ORHS freshman shares account of trip to Naka

By: Rachel Oliver | Special to The Oak Ridger

EDITOR’S  NOTE: Ten Oak Ridge  middle school students and two teachers went to Naka, Japan, in July for a week-long visit to Oak Ridge’s sister city. The visit was part of Oak Ridge’s sister city exchange program. The students have written accounts of their visit, which are posted, along with photos, at the Sister City Support Organization Web site, http://www.discoveret.org/ortnscso/. Japanese students and adults from Naka are arriving in Oak Ridge Aug. 23 to spend a week. The students will stay with host families and attend Robertsville or Jefferson middle schools with their hosts. Below is the first part of Oak Ridge High School freshman Rachel Oliver’s account of her stay in Japan with the Numata family.

Submitted Oak Ridge students Matthew Reat, from left, Austin Tatum and Rachel Oliver hold the Japanese calligraphy they learned how to write in a Japanese culture class at school in Naka. The character means ‘friend.’

My trip to Naka, Japan, has been one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences in my life.

On Saturday, we woke up excruciatingly early. It was a relief to see everybody at the airport looking just as tired as I was. I tried to smile at the mayor and at the cameras as they took dozens of pictures of our sleepy faces. As we waved goodbye the fact finally hit me — we were going to Japan.

After a 12-hour plane ride we were all tired. We had a bus from Narita airport to our hotel. It was 1 in the afternoon on Sunday, which was hard to believe. I had discussions about funny signs and the cars driving on the other side of the road with Parks (Fillauer), who was sitting next to me. Tokyo's skyscrapers did not look any different then the ones in the United States, but in the middle of the city lay temples and a palace.

Tonight we did not see the foreign culture. Instead many of us ate at McDonald's and saw the millions of bikes parked on the streets. At the hotel I went to sleep as soon as I sat down. Emily (Ducko) was talking to me, then turned to realize my lack of response was because I was fast asleep.

Monday was an exciting day. Everybody was anxious to meet their host families. Unfortunately we had to wait because we had an entire day of sightseeing before we headed to Naka for dinner. We took a Tokyo bus tour around the city and stopped at a temple to take pictures and shop. There was a giant, bright red lantern that took up most the archway leading into the temple and two statues were on either side.

Afterwards, our tour group headed to the Imperial Palace. It was not open today, but we could take pictures of the gate and the guard buildings. Its white walls against the dark ceiling and the moat were extremely beautiful.

The final stop on our tour was a pearl factory. There they explained how pearls are created and harvested. None of us won the pearl given out at the end. The bus company then dropped us off at the Sony building and we went for lunch. When we returned we met up with a member of the exchange program who led us through the subway maze and returned us to our hotel to pick up our luggage.

We took two buses to Naka. One was for our luggage and the other was for us. Jason, our translator, was waiting for us at the hotel. He is from Australia and does a great job. He helped us with our speeches and told us stories of his practical jokes on all of our bus journeys.

When we arrived, everybody streamed into the hallway to meet our hosts. I looked around for a girl named Emi, but was blocked by the other kids greeting their host. When I finally reached her it seemed awkward, because she came up to me and said, "Hello." I was expecting a konichiwa (greetings) and replied "Doozo yoroshiku (pleased to meet you)." After a second it seemed as if we both laughed and she led me into a big hall filled with tables and families.

Emi's table was in the far corner and she was only sitting with her mother. Her older sister, Yuri, was at school and her father was at work. Throughout the dinner her mother asked me questions and we both tried to figure out how to answer in Japanese. The dinner and ceremony ended early, so we went home early.

At their home I found that taking my slippers on and off throughout the house was hard to get used to, but Emi showed me how. At home, Emi showed me how to make a paper crane in origami. Then, Emi introduced me to her father, sister, and grandparents before I could go to sleep. All of them were kind and excited when I spoke a few words in Japanese. It seems that the most common question for me during the trip was, "You speak Japanese?" Of course my response was "Sukoshi." Sukoshi means a little.

