Hello everyone. Tuesday has arrived and so it is T Day once again. Head over to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to join in with our drink related posts.
I am (once again) heading back to Japan and today we are having one of my Japanese breakfasts. This was morning number one in Japan, and we were up early as we started our trip with a day at our sister city high school. We were in Nichinan in Southern Japan and going to Nichinan Gakuen, a private school in this small city.
Our hotel had a buffet breakfast with some unusual choices for us western breakfast people. I had some pineapple chunks, a glass of oj and a bowl of miso soup with tofu, as well as a salad. On my plate I had some sticky rice, some potato salad and some other type of fried potato. It seemed more like a potato pancake, but it wasn't that, nor was it just fried potato. I also a couple of little bites of salmon. Fish for breakfast doesn't bother me, but salad just didn't seem quite right, although I can't say I minded it at all.
Notice we had no silverware. I stuck to chopsticks all week, even when silverware was available. Just because we were in Japan.
The sticky rice in Japan was particularly good also.
And then we were off to school. It was Saturday, so school was only a half day long.
Here's our teacher group at school.
And the big welcome ceremony we attended.
These are our school's students learning a little bit of Japanese calligraphy.
Here's the group I taught along with another traveling teacher.
There we are,
The cafeteria is named Portsmouth after our school. We are naming a theater in our school Nichinan after them.
And in the afternoon we went to visit the 2 teams that this school is highly competitive in, in fact, to attend this school for these 2 sports you must be recruited.
First of all is ping pong.
I was surprised a lot of these players came from other places in Japan, as well as China and Korea. They would have a long 8 hour practice on a no school day.
And the second big sport, in fact the biggest of all, is baseball. These players (for both teams) come and live at the school and practice year round, not just seasonally like at our local high schools. The baseball players have their own campus with a dorm, cafeteria and all the practice fields.
It was pretty impressive.
It was a fun day visiting this school and learning about the similarities and differences. Hope you enjoyed a little visit via some photos.
I hope all you ladies have a great T Day, and I appreciate you stopping by today.
I am (once again) heading back to Japan and today we are having one of my Japanese breakfasts. This was morning number one in Japan, and we were up early as we started our trip with a day at our sister city high school. We were in Nichinan in Southern Japan and going to Nichinan Gakuen, a private school in this small city.
Our hotel had a buffet breakfast with some unusual choices for us western breakfast people. I had some pineapple chunks, a glass of oj and a bowl of miso soup with tofu, as well as a salad. On my plate I had some sticky rice, some potato salad and some other type of fried potato. It seemed more like a potato pancake, but it wasn't that, nor was it just fried potato. I also a couple of little bites of salmon. Fish for breakfast doesn't bother me, but salad just didn't seem quite right, although I can't say I minded it at all.
Notice we had no silverware. I stuck to chopsticks all week, even when silverware was available. Just because we were in Japan.
The sticky rice in Japan was particularly good also.
And then we were off to school. It was Saturday, so school was only a half day long.
First of all is ping pong.
It was a fun day visiting this school and learning about the similarities and differences. Hope you enjoyed a little visit via some photos.
I hope all you ladies have a great T Day, and I appreciate you stopping by today.
23 comments:
That is some breakfast, and yes, it would take getting used to after eating breakfast as we do in the US:) What great photos of you and the students and welcome ceremony! So many happy faces. I was quite surprised about just how big baseball is in Japan-I would never have guessed it! Thanks for sharing your special trip, and happy T day!
That is a big breakfast, especially since I only eat one meal a day. How did you eat the miso soup if you had no silverware? Chopsticks, then drink the broth? Or just leave the broth?
Some wonderful photos of you teaching and the children. I was truly impressed. Of course, I was surprised some of the children wore masks. I know lots of people did in years past, but I haven't seen that for awhile.
Thanks for sharing these photos. I was big in table tennis as a teen, but probably couldn't get the ball over the net anymore (grin), much less slam dunk it. And I am not surprised about baseball, because it is huge in Japan, at least where my friend taught. Again, so glad you shared your first breakfast, your orange juice, and your meal with us for T this nearly Tuesday.
Your Japanese breakfast looks very interesting - I would miss my coffee! Great to see all the photos from the school. glad you all had such a good time there. I didn't realise that baseball was so loved there. We have a big Japanese school here in Düsseldorf, too. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie
i for sure would have opted to be in that calligraphy class, if possible. i always have been fascinated of foreign scripts, and this one Looks really cool! your visit was a great experience for sure, and the People all look so friendly! and the breakfast, i think i would have liked it. i´m always trying regional traditions when being abroad.
happy t-day!
This is really an nteresting visit to your partner school for me! Thank you for joining! Love to see the ping pong folk- I was a fairly good table tennis player as I was a teenager - I even played national matches and got a few medals and globets -
but today I play so seldom that I got very bad now. Yes this is a sport where you need so much training!I loved your breakfast - I really think I would LOVE it!
