【東北】Field trip to Nasukashi - Primary School Visit

Field trip to Tohoku at year 2010

Nasukashi 那須甲子

Fukushima 福島

It is located 230km away from Tokyo

very very far.......

nearly 3 hours drive I perhaps

Of course I do not have a car

My scholarship association provide us transportation

Bullet train!!!!! Shinkansen!!!

One of my fav transport in Japan

But it is the most expensive transport in Japan

more expensive than air plane (>.<)!!!

Just a simply post

I saw Pokemon train while waiting for the bullet train

so cute!!!!!

After 1 and half hours of bullet train

then reached a place call Shinshirakawa 新白河

Then there is a bus fetch us up to the hill



here we are!!!!

国立那須甲子青少年自然の家

A national institution for youth education

This is the place where we will join all the events and volunteer

Volunteer job is to clean the forest and the rooms and the building

tough.....

We stayed here 5 days 4 nights

seriously tiring.......



From the place we stay

we are able to view these mountains

as we are on top of the mountain as well

haha

This post I will be sharing my experience

on visiting a primary school around that area

That is not the only primary school I visit though

I visited... 1.. 2...3... I cant remember....

is part of my "job"

as a scholar of AsiaJapan Alumni 
(supported by Minister of Foreign Affairs)

Being the representative of my country
(as only 1 scholar from 1 country each year... proud me... lol)

to visit and interact with the kids

Well I really learned a lot and had fun though (^^,)

here how Japan primary school looks like

(all primary school looks the same)

Here is the ground

Trees and statue
(same in malaysia)




There are swimming lesson since primary school

everybody must know how to swim

How I wish Malaysia's primary school have swimming pool!!!!!!

well I learned how to swim when

My mom just throw me into the pool when I was a baby

Then dreaming of becoming a Mermaid

haha

One more point is

the pool is so CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Now lets go into the school for a TOUR

Next is the HALL

again

is so SHINING and CLEAN!!!!

You see la

Inilah Jepun!!!!!!

Malaysia's basketball court Mostly is outdoor

and mostly the net is missing haha



Now Lets go into the classroom

In Japan

They have Cooking Classroom (how awesome)



Art Classroom



Students handiwork is hanging all over the class room

and wall of the school

See how good and creative they are

Made by primary 6 years student

oh my!!

Note and Things to do list on the board



work shop class room



I never drill a hole when I was in primary school (0.0)!!!



PC Classroom

Music Classroom

Science Lab

Library

So nice environment right??!!

But

They have to go to school from Monday - Saturday

depends on school

from morning 7 or 8am to evening 5 or 6pm

Long period

My Japanese friends was shocked when they heard about

Malaysia school finish at around 1pm hahaha

Good thing about malaysia is can go back early!!!!!

For Japanese kids

They had been trained since small to stay long hours in school

that makes them stay long hours in office....

till late night.....

well

Its time to say goodbye!!!!

See you next post!!!!

【体験】Japan traditional culture - Ikebana & Kimono

In Japan

There are a lot interesting culture to be experienced

In my field trip 

I experienced 

Ikebana & Kimono wearing

Ikebana means flower arranging

Kimono is Japanese traditional costume

Below is the preparing for flower arrangement

There are professional sensei came and taught us how to arrange the flower

well 

in Japan

you can be famous or professional as a artist

such as flower arrangement

But I still cannot understand the theory that taught by the sensei

e.g. height of the branch then height of the flower

etc...... 

This is what we made

you can see that the flower is sided to the left

The next experience is 

Kimono wearing

Kimono is very expensive in Japan

cost more than RM8000 or more

just for 1outer piece

normally kimono is 3 layers

and the waist part need to be tighten very tight

It takes lots of time to wear a kimono

if you don get used to it

Usually kimono is being worn in special occasion

such as 

Tea ceremony

where you need to sit on your foot for the whole ceremony

dam hard though!!!

【体験】Blood donation

Went blood donation the other day

It was my fourth time blood donation in Japan

for the first 3 times was being done in the 

moving blood donation bus

This time

when I finished gathering with my senior in Shinjuku

I saw there is people carrying blood donation sign board

(It is around East exit... above suit shop)

That dragged my attention 

So I decided to try blood donation at the center

When I go up to the center

I was SHOCKED

This is what I saw

It is very hard to imagine that 

this place is a blood donation place

Those fashion is from the wizard of Oz

It seems this place collaborates with one of the fashion school

to exhibit students collection at the place

Below is the entrance

too beautiful for a blood donation center

The waiting place is very cool!

comfortable and relaxing

there is a vending machine

that you can drink anything you want for free

There are

Coca Cola, Royal milk Tea, Green Tea, Cocoa, Matcha Latte,
Coffee, Calpis water, Calpis Soda and various fruit juice

All are free!!!

