Jeff Jordahl's Amazing Japan Trip

Journals Day 14 (The last day)

2005-11-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up the next morning and got ready to take a shower. After my shower I went downstairs, grabbed my meal ticket and headed off to the buffet. After eating and checking in one last time with my loved ones, I met with all my friends as we waited to board the bus for this, our last day in Japan.

We started off our amazing final day at the Temple of the 1000 Buddahs. The temple is known as this because there is literaly 1000 Buddahs inside the temple. We entered into the temple and took off our shoes and began to walk. Before we went in, we were stopped by the main guard who told us that they do not allow photography of any sort inside the temple. We checked our cameras at the door and went inside. As I walked the long hall, I saw the buddahs. These buddahs were not little 6 inch statues, these were human sized creations of rock and stone. In the very middle, I guess it would be the 1000th buddah, there was a large, almost 15 feet tall buddah made out of gold. This place must be worth millions!, I told myself as I walked back to the entrance to head to our last stop of our trip before the airport.

The bus pulled to a stop at this large mall. We were given 2 hours to run around and look for last minute souvenirs for our friends and family before we hit the skies. My friends and I decided to look for a 99 Yen store to see if there was anything there we couldn't live without. We ran around the mall for an hour trying to find some sort of map and when we did, we got side tracked. Instead of looking for a 99 Yen store, we looked for this large sky ramp that is suspended over the entire mall at about 10 stories. The sky ramp was awesome, from there I got a great pic of what the mall looked like and decided to head back to the bus. We arrived at the bus with time to spare so we looked for a 99 Yen store. Instead, we found a few friends eating ice cream and talked with them until we boarded the bus to the airport.

We boarded the bus and headed off to the airport; a long but familiar 2 hour drive was ahead. On the bus, we talked about how we missed home and we would also miss Japan. We began to say our goodbyes to our guide as the airport came in sight. The bus crossed the bridge and dropped us and our baggage off at the airport and we had a few minutes to say our goodbyes. We all had our pictures taken with our wonderful guide, Kayo, and gathered up our luggage. As we began to check in, our guide began to cry and wished us all the best in our future travels. We passed through customs and proceeded down to the gate. By the time everyone had arrived at the gate, we were only 20 minutes from takeoff. We lined up and boarded the plane. As I took my final step off the jet way and onto the plane, I whispered good bye to the county that had hosted me for 2 weeks. The country that I now knew more about then I every thought I could. I quickly found my seat and began to write today's log of events in my Journal.

This trip has meant so much to me that words alone can't describe it. I thank all of you that sponsored me in my trip to Japan and you that followed me in this Journal. Thank you again for everything. Without you, I would have been stuck stateside this summer. Thank you again.

Jeffrey Jordahl
World Travelor

Journals Day 13

2005-11-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up the next morning with a large knock at the door. We had about an hour and a half to be ready for breakfast downstairs. I rolled out of bed and got ready to take my shower. After my nice hot shower, I went down to the lobby and found a few friends of mine. They were all waiting for their leader to come down and give them their meal coupon to take to one of the 7 restaurants we could go to and eat. I used my waiting time at the phone bank and using a calling card, gave my loved ones a nice hello and welcoming them to the day that I was starting as their day was wrapping up. My leader arrived and gave me my food coupon, I went to the buffet. After breakfast we met and discussed our agenda for the day and headed off to the bus.

The first place on our tour was the former imperial palace in Kyoto. This palace housed the emperor up until the mid 19th century when Europe and especially America forced their good onto the Japanese people. The Japanese decided to move the capitol to Edo, the largest port town at the time, and the city was renamed to Tokyo which means 'eastern capitol'. The palace was unlike some of the others we had seen up until now. At this palace their were high gates like all the others but the palace was not as large vertically as it was in Tokyo and all the other palaces we had seen all over Japan. The thing that set this palace apart was the special floor they Japanese designed so no assassin could ever sneak inside the castle. The floor is known as the nightingale floor. The floor actually coos like a nightingale as one walks on the floor. The sound comes from the nails in the floor as they rub against the wooden supports as foot pressure is applied to them. The palace itself was ornately decorated and many of the ancient paint was still holding up considering the damage of time on it. After the tour, we went to the small store nearby and took a look at the beautiful gardens surrounding the palace. I loved all the koi ponds and at the store, I found a glass coca-cola bottle written in Japanese.

After the tour, we left the palace and took a long ride to a movie studio in Kyoto. This movie studio is like Universal studios in America; they have games, rides and shows, and at any one moment, you may find yourself in an actual movie set. We hurried to the cafeteria where lunch had already been served waiting for us to arrive. After lunch we all were let loose inside the the studio. We wandered around between the small souvenir shops and ice cream stands until we found this show that everyone else seemed to be going to. The show was all in Japanese (no surprise there) but it looked as if they were showing us how they go about filming a fight scene in Japanese movies. They broke down the action shot by shot until the good guy slayed the bad guy. Then they ran it once all the way through without stopping, All was going well until the lines got mixed up and the bad guy won. The director liked it and much to the good guy's dismay, he kept the shot and the curtain fell. We all left and found another show about a guy trying to save his village but ends up dying and continued wandering around playing games until I found something that shook me to my core.

I walked into a room where I was greeted by this large robot looking thing. At first glance it was unrecognizable but then when I took a second look it hit me like a sack of bricks, This was a megazord like the ones in POWER RANGERS! I caught my escaping breath and told myself that it couldn't be. I continued into the room and realized I was wrong. I found something like a shrine to power rangers inside. All the power rangers I had ever seen were there. Their costumes all lined up taunting me. I looked around the room and saw other shows from my youth, the VR Troopers and the Beetle Borgs. I felt like I was 8 again looking at what had shaped my youth and been the source of many childhood dreams and fantasies. As I walked out of the room, I felt that I had in some small way, reconnected with my inner 8 year old pernanently. I headed back toward the main entrance and looked at the large souvenir shop up their until it was time to reboard the bus.

Our next stop for today was the famous Golden Pavillion in Kyoto. The Golden Pavillion is so amazing because the main temple building itself looks as if it had been made completely out of gold! The building burned down a long time ago and was rebuilt on the ashes of the first but one would never be able to tell. Many foreign dignitaries come to the pavilion for state functions and to look at the beauty. We left the bus and walked through the main gate into the surrounding garden. We had to walk for about 100 yds until we saw it. The building itself looked as though it was made from 24K gold! I stared in awe as the green of the trees and the backdrop of the mountain seemed to make the entire pavillion rise up and come to life before my eyes. We walked around the pavillion and had our books shrined as we took pictures of the Pavillions beauty. After pictures were taken and books shrined, we boarded the bus and headed down to our last stop before dinner.

We arrived at a large shrine. This shrine is special because as all shrines have a sacred god that lives at the shrine, this shrines god was the god of good test scores and high school entrance. Many students from all over Japan flock to this shrine every year to pray to the gods to help them get into high school and pass their finals. This shrine itself was very cool with plenty of statues and ornate buildings. We once again had our books shrined and wandered around the shrine taking all of the culture in.

Finally, we boarded the bus and headed to our final destination, dinner. We went to a small restaurant but it felt like the first restaurant we visited back in Tokyo. We were given meat like chicken, beef, and pork and with large skewers, cooked the food over the open flame and ate it. Our table was the last served but the first done. We were all so hungry as we were the ones always running making sure everyone was keeping up. After dinner we went back to our hotels and had one final meeting about what was going on tomorrow. We would be leaving so I, with a heavy heart began to pack my bags one last time and set out my P2P uniform for the morning.

