Day 9 - Time to say Goodbye

We had to get up very early to catch a train to Tokyo. Even so, we had a huge send off by all our Japanese friends. We took one last group photo on the platform outside the station:



They even bought platform tickets so they could come onto the tracks with us and wave goodbye as the train was pulling out!



We had such an amazing time in Japan. It was the trip of a life time. We would like to thank Susan T. for being an amazing guide and translator. We couldn't have done it without you. Also Kelly N. and Mori M. for helping us plan the trip. Thank you to Mr. Matsubayashi and the entire team in Aomori for all their hard work making us feel welcome and showing us their beautiful community. Thank you to all the host families for taking such good care of us and making us feel like a part of their family. We look forward to seeing some of our friends from Aomori in April when they come to Kittery!

Day 8

The chaperones were treated to a night at a Ryokan, a traditional Japanese Hotel.



At the front entrance, there was space to take off your shoes and slip into the little covered sandals that were provided for us.



This was a very long, but very fun day. We started with a trip up to the Oirase Gorge to see some of the amazing waterfalls there.





Then we took a boat ride across Lake Towada.







Lunch was another adventure. Here is Karly eating an entire fish in one bite!



After lunch we headed to Aomori City for the Nebuta Festival, one of the largest festivals in Japan. Now we just thought we were going to WATCH the festival. Little did we know we were going to be IN the festival! We were dressed in traditional costumes and actually walked in the parade!





Weren't we gorgeous?



The floats in the parade were amazing! They were all lit up from the inside, which made for a very dramatic effect in the dark!

Day 7

Day 7 started with some local sightseeing. Here we are in the Mayor's office:



Next we got to check out some of the schools:



What is the statue of liberty doing in Japan? Turns out this particular spot is the same latitude as New York City! So to honor the city, they built a quarter-sized replica of the statue of liberty in Japan!



More lunch (it was all cooked this time!)



Then we got to hit the mall! We found some really fabulous and unintentionally hilarious t-shirts:



And then we were treated to an amazing Welcome Dinner.



We had each prepared a short speech in Japanese (with a great deal of help of Kelly Nevins and Beth Kaser). Here is Callie presenting hers:





There were even students who had come to Kittery in past years at the dinner! All three of these girls stayed with the Curti Family: from left to right, Koo, Sofie, Marina and Rie



At the end of the dinner, we took one big picture of all the people who are part of the Cultural Exchange Group:

Day 5 and 6 - Aomori!

Day 5 was mostly traveling. Here is Alex discovering all the amenities on the train:



Day 6 started with a trip to the Air and Science Museum:



Lunch! (can you spot the octopus?)



We all got some ice cream at the Hachinohe Summer Festival:



The parade was AMAZING!!!! It started with some performers:



And finished with the most amazing floats we have ever seen! Each was amazing and different kept unfolding to be bigger and bigger!

Day 4

Most of today was spent at the Ghibli Museum! We discovered to our great dismay that we couldn't take pictures inside the museum!! Serious Bummer! Because the inside was AMAZING!! So the only photos we have to post are the few we could take outside the museum. But all agreed the experience was well worth it!

Day 3

We took the morning to just relax a little.

Karly got a new outfit in Harajuku yesterday and modeled it for me:



We met up with Sofie's Japanese friend Emiko in the afternoon and took a boat ride down the Sumida River through Tokyo.



We ended up in Asakusa and went to the Sensoji Temple. Before you enter the temple you have to purify your hands by washing them in the special fountain.







For dinner we had these amazing Japanese pancakes that we cooked ourselves on a grill built right into the table. We also cooked some noodles the same way and Callie showed off her amazing spatula skills in the preparation.

Day 2

We started the day at Meiji Shrine.



Some of the girls wrote prayers on little wooden signs and hung them.



After all that peace and quiet, we needed a little noise. So we headed for Harajuku.



Wow. What a whole lot of stuff!

The girls were in shopping heaven!



We also discovered that in the heat of the day, a little shade is a good thing! So many people in Japan carry hikage (literally "sun shade").



And Matt discovered the Japanese equivalent of RedBull.



At the end of our very long day of lots and lots of walking, we had a delicious noodle soup dinner. And then a long soak in the tub. And then we crashed.