Monday, 22 Nov 1999 07:55:11 EST - Subject: Arrival at Niihama

CLICK HERE for a good site to help you better understand where I am.  Check out both maps
     on this page and then click on "[Eastern Ehime]."  Niihama is in the eastern part of the
     Ehime Prefecture. CLICK HERE for another site about the Ehime Prefecture (but be sure to
     select the English version).  Check my photo album pages for additional links about this area.

Dear Keith,
     It is now Monday, Nov. 22, 9:30 pm.  I'm at Rihga Royal Hotel Niihama,
Ehime, Shikoku, Japan.  Wow!  What a day.  We were to have our luggage outside
our rooms by 6:00 this morning. Check out went smoothly; the charges for the
calls for the e-mail were minimal  -- pennies.  One was 2 or 3 dollars.   Departure
on big busses was at 7:50.  These are a prompt people.  The bus ride to Haneda
Airport afforded some good views of the Tokyo harbor. The Haneda Airport
(mostly domestic flights) also accommodates the Taiwan-based China Airlines
which, for political reasons were not allowed rights at Narita International.
    The flight to Matsuyama Airport took just under one and half hours.   As
we flew by Mt. Fuji, our whole group leaned over on the port side for the photo
op (Here is a photo of Mt. Fuji that I took from the plane.) and I pictured the
captain having to make a hard correction to keep the plane stable.  Remember
the Japanese tourists in Banf, Canada, that time?  Them are us.
    Disembarking went as smoothly as you can expect with 4 groups of 20.
This is the first time Ehime prefecture has ever hosted FMF.  We were met by
our interpreter who is an ex-pate married to a Japanese whom she met at
University of Michigan when he was there on a Fullbright.  She was looking
for a place to do her masters research (Anthropology) and he suggested his
hometown of Niihama and proceeded to set up contacts.  They worked in the
states after getting married until (I think she said 7 years ago) when he had
had enough of corporate life.  They decided to return here.
    It is fall here and the Ginkgo trees are all turning yellow.  It is only
in fall that they can tell which Ginkgo trees are female from the nuts they
bear.  Ginkgo is a very ancient species second only to the Sequoia I think the
guide said.   The Matsuyama Mandarin oranges were in season as were the
persimmons, both of which are local crops.  The rice had been harvested and
there was just stubble in the terraced fields.  We had to travel over some
mountains to get to Niihama from Matsuyama and where there are highways
though the mountains, there are tunnels.
    We stopped for lunch at a traditional Japanese lunch place.  Most of our
group are pretty good at handling the Japanese food, but not without a lot of
laughter and squeamishness.  There are a few diehards who like their beef.
The lunch room also housed downstairs a weaving factory, museum, and store.
They are famous for their indigo dye process which is like what we call Ikat.
They also do tie-dye.  We saw several people working the looms and a man
working the dye vats which were cement basins in a raised cement floor.  It
looked like he was dying boys underwear today.  The indigo is a plant and
must be fermented before dying with it.  There was some smell to it, but the
product was so beautiful.
    Our next stop was Niihama.  We had half an hour to freshen up and get to
the mayors office for a courtesy call.  The mayor, vice mayor and four education
officials were lined up across the room from us and we each had to introduce
ourselves like this:  "California no Peggy Wheeler des" They gave speeches,
answered questions and gave us a gift of an ocarina, a ceramic music
pipe with their famous copper decoration.
    Then back to our hotel with an hour before the reception.  I had
forgotten that we would be meeting our host families there and I got to meet
my people.  Marika Takashina is just the sweetest person!  I really lucked
out as she happens to be an English teacher in a middle school.  Her husband
had another meeting, but she brought her two daughters 3 and 6.  I think she
was glad I could use chopsticks and liked Japanese food.  She said she heard
I was interested in paper making and she will take me to a paper making place
next week end when we have our home stay.  Her mother also gives cooking
classes so we might do some of that too.  The little girls were charming.
They brought origami.  The oldest, Saya, quite deftly folded a complicated
little hat and then taught me to do one while 3 year old Yuri made a little
doggy like Asako taught us.  So I turned it over and made a little kitty.
The local press took quite a few pictures of us making origami in a corner.
I expect to be on the front page of the local Niihama News tomorrow.  (Not
really.)
    I met some of the JET (Japan English Teachers program) participants who
were from Scotland and Australia.  The reception was quite elegant.
    I am told it will be easy to hook up the AOL here, rather like Tokyo, but
with a long distance call as we predicted.  If you get this, you will know it
worked and we'll be set for the next 10 days.
    Tomorrow is something of a national holiday here when they combine Labor
Day with a Thanksgiving, not to be confuse with pilgrims and turkeys.  What
are you going to do Thanksgiving?
    I am suddenly REALLY sleepy.  If this gets complicated, I may need to get
some sleep before I finalize it.
    Either way, Niihama at population 130,000 looks relatively industrial and
much, much less hectic than Tokyo.  I'm going to love it here.