Journals Day 12

2005-08-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning from the Hiroshima Prince Hotel and collected up my things because we were only going to stay here for the night. We woke up late because we didn't have a wake up call, and I ran to breakfast getting dressed along the way to find it almost over. I ate as fast as I could (or as fast as I normally eat) and ran back upstairs to finish up packing my day bag.

After check-out, I joined the rest of the group in the lobby as we prepared to board a fairy to go to a famous shrine in Hiroshima. The shrine is on a island and the island is home to a group of deer that are unique to the island and extremely tame. The deer would let you walk right up to them and pet them and scratch them. The shrine itself is built on the shore so when high tide comes in, the water comes right up to the floor boards. I took many pictures of the shrine because my homestay family went on vacation to Hiroshima last year and went to this shrine. We all had our shrine books stamped and let loose for half an hour to wander about and shop if we wished or pet the deer. After the thirty minutes, we all boarded a new fairy where we found out bus and prepared for a long drive. The bus ride promised to be long.

The ride would be long as I thought for it took us about 30 minutes by a 380km/hr bullet train so it would take us at least 4 hours to get to Kyoto. We of course made potty stops but we had one more place to visit before we arrived in Kyoto. We arrived at this beautiful castle that many people say looks like a heron in flight. It was beautiful and better yet, not touched by the ravages of war for it was never used in war. After 4 centuries, it was still as beautiful as the day it was built. This was the most elaborate castle so far as it had more floors than it appeared, stunning architecture and many maze-like corridors. The castle was large and grand but because of the maps and gift shops, it seemed less authentic. The wierdest part of all occurred when as I was walking downstairs, I began to think that I could use the signs posted all around to watch your head in my room as good decoration. I quickly left and decided to take lots of pictures and reflect on the castle to get my mind off the signs and maps for a while.

After taking pictures of the castle and discussing how it looked more like a crane in flight than a heron with everyone, We left for Kyoto again and wouldn't stop until we arrived. As we pulled into the city, it began to rain and we had to grab our bags and take them up to our rooms in the middle of a downpour. I took the opportunity to pull on my rain poncho and prepared to walk through the streets of Kyoto during a downpour to our dinner restaurant. As we walked out side, we all saw that the rain had stopped so we put away our rain gear and beat a trail to the restaurant. About halfway there, the skies open back up and let loose their fury on us again. We quickly pulled out our gear and ran along the slippery sidewalks to the restaurant. We entered the restaurant and shown to our tables where we ate a buffet again and dried off. We finished and went back outside and walked though the clear evening night to the hotel where we sleep for the night.

Journals Day 11 (Prepare yourself before you read this please.)

2005-08-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

We woke up early this morning as we had to leave our homestays. I returned to the shower area and got ready for the day. We dined one last time with the family. They presented us with gifts as we ate and wished us the best of luck. I bought beef jerky for the trip in case I couldn't eat and now that I knew that I could, I had little use for them unless I was planning to go with out for a while. I gave the remaining 5 packages of jerky along with my other gifts and scrapbook to the family. I felt bad for not giving them more but the happiness of their faces made me realize I gave them more than enough. I said goodbye to the kids with a heavy heart and watched all three of them walk off toward school. We then loaded up one last time in the car and prepared to leave.

My homestay Ito-san brought us back to the government building where he picked Zac and I up 3 days earlier. He thanked us for everything and left for he had to go to work. I watch as others arrived and said goodbye to their host families. Some were crying while others just shook hands but in their minds was the same thought: 'Thanks for being so nice and I will truly miss you." The bus arrived and with all our bags now in the truck, we left them all behind in a cloud of diesel exhaust on a trail paved by happy memories and shed tears of sorrow. The ground behind us was now made holy in our hearts forever.

We took a short trip to the train station where we were to catch a bullet train to Hiroshima. We got into the station and walked up to the platform. We were conditioned in the bus that when the train doors are opened, we must let everyone off and rush in or else we would leave someone behind and if that happened, they were out of luck. The train doors opened up and we rushed the train just trying to get everyone on. We did so well, we were all seated before the train took off and only left behind one person and no one like him any way (kidding). The train ride lasted a while but at 380 km/hr, the trip was faster than the bus no doubt. The group transferred once and after about an hour or so, we arrived in Hiroshima.

As we arrived, a tour guide met us in the station and showed us to the bathrooms, ATM, and finally the bus where we all piled in to get ready for the next event which promised to be the most heart wrenching experience of our lives. She explained how we were going to the Hiroshima Peace Park where we would see among other things, the atom bomb dome, the children's memorial, the students memorial, and the museum. We left the bus and headed toward the dome. As we walked, we were told the facts and figures that went along with the sad fate that befell Hiroshima that August morning. About 150,000 people died because of the one bomb. We were told of the complete and total devastation it caused... Of the pain people felt... Of the pain people still felt today...

We visited the student memorial and told that many who died here were students sent from all over Japan to work down here so all the men could go out and fight. The students did all the jobs needed to keep the city running like drive the cable cars and watch over the manufacturing of goods so both the people and soldiers had things to continue using to live and survive. We then moved to the children's memorial and told of the story of Sadako and how she 10 years after the atom bomb hit, fell ill with leukemia and thought that if she folded 1000 paper cranes, the gods would grant her a wish of being better. Sadly she died and even after folding 1000 cranes, she did not have her wish granted. We then placed all of our cranes down at the memorial and took time to pray before we moved on the the next and possibly hardest trial yet: the museum.

As we walked to the museum, we remembered what our history teachers told us and all the pictures in our history books. None of which prepared me for what I was about to see. We were taken into a theater room where they showed us a movie about the bomb. In the movie, we saw clips that we never saw before. Clips of Hiroshima completely leveled to the ground, scenes of bodies rotting in the street and faces burned beyond recognition. Scenes of little kids completely emaciated burned, and bleeding. Children that had everything to look forward to that morning and nothing but death by night fall. Thousands gone, hundreds in a flash turned to ashes. The movie ended and we were then told to go through the museum for the only way to the exit, is to re-live the horrors that many went through. We walked along paths that showed how Japan was fighting against America and winning, then turned into losing then turned into survival. We then entered ground zero. Words cannot describe emotions like these. It is hard to type the images are so powerful. Images of people burned raw diving into rivers to get a drink and cool off drowning as others pile on top of them... Images of shadows burned onto the ground and buildings as people who stood there were vaporized... Images of people crying out for water and help only to be consumed by fire and their own pain. There were articles of clothing blown apart by the blast as well as pictures drawn from peoples memories of the pain on that day on display. The entire scene seemed to be a living thing as it invaded every part of me. Finally, I reached the end and wrote my name in the guest book and headed out. I exited the museum and took time to regain my composure as did everyone else before we moved on. With a heart full of remorse, I left the park with a different outlook. War, not atom or nuclear bombs, is horrible and it can only lead to worse things. Peace is what we need.

From there, we were taken to a nearby shopping district and given about an hour to make our rounds. I found an electronics store and bought myself a new pair of head phones and some batteries for a friend who gave me some money if I ran into any. I thought how this entire city seemed to be what I thought Tokyo would be like. It was large and very noisy thanks to a overhead loudspeaker blaring out music and adds for stores. The entire area felt so Urban but a true Japanese take on the style, not the other way around like in Tokyo.

Then we loaded 'er up one last time and rode off to the hotel where we ate a great meal with all the trimmings and settled down for our one night stay (I don't mean High School Lingo) at the Prince Hotel: Hiroshima.

