Dear Friends,
This day brought the first of the exchange where we did not visit a school. This Friday is the last day of school for the Japanese students before the Summer holidays, meaning that the host students will have much more free time to interact with the exchange - perfect timing considering the rain.
Whilst we wait for their end of day celebrations, we were treated to a variety of Japanese experiences: a Japanese Garden (very serene) in Kanazawa, make and eat Okonomiyaki - using a communal Japanese hot plate, a session on using gold leaf to decorate a ceramic plate and some shopping time & the wonders of the Japanese railway.
The garden was a part of the original grounds of the castle in Kanazawa. It was to show the importance of the local inhabitant of the time. Its significance however wained over time and Japanese governments allowed the area to become swarmed by buisinesses. Over the last few years, they have been taking great pride in renovating the wall, main buildin and he grounds to restore it to its previous glory.
Lunch was something of a large occasion with one of our exchange students celebrating her birthday on the Saturday following. Although, the main occasion was to experience Okinomiyaki. A hot plate was warmed on a table for four and we were required to cook our own food throughout the meal. We generally had good company and good food. The quantity was a surprise, as we were given the ingredients of a rhosti-like course which provided two large Japanese versions. Whilst extraordinarily lovely, most were too full to appreciate teh food that was given - if you visit Japan be prepared for plenty of food. We gave a chorus of happy birthday to the arrival of a cake and then departed for the next activity.
At a small shop, we were given the opportunity to participate in gold leaf pasting on some ceramics. As it showed how delicate the process that is required, this was a good experience. Students firstly designed their own pattern using masking tape and then transferred this to a plate - not an easy task I can assure you. Afterwards, glue was applied to the plate to adhere to the gold leaf, added using a pre-made sheet. Upon first pressing the sheet, it was thought that it was cracking and had broken, however this was a part of the process. Once all of the gold had been used, any areas which required more had some excess from previous attempts brushed onto the plate. This both covered the plate thoroughly and also evened out the other areas: such a delicate process for such an ornate piece. Now to leave it for two weeks before it is tidied up with a tooth pick and varnished.
Shortly afterwards, we were given some free time in what can only be described as the "Train station mall" and then had the joy to experience the perfectly on-time Japanese railway service.
Thus concluded our first working week of the exchange. Now to spend some welcome time over the weekend with our host families.
