Hi again!
My kiddos saying goodbye to the ferry!
Our first activity for Saturday was one of the things I’ve enjoyed the most so far. We went to the Ritsurin garden, the 300 year old landscape garden built by feudal lords during the Edo Period. I’ll let the pictures do all of the talking here
Sunday was another fun touristy day. We went to Miyajima Island and spent the entire day there. The Itsukushima shrine is one of the most iconic landmarks that Japan has to offer and we got to see it both at low and high tide. We also hiked to the top of mount Misen, the highest point on Miyajima island. I’ll let the pictures do the talking once again.
XOXO,
Kassandra
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International Business major Kassandra Salazar is spending the summer 2018 in Japan with our U of A Faculty-Led: International Business Seminar in Japan.
Read more from Kassandra at https://kassandrasalazar.wordpress.com/blog/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
Week 2 has come and gone in the blink of an eye. This post will probably be mostly pictures since my last one was so long and I’m rushing to get something up before I go back to not having any wifi for days!
Our four days in Tamano City were wonderful. After leaving the beach hotel, we went to our second business visit, Mitsui Shipbuilding and Engineering. Tamano City is a huge manufacturing town, and perfect for shipbuilding because they are on the coast of the Seto inland sea. I had never thought about what massive capital it takes to build a ship, their largest carriers take up to 8 months to make! We also met our homestay families this day. I was extremely nervous for this. I already have some social anxiety as is, and throw a massive language barrier on top of that and it makes for a very less than ideal situation. All I can say is thank goodness for translating apps. Another important travel tip I’ve learned: it’s definitely necessary to learn some key phrases before you go to a new country. The family consisted of a mom, Yukiko, her husband Masanori, and their two kids Ayano and Towa. Stapp eased our nerves by reminding us that basic human interaction involves no language and he was right. I played every game I could think of with the kids and we were best friends by dinner time.
Friday was spent at the local elementary school again. It was easily one of the most active days I’ve had in a long time. The kids prepared a wonderful program with us and we got to watch them dance and play games and overall had the best time ever! Their excitement for having us there made me feel like we were celebrities. To add to that, we made the local news every night as well as the national news one day and the newspaper with all of our activities in Tamano city; I guess that does make us famous??
Saturday morning was the end of our time in the city. Saying goodbye to my host family was harder than I anticipated. They were so welcoming and sweet to me and the kids were just so precious, it's amazing how close you can get to people in only a few days of knowing each other. Leaving was such a bittersweet feeling!
My kiddos saying goodbye to the ferry!
The deer wandered freely on this island, Stapp wasn’t too fond of them
Today was another well anticipated day. We finally made it to the Hiroshima Peace Park. Everyone learned about this massive event in World History, but it's impossible to understand its impacts without visiting the city yourself. 140,000 lives lost. Thousands left with burns, hair loss, and radiation exposure that developed into cancer years later. We saw the A-bomb dome, which was formerly a government building that was left intact to remember the world’s first nuclear bombing. The purpose of the park is to remember the victims and the impact that it had on Hiroshima, but it also serves as an advocate for world peace. People have a lax, sometimes joking attitude about nuclear weapons but this memorial is extremely eye-opening and I think its something that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Nuclear war is no joke and the potential effects are hard to even fathom.
This mound is built as a gravesite for the victims who were immediately killed by the bomb. Many of them were impossible to identify so they were mass cremated.
Tomorrow we head to Himeji castle and back to our home base in Kameoka! Wednesday is our first “summer break” day and I’m excited for a day off. Hope you enjoyed reading!
Kassandra
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International Business major Kassandra Salazar is spending the summer 2018 in Japan with our U of A Faculty-Led: International Business Seminar in Japan.
Read more from Kassandra at https://kassandrasalazar.wordpress.com/blog/
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