Journals Days 8-10 (The Home Stay Days)

2005-08-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Today we check out of the Gifu Sports Plaza and Hotel because today is the time to meet our homestays. My stomach churned with anticipation and dread as I dressed in my People 2 People uniform and rode the elevator up one story to the dining hall for a repeat of yesterday's breakfast of bacon, eggs and bread. With my bag packed from the night before, I descended in the elevator and brought myself and my bag to the bus where the truck guy took my bag and I took my seat. I tried to get comfortable because we were going to be on this bus for over 4 hours just to go say hi to some kids from the Japanese middle school in our homestay town.

The bus ride is so long that I began to try to get all the words right to the song 'One Week' by The Barenaked Ladies. I began to get fast as he would say 'vanilla is the finest of the flavors.' By the time I had given up, we arrived at the school. Immediately we were separated into groups of 2 and 3 and sent to classrooms to say "Hi" to all the students. Two of my fellow ambassadors and I were sent to room 2-1. The first number means the year which 2 in Japan means 8th grade and the second number means the class number. We ate lunch with them and tried as hard as we could to communicate. The ideas of sports, names and pokemon were universal so we stuck to those as we tried to our best on all the rest. Before we left, I asked everyone in our room to sign their name on a piece of paper we could take home. After using a lot of sign language, they understood and began to sign their names.

We were then asked to meet back downstairs at the 'war room' as we called it and go to the Third years (9th graders) and hang out with them. We were able to participate in English class and history lessons. I was even brought up to the chalk board where I got to tell the class 'My Important Thing' Rather than name a person or thing, I chose ice hockey, and surprisingly, many understood what I was talking about. Then we participated in a formal English presentation as the would-be-american-freshmen-japanese-third-years present to us things they did or things that are special to them in English.

After all the learning, we were called back to the 'war room' and led to the gymnasium where a special event was being held for all the third year students; a good luck rally. A 'pep assembly' in America, the good luck rally was much different than its traditional American counterpart. All of the sports teams walked into the gym in procession as someone bared a sign in front proclaiming the sport. Even the cheerleaders were different as they were all male! In America, it is female cheerleaders and a lot more music. As the assembly ended, we boarded the bus and drove down to the city government building to wait for our homestay families.

My Homestay family was called first and I gathered my stuff as I prepared to go to a new place with only one other person from my program and he was from San Francisco. Ito-san (Ito was his last name and that is how I addressed him) drove us to his house where his family minus one were all present and waiting to great us. The family consisted of Ito-san and his wife, his two sons, one daughter, and his parents. He gave us our room and as soon as his youngest son returned, we ate a large feast they had prepared for us. We ate at a low table sitting on the floor along with the family. My friend, Zach, and I tried everything we could and filled up on just those tastes. By then, it was late and after a long bus ride and an early wake-up call, I asked if we could go to bed early.

The bedroom was a formal living room by day and a guest room by night so we slept on Futons again but this time, they were not too bad to sleep on. The room got incredibly hot at night but if we laid on just the futon without the cover quilt, sleeping got to be much better.

We were awakened by the youngest member of their family, (Mei: 8 year old daughter of Ito-san and the youngest) with a loud “GOOD MORNING”. I got up slowly and walked through the living room to the laundry/ shower room where I got ready for our eventful day with our homestay.

We started by going around the back of their property and began to help out the grandparents bring in large bags. After asking what were the contents of the bags, I was informed that they contained green tea. I happily carried them to their shed and asked if more help was required. They said no and grabbed a bunch of orange fruits off a tree and handed them to us. The fruits were great and very juicy as we walked back to their house for even more Japanese adventures.

They took us down to an authentic Japanese Soba. I had never been to one in the states so I did not know what to expect. When we arrived, we were shown to a special room where we were then instructed on how to make Soba noodles. We were then given the supplies needed and under the sharp eyes and guidance of the chefs, authentic, Japanese Soba noodles were crafted by yours truly. Though the process from flour to dough to noodle was long and grueling, the reward, a large plate of the same noodles just made by us, was well worth it.

From there, they drove to a place where we then were taught how to make paper. When asked, the ‘paper instructor’ explained how a certain tree was harvested and all the bark from this tree was boiled to create fibers that when strained out and flattened, created the paper. This process is hundreds of years old and it is still practiced today, not as much in the professional paper used but definitely for decoration, tourism and fun like we were doing. I was able to decorate my paper with leaves, twigs and flowers and then we poured one final layer of paper on top and let it dry.

From the paper area, we traveled to a grocery store. Big deal right? WRONG! The grocery store was like a Wal-Mart Supercenter but bigger and had much more crud in it and you could park on the roof. One side of the store was food, the other was everything else. As we entered, all the kids scattered off and searched for 'certain items'. The carts used were very different as they were made for hand baskets and nothing else. The idea of such small baskets in America is in a word; impossible.

With Groceries in hand, we went back to the house where the family prepared a barbeque for us. The barbeque had bell peppers, eggplant, chicken, pork, onions, kabobs, and more. Where in America we use tongs to flip the food on the grill, in Japan, they use what else but, giant chop sticks. The barbeque sauce used was even different as it was sweet and not tangy like American brands. As we cleaned up the barbeque, all the kids ran back inside and ran out with what they called Hanaper; fireworks to me and you. We were very honored and invited to grab a few and light them up. With no matches, we use the embers from the grill to light them. The smoked more than American fireworks and didn't shoot out any colorful balls of flame but they made beautiful colored smoke and sparked. I absolutely loved the fireworks and the meal.

From the front yard, we brought the fun inside and played a game of memory and old maid. They were great. I didn't win in memory but didn't lose at old maid. After all the fun, our exhaustion caught up with us and I asked if I could go to bed. We made up the beds and went back off the slumber land.

I woke up around 8 o'clock and got ready for the day. My room buddy Zac didn't wake up until 9:30 so we got started late but fun was to be had nonetheless. We went to a nearby castle and checked it out. The castle was built many years ago but still looks brand new today. The castle itself is elevated and surrounded by walls with places to fire off arrows. The castle is laid out much like a European castle in that every hole was fortified and had plenty of trap doors for sneak attacks.

After checking out the castle, we headed next door to the museum and looked at all the centuries old artwork that was displayed. I loved how after all this time, the colors still looked as true as the day they were first painted. We ran into a few others from People 2 People and said 'hi' but I didn't want to be rude on front of my homestay so we went our separate ways.

The car was then loaded up and we drove to a green tea factory. There they take green tea leaves harvested by others and turn them into the powder that when added to water is green tea. All the steps were automated but the care given to each batch was felt as we were given samples of tea right off the line in the gift shop. My homestay bought both of us a nice package of green tea and we thanked him immensely.

From tea to energy, we arrived at a nuclear power station where they had shows and demonstrations on the use of alternative energy sources like nuclear and wind. The shows were all in Japanese, (what else would I have expected by now?) but the thought of them taking us to places, all by itself, was enough to make me happy. They took us to see a movie there called 'Young Black Stallion' but apologized that it wasn't in English. I laughed and told them that I liked it even better because it wasn't in English.

They then took us to the beach. The beach here is not sandy at all. Rather, very rocky with plenty of tidal pools. It was very cool to look at the tidal pools because they always seemed to be teeming with life. Most of the life consisted of crabs, snails, muscles and sand crabs. I tried to collect shells and sand but due to the lack of sand and space, I only collected a handful which I later lost on the way home. The beach was different, but still smelled the same.

The dinner of choice was sushi so we drove down to the local Sushi bar and prepared to dine. The food came down a conveyor belt constantly so when we saw food we wanted, we grabbed it. Some food was special ordered and brought to us but everything else came by the conveyor. This time I ate 7 plates of sushi, 1 large bowl of Miso Soup, and a dessert. My homestay father had 11 plates of sushi, 1 large bowl of soup, a dessert and 2 beers! The oldest kid had about the same amount as the father minus the beers of course! I was shocked that these small guys could put away soooooo much food! We then paid the bill and headed off to their home where we packed up all of our belongings and settled in for the last night sleep at our wonderful homestay's house.

