2008 Exchange Program/Ikata Homestays
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Ikata homestays followed the sightseeing tour as part two of the 2008 Exchange Program between Ikata and Red Wing. See what the Red Wing student group is up to in Ikata from July 21 to 31.
Contents |
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Useful links
- Ikata, Ehime on Wikipedia
- Areas of Ikata
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July 21
- Arrive at Ikata, go to homestays (see Sightseeing Tour)
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July 22
- 5:30pm — Tree Planting Ceremony in Red Wing Park
- All the Red Wing folks, the host families, the Ikata students, and a bunch more people gathered at Red Wing Park to smile for the cameras while planting this year's commemorative tree. The local cable station filmed the event, so everyone will soon be local celebrities!
- 6:30 — Welcome Party at Seto Agritopia
- There were over 70 people at the welcome party! The Red Wing students received Ikata t-shirts. We had a buffet dinner, and entertainment in the form of songs sung by English teachers from Misaki High School.
- 8:30 — Overnight stay
- After the party, the Red Wing and Ikata students headed to their cabins and spent the rest of the evening horsing around, chatting, and doing whatever it is young people do these days.
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July 23
- Morning — Calligraphy and games
- In the morning we headed back up to the main hall for breakfast. Some kids tried origami sumo: You make an origami sumo wrestler, then put two of them facing each other on top of some surface. The two players then tap the surface until one of the wrestlers falls down.
- A calligraphy instructor came and the kids tried their hands at writing Japanese characters. We came up with kanji names for everyone:
| Name | Kanji | English |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle | 美貝 | beautiful + shell |
| Christian | 栗巣天 | chestnut + nest + heaven |
| Mike | 舞久 | to fly + eternity |
| Rachel | 玲千笑瑠 | "tinkling of jade" + thousand + smile + "precious stone" |
| Jacob | 自衛虎武 | self + defense + tiger + warrior |
| Briana | 鰤穴 | yellowtail (fish) + hole |
| Emily | 笑理 | smile + reason |
| Megan | 芽岸 | bud + shore |
| Katie | 佳茶 | beautiful + tea |
| Matthew | 磨修 | polish + study |
| Cyndi | 心帝 | heart + empire |
- After calligraphy we tried making mochi (pounded rice cakes). You put a special kind of rice in a large stone mortar, and pound it with a big hammer. Unfortunately our staff didn't really know how to do it correctly, so the mochi didn't turn out very well, but everyone had fun making it.
- Before lunch, one of the host mothers was kind enough to bring yukatas for everyone to wear. The students got all dressed up, and looked quite spiffy in their summer garb.
- 1:00pm — Tour of the town
- First we went to one of the most scenic spots in town, the Seto Wind Hill Park. It's a park high atop a mountain near the middle of the peninsula. It has a breathtaking view of the ocean and the mountains. On the way up the mountain our bus bottomed out and the door became stuck, so we had to get off via the emergency exit. The bus driver managed to get the door fixed, but when we got back in to leave, we found that the emergency exit wouldn't close correctly. After much struggling, we eventually managed to dismantle a latch that had been bent out of shape, and get the door closed. That was certainly an adventure we didn't see coming!
- Next we stopped at Seto Agriculture Park for ice cream. They have a lot of interesting ice cream flavors here, such as cream cheese, purple potato, and black sesame. Most of the kids had good old chocolate chip. One did try the cream cheese ice cream for seconds.
- Then we went swimming at Suka Park. It was hot out, but the water was nice and cool!
- Finally we checked out the Ikata Visitors House, a fun science museum that teaches about the nuclear power plant. The boys had fun playing a game where you spin wheels as fast as you can to see how much power you can generate in a set amount of time.
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July 24
- Homestays
- Aaron joined Jacob and Matt and their host family on a hike up the tallest mountain in west Japan: Mount Ishizuchi.
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July 25
- Morning — Middle school visits
- The kids in each of Ikata's three areas went to their closest junior high school. Each school planned different activities for them.
- Aaron joined Katie, Mike, Megan, and Michelle at Misaki Junior High. We got a tour of the school, played some games with the students, and joined in on some sports club activities. The students even cooked us lunch!
- Ryoko went to Seto Junior High. They played a Japanese card game called karuta, then had a round or two of volleyball.
- Afternoon — Misaki High School visit
- All the Red Wing students came together at Misaki High School in the afternoon to meet some of the high school students. Two previous visitors to Red Wing were there. We played games, sang songs, heard the brass band play, and decorated Japanese fans.
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July 26
- Homestays
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July 27
- 8:30am — Kinahaiya Ikata Festival
- The Kinahaiya Ikata Festival is Ikata's biggest summer festival. It's held on the junior high school grounds, where tons of tents are put up with games and food and rides. There's even a children's sumo contest.
- We got everyone together early to go up on stage at the opening ceremony. The MC asked Michelle a few questions about everyone's experience in Ikata. Then we let loose with big confetti streamers and mochi maki, a fun event where everyone on stage throws snacks at the crowd.
- Afterwards the kids roamed around the fair. Kakigōri, shaved ice with flavored syrup, was a favorite treat what with the blazing hot weather.
- In the afternoon we went over to a children's playroom operated by the town and played with some of the children there.
- Around 5pm the local fishing coop put on barehanded fish wrangling. This is where they let loose a bunch of fish into a wading pool, and people walk around in the pool trying to catch the fish with their (gloved) hands. Several of the RW students dove right in, and managed to catch several fish.
- 7:00pm — Kinahaiya Dance (I bet the boys were anxious to dance), taiko performance, fireworks
- Once it got dark out we all changed into yukatas and went out to dance the Kinahaiya Dance. Of course we had no prior instruction on the dance moves, so everyone just did their best. It was a huge turnout, with lots of different groups participating in the dance.
- Afterwards everyone split up to join their host families and watch the fireworks show.
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July 28
- Homestays
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July 29
- 6:30pm — Farewell Party at Suka Park
- Everyone gathered in Suka Park in the evening, and we had a big outdoor barbecue.
- After dinner we lit fireworks at the shore.
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July 30
- Homestays
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July 31
- To Red Wing
- The Red Wing students, Ikata students, parents, and friends met near Ikata Town Hall early in the morning to say goodbye as the kids got on the bus to Matsuyama Airport. Now the students from Ikata will be introduced to Red Wing!
| Sightseeing Tour | Ikata Homestays | Red Wing Homestays | Message board |
