Jeff In Japan

Kyogen & Kabuki (Japanese Theatre Arts) – Pay attention Mr. Rhoderick!

I’m in Tokyo until Sunday (with a side trip to Hiroshima), then it’s off to Soka. Thought you might like to see what I see when I look out my window during the day. On a clear day you can see Mt. Fuji. I did not take this picture on a particularly clear day…

Here you can see the plane I took over (and called home for a little more than 10 hours)…

Well I made it… finally here in Japan. The flight was long (about 10 hours) and then I was a complete mess because of jet lag, but I finally feel settled in. So far we’ve had some nice introductory activities and I’m learning my way around the giant hotel we’re staying in (The New Otani – I don’t know if there’s an Old Otani, but this one is plenty nice). We had a lecture from Tsutomu Kimura from the National Institution for Academic Degrees & University Evaluation about Education Reform in Japan. Very interesting to find out that things here are not as wonderful and amazing as we think they are in the U.S. I look forward to sharing this information with you all when I get back. Tonight I’ll do some after dark exploring with other people from the program (after a big reception for us). Have to say this – to all fellow teachers reading this blog – seriously consider applying for this program. You are treated like a professional and it is a fantastic learning opportunity. That’s all for now. I’m putting up (or trying to put up) some pictures for you to enjoy as well… more to come.