Day 3: Back To School

After a relaxing (?) weekend with our host families, we resumed delegation activities today with our first trip to an area high school. First on the agenda, however, was a brief introduction to the magical world of Japanese shopping malls courtesy of a couple hours of fun at LaLaPort Izumi, a large shopping center located a small distance away from our normal delegation meeting spot.

The mall was certainly a bit smaller than the Mall of America, but was relatively normal size by Japanese standards. From electronics to fashion and books to specialty goods, the mall was packed with interesting shops -- a perfect place for the delegates to pick up souvenirs for themselves and friends and family back home. There were also several restaurants serving Kansai area specialties like "okonomiyaki" and "takoyaki", and even an arcade and bowling center filled to the brim with large, expensive simulation games like Taiko Drum Master, Dance Dance Revolution, Luigi's Mansion, Time Crisis, and a horror game I've never seen before called "Dark Escape." The cabinet for "Dark Escape" was equipped with a heart rate monitor and tries to spook players with loud sounds, blasts of air, creepy visuals, and a shaking seat. While I usually love House of the Dead-style interactive rail shooting games, that one was a little too much even for me. 


Also located near the LaLaPort area was a familiar surprise: a Costco! The first Costco I've ever seen in Japan.

 
Yep. You read correctly. A Japanese Costco.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside, but I was definitely curious about how the selection differs from the ones at home.  Not that I could bring anything back, anyway. The only products they sell at this Costco are, I'm told, similar in size to the ones back home: BIG. When I return to America, I'll be telling my father-in-law that  he will be needing to plan an international excursion shortly.  He loves Costco.

Departing LaLaPort, we headed straight for Hakata High School, where we were greeted by the principal and his support staff. Nearly fluent in English, the principal gave a thorough overview of the school and its five areas of study, and then we exchanged greetings and were quickly shuttled off to an English conversation class.

There, the delegates were greeted with a surprise: one of the students attending the Bloomington delegation to Izumi last year, Megumi Fujikawa, came to the front of the class to give a speech in English on her experiences in Bloomington.  Megu informed us that she will be coming to the farewell party on Sunday, providing another chance for the delegates to meet and talk with her about her time in Bloomington. We then played several icebreaker games with the students including a game called Fruits Basket, which is similar to musical chairs. Each game was filled with opportunities for the delegates to interact with their Japanese counterparts.  Then, the students were sent off to arts and crafts while Heather, the other chaperone, and I met with the school principal to discuss matters relating to future delegations.

Finally, we said goodbye to the students of Hakata High School and headed home after a very long, but fulfilling, day.