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Talking with Students
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Since Saigo Elementary School is located in the city of Toyohashi with a
population of 360,000, I thought I would be visiting a large urban school. I was
quite surprised when the principal Mr. Ito drove me about a half hour from
the train station to a rather remote rural area. Almost all of the 200
students walk about one hour each way to and from school. My visit to the
school was quite comfortable, with extra-large slippers waiting at the front
entrance upon my arrival.
My day started with a chat with the principal and several members of the
Koneta Group, named after the school's Blue-eyed Doll Koneta. This group of
local citizens actively supports activities related to Koneta and the
Blue-eyed Dolls. They provided me with much interesting information about
Koneta, which I hope to be able to add soon to the Friendship Dolls web site.
The group also presented to me a beautifully decorated hagoita (wooden paddle traditionally
used in New Year's game similar to badminton) and a sack of locally-grown persimmons.
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Singing "Country Road"
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I was quite surprised to find out that there are
actually three Koneta dolls, the original one received from America in 1927 and
two replicas. The original is kept in the principal's office. One of the
replicas of Koneta is displayed at the front entrance to the school, and the
other replica was given by the school to Northridge Elementary School in
Wapakoneta, Ohio. The principal's office contains many items, including other
dolls, that show that Saigo and Northridge Elementary Schools have an active
intercultural exchange.
During the third period I visited each of the classes to observe the
activities. In the third-grade class, the students were learning how to write
Japanese words using romaji (English letters). When I wrote "subarashii
kodomotachi" ("great children") on the blackboard, it took the students a
few seconds before they could figure out the meaning since the words they had
been practicing were much shorter. The fourth-grade students greeted me with
both the English and Japanese versions of "Country Road" by John
Denver. They were surprised to hear that over 25 years ago I went to a concert
by the singer who wrote this song.
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Japanese Dance
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The welcome ceremony attended by all of the
students began with the playing of the national anthems of the United States
and Japan. The students then sang "Sakura" (Cherry Blossoms), and
the younger students did a traditional Japanese dance accompanied by taiko
drums. I gave a brief talk and then answered questions from the students. One
girl said she liked Koneta's eyes the most and wondered what I liked most
about the doll. I replied that I thought her stylish coat was her best
feature.
In response to a question as to how I first became
interested in the Blue-eyed Dolls, I explained how impressed I was when I
first saw a Blue-eyed Doll last summer at an Education Museum in Matsumoto
while on vacation with my wife. I was surprised to see how much the Japanese
people treasured a regular American doll given over 70 years ago. At the end
of the ceremony, a couple of students presented me with some art work made by
some students at the school.
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Gift from Students
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I then ate lunch with the second-grade class.
They had many questions for me, so it was a challenge eating lunch and
answering their questions at the same time. One question I could not
answer was my blood type, which all Japanese people seem to know. I
remember determining my blood type in junior high school science class,
but I have long since forgotten it, not thinking it was that important to
remember.
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Making US States Puzzle
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Although my "official" schedule
indicated I would depart after lunch, I was happy when I was invited to meet
with the English Club by the second-grade teacher, who is also the teacher for
the English Club. I had a chance to show the six students in the club many
items, such as American stamps, post cards, and coins. When I asked them to
select which of four cities they liked best based on the post cards, the
largest number of students selected Chicago over New York, San Francisco, and
Washington, D.C. At the end of the meeting time they enjoyed making a US
states puzzle.
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Saigo Elementary Students
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Saigo's English Club
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