Journals Day 7

2005-08-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

We woke up and went up to a breakfast of fruit, sausage, eggs, and juice. We got our itinerary for the day and prepared to board the bus.

We headed off to a lacquer ware factory where they make lacquered items [Yippie :-( ] As we arrived, we are given a little over an hour to check out the interesting dishes and items made hundreds of years ago and items for sale. We checked them all out and crossed the street to the gift shop where little trinkets could be purchased that bared scenes of Japan and Japanese characters. I bought some origami paper and borrowed until we were called back onto the bus.

From the factory, we ended up at a shrine. This was a pretty cool shrine because it was right in the middle of Gifu between a few houses. I asked my delegation leader about this and she told me that many people step into shrines on their way to work or school to pray for their families or even to get an A on their test. I got my shrine book 'shrined' again and took a few pictures with locals. We then departed on foot to our next spot.

At the next spot, a traditional Japanese market, we were given about half an hour to shop for more souvenirs. As I walked through the narrow streets, I could smell the unique smell of 'tourist trap'

At the next spot, a traditional Japanese folk town, we were given about a half hour to wander around the entire area and take in the re-creation of Japan over 100 years ago. I walked the narrow streets and in my mind compared it to Old Town Scottsdale in that it smelled of a tourist trap and was a popular place for locals to hang out and meet with others or just be seen. I tried to avoid the stores that smelled like a trap for my American money and went to the stores where many locals could be seen milling about.

From there, we walked about 2 kilometers to a nearby hotel/restaurant where we were to have an authentic style Japanese lunch. While walking, I noticed how as we entered certain parts of the city with a predominately western feel, vending machines were more plentiful where as places that looked more traditional, minus the 'imitation markets', seemed to have less vending machines and more people acting natural. It was nice to be in a part of Japan that was where locals would come to hang out. We arrived at the hotel/restaurant and ate our lunch( small in size but plenty of flavor and tea) then we were given about 30 minutes to get money or shop or get stamps. I bought airmail stamps from the post office for post cards but I had no post cards and hadn't thought about buying them until now. I am what you would call out of luck if I wanted to get them home before I get there. I returned to the restaurant/hotel and left for our final stop for the day at least with People 2 People.

The bus pulled up in front of a large store. Puzzled, as were the other 35 ambassadors, we filed out of the bus and told to walk through the store. We did as we were told and walked though the store and out the other side to find a Japanese folk village. The area itself wasn't to large but the layout and architecture truly transported us all back to feudal Japan. We watched as a lady did needle point and some were asked to try their luck. The coolest thing about the village is that it had a fountain of youth there. I had to pay to use it so I hope it doesn't run out like a parking meter because it is very expensive to fly back and add a few hundred thousand yen to save my beauty for all future generations. The town itself was amazing and it made me think about how in northern phoenix, we have something similar to this but Arizona rather than Japan over 100 years ago. Both towns are cool and each draw visitors to show off the areas history. The biggest difference between this old town and the Arizona folk town is how technology was utilized in both. In Arizona, western tech was used and developed through necessity and the culture of the west is different than that of the eastern US because of what they used and how it was used. In Japan, the technology used back then was a bit different due to the terrain and landscape so things were done in different ways because of this.

After all the fun had subsided, we were once again corralled into the bus and driven off to our hotel/ sports complex. We were rushed up stairs to dinner and told what our shower schedules were to be and let loose for the night. Some decided to go shopping around the area before showers and lights out. I just decided to go to bed and finish up all the journals. I am getting pretty excited about tomorrow.

Journals Day 6

2005-08-08T08:12:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning and decided to work on yesterday's journal since I fell asleep really early. This is the second time I woke up today. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of pouring rain and thought about how it rains so little in Arizona comparatively. Since I showered last night, I got dressed and went to breakfast. I noticed that the sound of rain could still be heard and looking out the window at the breakfast table, I watched the rain play symphonies as it trickled from the sky to the ground. In a country where it rains everyday in the summer, I have been lucky up until now.

After breaking my fast with cheese and fruit, I re-packed my bag because we are only a guest for one night at 'The Guest House' :-) . We had to strip the beds covers and place our towels, robes, and bed covers in separate bags. I took pictures and proceeded to the bus with my day pack and backpack because our suit cases were in Gifu. I slipped my trusty shoes on and jumped outside and onto the bus.

The bus drive was long. 4 hours long, but we would end up at the World Expo in Gifu, Japan. We broke up into groups and spread out over the entire Expo. The place was HUGE, even by American standards. The amount of cultures from all over the world was amazing! All the cool things had lines so we had to go to other places. First, we checked out an area called the interactive fun zone and found it to be a 'kiddy land'. Not that there is anything wrong with that. We checked out the kid toys and then we went to lunch. After lunch, we headed toward the more 'grown-up' section where we had to wait in line to have our faces digitized and put into a movie. The movie was cool but I couldn't understand it because it was entirely in Japanese. The ideas expressed helped me to understand and in the end, the overall meaning hit home even with a language barrier. As we left the movie, someone in my group checked their watch. We had 10 minutes to get to the other side of the park!! To make matters worse, the distance we needed to travel in those 10 minutes was probably 1.5 miles as the crow flies!!!! We took off in a full sprint as we rushed to not be late. As the goal was in sight, a friend spoke of a bathroom emergency and how she couldn't wait. So another friend, our patty friend and I went to settle her business as the rest went to explain for us. After the business was taken care of, we walked to our group and found that because they got there in time and were able to explain our situation, we were given more time so we weren't late.

After we all got to the bus, everyone in our group started laughing about how we ran all that way through the park and made it on time. I laughed even harder when I found out that even one had time to flirt with a few guys as she rushed toward the exit. We got our room assignments on arrival and grabbed our suitcases from the truck to haul them to our rooms. After we got them to our rooms, we were met with the challenge of fixing up our beds. They were the same layout as the ones in The Guest House so we used our collective memories to figure out which futon to sleep on and what sheets to use. We had to then meet downstairs as we were going to watch fisherman fish in an old Japanese method of using birds to catch fish.

The Fisherman were very interesting. They tied ends onto the necks of the birds just tight enough to stop them from swallowing the fish but not to tight to stop their breathing. The birds are then sent out and while the fisherman use a fire hanging over the boat for light and bait for the fish, the birds dive down, grab a fish, and hop into the boat where the fisherman takes the fish and sends the bird back. The bird is not hurt at all and the method works incredibly well still today. We stayed for about 15 minutes and returned to the hotel for showers and sleep.

The farther from Tokyo we get, the more native Japanese culture I run into. Japanese culture is amazing. At the Expo, every country participating had its own area but Japanese culture was visible in everything from architecture to the language. The Expo was cool but watching interacted while there made it all the nicer. Being here is a treat, I know that, but a nicer ÂtreatÂ is the fact that we are able to live a life in which we can live as everyone in Japan lives theirs everyday. I only wish that this trip could be longer.

Journals Day 5

2005-08-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today, I woke up before the wake up call and it feels great to hear those annoying, yet soothing musical tones. I cleaned up the room around my bed as my roommates rolled out of their own quarters. As I dressed for what promised to be an exciting day, a trek up Mt. Fuji; I packed a small bag with care to insure a change of clothes and shower supplies. Fixing my bed and my clothes, I dragged my suitcase outside the door and waited for my room check.

Following my room check, I went to breakfast and had my last meal at the Prince hotel in Tokyo. The same items were yet again there so I had a large meal that consisted of all the things I hadn't tried yet. They turned out to be pretty good. I finished my last breakfast and grabbed my suitcase to give to the concierge who began to load them up on a luggage rack to take down to the u-haul. I then boarded the bus bound for Mt. Fuji.

