Shiogama

I need to play a bit of catch up with this blog. Yesterday, I rode the JR (Japanese Rail) to Kamakura (a city south of Tokyo) to see a really big sculpture of the Buddha and I checked out an area of Tokyo called Nippori in search of an alternative art space called "SCAI The Bathhouse". Details to follow another day, now I want to move on to today's events.
After a terrific breakfast in the "Top of the Tower" restaurant (complete with a panoramic view of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji), I quickly checked out of the hotel, ran a few blocks to a Citibank branch to get some yen from the ATM, hopped on a bus to the train station, boarded the Shinkansen (aka "bullet train") and settled back for a 160 mile and hour ride to Sendai, the 12th largest city in Japan, where we picked up the bus that took us to our host city of Shiogama. Whew!

Upon checking in at the "Grand Palace" hotel, I rested for a few minutes until it was time to meet with the other members of my group for a walking tour of the town. When I got to the lobby of the hotel, I was greeted by my host couple Satoko and Mitsuaki ("Mickey") Numata. I was surprised (but delighted) to see them because I didn't expect to meet them until Saturday. They led me on a private tour of the city. Then Mickey left to pick up a softball glove and Satoko and I visited a couple of shops owned by friends. The picture posted with this entry is of Satoko and her girlfriend in the fishing gear shop she owns. We had a great time laughing and sharing stories.

Later, we had dinner at a Jaanese restaurant. We took our shoes off, walked up one step and sat on red cushions laid out on a tatami mat around low tables. I had this really interesting custard dish with seafood and mushrooms, along with sushi, miso soup, cooked meats and veggies. We are now twenty, rather than two hundred, and this dinner allowed us to get to know each other better. There are teachers from all over the country in my group- Hawaii, Maryland, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Montana, Colorado, California, Oregon, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Virginia and more! It's wonderful to share stories and ideas about how to incorporate this experience back into the classroom.

That's all for now.