Day 7 third day at the school

This morning there was a small earthquake at first I did not realize it was an earthquake  as I just thought it was the person I was staying at that was just up making breakfast then when I did  realize it was an earthquake I was too tired to take it seriously.Today I moved my suitcase by taxi to the school this was quite an endeavour as my suitcase was very large. Then I Skped with a friend during class and talked about Spruce Grove and  Stony Plain areas history and historical sites to  visit. Then I went out for lunch and had an interesting Japanese dish called Monjayaki at a restrant where you cooked it on the grill. Then I participated in the Japanese tea ceremony this was interesting as I was able to try making Japanese green tea. Also I saw the Japanese achery they use costumes and longer bows and arrows. After supper we went swimming in the pool at the apartment it is very shallow only 1 meter deep and you have to wear a swimming cap. Also I went in the hot tub. They also have a Sana but I did not go in it as you have to be naked to go in and there is one for males and one for females.

Day 6 second day at the school

Today I went to school and talked to the students about St.Albert and Skyped with a friend from Alberta. The students seemed to talk more and answer questions well compared to yesterday when they were very quiet. Then I went for lunch at the cafeteria as each school has a cafeteria for lunch I had curry my favourite Japanese dish. After lunch I saw Kendo practice and Japanese traditional dance with fans two activities that students do as a form of a club activity in the afternoon. Then after school I saw a Buddhist temple and the gardens of the shogun. The gardens are a nice place to visit as they have a lot of information on the audio guides about what the garden was used for as well as there is a teahouse there that you can visit.

Day 5 first day at school

So today I went to a Japanese school and taught some students about Canada. It was hard to get the students to talk so they starred at me a lot. Then I went to a used book store after school they had 5 floors of books.  The school was very clean as they have janitors that keep it spotless as usually the students and staff clean the school themselves as most Japanese schools do not have janitors. Then I tried on and learned how to put on a Yukata ( a summer Kimono). Then I took pictures and saw part of the tea ceremony. Then I went to a groshery store after school and there vegetables are like ones in Canada but smaller.

Day 4 Disney Land

So today I went to Disneyland in Tokyo. It was fun but not as fun as Wonderland or an amuesment park. They have theamed areas as shown below and here is a list of the rides I went on. The space blast is a fun fast roller coaster. The buzz lighter ride is fun. I bough my lunch before entering the park and stopped for lunch and iced strawberry it is like a snow cone but in a cup and made with real strawberries. The strawberry ice cone I bough came in a souvenir cup which I kept. Then I went to Toon Land and took pictues with some of the disney characters and saw Minnie's house and went on a small roller coaster. Toon town is geared towards smaller children. Then I went to Fantasy Land and went on Winnie the Pooh ride and bough some things from that store. I bought popcorn and recieved a souviner popcorn holder. Then I saw a parade with floats for all the famous disney characters it was entertaining and lasted 15minutes or more.  I went on the Peter Pan ride it was very good. Then I went on the haugnten house ride it was a little scary. Then I went to splash mountian and got wet on a roller coaster ride. Then I explored the west with a wild train rollercoaster it was fun. I went on its a small world ride in fatesy land it was a nice slow ride.  After supper I saw another parade. In westerntown it is like the old west in Canada or the U.SA but the souveriurs like cowboy hats and boots did not look authentic to me. Then I went on a train ride in adventure land and a amazon cruise in the dark it was a little scary. Then I went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride but part way through they stopped the ride because security was breached so we had to evacuate the ride. On the way out they gave us vouchers for a free ride. Then I went back to where I was staying having experienced a full day of fun at Disneyland.

Day 3 in Japan Siteseeing

Today I went to the Tokyo Edo Museum and had a guided tour it was very nice to learn about the Edo and Meiji periods. Also I met a Japanese student going to study at the U of A next year. This afternoon I went to St.Nicolas Cathedral Orthodox church it was very interesting to see a Russia Orthodox Church and learn more about what they believe. Then I saw a Confucian temple called Yushima Seto it was very small and dirty. Then I saw Kanada Meiji it was an imperial temple built for the emperor it was very colorful compared to the Meiji shrine. It was built during the Edo period it would be a good site to visit when in Tokyo as it is so colourful and full of history.  Also I went to a district that sells electronics and bought some more film for my camera prices are quite comparable with Canada and the U.S.A. Then I went to the 7 eleven store to withdraw money it does not really like Canadian bank cards as I had difficulty withdrawing money with a PC card. Then I had supper of noodles, and an egg fruit dish for dessert. In Japan they have washing machines in their houses but they air dry their laundry as it is so hot and humid things dry quickly.

Day 2 in Japan Sunday

 Then we lugged my suitcase around on a bike it was hard work. As I brought a giant suitcase to Japan because I had to take so much stuff. I don't recommend taking a large bag to Japan as everything is so compact. We went shopping and the shopping centres are like the ones in North America just that there are so many of them with so many stores. I rode a Japanese bike it is easier to ride than one in Canada as it is lighter and easier to use. Then I went with my Japanese friend  for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe I had steak and mash potatoes for dinner.  This was a good change as I was feeling very hungry as Japanese food is so light and I felt a bit homesick. The Hard Rock Cafe was a nice little piece of home. Tonight I will sleep on a futon it is a mattress type blanket it is very comfortable to sleep on and folds up so it saves space.

Day 1 in Japan Site seeing

In Tokyo they have modern food like in North America as for breakfast they eat food like we eat here such as mini pizzas and cereal. In order to get around Tokyo the cheapest way is to take the subway and get a one day pass. In Japan we visited a school that was an all girls school and they wore uniforms to school. Also the school had many ads for universities in Tokyo. Then I went with my home stay family to Yasukuni Shrine it was a nice shrine it was small and had trees in it. Also there was animals guarding the gates and 3 main enternce tori gates. At the shrine there was a statue of the general who built the temple during the Meiji period. The Yasukuni Shrine is quite small.  Then we went to the Meiji shrine it has a nice long park with huge tall trees. Also there is a garden and a few restaurants there. The shrine had  a place to ceremonially wash before entering the main part of the shrine and  a place to write wishes and hang them up so they come true these are key features of every shrine. The park surrounding the shrine is quit large an beautiful with tall trees and gravel walkways. At the Meji shine they have ice cream and the tofu flavoured ice cream is delicious it is not too sweet but just right.  Then we went to the Shinjuku district it had nice cheep shops and on Harajuku Takeshita street. Everywhere shop keepers were holding up signs and yelling at people passing by in order to have them buy their stuff. Then we had lunch at a nice restaurant in the area. The restaurant had a nice buffet at luch that had interesting and simple Japanese cuisine. Then we went to the Tokyo Central United Church a church were international foreigners can attend they were having a special outreach to people who were less fortunate in giving them a free meal and a concert. Then we went to Shinbuku district  it is more crowded there as packed with people and shops. Then we saw the bridge that was quite small from the Edo period. Also there were monks trying to get people to give them money. I then went to a kimono store and saw many beautiful kimonos.  The kimono designs were very unique but they were very expensive as much as wedding dresses or grad dresses in North America. Then we went to the Ginza district where there  are many American stores such as Forever 21, Starbucks, Gucci, Lactose, and Adidas. Also the Ginza district has many foreign European shops the prices are very comparable to North American prices.  We  had  Japanese curry for supper it is a very sweet and not very spicy curry this is very different from other curries.