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Daily Journal
Tuesday, November 21, 2000 I felt very important today. We were ushered into a long rectangular
room with a long low table down the center. On one side, sat all twenty of
the Toyonaka Fulbright teachers. (This would be the group I would travel
with for the next 9 days.) Across from us sat the mayor, the
superintendent, and various other officials from the city and board of
education.
 We were welcomed cordially. At each meeting with officials, one of the members of our group also gives a short speech saying how grateful we are to be there and thanking them for our hospitality. Today Sonya from South Carolina gave our little speech.  (I volunteered to give the speech at the elementary school next week.) We were served green tea and a little square of cake during the question and answer period. Shizu is our translator for the next week. Each time we ask a question in English, Shizu translates it into Japanese, the Mayor or Superintendent answers in Japanese, then Shizu translates that into English. Although it's done very quickly, sometimes if the answer is very long, you forget what the question was to begin with! Shizu is very good at what she does. She listens very carefully and only jots down a few words but can remember long answers to interpret back to us. Lunch was at a French Japanese restaurant. We had good bread for the first time in a week and purple soup. Actually, it was lavender. Many eyes opened wide when it was set on the table. "Sweet potato soup," the waiter assured us. It tasted good, but I had to close my eyes while I ate it, because I had never put that color soup into my mouth before. After lunch, it was off to a teacher's college, Osaka Kyoika
University, on the other side of the city. We traveled on windy bumpy
roads on a bus that didn't seem to have good shock absorbers. Half the bus
was regular seats, but in the back seats were arranged so we could talk in
a large group.
 There was a chandelier on the ceiling and a table where we could put food and drinks. Quite ice! Arriving at the beautiful campus, surrounded by mountains, again we were welcomed in a very official ceremony by the President of the University in his office. The next few hours were spent sitting around a very large square table where we were assigned seats in alphabetical order. The Fulbrighters sat around two sides of the table, and various professors, administrators and students from the University sat around the other two sides. There was a name tag with our names in Japanese, a bottle of water, a cup, and a microphone at each of our seats. I forgot to tell you that each room we've been in so far during our stay in Toyonaka has had a flower arrangement that was more beautiful than any I've seen before. (Flower arranging is a traditional Japanese craft, called ikebana.)  An interesting point: Each speech that has been given by an important person from Japan so far has always begun with a statement about the problems they are having in Japan's society. It is very refreshing to hear people acknowledge their weaknesses, and what they are trying to do to correct them. I mentioned earlier in the week that there is a big push toward educational reform that will go into place in the year 2002. It's the little things that tend to get me excited. Today's exciting photo is the water fountain in the foyer of the municipal building. It is on the left. The one on the right contains mouthwash. You take a drink of this minty clear water, swish it around your mouth and rinse!  Tomorrow- a visit to a high school! Dewa Mata! (see you later) Mrs. Rosen |
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