Excursion to Odaiba in Tokyo

We couldn't have asked for more a more perfect autumn day.  Sunny and 60 degrees.  Odaiba is a very vibrant place in the Tokyo Bay.  Built up from historic island forts that later were joined together from landfill sites to form its current sleek, modern island setting, it has iconic landmark architecture, arcades, open areas, a tall Ferris wheel, shopping, shopping and more shopping, a view of the Rainbow bridge to Tokyo, and even a mini Statue of Liberty.  We all went up the "kanransha" in small groups for a 16-minute loop to view Tokyo and the Pacific Ocean from above and then had free time to play and explore.  This was a special treat to the Trippers for all the hard work they did, with all of the support from family and friends to fundraise to make this trip possible.  It also was to acknowledge their hard work and the community they have built over this very intense trip.  Through the ups and downs, we have all bonded over this shared experience.

Here's a link to a site to give you more images and info about Odaiba.

Because the "sensei-s" had given ourselves a self-imposed challenge of using a particular kind of lens that creates somewhat blurred images with very shallow field of depth (Lensbaby), we didn't get the range of student pictures that we may normally have captured, but it gives a flavor of the place.

You have to read the Japanese print to play games, right?

Logan's incredible expertise at DDR astounded all of us . . .

Nathan loves it when I point my camera at him.  Train to Odaiba.

View of the Fuji TV Building from the Ferris Wheel

A modern feel

Shadows of the Ferris Wheel cars as we're riding

Tokyo Bay into the Pacific

Pick me!

Huge Gundam statue

The huge Ferris wheel

Welcome to KJ!

We were ceremoniously welcomed to Kokusai Jouhou High School, where the student body gathered in the gym to listen to the band play the Star Spangled Banner, Suzanne's well-delivered speech that was written as a group effort led by Atul and Rodrigo, and Van Krey Sensei's speech to the school.  Each of our students was given the gift of a mug with the KJ logo on it.

The students had a  full day of school, attending classes with their hosts.  We're sure that their descriptions on their own blog pages will reveal the range of experiences they had.

After school, we had some time to prepare for our presentations.  

And then, it was Show Time!  Approximately 35 KJ students participated in Jeopardy Game about Evanston and Chicago, watching a dramatization about John Henry and another about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, watching a demonstration of Ultimate Frisbee and dancing the Cha Cha Slide.  Videos to follow . . . but photos for now.

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Group 2:  Ultimate Frisbee Explanation and Demonstration, with hope to actually play it at some other time when it's not dark and cold outside.  But our team is leaving their frisbee behind as a gift so the KJ students can continue to play even beyond these next few days.

Group 3:  

They performed an animated dramatization of two folktales, translated by Daniel:  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and John Henry.  We hope to have them re-perform so we can capture a video of their delightful performance!

Group 4:  This group explained, demonstrated, and invited KJ students to join in doing the Cha Cha Slide.  Everyone had fun trying out the steps!

All that, on our first day at KJ!