A smile is a smile and a laugh is a laugh in any language. That is what I learned today on my visit to the high school in Toyonaka City. Although it was difficult to communicate with words, I still learned a lot. Watching people and situations gave me a glimpse into the world of a Japanese high school. Wherever we went, we were swarmed with students wanting to say hello, wanting their pictures taken, and wanting to visit with these foreign sensii (teachers). We were given gifts by the administration, invited to observe classrooms, and treated to a bento (box) lunch. I visited a calligraphy class and tried my hand at "big letters". I observed a cooking class that taught students how to prepare a meal for their New Year holiday. A guitar ensemble is one of their electives.

Once again it was the little things that I found interesting. The doors into the classrooms are all sliding doors. There are also sliding windows. When the students went into and out of their classrooms, they left their slippers outside the door. Watching them rush out at the end of class and put their slippers on en masse was a sight to see!

That evening, a group of fifteen of us took the train to the National Bunraku Theater. This was something I had been planning for months. Buraku is traditional Japanese puppet theater. It is very similar to Kabuki in its form. There are two men who sit on the side wing of the stage. One is the storyteller-- he does all the voices and narration in a way that sounds as if he is singing. One of the storytellers we saw is a "living national treasure." In Japan, artists of great skill are given this title as a way of showing appreciation for their talents. It would take too long to explain his talent to you, so I'll save that for when I return. The next man played the shamisen, a traditional Japanese guitar. Each puppet, which was half human size, was manipulated by three men. The first worked the right hand and the face. His facial expressions seemed to match the puppet's throughout the show. The second two men worked the left arm and the legs. They wore all black including a black mask over the faces. It was absolutely amazing how lifelike their movements were. And seeing many puppets onstage with all the men manipulating them was a true act of choreography. I keep wondering how anything can top the things we did in the last week, but it keeps getting better!