Home.

What a great word.

Once again, I traveled to far away and fabulous places, once again I met some amazing people, ate some interesting food, and put my feet on places I never thought I'd visit. Once again, I realized how wonderful and unique people are, no matter their culture, no matter their geography, no matter their language. Once again, I realized how absolutely blessed I am to get to do what I do, go where I go, see what I see, and meet whom I meet.

And once again, I am blessed to come home.

Now that my jetlag is beginning to subside, I will post some more pictures and some more stories. Japan is a fascinating and rich country, beautiful in all ways. I still am in awe of the fact that I was actually THERE.

So...

Fujiyama!!!

Well, I did it. I trekked from Station 5 to the crater, down into the crater and back. It was a.ma.zing.

All my hard work paid off - I felt great. Other than a minor slip where I landed on my (now sore) tailbone (watch for the YouTube video. I'm sure one of the kids got one), I had no trouble. I could have gone higher!!!!!! Ha. I conquered!!!!

Pictures to follow...

Calligraphy, our 2nd day.

Traditional tea ceremony. A beautiful ceremony, very deliberate. A real ceremony would take up to 5 hours to perform. Ours lasted about 45 minutes.

Every tea ceremony has a "guest of honor." Somehow I ended up in that position, so I led the way. This is the "purification" part. The water is meant to purify your hands and mouth before partaking in the ceremony. First your left, then your right hand, then your mouth. It's the same process you would use when entering a temple or shrine.

Also, notice I'm not wearing shoes. This is one of my favorite parts of Japan. ;) Honestly, though, it is one of the factors that keeps this country so clean. No dirt being tracked in! It's also a sign of respect to remove your shoes.

Entrance to a shrine.

Yuka, our Japanese Delegation Manager. She handles all the nitty gritty details, so I just get to attend to the kids and enjoy!!!!

Toilets!!!! YIKES!!

Traditional Japanese toilet - called a "squatty potty" by Westerners...:) Watch your shoes!!

This is the gadgetry accompanying your trip to the potty. There's even a noise maker, should you need one.

Here's your control panel, including shower, bidet and dryer. You can even control the water pressure.

This is quite luxurious...I'm wondering why we Americans haven't caught up yet.

Rest stops are a trip. Sometimes you can even find maps of which stalls are free and which are occupied.

Pictures....At last!!!

Ok, so these are backwards. The bottom pic should be at the top and vice versa, but whatever. :)

SO the one above is me in front of Niko Castle, the castle with the squeaking floors. I felt like I'd entered a scene from Shogun.

Golden Pavilion - real 14k gold covers this building. We were blessed to have sun - it's spectacular in the sun.

A shrine pavilion - very Japanese! :)

Arriving in Osaka. Even the welcome sign is pretty.

My fabulous and amazing crew. I couldn't ask for a better delegation. They are 32 of the most wonderful people I've ever met. I'm glad I have the privilege of knowing them.

Food and toilets to follow as soon as I can...

Pictures, Pictures...

One of these days I'll post some pictures. The toilets will be first. Promise.

Homestay

One of the great things about People to People is that we get to do a Homestay with a family in our host country. So I have spent the last three days with Marika, Anumo and Moe, and I am having a blast.

Anumo is 5 and he is all boy. He and Teddy would be best friends. He likes video games and anime, chocolate and having all of my attention. Just like home.　;)

Yesterday we hiked a mountain, had a party with my students and their families in this area, and ate some serious sushi. There is no sushi at home like this sushi, trust me. This was some gggoooodddd food. Never thought I'd say that about sushi, but isn't that the point of these programs?? Finished off dinner with some Baskin Robbins. Nice.

Today we planted rice. In the rain and mud, with about 30 other people. It's a fascinating process - they run a rope across the field with small red ribbons every foot or so. You plant two or three rows according to those ribbons, then they move it back a foot or so and you do it again. The process is repeated until the entire field is planted.

The trick is, you're doing all this in 8 inches of mud. It was raining when we started, but it had stopped by the time by finished. I think it'll take me a few months to get all the mud out from under my fingernails.

After we cleaned up, we ate lunch at the Children's Association with everyone who had helped.

I'm blown away by how intentional everything is in this society. Planting that field this morning was almost ceremonial. All kinds of folks turned out in the rain to help, and I suspect they do it every year.

The home is a refuge, a temple for these people. Everything is very CLEAN. You take your shoes off when you come in the door; the entry is about 6 inches lower than the floor, so that the dirt from the shoes doesn't get into the rest of the house. It is truly amazing the difference that makes. The house is not dirty.　Oh, they have stuff, but it's clean!!