Love, thinking of you and really wishing you could be here.
Peg in southern Japan (now at about the same latitude as southern California..?)

Monday, 22 Nov 1999 17:41:16 EST - Subject: Tuesday morning in Niihama

Greetings from Niihama,
It is early Tuesday, November 23.  I am still waking up at 3:30 am, but I am
determined to not waste ANY time trying to get back to sleep since that can
be so unproductive.  I was just looking over the city map that was given us,
trying to see what is here.  There is a large variety of services and shops. I won't
want for anything except maybe a way to get there.  There is no public
transportation.  It is recommended that we take taxis.  I plan to take early
morning walks perhaps in different directions each morning depending on the
time we have.  The weather is holding for now, but rain is predicted by Thursday
maybe.

Could you call Debbie at school and ask her to put a note in the bulletin for
people to check the web site for reports on my experiences.  I would love to
hear from any kids and I will try to answer.  I have started to get some e-mail
from students.  As I predicted, some honed in on the toilet issue.  One wanted to
know why they don't make tissue paper.  I want to update my writing on the
bathroom.  It was poorly written and I have more to add.

I simply can't believe how exciting it is to be in a foreign country and be welcomed
so warmly.  Today is the prison school visit.  That should be very interesting.

Mariko, of my host family, tells me her junior high school has been rehearsing
a play in English for our visit.  Our interpreter has told us that the several
schools plan to handled our visit in different ways. Americans have asked if we
could meet with the children.  Some of the schools want to have assemblies
which is okay, but enough out of the normal that FMF has tried to encourage
them to make it a little less formal.  There is something important about
trying to balance our interests with their needs and expectations.  It is
delicate.

There is SGG here:  Society of Goodwill Guides.  They published and gave us
a wonderfully complete guide booklet to Niihama in English.  It looks like it
also helps foreigners who are moving to Niihama.  A small elderly lady
visited each FMFer at the reception last night and gave us each a silk purse
she had made.  It was such a kind and generous gesture.  The society is made up
of volunteers who are willing to provide people with interpreters, guides,
assistance in emergencies, workshops on different aspects of Japanese culture
and links to the foreign resident community in Niihama.  I think they might
also meet regularly to speak English together.

The following is from that book about the city:

Niihama City lies in the eastern part of Ehime Prefecture which stretches
long from east to west, facing the Seto Inland Sea, with the Shikoku
Mountains to the south.  Niihama is blessed with scenic beauty and a mild
climate.
    Originally Niihama City was a farming and fishing village.  It  has grown
steadily since 1691 when copper was discovered and the Besshi Copper Mine was
established by the Sumitomo Family.  Niihama united 9 neighboring villages in
1937, forming the City of Niihama as you see it today.
    With a population of about 130,000 and an area of 161.27 km square it is
the second largest city in Ehime Prefecture after the prefectural capital,
Matsuyama City.  Niihama was recognized as one of the leading industrial
seaside cities in Shikoku and was nominated as "A new industrial city" in
1964.  There are many companies in Niihama, from the major Sumitomo Group
companies to the small and medium sized ones.  This means people from all
over Japan are living here, making Niihama more progressive than many other
local cities.
    The Besshi Copper Mine produced 720,000 tons of copper during the 283
years of its operation from 1691 to 1973 when it closed.  Its subordinate
companies like heavy machinery companies and chemical companies are still
thriving.  They are known as the Sumitomo Conglomerate.
    Although Niihama is best known as an industrial city, there are many
cultural gems to be found here, such as the gorgeous Taiko Festival, (Taiko
are Japanese drums and the festival was held last week)  the Zuioji Zen Temple,
Minetopia Besshi, the Besshi Copper Mine Memorial Museum, Hirose Mansion and
the Ehime Prefectural Science Museum.  Niihama City is making efforts to be an
active tourist city by publicizing its many attractions.
    With the completion of the Shimaniami Kaido Bridge in 1999, Shikoku
Island has been linked to the main island by three bridges across the Seto
Inland Sea. (Here is another site about "A walkway across the Seto Inland Sea.")
Niihama is striving to be the center of Shikoku and is promoting
its motto, "Building a booming city full of charm, with an equal balance of
industry and culture."

