Hakata Station Mall

This place had it all.

Shopping Mall in Saga

Twenty years ago, one of the sights to see in Saga City was the Arcade, a collection of small shops inside a covered sidewalk. These days it is a little sad and derelict. It feels a little off the beaten path. According to a few people I spoke with, the new malls on the outside of town are attracting all the business.

After a light lunch I headed to the shopping center, Aeon, to check it out. It was indeed very bright and the goods were vigorously presented. Here are just a few shots:

A loud and chaotic store - like Hot Topic

Kimono shop

Grocery Store

Oooo - Fireworks

Youth clothes in the Aeon Store

Many thanks to Dr. Sumi

I would just like to make a public thank you to Kazuhiro Sumi for helping to connect me with schools in the Saga area and making so many excellent suggestions. He was very generous with his time and his insights will guide my next steps for both Study Abroad and for research.

From the left: Myself, Haruka (10), Kazuhiro, and Hiroko

Na Washi Paper

After visiting the school for the day, we popped into the Na Washi Paper shop a couple of miles up the road.

Matsuume Middle School

Great things come in small packages.

Prefectural Offices

I visited the Saga Prefectural offices today on an important mission to sort out a possible Study Abroad program.

Saga Government Building

The people from the International Affairs Division (IAD), the Saga Coordinator for International Relations (CIR), and the Saga Prefecture International Relations Association (SPIRA) were all very helpful. We worked out housing needs and processed the details for getting 10 to 12 students on Home Stays. We were even able to work out the best dates and times for such an adventure.

Clockwise from upper left: Eguchi Takamachi (SPIRA), me, Tsutumi Shogo (Section Chief), Ms. Ita (IAD), Hana Lee (CIR Canada), and Yukiko Koga (IAD)

There is a great deal to work out to keep the price affordable for such a trip and to make it enjoyable for the students. We also worked on details for renting a mini-bus, going to an onsen (spa), visiting local schools, and other details.

Marumo no Okite

The student from Ogi Junior High School like the television show called Marumo no Okite.

In a nutshell, Marumo's best friend suddenly dies from cancer, leaving behind his twin children. The children's mother had already abandoned them when they were young, and they had no other dependents left. The twin's relatives argued over who will take responsibility for them, and in the end, the twins were separated. However, the twins were extremely close, and both ran away from their respective foster families. Marumo managed to find them, and after a brief struggle to bring them back, Marumo gives in and agrees that the twin can stay with him. Along the way back, a dog, which has been following Tomoki, followed them back to Marumo's house.

However, Marumo has no parenting experience and makes a lousy parent. He manages to care for them, together with the help of his landlord and the landlord's daughter. Over time, they faced many challenges, with Marumo trying hard to balance his time between his work and taking care of the twins.

Here is a preview of the show: http://www.veoh.com/watch/v20940660WTQhQgfQ

Thank you to former student of Ogi, Nozomi Kugita, for the assistance.

My Day in Two Minutes

Saga University

I also ended up at Saga University today were I met my colleague, Dr. Kasuhiro Sumi, and his students.

Shingo and Kiyoko - graduate students

Students in the Q and A session

Excited first year students

Dr. Sumi translating the questions

Morning at Ogi Junior High - The Movie

Ogi Junior High School

What an excellent trip to Ogi this morning. It started to pour rain on my walk in so I didn't take any photos on the way BUT I did take an umbrella I found at the train station. They are the best. Just before I leave I will drop it off somewhere or "forget". We do rotating umbrellas here.

I had a tour from the Principal. He rolled out a scroll and there was my name featured in the staff (at the end) from twenty years ago. The scroll covered years of faculty and was done in beautiful calligraphy. An interesting keepsake for the school. 

 

On my way out I was greeted by five former adult English students. Oh what a wonderful reunion with photos and many laughs.

I took videos of the kids preparing for Sports Day, playing music, working in the computer lab, and on and on. The Prinicpal even sang the school song for me and I taped it. Amazing.

So, wait for the movie that I shall cobble together this evening after part two of my grueling day.

More QR Codes

Look carefully and you will see a QR code at the bottom of this advertising flag. It resolves to a website for the product and one click in you will find:

This month I present to 600 people at random.
Cleansing moist samples for trial in June Odomuge Launches"The present
※ Applicants are required to register Odomugedottokomu.
If you have not registered users, please click the button below.

So far I have seen them in Japan at bus stops and advertisements. We are working on doing something similar in the Halle Library on campus. Suzanne Grey of the Library will make them link to instructional videos to help students find what they need.

Egret Catching Minnow

On a walk around Saga City this afternoon, I made it to the moat around the castle in the city center. I saw several birds including a rather interesting egret doing a little fishing.

Saga Sunday

I took a walk around a dreary drizzly Saga City this morning with most of the stores closed. With luck my favorite pizza shop was open.

Ann Arbor has Pizza House - Saga has Pisalo Pizza

Trip to Ariake

I took a few images along the way from Saga City to the small town of Ariake.

Japanese Minute 02

Japanese Minute 02

Shots of the Saga Prefecture countryside taken from the train in slow motion.

Presented without sound.

Hakata Station

No time to make a map today. Here is a link to my photostream:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54178213@N00/sets/72157626768666574/

Japanese Minute 01

Presented without a soundtrack.

What I'll share with the Japanese kids

During my week here I will be visiting two middle schools and I now have an interesting video about life at Saline High School I will share with them.



I will write more on the questions the kids in Mr. Fox's Approaching Asia class generated in a later post.

QR Codes on the Bus Stops

The bus stops around Japan have the typical bus schedule posted but with a QR code (below) printed in an easily accessible area.

You snap a photo of the code with your camera phone and it takes you to a web page with details of the bus route. This one resolved to the following web address:

http://jik.nnr.co.jp/cgi-bin/Tschedule/bn?cd=51005001

This includes the navigation code for the bus. If you follow the link you will need to change the encoding of the page to Japanese.

If you translate the page you will find information such as:

[12] office line Hinohara Schedule: from 17:18 (it was quarter after five when I checked) 
Via: Tenzin Monzen Taisyou Akasaka Fukuoka gate Ropponmatsu
Currently: Before the first train 1F Hakata Bus

Very cool. It tells you where it is coming from and where it is now.

Fukuoka

I arrived in Japan after a very long flight and long waits in Chicago and Seoul but despite being numbingly dull, they were quite interesting. Incheon airport has all sorts of amenities and tourist-friendly supports. It is a modern airport for a modern traveler.

In Fukuoka I took a number of photos with no particular theme to test out the map features of Flickr.