Feeling the history around us

Kyle Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Castle was one of our first “authentic” Japanese experiences. It was our first chance to see a history much older than the opportunities available in America. We were standing, exploring and talking in a building older than anything in my home country. Although it sounds Cliché, I couldn’t help but feel that if walls could talk, this castle would teach me things I couldn’t even imagine or comprehend. The experience went past the artifacts we looked at, or the history we read. From the moment you entered the castle, you could FEEL the history around you. It was so much more than the feeling you got from a field trip, or a sightseeing trip. It was an opportunity to feel history.

After the castle a group of us decided to continue our tradition seeking adventure with…KARAOKE!!!!! Although they have Karaoke in the United States, it is nothing like the Japanese experience. Although we only had an hour (30 min. which of was spent on Lady Gaga?…) we sang, we laughed, and we had a few drinks. A true Karaoke experience in my opinion!

Karaoke experience was a perfect warm-up for dinner. LOC Members, World Campus – Japan Members, and even our Udon Sensei joined us for the evening. We found a nice dinner location in the center of town. I began the dinner with confidence, but was quickly impressed by Miki, who ‘Kanpai-ed’ me under the table! There was lots of laughter, and too much fun, but the best part was the ease in which people who from different countries, and backgrounds communicated.

The personal day in Kumamoto, was anything but. It quickly became about the group, and learning about one another. Instead of worrying about your own good time, it focused on enjoying the company of others. This night in Kumamoto, I will never forget.

(Kyle McElroy from USA)

Hands on, udon making

Udon making

Left Arao City after a fun experience at Greenland and took a train to the City of Kumamoto, Capital of Kumamoto Prefecture and home of the beautiful Kumamoto Castle which we will talk about on the next post.

To start our Kumamoto visit, of course we met our wonderful host families and for the first Activity Day we went to a restaurant where we had the chance to learn how to make “Udon” (Wheat Noodle) – So, hands on…

Not only we made the noodles but after we finished, we had lunch. Our own, home-hand made Udon noodles! It was definitely not better than buying them but at least we could say we made them.

The owner of this very spanish restaurant was happy to have us there, a bunch of foreigns trying to make a very japanese dish. I am sure it was more fun for them.

Upside Down in Greenland

upside down Greenland

In World Campus – Japan is not all about host families, cultures and Japan, is also about how fun you can have with six hours at an amusement park. Believe me, it doesn’t matter where you come from, we are all the same when it comes to riding a roller coaster, everyone goes through the same process.

We had six hours to explore and enjoy Greenland, the park with most rides in Japan. First we thought six hours was too long, at the end we didn’t have enough time for all the rides. Great times!!! We went from water rides, to shooting balls to win prices. From kids rides to scary rides. From slow and simple rides to upside down rides, like you see in the picture above.

At the end, we were tired, happy and sun burned but had a great bonding time with the crew and got to know each other on a much personal level, for sure.

Now, the 5 steps to go on a ride… from the participants of World Campus – Japan!

1. Watch what you are about to get yourself into.
2. Get in line. – Which for Greenland…there were no people there cause it was Friday morning. ( Perrrrrfect)
3. Get on, wrap and secure yourself
4. Hands up!
5. SCREEEEEEEAM.

Great ending, new beginning.

Arigato Evento Arao

The families from the Arao area hosted all of us on World Campus Japan first session and the week was full of amazing activities… the host family day, visiting really beautiful gardens and temples and internal work for all of us World Campus Participants, but the best part of all it has to be our Arigato Event. Time for the families to get to know each other, for the participants to express their gratitude and for everyone to become a big BIG family. The World Campus Family.

We all worked really hard to pull the Arigato Event off, learning songs and dances and creating the environment for an amazing performance at the “Blanca Hotel”, right next to Greenland. (Amusement park we will talk about on the next post, you can’t miss it)

Arigato Event (Thank you event) is not only a performance or a time to get to know each other, is a time when the Japanese Culture and our very personal culture mix together like one, we all laughed together, sang together and played together.

It is the end of a city for us but the beginning of amazing relationships we will develop with time with the host families and community members we interacted with during our visit.

Thank you ARAO…
Next post: Greenland!

Ichi go ichi e

Protector of the South

Ichi go ichi e – (Once in a life time)… That’s what it was for us, the opportunity that we had during our host family day in Arao. After having a great Soba Noodles Lunch and walking through a great garden with a river, we went to our final stop of the day. A recently built temple where we not only took the most amazing pictures you could imagine, which we’ll share at the end of the week, but we also had a once in a life time opportunity.

Inside the temple you can find four statues of gods, like the one on the picture above. They protect the west, east, north and south. This particular one is the God that protects the South. The best part of the visit started when a man approached us, introducing himself as the artist that makes the statues. I have to say, it was already a pretty nice experience to be able to see the statues, even nicer to be able to meet the artist, I was already happy with the visit at that point, then the unexpected happened… He invited us into his art studio where we had the chance to see the statue of the God protector of the West, being made. We counted the pieces, about 100 of them, we smelled the paint and saw the colors being mixed, to create an amazing piece of art. No one has this kind of opportunity, ever. The artist never opens his studio to anyone besides his team, young interns from the local university.

Host family day: Great food, great site seeing, once in a life time opportunities… Ichi go ichi e