formal_welcome
The visit to Nagaokakyo began with a formal presentation of gifts from the host cities. Paul Schlichtman displays the clock that Mayor Yutaka Oda of Nagaokakyo gave to Arlington. Mayor Oda and City Council President Masao Ueda hold a New England quilt.
Date: 06/26/07
The visit to Nagaokakyo began with a formal presentation of gifts from the host cities. Paul Schlichtman displays the clock that Mayor Yutaka Oda of Nagaokakyo gave to Arlington. Mayor Oda and City Council President Masao Ueda hold a traditional New England handmade quilt, containing the names of the sister cities, which was presented to Nagaokakyo by Arlington teachers Byron Bradley, Christopher Dangel and Cheryl J. Christo. In addition to the Arlington delegation, Nagaokakyo Superintendent of Schools Tomio Ashida joined the formal photo (standing, right).
tea_ceremony
Japanese tea ceremony at the Komoyoji Temple, Nagaokakyo.
Date: 06/26/07
Japanese tea ceremony at the Komoyoji Temple, Nagaokakyo.
garden
Dry garden at the Komoyoji Temple, Nagaokakyo.
Date: 06/26/07
Dry garden at the Komoyoji Temple, Nagaokakyo.
robin_katie
After touring the temples, the Arlington delegation visited the shopping district near Nakaokakyo City Hall. Robin Bzura and Katie Fairbanks-Hayes wear kimonos they bought.
Date: 06/27/07
After touring the temples, the Arlington delegation visited the shopping district near Nakaokakyo City Hall. Robin Bzura and Katie Fairbanks-Hayes purchased kimonos and wore them to the evening welcoming reception and dinner for the Arlington delegation and their host families.
koi
Arlington students feed some very hungry koi at the Nagaokatenmangu Shrine.
Date: 06/27/07
Arlington students feed some very hungry koi at the Nagaokatenmangu Shrine.
shinto
Sonoe Toyama, Nagaokakyo's representative to the sister-city program, describes the history of the Nagaokatenmangu Shrine to the Arlington delegation.
Date: 06/27/07
Sonoe Toyama, Nagaokakyo's representative to the sister-city program, describes the history of the Nagaokatenmangu Shrine to the Arlington delegation.
yoshimine_temple
Students made a long, steep hike to the mountaintop Yoshimine Temple. The temple grounds includes a dramatic hillside hydrangea garden, as well as views of Kyoto. Scenes for the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" were filmed at the temple.
Date: 06/27/07
Students made a long, steep hike to the mountaintop Yoshimine Temple. The temple grounds includes a dramatic hillside hydrangea garden, as well as views of Kyoto. Scenes for the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" were filmed at the temple.
chemistry
Arlington students visited Nishiotukuni High School on June 28. Brett Whalen watched as Japanese freshmen separated hydrogen from oxygen in Mr. Maeda's chemistry class.
Date: 06/28/07
Arlington students visited Nishiotukuni High School on June 28. Brett Whalen watched as Japanese freshmen separated hydrogen from oxygen in Mr. Maeda's chemistry class.
kitawaki
Students visited Ms. Kitawaki's second-year math class, where they solved trigonometric equations. The class has 36 students, and students paid about $200 per year to buy textbooks.
Date: 06/28/07
Students visited Ms. Kitawaki's second-year mathematics class, where they were solving trigonometric equations. The class has 36 students, and students paid about $200 per year to buy textbooks for their classes. The students are also responsible for cleaning and caring for the school and the school grounds; custodians handle only major repairs.
courtney
Not content to sit in the back of the room to watch the lesson, Courtney Jones took a seat in the middle of the Mrs. Kitawaki's mathematics classroom and began working on the daily assignment.
Date: 06/28/07
Not content to sit in the back of the room to watch the lesson, Courtney Jones took a seat in the middle of the Mrs. Kitawaki's mathematics classroom and began working on the daily assignment.
gym_elementary
On Friday, June 29, the Arlington delegation visited the seventh Nagaokakyo elementary school. Arlington students met the members of the fifth grade in their gym class.
Date: 06/29/07
On Friday, June 29, the Arlington delegation visited the seventh Nagaokakyo elementary school. Arlington students met the members of the fifth grade in their gym class.
cranes
The fifth grade welcomed the Arlington students with an origami lesson. Thomas Liu made paper cranes with the fifth-graders from Nagaokakyo.