My notes:  Japan is big on mottoes.  The mayor greeted us with a Japanese
saying (not really a motto, I guess, but a saying.)  I think they use mottoes
like we use "mission statements"  They are goals that sound good.  I think
they give clarity to ones actions.  Maybe Asako can explain this better.
  "Ichigo ichie"  This saying has been used since olden times.  It implies
the importance of each encounter you make.

Mariko (of my host family) also has an English club that meets after school
and they would like to meet with me.  I don't know when that will be though.

This is probably enough for now.  I must dress and meet my group in the lobby
for breakfast.  I appreciate the editing my "web master" is doing.  I write much
of this when I am very tired or early before I am fully awake.  If I can continue
to just crank this stuff out and he does the editing, I can concentrate on getting
the experience down.  Thank you for your understanding.
Peg

Tuesday, 23 Nov 1999 09:03:57 EST - Subject:  Prison School

Dear Students, Friends & Family,

It is 10 pm Tuesday, November 23, 1999, after a long and rainy day in Niihama
City.  Since this is a national holiday (Thanksgiving/Labor Day - not like the
Thanksgiving we know) and all schools were closed, it is called "personal
research."  Several of our group had arranged to go bicycling.  I don't know
what they ended up doing, but I think they went.  I saw many people bicycling
with an umbrella in one hand.  I also saw some bicycles with hand protecting
shields like gloves on the handlebars.  Pretty clever.

I was one of a small group who were willing to go with a guy named Richard
who wanted to see a prison school.  Richard teaches at a maximum security
prison school of 850 inmates in Los Angeles.  They needed enough people to
make it worth their while.  The vice minister of education had to accompany
us, as did our translator, Aiko.  It turned out to be more like a group home
or a welfare residential care facility.  The students had been taken away
from their homes for various reasons such as abuse.  Some had committed
offenses such as arson, loitering after curfew, truancy, vandalism such as
putting rocks on railroad rails, and inhalant use.

When we returned we had to negotiate how to split the cab fare and then we
invited Aiko to have lunch with us at the hotel restaurant.  I had a lady's
"set."  "Set" is several different dishes that make a meal at a set price.
It was super!  Aido's husband attended Stanford for a year while she was a
young mother.  Since then they have returned home to Kamakura.  She studied
for quite a while to be a translator.  She had to pass an exam to be
licensed.  She failed it twice.  She has also studied American Literature.
We had a long talk about American authors.  Her favorite is Truman Capote.
She belongs to a book club which reads English books.  Then we talked about
Japanese Literature in translation.  I need another lifetime.

Someone asked her about her religion.  She says she was raised Christian, her
husband is Buddhist, one daughter is atheist, and another is Shinto.  So she
says she really doesn't claim one, she is a mixture and she believes at the
bottom, they are all the same humanness.  I said amen.

I seem to be hanging around with Ann Mary from New Jersey, Peggy from
Kentucky, and Cathy from Hawaii.  What a cross section. Several of the
others are having trouble connecting to AOL.  They had some misguided idea
that I could help them since I was on line with no problem.  It was soon
apparent that it was pure luck.  There was something scary about 5 women
standing around trying to figure out a computer problem.

After lunch, we donned umbrellas and struck out for city hall where there was
supposed to be a children's art exhibit.  National holiday - all government
offices closed.  Well, the Ikko Shrine was open enough.  We didn't go in but
the compound areas are always nice.  This was a very pleasant place.  Even in
the rain the birds were busy and singing.

At each stop light in Niihama, when the light turns green, the sound of a
different kind of bird is made.  It is to tell the blind that it is ok to
cross the street now.  They also have many raised rubber bumps for the blind
to feel as they walk.  However, we see no other concessions to handicapped.
There are many stairs and curbs to all the buildings.

Please tell Ted (our Rotarian friend from Colima, Mexico), I have been invited
to the Rotary meeting on Thursday am as the guest of an FMFer friend who
is a member of an Arkansas chapter.  She has a pin to exchange.  I wonder
if I can get a flag...?   Can Ted fax me something to exchange?
Rihga Royal Hotel Niihama, Ehime prefecture     FAX: 0897-37-1446
Just an idea - don't get obsessive if it doesn't fall into place.  (But click
on the link above and check out our hotel - and you can even check out
our local area weather with a link on the bottom of the hotel's home page.)