Tuesday morning I was confused. I thought I had to go to school with Emi, and when she was leaving I worried if they were doing the right thing. Soon after, Emi's mom dropped me off at the town hall. Everybody had stories to tell about our first night. We were interrupted when we were called to a meeting with all the city and sister city organization officials.

The mayor of Naka gave us an address and then gave us a quick tour of his office and meeting rooms. Afterwards we headed down stairs to meet the chairman. He was kind and we took pictures with him and in his chair. We journeyed across the street into a Japanese garden and an old house. We played with traditional toys and ate potatoes. The old house was very open to the elements and had dark brown wood, which was very beautiful. At the pond we fed the fish. When we walked up the fish already were there in large numbers, but when we tossed in the pellets the fish became a mob rushing towards the food. It was almost scary enough to keep us out of the water if the netting was not there.

Next, we went to an Italian restaurant. It was different than the Italian I was used to, because it had fish in it. I enjoyed the different taste, but the meal was huge! I do not think I was ever hungry again during the trip after that meal.

When the meal was over we headed to the nuclear fusion facility. There we watched a movie about the studies going on throughout the complex and then were showed the machines through a viewing area. Then we played with liquid nitrogen to create a super conductor.

Finally we went together to the Naka Museum and saw a parade float, masks, and some fossils. Afterwards we made a bamboo branch with our wishes on it.

Emi's mom picked me up and even though I told her I was not hungry she still fed me anyway. When Emi’s father and sister returned from work and school we all went out shopping. My family bought me a lovely ukata (summer kimono), rice bowls for me and my sister, a soup bowl for me, and chopstick sets for my whole family. Finally when we got home Emi's family and I played with paper balls and cards.

***

Rachel describes going to school in Japan in Part II, which will be published Friday.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten Oak Ridge middle school students and two teachers went to Naka, Japan, in July for a week-long visit to Oak Ridge’s sister city. The visit was part of Oak Ridge’s sister city exchange program. The students have written accounts of their visit, which are posted, along with photos, at the Sister City Support Organization Web site, http://www.discoveret.org/ortnscso/. Japanese students and adults from Naka are arriving in Oak Ridge Aug. 23 to spend a week. The students will stay with host families and attend Robertsville or Jefferson middle schools with their hosts. Below is the second part of the account written by Oak Ridge High School freshman Rachel Oliver, who went to Naka in July and stayed with the Numata family. Part I was published in Thursday’s edition.

