WCJ 2015, Session 2, Isehara: Tanguy Declercq’s Videoblog
On the 15th of July we had 2 company visits in Isehara, one to the steelcompany Amada and the other one to the sake brewery Kikkawa. Tanguy shares his experience with you.
Category Archives: 地域学習
Host-family day in Isehara
Day of activity: July 19th 2015
It started with a car trip to Hakone where there is a small samurai village. There was a recreation of a village for samurai, made to look the way it would have in the edo period. It was amazing! The nature and the atmosphere was refreshing. The temprature was perfect for a guy from Northern-Europe; Not too cold, and not too hot.
After that, we went to a hot spring with panorama skyview! I loved it! When I felt like I was boiling, a nice and kind breeze cooled me down.
On our way home from the hot spring, we stoped to buy some kind of fish cake. It was not the best fish cake I have tasted, but it was good.
When we got back home, my roommate Simon and I had some time to rest. Our host-family prepared dinner while we were resting. The dinner was extremely good! Fried chicken, fish cake, salad, beer, milk and potatos (because I am from Norway, and LOVE milk and potatos). It was a delicious dinner and a perfect ending to this adventure in Japan with World Campus International – Japan!
Marius Einmo (Norway)
My last World Campus – Japan 2015 day
Day of activity: July 18th 2015
Hello everyone,
Today was the last World Campus – Japan 2015 day for some of us, including me. In the morning we met some of the local kids who are taking english classes. We played multiple games with them and talked to them in english.
After that we got to experience calligraphy. A japanese lady showed us how to do and it looked really easy, but in the end alot of us were struggeling.
Then we made our own lunch. We could choose between “Fujisan-sushi” or “Flower-sushi”. (The sushi was named after what it looked like)
While we ate we got to talk to the ladys who had demonstrated how to make the sushi, and they were all very nice.
In the evening we had our Arigato event. It looked like the host families had a great time, and so did we. After the event was over, we had a potluck party. And the host families selected three kanji (Chinese characters) from the calligraphy we did that they thought were the best.
At last we all said goodbye and went home with our host families. Tomorrow is host family day, and after that most of us have to leave Japan again.
But I hope I get to see everyone again.
Thank you for reading
Magnus Krumbacher (Norway)
Our first activity day in Isehara
Day of activity: July 15th 2015
Today we did a bunch of different stuff! First, we visited Oyama elementary school, where we were met by its few- but extremely motivated- students and teachers. First, we taught them various things about our own countries. Then, we did a game where you introduce yourself to as many people as possible and collect a signature from every person. Next, we tried a traditional wooden toy that you send spinning by wrapping a rope around it and pulling back fast on it. The two girls who taught me made it look easy, but trust me: it wasn’t! I still had a lot of fun though!
Our next activity was a visit to the AMADA company, whom specialize in making machinery for cutting into metal plates. I’m not usually that interested in industrial machinery and such things, but the visit actually turned out to be really interesting. The precision and speed of the machines was really impressive, and we actually got a much closer look at them in action than I ever thought we would. The best part for me though (and I suspect for many of the others too) was going to the large exhibition room where special art pieces made with AMADA’s machines are on display. They were often made by students, and many of them were incredibly detailed, thanks to the use of laser-cutting and the like.
After our tour of the AMADA facility, we went to the Kikawa sake brewery. Located in a nondescript residential area, it’s the kind of place that you would easily miss if you just happened to walk by. But once inside, you could immediately tell that this place is special. They still make much of their product the old fashioned way, relying on a mix of ancient techniques and old trusted machines. We started our visit by watching a short video about sake brewing. Then we got a guided tour by the brewmaster himself, a man who is clearly very passionate about his work. Once the tour was over, we all got a small bottle to take back as a sample if we so pleased. I drank it with my host family, and I was very pleased!
So to summarize: school visit, industrial machinery, and sake- all in one day! It was an awesome day.
Simon Presley (Denmark)
Tea ceremony and Arigato event day
Day of activity: July 13th 2015
Just like every day, I woke up at 7 o’clock, but unlike everyday, our breakfast was bread and jam. It was a nice change after all that rice. Our host (Kumamoto) Ken-san drove us (meaning me and my roommate Anders) to Uda’s community center. There we would experience one of Japan’s greatest traditions: the tea ceremony.
First we all needed to change into Yukatas. This traditional clothing is just like a kimono, but lighter. After a short photoshoot everybody got their spot on the tatami mat- and that’s when things got serious. We sat down in the most uncomfortable pose ever! Some of the World Campus Japan members did a great job of hanging in there. I however gave up pretty quickly due to my bad knees. We learned all about the history of the ceremony, about what to do, and what to avoid. Some of us even got to make our own tea!
After the ceremony, we gathered in the great hall again. Being in Japan for 13 amazing days already, this seemed like a great opportunity to reflect on our stay so far. We likened our experiences to those of one another, some good, some bad. All of them were very educational. The last part of the day was spent preparing for the arigato event. Before the families arrived, we did an entire rundown for our new friends Ryoko and Keiko, who came all the way to Uda from Kyuushu just to spend two days with us.
After this we gave our host families a great show. We danced, sang, played games, and read thank you-letters. I even got to play a traditional song with my host-dad: we had practiced this ‘Sakura-song’ every evening and had had so much fun doing so!
To end this lovely day, our host family took us out for dinner. We went to an Indian restaurant, which was once again a nice change from all that (delicious) Japanese food.
Tanguy Declercq (Belgium)