Here is another site to learn about this part of Japan.  Click on
Ehime Industrial Information Network and check out the industrial,
business and agricultural links.  Here is another map for Mr. Gordon's
geography students.   And here is yet another map of Ehime.

On the way back from the shrine, we came upon a tree wherein, at the crotch of a
low trunk branch sat huddled out of the rain, 3 small scrawny, skinny long-haired
calico kittens.  They were very unhappy and thought we should have food for
them.  It was pathetic.  We took pictures and moved on.  Just a few minutes
ago, the other Peggy called me to share that she had gone back to the kittens
via the convenience store where she had purchased some canned cat food for
them.  They were so little and even as hungry as they were only ate one can.
She plans to go back tomorrow to take more.  You think I like cats - she has
22 at home. (only 2 are house cats)

Well, I'm beat (as usual).  So I am ready to crash.

What is everyone going to do anything for Turkey day?  Everyone here wants to
eat together, but they think it would be neat to go out around town and find
American food.  Honestly, there are some real diehards who have some mission
to eat American in Japan.  Oh, well, I'm enjoying all the Japanese food.  What
a treat!

Love,
Peg

p.s. - We've added a couple of new links to my "Tuesday morning in Niihama"
          post.  Check out the information on bridging the Seto Inland Sea.

Tuesday, 23 Nov 1999 17:01:39 EST - Subject: Hotel life in Niihama

Hi Dear Students, Family and Friends,
    6 am in Niihama, Japan, Wednesday, November 23, 1999.  It rained through
the night.  It is a gentle rain for the most part but sometimes it is stronger
judging by the sound outside my window.  It is not cold, but I am glad I
brought my coat.  I considered leaving it in storage in Tokyo since was
supposed to be warm and tropical in the south.
    Gasoline is 150 yen per liter (that is about $1.44US per liter, not gallon - math
students can figure how much that is per gallon) and there are several stations on
the street where the hotel is.  There is a lot of smoking in Japan and in the
hotel here.  Some sensitive people are having a tuff time.  Every room is
equipped with large hot water pots and numerous things you can make with it.
The ubiquitous tea of course but sometime also coffee and broth.  There is a
control panel by the bed which lets you have music all the time and there are
two classical stations.  I'm in heaven.  There is a small sofa which I use
(with my feet on the little coffee table) when I compose off line.  I have to
go to the desk when I wish to send and receive e-mail because my phone jack
is not long enough.  There is a place near the door where you have to insert
your key card to activate the room's electricity.  The lights go on and the
hot water pot begins to bubble.
    The first afternoon, between our courtesy call at the mayor's office and
the fancy reception in the hotel banquet room, I put all my stuff in the
various drawers, hung dresses and more or less nested for the duration.  I've
usually only stayed at hotels for one night or with other people in the room
so it was easier to live out of the suitcase.  We get an English language
newspaper here each morning under our door.  The newspaper is interesting in
that it prints news from a slightly different perspective and there are many
interesting cultural things that are the topics .  Not so much media hype about
tragic accidents and that kind of thing.
    I will make this entry short since I want to get on line because I forgot to
mail a response to Suzanne (my sub) and I forgot to keep a copy of the students
questions, which I hope to answer.

Stay warm. Love,
 Peg

NOTE:  New links have been added to earlier posts.  Browse back and check them out.

Wednesday, 24 Nov 1999 08:20:14 EST - Subject: Niihama City Tour

Here is a photo of the fish market in Tokyo taken with a digital camera by one of my
FMFer friends.  There will be more.  This was a trial.

Dear Folks,
    Wednesday, November 24, 1999.  Niihama City tour.  The rain was letting
up and everything was still wet and just a tiny bit cool.  The things that
were scheduled for us for today were:

1.  Tour the Science museum.
2.  Tour the Beshi Copper Mine tourist park,
3.  Visit the Otedama Club,
4.  See the Sumitomo Chemical Company, and
5.  View a children's art exhibit at City Hall.

It is really interesting going to a little "out of the way" place like Niihama.
I mean who would have chosen it, but here it is and how wonderful it is.

