a presentation to share what they learned about the particular area they visited. Takeo is a very small city in Saga and they have been preparing for our arrival for the last year.

My group left Saga City early this morning and started our day with a visit to Saga University. There, we were welcomed by the Vice-President of the University and various members of the faculty. We also met with some students who were studying English and Education. The campus of Saga University looked much like college campuses in the United States. There were students sitting outside eating lunch on the lawn in front of the main building, and students studying in the student center. The university is a mid-sized national university, which means it is funded by the national government. Most of the students who attend the university live in Saga prefecture. In Japan, every student is required to go to elementary school and middle school, but not high school. Even so, 90% of the students choose to go to high school. Of those students, 50% go on to college.

After getting a general overview of the university from the vice-president, we split up into smaller groups to talk with students and teachers about issues and concerns that we all have as teachers. In my discussion group we talked about the problems of bullying and school violence. In Japan, bullying and school violence are very big problems, just like in the United States. I think it would be interesting for American students to have an opportunity to talk with Japanese students in the same way I was able to talk with Japanese teachers. I think we would all find that there are many more similarities between us, rather than differences.

Next, our bus brought us to Takeo City and dropped us off in front of City Hall. There, we were greeted as if we were celebrities. Employees of City Hall lined the entrance of the building and applauded as we exited the bus. As we made our way through the building to a meeting room on the top floor, photographers took our pictures. It was really overwhelming. (The group picture with the Deputy Mayor is even posted on the Takeo City website!) We were greeted by the Deputy Mayor of the city (the Mayor had to leave town at the last minute on urgent business) who gave us an overview of the city, and the Superintendent of the School Board (who also teaches classes in the elementary school while he is Superintendent) who gave us an overview of the school system in Takeo. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before, but meetings like this in Japan are very formal. At the start of each meeting, each "side" has to give a short speech to introduce themselves and their group. It is also a custom to exchange gifts. When we met with the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Schneider represented our group and we presented him with English books to give to the schools. The mayor gave each of us packages of lemongrass. We later learned that Takeo is an agricultural town and lemongrass is the primary crop produced here.

The prefecture of Saga is a smaller, agricultural prefecture of Japan. It is famous for its ceramics, and Takeo in particular is known for its onsen and is famous in Japan as a spa town. Knowing that, we decided that we had to venture out to the hot springs before dinner. What an amazing and relaxing way to end a long day of meetings! It is definitely something I plan to do a few more times before we leave Saga. Afterwards, we found a small restaurant for dinner. It was the first time I've been at a restaurant in Japan that didn't at least have pictures of the food that we could point at to show what we wanted to eat. Ordering food last night was a very interesting experience and a lesson in communication...but that's another story for another time. For now, I have to get ready to meet with parents of students in the Takeo schools and then take a tour of the city.

***It has been so much fun writing this blog and sharing my trip with you. I love reading your comments and questions! When I return to William Penn, I will ask you questions about what you've learned about Japan from my blog. Those of you that can answer them because you've been reading will receive a special Japanese treat! Make sure you tell your 8B classmates to log on and read so they can get a treat too!***