Date: 06/29/07
The fifth grade welcomed the Arlington students with an origami lesson. Thomas Liu made paper cranes with the fifth-graders from Nagaokakyo.
dodgeball_rules
Stephen DeBenedictis explained the rules for frisbee dodgeball to Arlington students Derek Burns, Thomas Liu, Matthew Leone and Katie Fairbanks-Hayes. Mr. DeBenedictis, an English teacher employed by the Nagaokakyo city schools, grew up in Wakefield.
Date: 06/29/07
Stephen DeBenedictis explained the rules for frisbee dodgeball to Arlington students Derek Burns, Thomas Liu, Matthew Leone and Katie Fairbanks-Hayes. Mr. DeBenedictis, an English teacher employed by the Nagaokakyo city schools, grew up in Wakefield.
dodgeball_play
The Arlington students loved frisbee dodgeball and promised to bring the game back to Arlington. The frisbees are made of soft foam, but fly through the gym quickly.
Date: 06/29/07
The Arlington students loved frisbee dodgeball and promised to bring the game back to Arlington. The frisbees are made of soft foam, but fly through the gym quickly.
cards
A Nagaokakyo student entertains Derek Burns with a card trick during recess.
Date: 06/29/07
A Nagaokakyo student entertains Derek Burns with a card trick during recess.
calligraphy
Matthew Leone looks on as a Nagaokakyo sixth-grader displays her calligraphy.
Date: 06/29/07
Matthew Leone looks on as a Nagaokakyo sixth-grader displays her calligraphy.
lunch-arrives
Arlington students experienced a typical Japanese school lunch. Students bring a lunch cart to the room and serve classmates. On Friday, June 29, students ate chicken bowl (ground chicken over rice), fried bean sprouts with curry sauce.
Date: 06/29/07
Arlington students experienced a typical Japanese school lunch. Students bring a lunch cart to the room and serve classmates. On Friday, June 29, students ate chicken bowl (ground chicken over rice), fried bean sprouts with curry sauce.
eating
Brett Whelan enjoys her lunch. The menu provided an explanation of Minazuki: "On June 30, we'll be exactly halfway through the year. Here in Kyoto, events giving thanks for the past half year and praying for safety."
Date: 06/29/07
Brett Whelan enjoys her lunch. The menu provided an explanation of Minazuki for the Arlington delegation. "On June 30th, we'll be exactly halfway through the year. Here in Kyoto, events giving thanks for the past half year and praying for safety and health over the next six months are held at each shrine; these events are called Nagoshinoharai. On this day, we eat Minazuki, a Japanese sweet, following a long-established custom. Minazuki's triangle shape comes from a piece of ice. There's an old saying, "On June 30th, take a piece of ice from Himuro and eat it. This will prevent you from suffering from the summer heat. Himuru was a kind of ice storage room. At that time, however, ice was very precious in the summer because there weren't any refrigerators of today, so the people made ice-shaped sweets to eat instead. That's how Minazuki came about."
cleanup
Students clean up after their lunch. Recycling requirements are strict, and Emily Chicojay carefully follows the rules as she clears her lunch tray.
Date: 06/29/07
Students clean up after their lunch. Recycling requirements are strict, and Emily Chicojay carefully follows the rules as she clears her lunch tray.
byron_goodbye
Students at the Nagaokakyo Seventh Elementary School gave the Arlington delegation an enthusiastic send-off at the end of the visit. Teacher Byron Bradley says goodbye as he leaves the school.
Date: 06/29/07
Students at the Nagaokakyo Seventh Elementary School gave the Arlington delegation an enthusiastic send-off at the end of the visit. Teacher Byron Bradley says goodbye as he leaves the school.
convenence
The weather in Kyoto Prefecture is hot and humid in the summer. The latitude is equivalent to northern Mississippi. Arlington students made a stop at a convenience store to load up on water and drinks.
Date: 06/29/07
The weather in Kyoto Prefecture is hot and humid in the summer. The latitude is equivalent to northern Mississippi. Arlington students made a stop at a convenience store to load up on water and drinks.
osaka
On Saturday, June 30, Justin Correll, Katie Fairbanks-Hayes, and Shanya Linov tour Shinsai-bashi, a famous shopping street in Osaka.
