Ohayo from Japan

I just said, "Hi" to you in Japanese. The word sounds like the English word, "Ohio" which is the name of a state in our country.

I learned a lot during my vacation in Japan this summer. I stayed in Tokyo, which is the biggest city in Japan. Much bigger than New York City even! It is very busy. The people were very nice, and always so polite. They bow from the waist when they meet. Girls and ladies bow with their hands clasped in front of them. Boys and men bow with their hands straight down at their sides. Would you like to try that?

We took a ride on a subway train. The signs were easy to understand, even though we could not read Japanese. The pictures explain things very well. Can you guess what this sign means?

Or this one?

If you lived in Japan, you would go to school for more days - 210 instead of 180. It was July when I was there. You were on summer break, but these girls and boys were not. I saw them in the subway station one morning. They were on their way to school. There are no school buses. Kids walk to school, ride bikes, come in cars with their moms, or take the subway.



Elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools all have uniforms. The uniforms always have hats. Their backpacks are bigger than ours, and made of leather.

 

Because I stayed in a city, I saw lot of birds and squirrels. These small animals can live alongside people in crowded conditions. They can find enough food, and places to live. People here like to feed the birds. This man was scattering pieces of bread, and soon a whole flock of pigeons came to eat.

 

 

 

  Another animal to see in the city is fish. These are called koi. They look like goldfish, only bigger. These fish are not for eating. They are for decoration. Many families have a pond in their yard full of these pretty fish.

 

 

Whenever you travel, some places look very different from what we can see at home. This building is a pagoda. It is a religious building (like our churches) where people go to  worship and pray. They are tall towers with many layers of roofs.

 

Other things look very familiar. I bet you know what this place is!

 

 

That's right - the fire station. Except for the writing on the side, this looks just like our fire trucks.

 

 

Traveling is great! One thing that I learn on every trip is that there are interesting things to see and do everywhere. Right now I am with you in the classroom, but before too long, I will take off again on another adventure.

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 

Hi Friends!

Hi Kids!!!

Welcome to the first grade! 

My name is Flat Stanley.  Did your teacher read you the book about me?  I am flat so people can send me in envelopes and suitcases all over the world.  I love to travel and I want to tell you all about the new places I go and the people that I meet this year! We can learn about the cultures and customs that are different from our own.

     This summer I visited Japan with Dr. Kristie and Dr. Kevin. It is an island country all the way around the world. Because it is on the other side of the Earth, the sun shines on it when it is dark at home. When Rock Hill is having daytime, it is nighttime in Japan.

     The people speak Japanese. The words sound different, and look different, too. One of the first things I noticed was the Japanese writing. There were signs everywhere. The writing goes up and down, not across the page like English words do. They don't use letters to stand for sounds the way we do, but use characters instead. Each character stands for a whole word.

This sign was outside the shop where I got an ice cream cone.

You can see the Japanese and English words on the Post Office sign, too.

We took a walk in a bamboo forest. Bamboo is really a kind of grass, but it can grow as tall as trees. It was shady and cool in the forest, and we hiked on a trail. Did you know that pandas love bamboo? It is the only food that they eat. There are no pandas in Japan, though. Pandas live only in China, which is a nearby country.

 

 

If you walk in the woods in South Carolina, what kind of trees and plants can you see?

 

 

All of the people that we met were very friendly. These two girls held my hands so we could have a picture taken together. They are wearing clothes called kimonos. The wide belts are called obis. Most of the time the people here wear clothes just like ours - jeans, tee-shirts, hoodies, dresses, and that is called Western dress. For special events, they wear traditional clothes like this.

 

 

Do you like to dress up for special occasions? What do you wear when you do?

 

 

Another day we went to a concert. These ladies played beautiful music on traditional Japanese instruments. I had never seen these before, but one of them reminded me of an instrument that Mr. Cole plays in music class. Can you guess why?

 

 

 

 

 

Many of the foods that we ate were a lot like what we eat at home - fish, rice, oranges, melon, cookies. In the first picture, you saw me with an ice cream cone. Other foods are very different. Here are some things that I saw at the food market.

 





These are a vegetable called daikon. They are shaped like carrots, but are a kind of radish. They taste spicy.



These are cactus pads. The sharp spines are removed, and they are eaten as a vegetable.

People all over the world eat good foods to keep them healthy and strong. You might not have ever eaten these, but we do eats and vegetables.What veggies do you like to eat?

That's all for now. I will write again later, and show you some more things about my visit.

Your friend,

Flat Stanley