After a long bus ride full of twists and turns around mountains and through long tunnels carved out of pure rock, we arrived at STATION 5 on Mt. Fuji. STATION 5 is the farthest station one can drive up to on the mountain. To reach the top or STATION 10, one must climb their way up. We de-bused and met with our guide who would take us up to a crater on the side of the mountain. We was in great shape and even though I play hockey, the shear vertical climb made me so tired, I had to lag back a bit (but I was still with the fist ten almost a football field in distance a way from the last 10). The climb was well worth it. As we made it to the crater, all the clouds lifted giving us a great view of the ocean. Some of us descended into the holy crater and took pictures of the views all around. Those tired stayed at the top and relaxed. We all climbed back out and briskly walked down the side of the mountain toward our bus.

We continued on toward a Chinese restaurant. The sheer thought of a Chinese restaurant in Japan made a truly kind of funky sense, but it made sense nonetheless. We were rushed upstairs as we were late and food had already been dished out. We had to eat under 45 minutes if we wanted to make it to our next stop, a cable car up the side of a mountain overlooking a lake filled with the runoff of Mt. Fuji. We ate as fast as we could and boarded the bus.

We made it to the cable car about half an hour early so we were able to shop around the nearby shops and ride the giant mechanical pandas around the sidewalks in front of the stores. I chose to go down to the lake side and stare at the beauty that is Japan. I took note of all the trees around and found that most of them were Japanese maple trees. A tree that is very common and happens to be my second favorite in all the world. It made the scenery even better!

The time to ride the cable car drew near so we all ran up to the loading area. The ride was spectacular! From my vantage point of over 75 feet in the air, I could see the forest below just like a bird!! The ride took us to the top of the mountain where we could see almost the entire lake. I bought a coke for a 150 yen and returned to the car for the decent. As we arrived back in the bottom station, we were coralled and directed toward the bus.

Since our stay in Tokyo was complete, we drove to our lodging for this night only: The Guest House. The Guest House felt as though we were actually in a Japanese house since we were all going to sleep on Tatami mats and futons. As we arrived, we were served dinner promptly and given our room assignments. I carried my limp body to room and claimed the first bed I saw. Just then, I remembered about the hot springs this placed offered to its 'guests'. I jumped to my feet and got redressed in a robe in a flash. I rushed to the hot spring only to find a line. I resolved myself to wait until the line shortened up. After about 15 minutes, I got my turn and grabbed 3 of my friends who were waiting for me to let them know when it was our turn. The spring was amazing! The heat from the water engulfed all of me and brought me to an inner peace long forgotten. Us four sat and relaxed and talked about our times and the trivial stuggles that made us who we are today. And on a side note, the boys and girls had seperate buildings and seperate springs so we didn't even see each other until the next day (not saying no one didn't try though ;-) ).

Feeling great, I got out of the spring and rinsed off. I put on a robe and hit the bed. I feel asleep right away and am now writing this on the morning of the 6th day. The culture here is different and agian the same as Amereica. Though they drive on the different side of the road and use kilometers instead of miles, driving is the same. We shake hands where they do both. They even don't appriciate the beauty of their country until it is pointed out like us. Mt. Fuji to us is beautiful and inspiring but even more so to the Japanese who believe that is where gods live. Other cultures believed that Gods lived on their tallest mountains so our cultures aren't to different at all. Chinese food here is great food but in America, it is a culinary joke. The food is about the same but the cultural differences and similarities dictate the idea of the food. Even as we rode the cable car, the view was great but a golf course gave me the true picture of the area: an area full of beauty and culture but because most can't see it, gimics have to be used to get others inside. This country is great on its own and is a Jem in a sea of coal.

Journals Day 4

2005-08-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

We Wake up today with a wake up call from the front desk. With its cheerful musical tones still ringing in my head, I rolled out of bed and pulled myself into the shower. After the bathing and cleansing, I deotorized and dawned my People 2 People Uniform and prepared to go to breakfast. There the same assortment of western food greated me and my peeps as we hurried to finish preping to meet with the government officials of Tokyo.

The Bus was boarded and headed off toward the Tokyo government building. Upon arrivalm we were ushered inside and given a quick explanation of the ensuing tour. Then the tour began with a short elevator ride to the third floor where we walked through a great hall toward a meeting hall. This is where quarterly meetings between the governor of Tokyo and others take place. From there, we returned to the first floor where we caught an elevator to the observation deck. From there, on a clear day, unlike today, all of Tokyo and surrounding landmarks like Mt. Fuji can be seen. Before we left, I was selected to give the government official a gift. They shook my hand and thanked us all deeply.

Leaving on cloud nine, The group and I headed off toward a traditional shopping area and given 45 minutes. While there, we searched for bathrooms and entertainment. We ended up at a video arcade. We immediatly recognized a few games like Time Crisis and Dance Dance Revolution, while other games like this drumming game caught our eyes. These games cost ¥200 each. That is about $2 dollars!! I shelled it out once but never again will I be drawn by the bright lights and sounds

After the shopping escapades, We retreated to Amaterusu Shrine in a suburb of Tokyo. There we were greeted by the head priest of the shrine and shown inside a large room with 8 tables each laid out with a small book in Japanese and a few sheets of paper describing the shrine where we were staying. The head priest then came and talked with us about shrines and what goes on at this shrine. He had to have a translater but that was okay. After he finished he had us all come up on stage in turn to try drumming out a beat on drums. As each group came up on the stage, more instruments were added. Eventually it sounded just like we were praying to the gods. After we all had our hand in the drums, the other workers at the shrine gave us a snack of dumplings and sushi with Coke, an orange drink, and a 7up type drink called mitsuya cider. As we finished, more people came in layied arts and crafts supplies and directed us in making 'Dead Leaf Art'. At this shrine, they take dead leaves and tissue paper with glue and make beautiful dishes and cup warmers. As we finished, we gave all of our shrine books to the head priest and prepared to leave. Before we left, I was instructed to present a gift to the head priest, translater, and 'craft lady'. I presented it again with pride and head held high. I felt so proud as we left and gathered our shrine books and boarded the bus to dinner.

For dinner, we were taken to a food court near our hotel and given 1000 yen. They had no food from Japan other than curry and that is Indian. I resolved myself to spaghetti, a coke, and a crepe with chocolate, bananas, and gelato. After eating, we could wander a bit return to the hotel. There we were briefed on tomorrow and told to go to bed.

Their government was alot like ours. This is probably because we set it up after WWII. The shops are similar as well but they each sell unique things to the area. Tokyo to me is a western city stuck in a foreign land. The amount of West inside the city is the only thing that causes me to feel that I have not arrived in Japan. To sum it up, If Japan was Tokyo, I could have visited San Francisco to get the feel of 'Chinatown'.

Journals Day 3

2005-07-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am writing this journal tonight and wish to tell you how amazing this one day has been. It started with a 7am wake up call and a shower. The shower was western along with the bed and everything else. The toilet had toilet paper and a spray/bidet function. Needless to say, I did not feel the urge for a wet behind, so paper is the route.

After a continental breakfast of rice balls, scrambled eggs, toast, and grapefruit juice, we packed our day bags and went to the Imperial palace. The palace was amazing. Our guide (Kyo) told us that when the palace was built in the 16th century and, when built, was the largest palace in the world. For defense, the palace surrounded by a 3 motes, and gravel courtyards around the palace and in between the motes. The motes made since but the gravel was different. She explained that the gravel made noise when stepped on so if the palace was surrounded by gravel, no one could sneak up on the palace. Also I learned that we could only go in on two days of the year, New Years Day and the emperor's birthday. And it just so happens to be on December the 23rd.

