Date of activity: July 15^th and 16^th

Host Family Day was about exploring some interesting places in Osaka. We visited shitenno-ji, which is a large Shinto sanctuary in Osaka, the famous castle (Osaka-jô) and a Japanese style festival (matsuri).

Even if I didn’t get to see most of the big conglomerate called Osaka, I did see the things that are well-known there. I went there with my host mother and her cousin. It was a hot day, the sun was shining brightly with almost no clouds, and it could have easily been at least 35 degrees Celsius. First we went to Shitenno-ji, and then we went to a big shopping mall in Osaka, where we went to the Ninja Store to buy some ninja tabi (special shoes). After that we went to eat ramen for lunch; I had Kimchi Ramen, which was very good, recommended! Then we headed for Osaka Castle, but we were kind of late for the last round to actually go into the castle, so we could only observe the castle from the outside. After that, we went home, because everyone was already exhausted due to the hot weather. I went to a matsuri nearby. It ended with a spectacular firework show. It was nice, and I was very, very tired when I got home. Fast asleep!

On Personal Day, I went to Kyoto with Louise (Rui-chan from now on) and Belinda from Denmark. First I met up with Belinda at Kita-Senri station, and we took the train to Tomotsû, where Rui-chan would join us. From there it was 45 minutes to Kyoto Karasuma station. From here we took the metro to Karasuma Oike station, where we got off. We went to the Manga Museum, but to our regret, it wasn’t what we had in mind what it would be. So, we went out and headed towards Nijô Castle which was a 15-minute walk in the blazing hot sun.

It was at least 36 degrees Celsius, with the same kind of weather as the day before. Hot, hot, hot. The Danish girls couldn’t take it so much, and even for me it was something I had to get used to since we don’t get this kind of weather in Holland. It took our toll, and after a few hours of strolling through the lush gardens of the castle, we went back to Osaka and to Yamada Station, where we would have dinner. After that, calling it a day, we parted and went back to our host families.

Anlong – The Netherlands

Date of activity: July 14^th

This day started of as most days did this week. It was hot… but traveling by train makes it better, because it has airco! After arriving at the facility we immediately started rehearsing our dances and songs. Some local kids joined in and after playing around a bit they started the preparations for their performance later that evening. Because of the great amount of participants this session the amount of host families and other spectators was larger than usual. This however is a good thing, because performing for a bigger audience really makes you feel like the work you put into learning the dances is worth it. Laughing at us, enjoying our dances and songs and singing with us! This creates a great atmosphere, especially with many people! Before the event the kids performed their dance. It was a Japanese style dance with a lot of great dance moves and action. Then the event begun and we had a great evening having fun with the audience. Afterwards we all went our separate ways back home with our host families and I for one enjoyed a very nice dinner. In other words: I ate sushi!! NomNomNom!! In short, it was a great day with lots of sweat, but it was totally worth it!

Jurrien – The Netherlands

Date of activity: July 13^th

Friday the 13^th, day 4 of the WCI Japan program in Suita, Osaka. This day is considered a day loaded with bad luck. It turned “lucky” from the start. Just to be here with friends, telling each other our most embarrassing moments up until now, makes a person see just how lucky we are to have this nice, open atmosphere. The guest speaker of that day called it our energy. His name is Mr. Kenji Takao, a skilled sportsman who retired and then started his own business. He told us he wanted to help Japanese high school students to get into sports. After we discussed sports to the core, we ate a nice partly self-made lunch! Meaning we could help the staff and learn how to make yaki-soba! Yakisoba da yo! Then we were ready for a new challenge: ‘innebandy’.

I’d never heard of it before either. It’s a little bit like hockey, but the rules are slightly different and it’s played indoors on a hard floor. At the same time we mingled with high school students from kita-senri high school. As we were doing this I thought again of Mr. Takao’s speech. I hope we might have influenced some of the high school students to keep on sporting. Everybody was completely worn out by the end of the day, but it was totally worth it!!

Inneke – Belgium

Date of activity: July 12^th

Today started with a Japanese breakfast, consisting of rice with eggs, bacon, and salmon. After that my host mother showed me the way to the Suita station. She wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t get lost on the way.

After meeting up with the rest of the group, we set out with guides to see Suita city. The first stop was a shrine. Before we could go close to it we had to wash our hands and mouth. When we were “clean” we could walk closer to the shrine.

Then we had to bow two times, clap our hands two times, and bow again one time, and only then, we could pray. Only a few people prayed, but it included bowing, clapping, and ringing a big bell.

The next stop was a former home of a village chief. It is now used for exhibitions of the city, cultural activities, and local events. We saw where it was meant to have tea ceremonies, exhibition rooms, and a Danjiri (a float). The Danjiri was the most fascinating thing for me. It was made of wood where there had been cut a lot of figures in the shape of both humans and animals. It was very beautifully made.

After that we went back to the Suita station to take the train to Yamada. When we came back, we were met by some people from Osaka who were all wearing kimonos. They had prepared lunch for us that consisted of sushi, salad, boiled eggs, two types of melon, and a dessert. It was very delicious!

After lunch we started learning the dances for the Japanese medley for the Arigato event. It was hard, but fun, and suddenly it was time to go back home to our host families.

When I came back I asked the eldest daughter to teach me some Japanese. I am one of those who can’t speak Japanese and it is very troublesome! So I should be able to tell people my name now – if I can remember the words.

The dinner was tamagoyaki, which is some egg-thing with octopus, and I must admit that it isn’t the best food I have tried so far. While eating I introduced the family to some Danish pop music. They seemed like they liked it, but I am not sure. After that I was introduced to some Japanese pop music and then I played some Korean songs for them. It was nice and we enjoyed ourselves so it ended up getting very late before I could take a shower and finally go to bed.

Belinda – Denmark