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This morning I woke up and Mrs. Sasaki had prepared me breakfast. It was so big and delicious!
I especially enjoyed trying the Japanese cherries. They were so good!
Katagami Tennominami Junior High School
In the morning, I visted Hiiro's school. I taught Hiiro 2 years ago when she was in 7th grade. Her family moved back to Japan in May and she is now in 9th grade. In Japan, they would say that she is a 3rd grader of Junior High School since Junior High School (Middle School) goes from 7th to 9th grade.
At many of the schools I visited, I removed my shoes at the entrance and was given slippers. This is a common and important cultural custom in Japan. It is a sign of respect and for cleanliness.
The students all change from their outdoor shoes into their indoor shoes. Their outdoor shoes are stored here.
Today, I followed Hiiro's schedule. For the first 30 minutes of the day, they had silent reading. Then we went to PE, Japanese class, Music, and Social Studies.
Similar to the last school I visited, students stayed in one classroom all day (except for special classes) and the teachers rotated.
The class had 30 students in it (with a few more absent today).
Hiiro's first class was PE. They were practicing volleyball. The students got to choose between using the bigger net or smaller nets. They grouped themselves and then helped to set up the nets. First they practiced and then they played against other teams. They asked me to join so I played on Hiiro's team!
I learned today about the importance of reflection in Japanese school.
After PE class and many other classes, students reflected on what they learned. They did this in PE by typing a reflection on their chromebook.
The teacher would call on a few students to share what they learned.
Next, Hiiro had Japanese class. They were learning about haiku and practiced by writing their own.
The students had some independent work time and then they all individually brought up their work to the teacher so he could check it.
In Japanese haiku, the concept of season is very important. They needed to indicate which specific season their haiku takes place. Hiiro chose winter, her favorite season.
Next we went to music class. They were practicing singing this sad song about World War 2. The title of the song translates to "Believe".
First, they all stood and sang together. Then, they broke into small groups which each practiced their verses/ range. I was impressed how quickly the students organized themselves and then went to different rooms to practice.
Since Hiiro plays piano, she was practicing playing the song while everyone else was practicing singing it.
Then they all came together to sing it one last time. It sounded so lovely!
Each student had their own cubby in the classroom where they stored all of their textbooks and binders. Every student has to get the same color folder and same color binders for each class.
Each student also has a folder on the wall in the class where they display their work.
I was surprised to learn that every class has a textbook! We don't have many textbooks in middle school at Lawrence. Even the PE class has a textbook!
I also enjoyed learning that there are student leaders for each class. These students stand in front of the class to announce when class is starting. Then everyone bows. They also announce when class is ending and everyone bows. These students also have to ask the teacher before class what materials students will need for the class that day. The students put it up on the board and then the rest of the students know what they need to get from their cubbies for class. Also, if the teachers needs help with anything - they ask these students. I saw this go so smoothly when a teacher needed to pass out papers.
The final class I observed was Social Studies. Before their class started I told the students about Lawrence School and they asked me questions.
Most of the classes here are more lecture style. The Social Studies teacher wrote notes up on the board and the students copied them into their notebooks. They were learning about what happened after the Cold War and discussing how much of the world was at peace.
I really liked one routine the teacher did. Each student has a card with their name on it. The teacher drew a % scale on the board and then asked students what percentage of the world was at peace after the Cold War. The students all got up and took their name and placed it where they thought it should go. Then, the teacher called on students to share their reasoning. He recorded their thinking in the little speech bubbles up on the board. I thought this was so cool!
Hiiro was excused from her afternoon classes so we could go sightseeing.
We said goodbye to her class!
Lunch
Lunch
Next, we went to go get lunch. I got a delicious seafood fried rice. Yum!
We also got Babahera Ice which was served by two very sweet old ladies. Babahera means "old ladies scooping" in Japanese. The shape of the ice cream is shaped like a rose! It was so refreshing!
Namahage Museum
Namahage Museum
Next, I learned about Namahage as we visited the Namahage Museum. The Namahage are considered incarnations of the mountain deities of Oga. This tradition is practiced in some 90 settlements in the Oga region. Mrs. Sasaki said that the Namahage visited her house when she was a child (they were young men from the village dressed up as the Namahage).
On New Year's Eve, they go from house to house in nearby villages driving away evil and impurity, blessing the family, and promising health and safety for the household in the years to come. They also chastise the lazy and disobedient.
We watched a reenactment of the Namahage visiting a home. The head of the household welcomed them in and served them food and sake. The Namahage stomped and banged around to scare away evil and impurities. They questioned the head of the household about his son and mother and then came through the crowd to catch any lady or disobedient people.
We walked through the museum learning more and seeing more Namahage statues. Hiiro and I also dressed up as some!
There are images and statues of the Namahage everywhere in the area.
Oga Beach
Oga Beach
Next, we went to Oga Beach! I swam in the Sea of Japan! The water was warm in comparison to our water in Massachusetts. I looked it up online and the water temperature was around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Hiiro and I also looked for shells.
Dinner at the Sasaki's
Dinner at the Sasaki's
Mrs. Sasaki hosted me for dinner along with one of Hiiro's friends, Yugo. We sat very traditional Japanese style. These wooden tables are over 100 years old. The centerpiece can be used for burning and cooking.
We enjoyed cold noodles that we dipped into sauce and topped with shiso and myoga (Japanese herbs).
We also enjoyed edamame, corn, and pizza. I tried a shrimp pizza which Mrs. Sasaki said was Japanese style.
Everything was so tasty!
Thank you so much to the Sasaki family for welcoming me in your home for the last two days. I had so much fun and I really appreciated your hospitality 🩷
Thank you so much to the Sasaki family for welcoming me in your home for the last two days. I had so much fun and I really appreciated your hospitality 🩷
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