Your teacher's delegation looked super!
What a fantastic trip and experience! I am really jealous!
Please more photos!!!
All is good here.... rain again now ... but I think earth loves it and needs it - so I am fine with it!
Happy T-Day!
Hugs, Susi
That breakfast looks more like a lunch. I like miso soup, but not sure about soup for breakfast. My artist friend, Andy, visits Japan frequently. He uses chopsticks all the time, even here, to eat. He says it slows him down so he'll eat less. Looks like a nice school. Very neat and orderly. Looks like they put on a nice welcoming ceremony for you. Were you doing calligraphy in the class?What are the characters being written? No surprise that baseball is as big in Japan as here. The baseball students sound more like year round Spring training. Bad storms on the way, stay safe tonight.
This post really makes me smile! I just loved seeing the photos of the kids interacting (and loved the calligraphy part especially!). I wish we could do that with all kids, all over the world.
I really liked your breakfast photo. I sort of liked the soup and salad and rice at breakfast. And all the little bowls. I remember that well and really, should consider that here. Well, maybe not the rice -- that takes awhile!
I have been really enjoying all of your posts in Japan. Nice to see the students. I had read that other countries take their sports training much more serious than we do.
that was an interesting breakfast it seemed to be loaded with carbs.
Happy T Day Kathy
Erika so nice to follow you on your travels to Japan. Yeah that breakfast would take some getting used to.. I wonder if they normally do breakfast in Japan or do they just serve this to tourists and guests? What a wonderful photo you took of your plate too. How interesting to hear that baseball is a big sport over there. I would not have thought that. Happy happy T day Hugs! deb
Not sure I would be able to eat that meal for breakfast, maybe for lunch as it does look really tasty.
The photos of the students and the school look great, you had a lovely welcome ceremony. The children seemed so happy and they seem to take the chosen sports so seriously. Thanks for sharing more super photos.
Happy T day wishes Erika.
Yvonne xx
Wonderful photos Erika! That's an interesting breakfast! I'll keep my porridge! :-)
Happy T-Day,
Alison xx
I'm so impressed that you used chop sticks all week and your breakfast is an interesting combination of foods that I'd like to try 😁. What a wonderful welcome to the school and it must have been fun teaching and for your students to learn Japanese calligraphy - amazing! The sports facilities look impressive too 😁. Sending you Happy T Day wishes! J 😊 x
Amazing with your breakfast Erika !! I think I´ll never take fish for breakfast!! wowwww, perhaps meet, perhaps. :D Interesting !!
The photos are all very beautiful, good moments and happy smiles !! Thank you very much for sharing them.
I wish you a very nice evening, hugss, Caty
I just spent quite a long time going through all of the posts about your trip to Japan. Green with envy, and impressed by all of the wonderful photos! made me smile to hear that the big sports at the school are ping pong and baseball.Wondered what you taught while you were there at the school? what a marvelous opportunity that you were provided without having to spend big bucks! looking forward to seeing more photos of japan...happy T day!
Fascinating post, Erika. The photos had me smiling all the way through. So many smiling faces and momentous occasions for all involved. The sister school program is wonderful. You must have a treasure trove of memories (& photos) from your several trips there. So much fun to read this. Thank you.
Happy T-day! Hugs, Eileen
Breakfast looked yummy. Who doesn't love good sticky rice and fish and potato cake of sorts. Salad good for digestion.
Beautiful school, what a great experience. No fooling around there in class I suspect!
xox
That Japanese breakfast looks so yummy and healthy. And such a welcoming committee. The calligraphy class looks the most fun.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
Good for you, sticking with chopsticks. My hubby is part Japanese, though he doesn't look it, and was insulted when offered a fork after ordering at an authentic Japanese restaurant. I told him he should have asked for shoyu.
I think breakfast looks good, I find it interesting that some cultures don't set aside certain foods at foods for a certain time of day. I enjoyed seeing the school and hearing about the sports they recruit students for.
That breakfast looks very interesting. I love sticky rice, that I learned to like in Thailand. When travelling there I had rice for breakfast every morning (but that was a long time ago).
I was very impressed with the school and the ceremony they had prepared for you. I would have found that quite daunting really.
Yes, what a surprise that this school (and perhaps the Japanese in general) are such enthusiastic baseball players. (Just as I was surprised to learn that basketball is the national sport here in Spain).
Thank you for sharing those lovely photos of your trip to Japàn. And it was nice to see a glimpse of you too.
A very belated happy T-Day,
Lisca
More great shots of your trip! :)
What an adventure, from breakfast onwards! Fantastic to get a taste of your experience - thank you for sharing the journey.
Alison x
I like rice so much I think I'd do fine with the Japanese food :) but chopsticks? I'd need a lot of practice lol This connection between the 2 schools is such a wonderful opportunity for cross-cultural relationship-building. I can imagine how life-changing this trip was.
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