Chicken of the Sea

Another early day today. I went to the Tsukiji Fish Market at 5 am. Since the typical Japanese diet is composed mostly of fish, vegetables, rice and chicken, the fish market is one happening place. Since I did the subway last night with Bob to the kabuki theatre ---- I led a group who hadn't gone yet to the fish market. Can we say SUBWAY MASTER ---- thank you, thany you very much (use Elvis voice in your head when you read this). Remember, it is the rainy season here, so it POURED on us all morning. The fish market was a visual feast as you can see. Look at the size of the tuna. That is one big can of Chicken of the Sea. These babies go for 100,000 yen and more. We got to watch the auction in progress. Afterwards, I roamed the stalls and saw alot of different sea life that later in the day will reappear as my lunch. Yum.

Once back to the hotel and the fish smell washed off, there was breakfast with the ever-present salmon, art teachers and off to workshops we went.

I took a three-hour workshop on Peace Education in Japan. We heard from hibakushas, first and second generation survivors of the a-bomb attack on Hiroshima. Emotionally moving does not even begin to describe what these people have experienced. The first-generation hibakusha told how he and his 21-month old baby here very close to the hypocenter (area bomb was dropped) and how his wife was outside the home and how burned she was from the heat wave. An atom bomb has three phases of destruction: heat wave, explosion wave and the radiation wave the comes afterward. The heat wave took the flesh off many people and burned them badly. Most deaths came in the next days due to the radiation exposure and lack of understanding about what had happened at Hiroshima. We heard how many survivors blamed themselves for their survival and that many thought they should have died with their friends and family on that day and the weeks after from radiation exposure.

Survivors were discrimated against in Japan for decades after the bomb dropped. Many couldn't get jobs, they were shunned and could not marry except other survivors because the rest of the Japanese population thought there was something wrong with them. Even the second generation still have problems associated with the after-effects today. Onde speaker was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in February 2006. Second generation survivors have certificates that entitle them to free care for certain illnesses associated with the after-effects of the a-bomb. Before the atom bomb was dropped, 350,000 people lived in Hiroshima. 140,000 died in the days after the bomb hit. The rest of the workshop focused on how the peace education movement follows Senator Fulbright's wishes that through global education and educational exchange, the seeds of peace are sown to avoid conflicts in the future through human-to-human understanding. JFMF follows that charge. Wow.

Lunch was yummy and then it was off to the afternoon workshop on Art Education in Japan. Through a translator, about 100 of us worked with a local art educator on typical Japanese art projects and discussed the state of art education in Japan. We made kakurebyobu (changing picture books). Way cool! This along with some other ideas will make up material I will cover with students in the fall as part of my follow-on plan. After workshops, it was off to meet with Mokosan (our prefecture leader) and the rest of the Itabashi-ku team. We discussed activities for next week while we were in Itabashi and got spokespeople for each school visit. We also got more information on our home visit and our ryokan stay (traditional Japanese inn). We are the only group going to see the Hakone valley which is the area around Mt. Fuji. AWESOME!

My evening was spent nagivating the subway to Harajyuku. This is a shopping district with a HUGE 100 yen store, Oriental Bazar and kimono/yukata store. Here I am with some of my purchases outside the 100 yen store. I have to staqy out of the 100 yen stores now - they are too dangerous. Dinner was in Harajyuku and then the subway home. We move hotels on Sunday (your Saturday) in anticipation of our university visit.

Arigato (thank you) for reading my blog. Hope you are enjoying seeing a little of what I am up to this week. I am reading everyone's comments, but can't respond to comment postings from here.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is our only free day and I am going with two other people to Nikko. This is an Edo Period town about 3 hours in the country outside Tokyo. We are taking a rapid transit train early in the morning and coming back on the last train of the day to maximize out time. There are many shrines to see and temples to visit. This is also a national park area and we will see the mountains, lake and several dramatic waterfalls.

Oyasuminasai (good night - 10:30 pm Tokyo time)

Timsan