From there, we went to Asakusa Kounan Temple. This Temple was amazing but more amazing than the temple was the amount of shops from the gate to the Temple itself. These shops were great, I was able to buy a few gifts for begging friends and a nice sword for me plus a few kimonos for myself and Jen. There was a couple of other things I could have bought but I thought that the Hard Rock Cafe would have better gifts. I bought a 'Shrine book' and got it stamped with my name and the shrine's mark (More later)

From the temple, we ventured to the Hard Rock Cafe and Restaurant. Nice place but it only served us burgers and fries. Got more shopping in and learned that Japan likes (and definitely knows how to rock)

We then traveled to a shrine. On the bus, Kyo explained the difference between a Buddhist Temple and Shinto Shrine. It goes down to religion. Anyway, as we arrived at the shrine, we were told to step aside to let a wedding procession go through. The procession was nice as they walked into shrine area and then into a private area. While I took time to reflect at the shrine, I overheard a conversion that said this was the third wedding today!! After I finished reflecting, I rejoined the group at a tree surrounded by tablets. These tablets each had a prayer from a different person. The Tree is holy and all of the prayers are removed everyday. The priests then pray for the person's wish. Well I got my book 'shrined' and picked up a few tablets.

By then, we wanted to shop some more so we were given a few hours to shop. While others shopped, my group and I took pictures of Harajuku girls. Since the culture is so formal, the girls rebel and have fun by dressing up in crazy outfits! Their friends were dressed up too, so entire groups had their own themes. When we were done with the girls, we shopped and saw a few funny stores and poorly translated English. We hurried back and waited to go to dinner.

Dinner consisted of vegetables and beef. Also, did I forget to mention the scalding water we cooked them in?! We threw the vegetables into the water to soften then up and then took the thin strips of beef and cooked them in the boiling water until they turned a delicious brown. We poured sesame dressing over the meat and devoured it all. (Words can not describe a taste like this.)

Feeling pretty tired, we left from the restaurant to the platform at the subway station and took a train to the Hotel where I am now. As I reflect on the day, I think about how much I saw and learned today. Asian culture is strikingly different from Western but the amount of culture I saw today consisted of a blend of the two with Western being the most predominant. Even in the hotel room, CNN is available. Though in Japanese, it reflects Tokyo very well. A city blending traditional culture with its own and losing itself in the process.

Journals Days 1-2

2005-07-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am a bit on the tired side due to the fact that I stayed up all night to pack, work on my scrapbook and to get so tired that I will immediatly get on the sleep schedule in Japan. I have already met with my delegation and made it through security, without any incident and am now on my way to San Francisco where I will change planes to land in Japan.

Speaking of Security incidents, I thought I was going to have one this morning. While packing, my Mom asked me if I had checked the airplane baggage requirements sheet she printed off from the People to People website. I hadn't and after checking baggage sizes, I found that my bag was 60 inches and not the limit of 52!!!! Quickly I ran upstairs and checked the United Website. I sighed in relief to see they allowed International flights 62 inches and 70 pounds of weight for each bag. Now that I talked to leaders, I found that some airlines only allow 52 inches so they put in for all.

I have now been on my second plane now for a few hours and while the last flight, I am everything but comfortable. I have a window seat in a 747-400 by United. Where the first class has only 6 seats in one row, we have 10 in coach (3 by 4 by 3). At least I am not in the middle but I have a window seat and now for some reason an overactive bladder. We all have been served our first meal and I had steak. There will still be a snack service and a 2nd meal service all before we land in some 7 hours from now.

There are a few movies on this plane and I will probably sleep through the first few. I am getting excited that I will soon be "invading" Japan.

Well I am in Japan. Tokyo is HUGE!!!! We flew into a suburb of Tokyo that itself is over a 45 minute drive before we hit the city limits. The airport itself is large and like most, under construction. After de-planing, we walked toward customs where we saw signs welcoming us to Japan along with many others in Japanese and other languages. The places look so American the I don't feel as though I left. After waiting in line for customs for around 20 minutes, we got our bags and walked out toward the street where we met our delgation coordinater, kyo. She is very nice and speaks broken english but we don't mind. She helped us out to our bus where we loaded our bags in a U-haul type of car and boarded the bus. Between the bus and the airport, I saw no less than 10 vendingmachines in about 100 yards.

Everyone drives on the left side of the road over here just like in Britian. We drove for over an hour and arrived at our hotel. It is a very western style hotel with beds and toilets (Some places we will sleep on the floor with Futons and use smelly holes in the ground for the ''potty") Dinner was spaggetti in Meat Sauce and was very good! After that we had free time to go to 7-11 and get snacks. I bought a drink and went back to my room where I am now.

Here are my promised pictures

2005-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is where you will be able to find my promised pictures. If you wish to download them onto your computer, drop me an e-mail so I can Set you up as a friend that is allowed to download and view the pictures. Thanks again to all of you. I will have my journals on here shortly.

I'm home

2005-07-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm home. I just returned from Japan yesterday in American time, about two days ago in Japan time but I am happy nontheless that I have returned to the land of my birth, America. The land of rightside of the road driving, 44 oz softdrinks for only a buck 5, and English as the primary language. I do love Japan but it is very hard, if not impossible, to get around unless you know the language or you go there on a tour like I did.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be publishing my journals from my trip on this site along with all my pictures worth showing because not all pictures taken are what I would like to call kosher pictures. I'll give you an example if you wish to see what I mean. The journals will be long and wordy, as my writing normally is, because I wanted to get full credit for them from People to People so I could use them as High School or even College Credit.

I hope you enjoy all the pictures and my journals. Thank you again to all of you that donated money to me for my trip. Your money was not wasted. Again, thank you very much.

Japan Itinerary

2005-06-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Discover the Land of the Rising Sun 2005

Friday, June 17 Depart for Tokyo, Japan Day 1
Assemble in your departure city for your international flight to Japan.

Saturday, June 18 Tokyo Day 2
Welcome to Japan! Upon arrival at Narita Airport your delegation manager and coach driver will meet you. Enjoy your first taste of Japanese cuisine as you become acquainted with your fellow Student Ambassadors.

Sunday, June 19 Tokyo Day 3
Begin your discovery of Japan with a visit to the Imperial Palace Plaza. Though it is not possible to go inside the Imperial Palace, take a short walk through the plaza where you will be able to catch a glimpse of the palace and the picturesque Nijubashi Bridge. Later, discover the Asakusa Kannon Temple nestled in downtown Tokyo. Browse your way from the street toward the temple through the picturesque Nakamise shopping arcade. Dating from the late 17th century, it is one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan. Though destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and in the air raids of 1945, today, this lively street thrives in bustling market fashion. Enjoy lunch at the Hard Rock café! Near the Hard Rock café, discover Roppongi Hills. Opened in 2003, this area represents the largest city redevelopment in Japan and offers a view into modern Japanese culture. The sprawling development encompasses designer shops, luxury housing, and a much-needed cultural center that combines education, culture and business. Continue becoming acquainted with Tokyo by investigating Meiji Shrine. Meiji Jingu is a Shinto Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken, the great-grandparents of the present emperor. This spiritual oasis, built in 1920, covers over 700,000 square meters with 365 species of trees donated by over 120,000 Japanese citizens. The Shrine is comprised of three areas including: the Naien centered on the shrine buildings; the Gaien, which includes sport facilities and the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery; and the Meiji Memorial Hall. Upon achieving the rank of Grand Champion, sumo wrestlers have the special honor of giving a demonstration in the Meiji Jingu. Later, discover the legendary Orient Bazaar in Omotesando, Harjuku district. Enjoy the afternoon collecting souvenirs or browsing the trendy shops, which shed light on the fashion styles of the Japanese youth. Then, venture into Tokyo’s local train system to go to the Shinjuku area where tomorrow you will be introduced to Japanese government.

