Our first full day in Mitaka was filled with meetings with local dignitaries, traveling to and from various parts of the city, and dodging the rain.
Jamie and I started the day with a mellow jog in Inokashira Park, a large wildlife preserve with a pond, zoo, and walking trails just around the corner from our hotel.
It drizzled lightly during the morning, but we managed to get in a nice run as well as some plyometrics in the park.
After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the Ghibli Museum, which showcases the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli and documents the history of anime in Japan.
It was fascinating to see how much the animation process has changed as computers have become increasingly advanced. Animators used to to draw thousands of images of the action in their films, changing each picture slightly so they would create an illusion of realistic motion when shown rapidly in order on a roll of film.
Computers have made it much easier to produce high-quality animation without the need to draw each frame by hand, but some Japanese animation artists still do it the old fashioned way because they believe it's the only way to ensure quality in their work.
Photography was not allowed in the museum, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.
We had an excellent lunch at a soba noodle shop in Mitaka train station. Soba is a thin noodle made from buckwheat flour and usually served in a broth with some type of meat. I ordered a soba bowl with onions and braised duck.
After lunch, we began our tour of the three pillars of Japanese society - religion, the elderly, and politicians.
Our first stop was to Zenrinji Temple, the home of Chief Priest Kimura.
Mr. Kimura is one of the funders of the trip, and he has helped to organize it every year since its inception in 1985. Through Ray, our translator and guide, Mr. Kimura told us he has stayed involved with the trip for 32 years because "you cannot truly understand a place until you have visited it."
Mr. Kimura said he feels building strong ties between the US and Japan is especially important in the era of Trump.
Next up was a visit to the Ko-sai-en, a nursing home. We met with the facility's president, who told us about the aging crisis in Japan.
He explained that even as birthrates have decreased over the last several decades, the number of people reaching retirement age has continued to increase, and the result is an imbalance between the number of young and old people.
He said the retirement home has a long waiting list, and the facility has been forced to expand its campus as more residents move in.
We got to meet some of the residents and did our best to make conversation despite our limited Japanese.
We worked together to string up small pieces of paper with wishes written on them in preparation for Tanabata, the celebration of an ancient legend about two characters who meet under the stars once a year on July 7.
The residents told us lots of interesting stories about their lives, including one woman who was in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped.
After the visit to the nursing home, we went to Mitaka city hall to meet the mayor, Keiko Kiyohara.
Keiko was one of the first female mayors ever elected in Mitaka. She told us about the city's preparations for the 2020 summer Olympics and her commitment to her constituents (she personally visits every person who lives past 100 and all women when they become pregnant).
Just as in all the other meetings of the day, we were immediately given green tea when we arrived. I'm not usually a tea kind of person, but I'm already starting to enjoy green tea's refreshing taste and cooling power.
We ate dinner in Mitaka and then ventured out to find bubble tea for dessert. Bubble tea is a tea-based drink with tapioca balls in it.
I had never tried it before (even though there is a store that sells it not far from my house in Silver Spring), so at the urging of my trip mates, I gave it a shot. I ordered the pearl milk flavor - it also comes in fruit, chocolate, and other flavors - with brown sugar filled tapioca balls.
It tasted great. The tea was flavored perfectly, with just the right amount of sugar, and the tapioca balls provided a unique texture that went well with the tea. It provided the perfect end to a long day of meeting new people and exploring the city.
Jamie and I started the day with a mellow jog in Inokashira Park, a large wildlife preserve with a pond, zoo, and walking trails just around the corner from our hotel.
It drizzled lightly during the morning, but we managed to get in a nice run as well as some plyometrics in the park.
After breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the Ghibli Museum, which showcases the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli and documents the history of anime in Japan.
It was fascinating to see how much the animation process has changed as computers have become increasingly advanced. Animators used to to draw thousands of images of the action in their films, changing each picture slightly so they would create an illusion of realistic motion when shown rapidly in order on a roll of film.
Computers have made it much easier to produce high-quality animation without the need to draw each frame by hand, but some Japanese animation artists still do it the old fashioned way because they believe it's the only way to ensure quality in their work.
Photography was not allowed in the museum, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.
Schoolchildren at the museum entrance
The museum was in a fascinating building with
vivid colors and winding staircases
Patiently waiting with Ray, Jamie, and Zach
Noodles!
After lunch, we began our tour of the three pillars of Japanese society - religion, the elderly, and politicians.
Our first stop was to Zenrinji Temple, the home of Chief Priest Kimura.
Mr. Kimura is one of the funders of the trip, and he has helped to organize it every year since its inception in 1985. Through Ray, our translator and guide, Mr. Kimura told us he has stayed involved with the trip for 32 years because "you cannot truly understand a place until you have visited it."
Mr. Kimura said he feels building strong ties between the US and Japan is especially important in the era of Trump.
Walking into the temple
Talking with Mr. Kimura
The temple was beautiful. Its walls were hand painted over
60 years ago and beautiful calligraphy is on many of the walls
Next up was a visit to the Ko-sai-en, a nursing home. We met with the facility's president, who told us about the aging crisis in Japan.
He explained that even as birthrates have decreased over the last several decades, the number of people reaching retirement age has continued to increase, and the result is an imbalance between the number of young and old people.
He said the retirement home has a long waiting list, and the facility has been forced to expand its campus as more residents move in.
We got to meet some of the residents and did our best to make conversation despite our limited Japanese.
We worked together to string up small pieces of paper with wishes written on them in preparation for Tanabata, the celebration of an ancient legend about two characters who meet under the stars once a year on July 7.
The residents told us lots of interesting stories about their lives, including one woman who was in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped.
Walking into the nursing home
Zach hangs the papers with our wishes as part of a Tanabata tradition
Talking with some of the nursing home residents
After the visit to the nursing home, we went to Mitaka city hall to meet the mayor, Keiko Kiyohara.
Keiko was one of the first female mayors ever elected in Mitaka. She told us about the city's preparations for the 2020 summer Olympics and her commitment to her constituents (she personally visits every person who lives past 100 and all women when they become pregnant).
Just as in all the other meetings of the day, we were immediately given green tea when we arrived. I'm not usually a tea kind of person, but I'm already starting to enjoy green tea's refreshing taste and cooling power.
We ate dinner in Mitaka and then ventured out to find bubble tea for dessert. Bubble tea is a tea-based drink with tapioca balls in it.
I had never tried it before (even though there is a store that sells it not far from my house in Silver Spring), so at the urging of my trip mates, I gave it a shot. I ordered the pearl milk flavor - it also comes in fruit, chocolate, and other flavors - with brown sugar filled tapioca balls.
It tasted great. The tea was flavored perfectly, with just the right amount of sugar, and the tapioca balls provided a unique texture that went well with the tea. It provided the perfect end to a long day of meeting new people and exploring the city.
The bubble tea did not disappoint
Kelly -- it's so much fun re-living Japan via your blog posts. Although you are visiting places I have never been --- the Ghibli anime museum and a Japanese nursing home. I had read headlines of the aging crisis, but you are getting the info up close and personal. So nice that you left good wishes for all of them. --- Tina
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina! That means a lot to me. Thanks for helping me prepare for the trip!
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