Wednesday morning I went with Austin and Hannah to Naka 1st. When we arrived we were put into a small room and told to sit there. We talked about our speeches and what our families were like. The Principal greeted us and then we met Robert. He was an intern that rotated throughout the schools in Naka every two months. He was from the United States and was our translator. First he gave us our schedule. Austin and Hannah were in the same room, but I was by myself. Then he reminded us that the school had a ceremony during the first class for us. He answered any of our questions and then walked us to the gym. The ceremony included demonstrations of the clubs including judo, kendo, and the brass band club. We gave our speeches and received gifts from the school. Afterwards Emi took me to her class Social Studies. Today they were in the computer room, so I looked at pictures on the web site of our trip so far and last year's pictures. After that we went to Music class where the kids stood up on the chair and started to sing. The kids had the songs memorized and were in parts. I was embarrassed that I could not sing a single note with them, but still had to stand on the seats. After that we had lunch. I discovered what a Spork truly looked like and that eating fast was a priority at a Japanese school. After lunch we took pictures with the class then I headed to learn about Japanese culture. That afternoon we split into Robertsville and Jefferson groups. I tried calligraphy first. I enjoyed everybody trying to teach me. After I had written friendship they asked me to write Oak Ridge for the camera man. They gave me an outline and I wrote it. They were pleased with my first try and gave it to him. Next we tried the tea ceremony. The tea was too bitter and the candy before hand was too sweet. All the food had been pushed to the extreme. I still liked trying the kimono. Everybody looked beautiful, but it seemed to take almost too much work to put it on. I joined Emi after the culture lessons ended and we had another good round of paper ball in the afternoon.
    It was another day of school on Thursday, but we went for the entire day. Emi swam in her first class for gym. Then I left her to participate in a calligraphy class down the hall. I wrote my name in the two different alphabets and did the symbol for love. It is a very beautiful art and I enjoyed trying it. Emi had Japanese class next, so I visited with the girl I hosted last year, Mami. Her hair had grown out and she had grown even taller. She was excited to see me and we talked for the entire class. I also showed her my pictures on my camera. It is always wonderful to see an old friend. She escorted me back to Emi after the class was over, but I was about to leave Emi again. Hannah and I were going to put on ukatas while our host went to their elective. Austin wore a jimbae and the teacher insisted that it was for males, but he was not happy about it. Hannah and I laughed about it while we went to show the teachers in the main office. Afterwards we had lunch and I ate quicker than the day before. Then I cleaned with Emi by sweeping the floors. School ended after another class, but Emi still had to have tennis practice. I watched her for a while, but soon she led me inside. Hannah and I talked for an hour and a half enjoying the time for making friends. After practice I walked home with Emi. She had told me that Hannah was coming over and we were going to have fireworks. The fireworks were more like sparklers and Hannah and I were dressed in our ukatas. We had a lot of fun with the fireworks, eating, playing cards, and playing with the paper balls. The house seemed full with the amount of people.
    The aquarium and the sea were the main attractions on Friday, and they were both wonderful. We immediately saw the dolphin show, but my favorite were the mobol. A puffin was also fun to watch. Everybody played on the beach and enjoyed the large waves. Afterwards we went to the marine tower where we looked over a harbor and onto the ocean. I enjoyed the view, but it was cloudy from the Typhoon heading our way. We went to a shopping mall, but many of the stores were American, but still did enjoy walking around with my friends. For dinner Emi's family and I went to a Japanese sushi bar where the sushi passed by you on a conveyor belt and you would pick up the ones you wanted. We did not have a waiter, but ordered specially over an intercom system.
    Saturday was a extremely fun day. I did not experience too much modern Japanese culture, but I got to go to Nikko. Nikko is a national park in Japan that holds many temples. First, Emi's family took me to an old Japanese garden that Ulysses S. Grant had spent eight days in. It was very beautiful with stone bridges and a light green moss covering the ground. Then we walked to the carved monkeys on a shrine where the hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil started. Other monkeys encompassed the edge of the building. I also saw a five story pagoda that holds a statue and a Japanese wedding in progress in one of the temples. We left before lunch and ate a very American lunch. I had spaghetti with crab in it. I enjoyed it very much. We drove to Mito and went shopping in a giant mall, but then Emi, her mom, and I took the train back home. It was very fast and smooth. It was interesting to take a different type of transportation.
    Good byes are always hard. Especially if you have depended on the people for a week. The farewell party was on Sunday. We danced, ate, took pictures, and listened to addresses. I saw Mami again and had to put on my ukata. Everybody was dressed up and had a good time. I tried to help make rice pudding, and it was fun to help. We also got to celebrate the good news that the typhoon had gone south of us. At home Emi's cousins came over for a few more games of cards and to eat. I remember feeling awful when Emi's mom burst into tears before I went to bed. It made everyone cry because I was leaving the next day.
    Finally it was Monday. Emi's family took me to see a garden in Mito and an unusual twisted tower. I was tired and ready to get home, but I would miss my second family. We all cried before I got on the bus to leave, but my tears came when I was on the bus. I found a note from Emi in my camera case. It said she would want me to send a letter to the address I gave. I will, because she is now my best friend overseas. I had a wonderful experience and I hope to go back one day.
    Thank you Jason and any members of the sister city organization. You keep this program going and strengthening our relationship between our cities. Thank you again to our chaperones for helping us travel distances we never thought of before. Finally I want to thank my host family for being wonderful and providing me with a great experience. Sayanora!
 

Rachel Oliver