2010 Exchange Program/Ikata Homestays
From IkataWiki
| Sightseeing Tour | Ikata Homestays | Red Wing Homestays | Message board |
Ikata homestays followed the sightseeing tour as the second part of the 2010 Exchange Program between Ikata and Red Wing. Read about what the Red Wing student group did in Ikata from July 20th to 30th.
Contents |
[edit]
Useful links
- Ikata, Ehime on Wikipedia
- Areas of Ikata
[edit]
July 20
- Arrive in Ikata, begin homestays (see Sightseeing Tour)
[edit]
July 21
- Pottery painting and throwing at the Development Center
- 5:30pm — Tree Planting Ceremony in Red Wing Park
- The Red Wing group, their host families, Red Wing-bound Ikata students, IIEA members, and all three Ikata Assistant Language Teachers came to plant this year's commemorative tree.
- 6:30 — Welcome Party at Seto Agritopia
- More than 60 people came to the welcome party up at Agritopia! We enjoyed a buffet dinner and slide show of the kids' sightseeing experiences, and afterwards each family came forward to introduce itself. Mr. Yamamoto and Mr. Matsushita (from the Policy Implementation Division) set up a table in the back to teach kids how to fold origami or make balloon animals.
- 8:30 — Overnight stay
[edit]
July 22
- Morning — Densōji Temple, Buddhist Sutras, and Tea
- In the morning, we had a quick breakfast of juice, sandwiches, and sweet breads, and then boarded the bus for a visit to a Buddhist temple in Misaki.
- At Densōji, Mrs. Kae Tada showed us around the temple, let us try rolling amacha (sweet tea) leaves, gave us time to try zazen (seated meditation), and showed us how to ink and color in sutras. Then, a local women's group treated us to some beautiful singing, and made amacha and the traditional tea ceremony beverage, matcha, for us to try.
- Noon — Shirasu Park
- We went to see the biggest fishing and packing plant for shirasu in this area. We followed painted lines on the floor to avoid spreading any germs, watched some informational videos on the work that goes on at Shirasu Park, and looked through glass windows at some of the work stations. Unfortunately, we had lingered so long in Misaki that by the time we got to Shirasu Park, the workers were all on lunch break!
- In the gift shop, the kids all got ice cream cones or shaved ice, and Tom bit the bullet and tried the vanilla-shirasu ice cream! He said it wasn't bad at all.
- Afternoon — Visitors' House and Power Plant
- Next, we drove up to the Ikata Visitors House, a small science museum dedicated to introducing the nuclear power plant. There, we ate bento (boxed lunches) provided by the power company, Yonden. Later, we watched a 3D video about the plant and enjoyed the exhibits in the museum.
- Late Afternoon — Miso Preparation Facility
[edit]
July 23
- School visits
[edit]
July 24
- Day with host families
[edit]
July 25
- 8:30am — Kinahaiya Ikata Festival
- The Kinahaiya Ikata Festival is Ikata's biggest public event of the year. From morning until mid-afternoon, rows of tents on the Ikata Junior High School grounds offer food, games, and rides. A children's sumo competition goes on all day and wraps up around 3pm.
- We got everyone together before 9am to go up on stage at the opening ceremony. Visiting children from Ikata's Japanese sister city, Tomari-mura in Hokkaido, went up with us, too. The MC asked Alex a few questions about everyone's experience in Ikata. Then we let loose with big confetti streamers and did mochi maki, a free-for-all where everyone on stage throws rice cakes to the crowd.
- Afterwards the kids roamed around the fair. Kakigōri, shaved ice with flavored syrup, was a favorite treat in the blazing hot weather.
- 7:00pm — Kinahaiya Dance, taiko performance, fireworks
- Once it got dark out we all changed into yukatas and went out to dance the Kinahaiya Dance. We had no prior instruction on the dance moves, so everyone just did their best. There 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.
[edit]
July 26
- Day with host families
[edit]
July 27
- Day with host families
[edit]
July 28
- 6:30pm — Farewell Party
- It rained on and off this day, so instead of our planned venue, Muronohana Park, we held the farewell party under the roof of the Agricultural Co-operative garage. Everyone gathered with their respective host families and barbecued. We had a machine to shave ice for dessert, and although it was still drizzling a little, we did set off some fireworks down by the harbor.
[edit]
July 29
- Day with host families
[edit]
July 30
- 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!
[edit]
