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Sarah’s Blog Post 22: March 4, 2016

Congratulations to the Fujimura Girls’ High School Class of 2016. That is what we would say to the graduating class of seniors in the United States. I am so proud of each of our students and know that they will be leaving school to do great things. Since my arrival in August, I have come to know how dedicated Fujimura girls can be and it is inspiring. Even though I didn’t teach any third year classes, I got to meet some of the third years in International Club. I am very sad that we won’t get to see them next year, but I am very happy for them. I wish all of the graduating third years good luck in their future endeavors and am excited for all of the new third years (this year’s second years) to begin their final year of school next month.

 

Graduation in the United States, much like many other things, is much louder than in Japan. Parents and friends clap for each student as they receive their diplomas, and almost every graduation ceremony plays “Pomp and Circumstance” in the background. Since many schools do not have uniforms, we wear a graduation cap and graduation gown over our clothes. Both boys and girls wear the same graduation cap and gown. I am not sure about other Japanese schools, but in the United States, it is common for graduation ceremonies to be held outside as well. My graduating class was about 600 students, so it would have been difficult to fit everyone inside of our gym. The biggest difference is that graduation occurs in late May or the middle of June in the United States. Despite these differences, the feelings are very much the same. We cry because we are sad to leave and we are happy because of everything that has been accomplished.

 

So, I would like to say congratulations, one last time.

Graduation

This week I was attended the high school graduation and it was sad to see the third-years go. Although I could only understand some of what was being said, it was nice to be there for this important event. Throughout the day, I found myself reminiscing of my own high school graduation. One thing I noticed that was a bit different between my high school graduation and Fujimura’s is the order of what takes place at the ceremony. Here the diplomas and awards were given out first and the speeches were done towards the end of the event. Whereas my own graduation was quite the opposite; the speeches are given at the beginning and the awards are given out at the end. Regardless of the minute details, the ceremonies share the same purpose: to honor and celebrate the graduating students. My favorite part of the ceremony was getting to clap for the students as they walked out of the gym. Seeing these students and the range of emotions on their faces made me proud of them even if I don’t know them very well. After the processions were done, I was fortunate to be able to say a last congratulations and farewell to the seniors who were in the International Club. I’m excited for their next phase in life where they’ll get to know themselves a little better with each challenge and success. All in all, I hope for the best the graduated students and I am glad I was able to see a graduation ceremony in Japan.

 

Valentine’s Day

February went by so quickly and it’s almost over. If I was back home in America, the stores would be filled with discounted Valentine’s Day candy. It’s interesting how these holidays differ between the two countries. In Japan, there is Valentine’s Day and White Day. Two separate days for girls giving boys gifts and boys giving girls gifts. In the U.S. everyone gives all of their gifts on the same day. Sometimes it’s chocolate, flowers, a homemade snack, or a nice card. And while it’s a popular day for couples to give each other gifts, you can also give presents to anyone. When I was a child in school, a lot of children would bring chocolate or snacks for the whole class and we’d write cards to our friends or family. In high school, students would probably still bring chocolates for their friends and teachers would sometimes have chocolates for all of their students. It’s fun to see how holidays are both similar and different between America and Japan. In a few weeks, it will be White Day and I’ll get to see another unique side of Japan’s modern culture.

 

- Yaya Campbell

Sweets Paradise

Sarah’s Blog Post 21: February 26, 2016

 

This past weekend, I went to Sweets Paradise in Shinjuku. I really enjoy sweet food, so I knew that I would enjoy all-you-can-eat cake. Sweets Paradise seems like a restaurant for older students and young adults. Parents probably wouldn’t let younger students eat so many sweets and older adults probably wouldn’t want to eat so many sweets. There is a location in Kichijoji, but I heard that it doesn’t have a buffet, so we went to Shinjuku instead.

 

At first, I got a whole plate of cake because that is the main reason why I wanted to go to a dessert buffet. However, I knew that I would get sick if I only ate cake, so I got some curry and pasta as well. Since it is still February, and just after Valentine’s Day, many of the monthly specials were Valentine’s Day themed. They used lots of hearts and chocolate. My favorites were the crème brulee pudding roll cake and the yuzu chiffon mousse cake. I wish I could have eaten more of those two, but after trying so many other types of cake, I couldn’t eat any more. It was surprising how fast I got full while eating the desserts.

桜

Sarah’s Blog Post 20: February 19, 2016

 

Yesterday, I saw the first cherry blossom forecast for this year. I am very excited because my mom will be visiting me at the end of March, and the cherry blossoms are forecasted to begin blooming around March 26^th in Tokyo. It is very lucky that she will be able to see cherry blossoms in Japan the first time that she visits. I was also able to see cherry blossoms the first time I visited Japan in 2008. This year’s “hanami”, or cherry blossom viewing, will be very nostalgic for me.

 

The other exciting part about cherry blossom season is the number of special sakura-themed products that stores and restaurants begin selling. One of my friends told me that Starbucks was going to release a sakura flavored Frappuccino. I was very excited to taste it and bought one today. It was great, but it tastes more like strawberry than sakura, and there are too many chocolate shavings in it. They get stuck at the bottom and don’t mix well with the cold drink. Yesterday Yaya and I also went to the monthly tea ceremony with the tea ceremony club. Iwatsu-sensei, Yoshida-sensei, Morita-sensei, and Ozaki-sensei taught us about “Hina-matsuri”, or girl’s day. Yaya says that they celebrate girl’s day a little differently in Hawaii. I don’t have any experience though because we don’t celebrate girl’s day in the mainland United States (all US states except for Hawaii and Alaska).

Plum festival

Over the weekend, I went to a plum festival in Setagaya. The flowers were pretty and I took a lot of photos. The trees weren’t fully bloomed yet but it was still nice to walk through the paths and trees. I also ate some food and I was happily surprised at the prices. The food and snacks were a lot cheaper than some of the larger festivals I’ve been to, so that was nice. Going to this festival made me excited for the spring season and the activities to come.

 

- Yaya Campbell

かっぱ橋通り

Sarah’s Blog Post 19: February 12, 2016

People from other countries are often surprised by the food models that restaurants in Japan display in their front windows. I remember coming to Tokyo ten years ago and being surprised by the fake crepes that I saw in Harajuku. They looked so realistic. In the United States, it isn’t very common to see food models in front of restaurants. The only place I have seen them is in Japantown in San Francisco. Restaurants in the United States usually only have pictures in their menus to show customers what they are ordering. When I researched about food models, I learned about Kappabashi-dori. I decided to go because one of my friends who used to live in Japan also told me that he bought a very good knife from Kappabashi-dori.

 

At first, I thought it wouldn’t be very big. When I arrived, I was so surprised by how many stores there were and how many different kinds of things I could buy. Many websites said that you wouldn’t be able to buy real food there. This is true because there aren’t many restaurants in the area, but it is also partially false because there are many shops that sell specialty food products like dried beans, nuts, sauces, dressing, and tea. It is very hard to find some of these things in regular grocery stores. I bought two tea cups that remind me of “tsukimi” and some cooking utensils. I think I might go back there this weekend to buy souvenirs for my family and some food for myself.