Monday, June 20 Tokyo Day 4
This morning return to Shinjuku to explore the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices. You may meet with local government staff who will explain a little about Japanese government. Be sure to take a moment and stop on the 45th floor to view the city from the building’s observation deck. On a clear day, you may be able to spot Mt. Fuji!

Tuesday, June 21 Mt. Fuji-Hakone Day 5
Escape the city and enjoy the scenic drive to Mt Fuji’s 5th Station near Lake Kawaguchi. The 5th Station, the highest point accessible by motor vehicles, commands views of the Fuji Five Lakes and surrounding mountains in the distance. Sometimes called “the boundary between heaven and earth,” the 5th Station lies above the level of the sea clouds. Then have the chance to explore with a soft trekking experience around the Fuji area if weather permits. Proceed to
Hakone National Park for a scenic aerial cable car ride up Mt. Komagatake. Arrive at the Hakone Guest House, located within the Fuji-Hakone National Park, to enjoy a restful night.

Wednesday, June 22 Nagoya-Gifu Day 6
Begin the morning, with a walk along the pathways meandering through the steaming vents in the natural onsen area of Hakone. Learn why onsens, or hot springs, are so popular for their cleansing abilities. After the morning’s exercise, prepare for the drive to Gifu. Use this time to catch up on some of your journal entries. You will have the exciting opportunity to experience the World Exposition, held just east of Nagoya in Aichi this year. In 1851, the first world exhibition was held in London. Ever since, world exhibitions were organized in irregular sequence for inspiring, informing and entertaining the world with the latest technologies, exciting architecture and glimpses into the future. The last expo took place in 2000 in Hannover, Germany. Aichi 2005 will be the fourth expo held in Japan after Osaka '70, Okinawa '75 and Tsukuba '85. The theme of Expo 2005 will be Nature's Wisdom. Over one hundred countries, local governments, companies and organizations will be presenting ideas and technologies seeking a harmonious coexistence of humans with nature. The pavilions will be located in two wooded areas and connected with each other by driverless buses, gondolas and a barrier-free elevated corridor. Continue on to Gifu, where after dinner, with weather permitting, witness the graceful act of ukai, or Cormorant fishing, from the Nagara riverbank. Watch as fisherman use fire to attract fish and then utilize their magnificent trained Cormorant birds to dive into the river to retrieve their catch. Bands placed around the neck of the birds prevent them from swallowing the fish.

Thursday, June 23 Gifu Day 7
Venture to the old-fashioned city of Takayama, where much of the city retains traditional architecture, especially along the Takayama Old Alley. The area is renowned for its abundance of pure water, which makes it an ideal location to brew sake, or Japanese rice wine. During your exploration of the city, you will visit the Hida Folk Village where you will see examples of traditional thatched roof architecture. Watch demonstrations of various crafts such as woodcarving and weaving while the craftsmen explain their trade and the typical lifestyle of the Japan of yesteryear. The Kami Sannomachi town is one of the three original townships combined to create Takayama. This section of the city has left rows of original homes, which now represent a Historic Preservation District of the country. Consider taking a walk through the Higashiyama temple district to explore 13 temples, five shrines and enjoy the scenic hilltop park all along a two-mile walking course. Visit the Kokubunji Temple, originally built in 746. The original temple burned down and today the oldest part of the structure dates from the 16th century. Standing beside the Kokubunji temple’s three-tiered pagoda is a gingko tree said to be over 1,000 years old! From there, visit the Hida Shunkei Lacquer Ware Museum to learn about the craft of woodcarving, and view pieces dated as far back as the 17th century.

Friday, June 24 Kikugawa/Home Stay Day 8
This morning, you will meet your home stay family, with whom you will be spending the weekend to observe the Japanese lifestyle. Remember to bring photos of your family from home to share with your hosts. You will also have the opportunity for some student interaction this afternoon sponsored by your home stay coordinators.

Saturday, June 25 Home Stay Day 9
Enjoy the hospitality of your host family. Be sure to journal about some of your experiences.

Sunday, June 26 Home Stay Day 10
Enjoy the hospitality of your host family.

Monday, June 27 Hiroshima Day 11
Do not forget to thank your host family as you say goodbye this morning and rejoin your delegation. This morning, arrive at Hiroshima Station on board a JR Shinkansen, or superexpress train. Spend a solemn day in Hiroshima reflecting on the destruction of WWII at Peace Memorial Park. Located at the site of Ground Zero, the park includes the cenotaph, the Flame of Peace and the Peace Memorial Museum. The museum, with its display of terrifying artifacts, is a powerful and moving reminder of the destruction the atomic bomb inflicted upon Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The museum encourages each visitor to make a vow for universal peace…

Tuesday, June 28 Kyoto Day 12
This morning, take a ferry to Miyajima Island, home of Itsukushima Shrine. On the island, walk to the vermilion Itsukushima Shrine, designated as a World Heritage site in 1996, to see the Grand Torii gate which looks as if it is floating at high tide. A committee chooses World Heritage sites, from several nominated locations all over the world, which represent a significant “cultural or natural heritage.” Ferry back and proceed on to explore the city of Himeji. The World Heritage listed Himeji Castle, or “White Heron Castle,” represents Japanese castle architecture at its finest. Nearly all of the castle’s original structure is still intact from its construction in the early 1600s. The nickname “White Heron” stands for the graceful appearance of the castle’s white plaster walls. With inner and outer walled zones, gates built around maze-like spaces and a double moat, this castle was built to confuse and intimidate enemies. This evening, as you enjoy the drive to Kyoto, share your reflections of all you have seen with your fellow Ambassadors.

Wednesday, June 29 Kyoto Day 13
Spend the morning exploring important historical sites in Kyoto, the former Imperial Capital. Begin with the hard to miss glittering majesty of the Kinkakuji Temple, better known as the Gold Pavilion. Dating from the Muromachi Period of 1336-1573, this World Heritage listed temple is covered in gold leaf and topped by a bronze roof. The upper stories of the Golden Pavilion seem to float as they reflect brilliantly against the rock-studded pond. Step back in time to discover Nijo Castle, built in 1603. The castle, built by Shogun Leyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, is a World Heritage Site.The accompanying Ninomaru Palace is considered a National Treasure because of its splendid architecture and magnificent interior decoration. Leyasu built the castle as his primary Kyoto residence and a symbol of the Tokugawa power. To ensure the shogun’s safety, the castle floors are equipped with a type of alert system; the famous Uguisu-Bari or Nightingale Floor, constructed to "sing" at every footstep. The wooden planks move the metal cramps underneath up and down, creating a friction with the nails and omitting a nightingale-like sound, immediately alerting those inside of any intruder. Next, take a step into the movie world at the Toei Uzumasa movie studio. Today you will have a chance to experience the enchantment of Japan as represented through this interactive theme park. Stop in the Gion district to walk the ancient streets of this well-known Geisha district. Keep your eyes open and you may see a traditionally dressed geisha walking down the road. This afternoon you will learn and participate in the traditional tea ceremony. This ancient tradition is the ritualized preparation and serving a powdered green tea in the presents of guests. Tonight, enjoy the farewell dinner, as this will be your final evening in Japan.

