CHI’s Travel Abroad for Americans program, a part of the Outbound department, arranges exciting trips to a number of international travel destinations every year.
The most recent of these excursions began on June 24th, when a group of seven American high school students and their coordinator Kay Jones, departed from Seattle, WA en route to Narita, Japan.
During their three week visit, the group will travel throughout Japan taking in many of the popular and hisitoric locations. Among the places on their itinerary are Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Himeji Castle and Kyoto.
Coordinator Kay Jones is keeping a wonderful log of the groups activities. Below is an excerpt from their third day.
Day 3 – Group Homestay to Japan
This morning we met at 10:00 in the lobby. The kids hang out there quite a bit since there are computers for them to use there, so it is easy to find them. My friend Shigeo met us; we made a trip to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building (City Hall) because it has an observation deck which is open to the public. Today the weather was hot, but pretty clear for Tokyo, so the kids were able to see a pretty good view of the city.
For lunch we ate at a small simple stand right by the entrance to the park. To order each person buys the appropriate ticket from a vending machine. Kids tried ramen, curry rice, soba and udon. They are all working on their chopstick skills and everyone is eating. A couple of them remarked that they spend a lot more money on drinks than they figured. It is much hotter here than in our part of Washington, so the heat is a big change for them. It reminds me of my childhood in Georgia.
Then we discovered the “takeuma” which means bamboo horse, known in English as stilts. I had some when I was a kid, so I had a turn. I was very impressed with how quickly the kids picked it up. They also discovered kakikoori, or shaved ice. While they were eating, I met some very nice Japanese folks who had graduated from high school together many years ago; they were having a reunion. We chatted quite a while, and in good Japanese fashion, we took a photo together. We spent several hours looking at the buildings, then headed back to Shibuya.
The kids are getting very good about exploring on their own, which pleases me immensely. I just ask them not to venture out alone. They all have the hotel list with their passports, and we have discussed strategies to take in the unlikely event that something weird happens. They were on the prowl in Shibuya for about three hours; everyone has been really terrific about being back at the designated meeting places on time.
I was able to meet Shigeo, Yukiko and their Italian exchange student for a little while; they also introduced me to a couple of their other friends. We had dinner together, and I tried food from Nepal for the first time. It was tasty but a bit on the spicy side. Their exchange student is leaving on Monday; she has been here for three months.
We returned to the hotel shortly before 10; I didn’t hear any complaints about coming in then. Although we take lots of buses and trains, we do a lot of walking. Getting to and from train platforms involves a lot of stairs, so I think they are getting a workout. Today we were on the move from 10am until 10pm. No couch potatoes here!
Tomorrow will be our last full day in Tokyo. We are going to take a look at Meijijingu, Harajuku and Akihabara. More soon!