Well, my host's battery appears to be dying.．.Please comment if you've been here. I can hear crickets chirping through the silence...;)

Hiroshima...

I don't think I've ever hit the wall of broken humanity quite the way I did today. I've come face to face with my own brokenness, but never fallen humanity like this.

Hiroshima. We visited the museum and the memorials today. The museum is quite graphic - showing pictures of burned bodies, shelled buildings, radiation disease. And why? War. Why? You can rationalize all day long if you want, but the upshot is, we will continue to do these horrible things to each other as long as the world is without hope. Nations will continue to oppress and abuse their people; leaders will continue to gain more and more power despite the cost to their people; individuals will continue to harbor their pain and display it through hatred and prejudice and anger and violence.

There's only one answer for what I saw today. I am more and more a pacifist as I grow and see more of the world and its people, and I am more and more aware of Who brings that peace that passes understanding. THIS is where it starts.

Jesus.

I cannot believe I am in JAPAN!!!

Konichiwa!!

SO after a 3 and a half hour flight to San Fran, a 3 hour layover and a 13 hour flight to Osaka, WE ARE HERE!!!!

After a decent night's sleep (where the sun rose at like 2 a.m. - Land of the Rising Sun indeed!!),　we began our morning with a visit to a castle, built in the feudal age by a Shogun. This is the castle with the "singing floors." When you walk on them, they make a squeaking sound; this was intended as an alarm system - it would alert the residents to anyone trying to sneak in. Genius.

One of the most amazing parts of the castle was the artwork; wood carvings that are so intricate you wonder how one person could construct such a thing in one lifetime; elaborate paintings of landscapes, animals and people; and fascinating architecture. Our guide was wonderful - a wealth of history.

From there it was on to the Kyoto Handcrafts Market. Heaven on earth!!! Woodblock paintings, kimonos, toys, Samurai swords, and I finally discovered where my dolls came from, Dad!!! The most beautiful porcelain dolls!!! Suffice it to say, we shopped.

We spent our afternoon celebrating some of the traditional Japanese arts - a Tea Ceremony, and Calligraphy.

Somehow, and I'm still not sure how, I was elected the "special guest" of the day. This is the guest at the Tea Ceremony who does everything first. No pressure, eh?? We were taught how to "purify" ourselves to be ready, how to enter the room, how to prepare for the "sweets," how to prepare for the tea, and how to leave the ceremony.

The Japanese are a very intentional people; everything has a purpose and is done on purpose. Every move, every word is significant. The Tea Ceremony is one representation of this - everything was so scripted and significant.

Calligraphy is fascinating. It's writing, but it's an artform unto itself. There are 8 basic brushstrokes - all the characters are created from those. I loved working with the inkstone and brushes. I might have to invest in some when I get home!!

Dinner was A-MA-ZING. Beef, chicken and pork cooked over an open flame, but not like any grilling I've ever done. The meat was so flavorful and tender!! Yum-o!!!

Dinner itself was a cultural experience - sitting on the floor around the tables, taking turns cooking the meat, and generally enjoying one another's company.

I am so blessed to get to do what I do!! I have an amazing group of students, and I'm in a truly amazing place. I feel like I use the word "amazing" a lot, but I really am amazed at what I am able to see and do.

Well, it's off to bed now. Tomorrow is our visit to Hiroshima. I anticipate an emotional day, and one we will never forget. Look for pictures - once again, I have to conquer the technology. :)

Sayonara!!!

PS - Coming soon - the TOILETS!!!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow...

AACK!!! It's here!!! I leave tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. Actually, Alan and I will leave the house about 3:30 a.m. and head to the airport. Yikes!! There'd better be some serious Starbucks awaiting me in San Fran...

Japan. Whodathunkit???

4 days and counting...

4 days and counting till I take off for Japan! So much time, so little to do -
wait a minute - strike that - reverse it!!

Seriously, I hope I have enough time to get everything done before I leave at the insane time of 6 a.m. Monday morning. That's when my PLANE leaves - I've got to be at the airport by 4:00 A.M.!!!! I don't think there's a 24-hour Starbucks between my house and the airport, either...
Oh, well! I'll sleep when I get home.

JAPAN!!! Never thought I'd be going there!! I am SO excited. I love Japanese history and art, and I'm learning to like the food. ;)

Stay tuned...we'll see how I make it to Monday!!