Love.  Hurriedly
peg

Wednesday, 24 Nov 1999 15:45:49 EST - Subject:  Waking up on Thanksthursday

Hi there:
    5:30 AM, Thursday, in Niihama.  This should be an interesting Thanksgiving.
We tour the high school today.  The Japanese are very proud of their
elementary school, but we haven't heard as much about their High Schools
except to express concern about how hard it is for the students with so much
emphasis placed on the examinations to get into a good university.  As we
have already learned, until the last 10 years, it is tradition that whatever
job you get, you stay with that company for life.  That is changing a whole
lot.  (In fact all of Japan is changing a great deal)

    "It used to be accepted fact that education was the way out of poverty
and toward a good job and future.  That is no longer the case.  Japan has
become a wealthy economy and people can support themselves if they are not
choosy about their job. Education is no longer considered a way to escape
poverty, so there isn't the strong motivation to study.  Many people think
the "new children" problem is because many students today have a very strong
ego, and have difficulty accepting other people's opinions.  Unable to
understand why students have become so irritated and spiritless, adults and
the media have attributed it to stressful school environments."

I think I will cut this short so I can go out and see a bit of Niihama on my
own before breakfast.

Our Thanksgiving "Feast" is tonight so if I write, it will also be brief.  I sure
don't know what our celebration is going to be like.  We looked into renting
the banquet hall, but it was 400000 yen (over $3,900US!).  There is a restaurant
at the hotel here that is big enough, but it is Chinese.  So we are having Japanized
Chinese for Thanksgiving.  I'm just happy it is not Colonel Sanders.  We
have the Karoke bar reserved afterward, and everyone is reserving a song.
I am thinking about "If I only had a brain."  Whattya think?  We were talking
at dinner last night about how much raw fish we have eaten.  We don't even
think of it anymore,  it doesn't even seem raw.

Stay warm.  What are you reading these days.  It's a real pleasure to be
around these teachers who are people who like to read a lot.

Love, Peg

Thursday, 25 Nov 1999 09:03:26 EST - Subject: Shinto Shrine & Buddhist Temple

Thanksgiving greetings to those of you who are just getting ready to start the day.
Today's excursion (Thanksgiving day here) was wonderful.  I am only going to write
now about our trip to the temple because I need to compose the other stuff off-line.
It is late at night here, Thursday, November 25.  I will write more tomorrow.

The Buddhist temple for which you have the graphic is called the Zuioji Zen Temple.
And it was explained that they often have a Shinto shrine (yes, that's me in the photo - but
this is not the Shinto shrine - it is on the steps leading to the Temple - sorry, but we are having
some problems getting the correct descriptions matched with the digital images we are sending.)
on the premises.  Shinto and Buddhist can coexist well because the Shinto take care of
this world while the Buddhist take care of the next world.  Shinto is animistic
and honors nature, ancestors, and heroes.  It was a truly beautiful walk up
the stone stair way thru the dense woods and then into an open grounds where
the fall colors were blazing.  The Shinto shrine is to honor a venerable old
Ginkgo tree which is over 800 years old.

We got a demonstration of how to sit for meditation and then were taken into
a tea room where we were served sweet cake and green tea.  We were given
gifts and sat on the floor for a while and chatted with the chief monk.  He
was special.  When we returned downstairs to leave, the service had begun in
the main temple.  We needed to go thru that room to get to our shoes, but we
couldn't enter when they were chanting.  So we found another exit and several
people had to run across an open area to get our shoes.

Thanksgiving dinner was like no other.  Karoke was ok and goofy.  We were
done by 9:00.
Memories are made of this.

Love Peg

Thursday, 25 Nov 1999 16:15:35 EST - Subject: Temple & School Photos

Hi:  Happy day after turkey day (Friday, Nov. 26).

Here are 9 pictures taken yesterday (Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Day) on our
tour of the Buddhist Zuioji Zen Temple and the local high school.  These
photos, taken with digital cameras, are courtesy of two of my FMF colleagues,
Ann Mary Mullane from Nutley, NJ, and Lee Marek from Napperville, IL.
 

1.  Ann Mary with the Temple in the background.
2.  Brilliantly colored trees and our group on the steps to the Temple.
     I don't think I am in it.  The lady in red in the lower left is Barbara san,
     the expat who is our guide to Niihama.
3.  Inside the Temple grounds.
4.  Inside the Temple.
5.  A science lab at the high school
6.  A cooking class.
7.  A calligraphy class.
8.  A calligraphy student at work.
9.  A high school student sweeping the stairs as part of the daily clean up program.

I have gone through my second battery on my "old fashion" camera.  I am using
the camera a lot, but I didn't think that much.  I will be trying to find a camera
shop and stock up on 3 volt batteries.

I had an hour yesterday morning so I took a walk around town.  I found their
new library building and got some photos of the gardener.  Then I took some
shots of some boys going to school on their bikes.  I figured they were going
to the high school we would be visiting.  On the way back, I passed a mechanics
garage and the crew of workers were lined up doing their morning calisthenics.