There are tibits and donuts too!!



There is a bookshelf full of manga

of course all in Japanese



During the blood donation

first they will get some blood for test

to see whether you are suitable for which process

and to confirm your blood type

I am being asked to

donate 400ml



During the donation

the chair is dam comfortable!!!!!

There is a private television for you to watch while donating

after finished donating

you can enjoy the drinks all you want

and there are free gifts too!!!!

Nice experience of blood donating at the center!!!

My room in 2010

Back in April 2010

When I first come Japan

reached Narita Airport

alone with 2 luggage

My lovely senior from my scholarship association 

fetch me from airport to the Japanese school

where my dorm will be

★★★★★

The room is so small

is only 7.45 meter square!!!!

and there is no toilet or bath room in the room

There are common toilet and bathroom 

that can be used among the dorm students

★★★★★

First night in my room

nothing but only bed, bedding set with blankets and pillow

April in Japan is Spring

So the weather is quite cold

alone in a empty room

Frankly is very lonely

In the dorm Me and my Senior only are the Malaysian

Others are main from China (55%)

Taiwan (25%) Indonesian (10%)

Others (10% - England, France, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar..etc)

★★★★★

After that

My lovely seniors helped me get some second hand goods

like fridge, electrical pots, toaster, frying pan.....etc...

Then I got myself some daily goods from the 100yen shop

day by day

Everyday searching for daily supply

seriously is very tiring

as in Japan everywhere is on foot and train

I reduce 3-4kg after I reached japan in the first month

I will share my experience in Japan later

Here I will introduce my room

★★★★★

first when I open my door

I will see my small kitchen on my right

I need to save money

cos I am all on my own with my scholarship living expenses

My family cannot afford my living expenses in Japan though

So I cook almost everyday

So glad my mom force me to learn cooking when I was 14

I am so glad now that I have the cooking skill to survive

Here I use almost everything from 100yen 

and from my lovely seniors

So next to my small kitchen is straight away my table and bed

you can see that I do not have space to walk!!!!

The chair occupied the whole corridor!!

Well this room is quite cheap though

compare to rental

it is 27,000yen (RM1026) per month include gas and water

I use 2 types of shower curtain to cover the wall

as the wall is full of stickers and marks

that looks very dirty

I put all my shoes under the bed

So above my pillow

straight away is the wardrobe

so small!!!!

How can this small wardrobe can fit all my

winter, autumn, spring and summer wear!!!!

I dunno how I survive at that time

But I really survived!!

with this little small room

for 1 year

There is my bath robe and towel

Where I need it

to walk to the common shower room

even in the winter

Just imagine how cold it is!!!!

When the big earth quake in March 11, 2011

I was still in this little small room

In Kita-shinjuku

near Okubo

My thing was all in good condition

really thank god

I moved away straight away after the earth quake

as my contract in this dorm is only for 1 year

So

You all can see most of the Japanese room is very small
(although paid for almost Rm1k!!)

wan tumpang stay also dunno where to sleep

Sleep floor also no place LOL

well

It was really a good experience for me

【体験】小川和紙 Kogawa Japanese Paper

Field trip to Saitama

for making Kogawa Japanese Paper

well it is just to experience how to remake paper

We arrive a place call 

Ogawa-machi

小川町

Where a town  famous for Japanese Paper

和紙のふるさと

It is located 2 hours from Tokyo by train

(very far T^T)

There are lots of type of Japanese paper

such as

papers to make paper dolls

Hanging paper dolls etc....

Here our Japanese paper making starts!!!!!!!

The person in charge is explaining the process of making to us

In this process

we are making postcards

There are special mold

for making the postcards

first insert the mold into the special paper liquid

Then balance the liquid in every mold

Then the person in charge will help to press

away the excess water

and left the wet paper for us to design



Here is where we experience out Japanese postcard making



We are free to design anything

on the wet paper

This is my design

After finished design

just pass this thing to the person in charge

and they will help us baked the paper

to become the real postcard

that can be use

It will takes some time for the post card to be dry

So basically you cannot bring back your post card on that day

unless you have enough time to wait though

haha

well just a small postcard making experience for me

It is quite fun (^^,)