Thursday, June 30 Depart for the U.S.A. Day 14
Pack up your suitcase for the last time and board the coach for the airport. If your flight schedule permits, you may have the opportunity to visit one of the most solemn sites in Japan, Sanjusangendo Temple. The temple is home to over 1000 statues of the Buddhist deity, Kannon. The principal image, a seated thousand-handed Kannon and its 28 guardians are all designated National Treasures. The 1,001 smaller Kannon images are Important Cultural Properties. The temple takes its name from the 33 spaces between the pillars in front of the main altar. In Buddhism, the number "33" is of symbolic importance. The bodhisattva Kannon incarnates in 33 different shapes in its missions of mercy.

Getting closer

2005-06-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

The time for my trip draws ever closer and I await its arrival with bated breath (SAT preps worked wonders for me :-) ). I am currently earning as much as humanly possible before I leave by working at my friendly neighborhood UPS store. It's not that bad working behind the counter as long as I don't have to ask 'would you like fries with that?'. Yes, the 'non-intellegent people that think they were born to mail letters' come in and tell me that the best way to mail it is how they want it. They storm out and rip up their shipping orders. One hour later they return, head hung and asking very meakly for a new shipping order and if they can still ship thier package today for the price I quoted them at. I smile and nod as they begin to fill out their new shipping order.

There are some great things about me working at the UPS store: like how I can get the postage neccesary for me to mail postcards back to the states from Japan and how much it will cost to ship a few 'goodies' back from japan to myself back home. It's expensive if it's shipped overnight or a week, but put on the 'slow boat' and it gets to be rather affordable.

Anyway, i just wanted to update and say that I am alive and that I plan on updating my site with a few pictures just as soon as my camera gets in. In fact, my camera should be in soon. I'm soooooooooo excited. Thanks again for checking out my site. Hope to see you again in a few days. I'll be getting ready to go to Disneyland then with my Dad. (CELEBRATE) Thanks again for choosing Jeff Airlines. Stay seated until we pull up to the Gate and have a wonderful day.

Only a few days left

2005-05-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Whew, the end of My Junior Year is in sight and now I have time to finally update my blog. Just to let you know what's been happening in the past few weeks, I have gone to another two meetings with my delegation. One of which was a trip to the Phoenix Zoo where we took part in a walk to cure MS by handing out water to the walkers. It was boring but as time past, we all made a fun time out of it. The most rewarding part was speaking with the runners as they stopped to catch a breath and hear them talk about why they were walking and all the teams walking to raise money. Looking back, that was the best Saturday I gave up in years.

A month after the MS run at the Phoenix Zoo, last Sunday the 15th, I went to my final meeting before I leave. There we learned what groups we were to be in while on the trip and what time to be at the airport. We named our group in Japanese. Translated into English, it means the "#1 Monkeys". That is the best we could do with our limited knowledge of the language. I still don't know how I will survive if I don't know how to ask "Where can I buy food?"

Now all I have left to do is prepare everything I am going to take and finish all the tasks I have been assigned. I plan on taking a few things with me to keep myself entertained on the plane so if anyone has any ideas on what to bring, e-mail me. Also, after school gets out on Thursday, I plan on updating my site every other day. Thanks for being so patient and thanks to all of you who donated money or support of any type to my trip. Without you, I would be USA locked.

Also I want to personally and deeply thank two people as well. First is God. Without him, I wouldn't be here today and I know that most of you will agree with me on that. Second, I would like to thank my Mom. If it wasn't for her, I would be expecting to spend all summer working in Phoenix. She encouraged me to go on this trip, took me to every interview and meeting, and help me orchestrate the fundrasing. She helped me compose out all the cards and letters, helped me type them, got the pictures developed, and mailed out all the letters. This trip I am going on is truly because of her and God. Thanks to both of you, especially my mommy.

I'll try to update this blog by Friday. See you all then.

Welcome to my site

2005-03-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you for coming to my site. If you reading this now, you have ether been redirected to this site by mistake or you are here to find out more about my trip to Japan this summer with the People to People Student Ambassadors. I plan on adding things here every few days or weeks so please stop by often and see what's new.

2005-03-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jeff Jordahl

What has happened so far?

2005-03-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking for a while and though I know that thinking can be dangerous, I pressed on and came to the conclusion; what has gone on from when I first received word of the existence of the People to People program until now? Well, after more thinking, I realized that you who are reading this now don't know what's been going on either. To correct this vile injustice that I have created (I think I might be ready for the SATs now) I will take you all back in time to see what exactly has transpired from the months of September to March and WHAT REALLY IS GOING ON!!!

Mid-Sept. 2004---> I receive word that I have been nominated to take part in the journey of a life time to the mysterious and ancient land of Japan. I respond and say that I am interested.

Sept. 22nd, 2004---> In the mail, there was a small post card inviting me to an informational meeting for people looking to attend the 'People to People: Discover The Land Of The Rising Sun' on October 2nd, 2004 at Westwood High School in Mesa.

Oct. 2nd, 2004---> My Mom and I attend the meeting and learn what is going to happen during this 2 week long trip in June to Japan with 39 other students and 5 leaders. As soon as we get home after the meeting, I apply to join the trip via People to People's website. http://www.StudentAmbassadors.org.

Oct. 5th, 2004---> I receive, via snail, mail that P2P has received my application and that I would be contacted again later to tell me the location of my interview.

Oct. 6th, 2004---> Feeling very positive and hopeful that I will be accepted, I pose for my passport photos.

Oct. 7th, 2004---> I apply for my passport.

Mid. Oct.---> I select October 21st for the date of my interview at Sundance School in Peoria.

October 21st, 2004---> I attend the interview and make such a great impression on the interviewers that they accept me into the program as soon as the interview is concluded.

October 23rd, 2004---> I receive a letter congratulating me on my acceptance into the program. I also receive a guide to fund raising for the trip and literature about Japan.

October 29th, 2004---> My mother receives a letter from P2P congratulating her on my behalf, as well as a list of all future meetings and their locations.

November 19th, 2004---> My passport arrives in the mail today and I couldn't be happier. This trip gets to be more and more official everyday!

December 5th, 2004---> First of 6 manditory meetings is held today to prepare all of us for this wonderful trip to Japan. The meeting lasts 3 hours but time flies by as we go over the history of the People to People program and discuss what type of homework we will be doing over the next 6 months. Some of which includes journal entries, a large project, and current event reviews.

January 9th 2005---> The second meeting is held. As we are all wished Happy New Year, we are patted on the back with a sticker that is part of a game where the object is to figure out what is written on your back. After that, we all join hands and create a human knot that we later have to untangle. We have more homework and I have a project, on the history of Japan from 1926 to the present, due at the next meeting.

February 13th 2005---> The third meeting is upon us and after 13 hours of work, I complete my project just in time to take part in another ice breaker where I'm a frog. This meeting is fun and everyone admires my project. Last meeting I had an opportunity to look at other student's projects where I realize the road they took to the meeting was very bumpy, and some people are procrastinators. Anyway, we turn in our homework and learn more about what is going to happen while we're in Japan, like taking a ride on the bullet train, and visiting the Peace Park in Hiroshima. What an exciting meeting!

March 13th 2005.---> This meeting was great because we got our first true taste of Japanese Cuisine - parents purchased or prepared Japanese food and brought it to the meeting for all of us to share. The food was okay but I think with a supply of beef jerky, I will survive my trip to Japan. The last of the projects and homework is turned in and far and away, with at least 2x the amount of work put into my project, my project was the best. (Photo of my project will be added here later). The next meeting is a community service project and I am looking forward to participating.

That is the bare bones of what has happened so far. I will come back and update this later and add facts such as; receiving a letter from a member of England's Parliament congratulating me on my acceptance into the program (can't find the letter right now). That is it for now, stay tuned for more coming up soon.