I notice one thing about walking here --- people do not nod and say good morning
or even smile.  They look past you.  This is on the streets.  At the high school
the kids were happy/giggly and ALWAYS said "Hall LOW" and we would answer
"konichiwa"  and they would laugh and say Hallo - konichiwa.  It was a kick!

You know I am also noticing that there probably are not words to explain how
friendly the school was.  You think of people lined up sitting at tables and
officially welcoming us and it all sounds boring and stiff.  I know when I
thought about it in advance, I was not impressed with it as anything but a
formality.  There is something about that face to face greeting, however
formal, that makes them seems so genuinely pleased to have you as their guest.
This is a very poor attempt to put words to the experience that doesn't SOUND
like it can possibly be ANYTHING, but turns out to be EVERYTHING.  How did
the Japanese know that.  I think they must have always paid attention.

We will be packing up tonight for our weekend home stay and I will have to
be changing rooms.  I only hope I can get back on line when I return here for
an overnight before heading back to Tokyo.  So many have not managed it, but
we think it is their computer setup as they have tried to utilize my known
working line and can't.

Today is touring the elementary school.  I must go for now.  I have much to
write about the high school visit, but not the time to do it in.  I seem to be
surviving on 5-6 hours sleep and doing ok until about 10 or 11.

Love
Peggy san

Friday, 26 Nov 1999 16:47:32 EST - Subject: Elementary School & More Photos

Greetings, it is Saturday morning in Niihama.
I am more confused about my schedule than you might I think.  I think we leave
today at 10 am with host family and they bring us back at 4 PM tomorrow.  We
check in again for 1 or 2 nights here at the hotel and then we do the ryokan (the
traditional Japanese style inn).  I REALLY should read the schedule.  It's almost
ONE DAY AT A TIME -- WHATEVER THEY TELL US TO DO.  They have
it so organized down to the last minute and they still allow plenty of time for us to go
get our own "individual research"  The wheels behind this program are absolutely
incredible.

Well, Here is today's (last night's message)  I am slowing down on the school
reports.  I hope I don't forget stuff.

It's 10:30 PM Friday now.
How was your Thanksgiving?  Many FMFers had called their families early this
morning because they were at that moment having their Thanksgiving dinners.
I can't believe how tired I can get and still keep going.  I will probably send just
a bit tonight.  It is quite cold.  Unseasonably cold for here; word has it that a cold
front has come down from Russia.  I am thankful for my coat.  I considered
leaving it in Tokyo because we were told it would be warmer here in the South
of Japan.  The Riviera it's not.
    We toured the elementary today and were quite royally welcomed --- the
real red carpet treatment beginning with a whole school assembly, songs,
recitations etc.  Then we toured classes and had lunch with one class.  I ate
with the 6th graders.  Although they are not taught English until Junior High,
they had learned a few words of English --- more than I have of Japanese, I can
safely say.  All of the students had made their own meishi (business cards)
to exchange with us.  When I ran out of the pink card stock we were issued, I
resorted to my printed ones.  They were happy with that.  They also
particularly liked the balloons from the Forest Service.
    Honestly, I am dozing off as I sit here.  I think I'll nap until Ann Mary
comes to sent her e-mail and down load her pictures from today.  Then I'll
e-mail to you.  I should have some time tomorrow morning to catch up a bit
before my host family picks me up at 10:00 am.  I will not be back in contact
until Sunday night after that.

Early Saturday morning.
Hello - I crashed last night.  Ann Mary didn't come until nearly midnight and
inadvertently disconnected from AOL and I couldn't get enough awakeness to
reconnect, so am writing now at 5 AM.  I know this is confusing.  I'm sorry.

Today's pictures, I hope:

    1.  Being served tea at the monastery -- my knee in lower right foreground.
    2.  Flower arranging experience at local elementary school as part of culture
         experience day for our benefit.  Flower arranging or Ikebana is big is Japan.
    3.  A monk at meditation (demonstrated for us).
    4.  Lunch platter at High School for our reception.  Note the McDonald's.
    5.  Front of High School .  It looks dingy outside but was a lot
         different inside.  Friendly and happy and pleasant.
    6.  Meeting with school staff - questions & answers after school visits.  Note beautiful
         garden outside the window.
    7.  A group photo on the steps to the monastery.  I am at back right.. We need
         to choreograph getting in position for group photos.

Hope this isn't too confusing.
Later,
Peggy san