First Business, Then Bonsai and Baths

Monday morning we headed for the local community center to meet with school parents, representatives of the Ikeda-city PTA. What an interesting session! We were able to ask all sorts of questions about the role of the parents’ organization in Japanese schools and about parent-teacher relationships, at least in this community. And in turn the Japanese parents had many questions about our schools and classrooms, their first one being “Are teachers respected in the United States?” Predictably, that got a variety of responses, but in general I think teachers felt respected within our schools but as a profession we struggle for adequate acknowledgement. Having spent the previous week in public schools in the community, we were in a reasonably good position to reflect on issues presented, though in no way did we feel like experts. In general, Japanese parents seem to have more limited access to teachers and classrooms during the school day, and perhaps less of a feeling of input to the workings of the school. They had lots of queries about discipline, about students with special attention needs, about whether parents can make individual requests for teachers and so on. We American teachers realized that our schools vary widely in such things as class sizes, style of our principals and parents’ roles in our schools. I felt very proud to be from a community where respect -- student to student and student to teacher -- is valued greatly, where the parent-teacher organization is active, and where we receive generous support.

The rest of the day was for bonsai, bathing, and bonding with our group of ten travelers as we near the end of our trip. We traveled to the northern section of our host city, into the mountainous park area known for chattering monkeys who beg for money, put coins in the vending machines but are then stumped when trying to open the cans! We spent time at a beautiful bonsai shop, learning from the proprietor how bonsai (“pot of tree”) are started and maintained. I found myself wondering if a Brookline window would be a suitable place for bonsai. Hmmm…

We then headed for Fushiokaku, a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), featuring outstanding “public” baths and great food. After our somewhat modest hotel stay, this experience was a real treat. Slippers and robes were provided (which guests wear the entire time). We were served green tea and cookies on a low table in ours rooms immediately upon arrival. By dinnertime our room had been transformed to a sleeping area with futons and wonderful puffs. Most of us headed directly for the hot baths after tea and again after supper. The baths were outside under the sky and, later, stars; there were warm baths, warmer baths, and really hot baths! Dinner was a proper banquet. We had fun getting to know our roommates better than ever, sort of like summer camp. The whole experience was a superb remedy for many hours of meetings, walking, and riding buses. Our Japanese-style breakfast this morning (Tuesday) was amplified by American choices including green salad and pasta, which I skipped knowing that all too soon I will no longer wake up to seaweed, rice and warm soup. Before breakfast I took an early morning walk in the residential mountainside neighborhood, dodging bicycles, motor bikes and cars on the steep narrow road and enjoying watching kids trundling off to school with backpacks, just like kids at home.

By noon we were on the bullet train back to Tokyo, for one last chance to visit the favorite spots we had discovered in this huge and amazing city. Tomorrow, the ten JFMF groups, which have spent the past ten days in different parts of Japan, will come together to report on their adventures. I am really looking forward to hearing about everyone's experiences! Our enthusiastic group rehearsed our presentation (I am a samurai) while on the train today but we got too boisterous and had to cut our rehearsal short out of respect for our fellow Japanese travelers.