Date: 06/30/07
On Monday, July 2, Arlington students toured the Otokuni Recycling Center. Following the tour, the students sandblasted decorations on glassware. They cut out vinyl designs to cover the area of the glass that isn't sandblasted, and the pattern is revealed after the vinyl is peeled away.
recycle_glass
Arlington students toured the Otokuni Recycling Center. Following the tour, the students sandblasted decorations on glassware. They cut out vinyl designs to cover the area of the glass that isn't sandblasted, and the pattern is revealed after the vinyl
Date: 06/30/07
Arlington students toured the Otokuni Recycling Center. Students then sandblasted decorations on glassware. They cut out vinyl designs to cover the area of the glass that isn't sandblasted, and the pattern is revealed after the vinyl is peeled away.
dog_glass
A dog etched glass after sandblasting.
Date: 06/30/07
A dog etched glass after sandblasting.
student_welcome
The students at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 welcome the students from Arlington on Monday, July 2.
Date: 07/02/07
The students at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 welcome the students from Arlington on Monday, July 2.
brass_band
Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 has a prize-winning brass band. The band performed for the visitors from Arlington at a welcoming assembly. Hear them play on Paul Schlichtman's Web site, at http://www.arlington-mass.com/band_welcome.mov.
Date: 07/02/07
Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 has a prize-winning brass band. The band performed for the visitors from Arlington at a welcoming assembly. Hear them play on Paul Schlichtman's Web site, at http://www.arlington-mass.com/band_welcome.mov.
birthday_cake
Surprise! The Nagaokakyo host families arranged for a cake to celebrate Cheryl Christo's birthday.
Date: 07/02/07
Surprise! The Nagaokakyo host families arranged for a cake to celebrate Cheryl Christo's birthday.
instruments
After spending, Monday, July 2, at Nagaokakyo Junior High School No. 2, Arlington students were invited to Mrs. Tsuji's home, where they saw traditional Japanese instruments, including two koto (stringed instruments) and a shakuhachi (bamboo flute).
Date: 07/02/07
After spending, Monday, July, at Nagaokakyo Junior High School No. 2, Arlington students were invited to Mrs. Tsuji's home for traditional music, games and green tea. Students were treated to a concert with traditional Japanese instruments, including two koto (stringed instruments) and a shakuhachi (bamboo flute).
singalong_tsuji1
Arlington students learned how to sing Japanese songs . . .
Date: 07/02/07
Arlington students learned how to sing Japanese songs . . .
singalong_tsuji2
. . . and receive enthusiastic guidance from their teacher . . .
Date: 07/02/07
. . . and receive enthusiastic guidance from their teacher . . .
singalong_students
. . . and then participate in a singalong.
Date: 07/02/07
. . . and then participate in a singalong.
go
Sonoe Toyama instructs the students how to play GO at Mrs. Tsuji's home.
Date: 07/02/07
Sonoe Toyama instructs the students how to play GO at Mrs. Tsuji's home.
japanese_saw
Brett Whelen tries out a Japanese saw in an industrial arts class at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2.
Date: 07/02/07
Brett Whelen tries out a Japanese saw in an industrial arts class at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2.
crafts
Brett Whelen, Courtney Brown and Cheryl J. Christo participate in a craft project at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2.
Date: 07/02/07
Brett Whelen, Courtney Brown and Cheryl J. Christo participate in a craft project at Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2.
mcdonalds
Teacher, look at my Happy Meal prize! Emily Chicojay shows Cheryl Christo the Shrek toy she received when she went with her host family to a Japanese McDonald's.
Date: 07/02/07
Teacher, look at my Happy Meal prize! Emily Chicojay shows Cheryl Christo the Shrek toy she received when she went with her host family to a Japanese McDonald's.
english_class
Owen Howard, Katie Fairbanks-Hayes, Robin Bzura, Derek Burns, Michael Beauvais and Courtney Jones become part of the lesson in a Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 English class.
Date: 07/02/07
Owen Howard, Katie Fairbanks-Hayes, Robin Bzura, Derek Burns, Michael Beauvais and Courtney Jones become part of the lesson in a Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2 English class.
going_home
Students sit on the steps of Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2, waiting for a ride home at the end of the day. While the school day ends at 3, all students remain at the school for sports and clubs until 4:15.
Date: 07/02/07
Students, Nagaokakyo Junior High No. 2, ride home, end of the day
farewell1
Scene from the farewell party for the Arlington delegation on Tuesday, July 3.
Date: 07/03/07
Scene from the farewell party for the Arlington delegation on Tuesday, July 3.
farewell2
At the party, participants sit down for a feast ...
Date: 07/03/07
At the party, participants sit down for a feast ...
farewell3
... and then get up for a Nagaokakyo dance ...
Date: 07/03/07
... and then get up for a Nagaokakyo dance ...
