HIGH FIVE! Eniglish

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06/14/13, Welcoming Party at Dokkyo

CLS Welcoming Party Tour of Himeji Castle CLS Welcoming Party

HIGH FIVE！US STATE DEPARTMENT’S CLS PROGRAM／DOKKYO UNIVERSITY ／SUMMER, 2013

We are the 29 students who have come from the US as part of the CLS program. Although we are unfamilar with many aspects of Japan, we hope to acculturate as quickly as possible and make the most of our two months here.

1. Looking Back at Last Week

2. Features of Himeji3. Interview4. Fiction5. Housekeeping

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WASHINGTON D.C.

Two weeks ago, 06/05 to 06/07, we had our orientation in Washington D.C. We stayed at a beautiful hotel and we met many of the students from CLS. Many great people from the State Department spoke and we had Chinese food at a banquet. We woke up extremely early to go to the airport. Once our trip in D.C was over, we began our summer in Himeji.

Orientation

On Monday 06/09 we went to orientation. Many things were explained to us. We met our language “buddies.” We walked around the campus. It was a great day. （S. D. M.）

Our Birst class

On Monday 06/10 we had our Mirst class. We made self-‐ introductions. I was very nervous, but it was Mine in the end. (A. R.)

Festival

On 06/16, all of CLS participants went to the festival at Dokkyo University. We participated in the tea ceremony club’s demonstration. I don’t like matcha, but their matcha tea was delicious. I did get a little lost on campus though. (S. G.)

FROM THE LEVEL 1 CLASS, A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK. 06/05/13 to 06/16/13

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On June 12, a6er mee9ng with the mayor of Himeji, we visited the Disaster Preven9on Center. While there, we received valuable informa9on. First we watched a 3-‐D movie about fires and earthquakes. Following the movie, we were given a presenta9on about the measures that Himeji is taking in disaster safety. Himeji has invested a huge amount of effort to ensure that food ra9ons are available in the event of an earthquake or fire. They have strategically placed many food storage sheds and large water tanks around the city so they can be reached regardless of which roadways and bridges become impassable. Many of these facili9es are located at elementary schools. It is easy to coordinate the ci9zens coopera9on for the maintenance of the ra9ons sheds and water tanks because of the central loca9on of the elementary schools. In addi9on to their ra9ons assurance program, there are many other clever systems in place in Himeji.The fire evacua9on prac9ce we par9cipated in at the Disaster Preven9on Center was notably different than the one I remember doing in my elementary and middle schools in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania does not have earthquakes, and in the area I lived the buildings were built far apart, so even if a fire broke out there was not much danger of it spreading to other buildings. Accordingly, our evacua9ons were very simple -‐ just walk out of the building. In contrast, at the Disaster Preven9on Center, we were made to get low to the ground and cover our noses and mouths with a

Although we just arrived in Himeji, last weekend I wanted to do something fun outside. Himeji has many great places, but I wasn’t sure what to do on a rainy day. On Saturday it was raining, so I went to Book Off to buy some books. Book Off is a used bookstore that has many inexpensive books. It has many books including novels by Haruki Murakami and Harry PoYer in Japanese. I bought four books for about 1,000 yen. If you go to Book Off, you can take home lots of Japanese books when you return to the US.

-‐Vivian Shaw

handkerchief while fleeing the building. The federal government and many state governments, especially those more prone to natural disasters than rural PA, have implemented measures similar to Himeji’s, but I was le6 wondering what kind of prepara9ons, if any, small local municipali9es have taken against disasters.

-‐ Erik Hornberger

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Recommendations for your time in HImeji!!

There are many delicious restaurants in front of Himeji Sta9on, but this 9me, my recommenda9on is the okonomiyaki shop, Kamontei. They have a lot of Japanese items on the menu, but the most popular selec9ons are okonomiyaki and monja. A6er you place your order and your food arrives, it’s placed on a teppanyaki in front of the customer, and from there, the meal is enjoyed at your own pace. Besides okonomiyaki, this restaurant serves yakisoba and shabushabu as well. The special okonomiyaki is especially tasty. This okonomiyaki shop is open un9l 9pm, and the cost for one person is about 1000 yen. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is lively, everyone is having a lot of fun, and customers from students to elders are present. If you have 9me, please go and give this place a shot!

-‐ Grace Meng

The Egret’s Eye View

The Egret’s Eye View, a castle tower, is the most famous place inside the Himeji Castle compound. Presently, it is under construction, but tourists can still take tours. Because the castle is located in the center of the city, there are many options for getting there. It is equally easy to drive, take a bus, or walk. After arriving at the castle,

visitors take an elevator to enter the tour area. During the tour, visitors can see the current status of the construction from a window inside the scaffolding and learn about the preservation methods being utilized. Additionally, visitors can watch the entire construction process up until the time of their visit on monitors in the tour area. The Egret’s Eye View is a historically important location, because it was from this tower that Kuroda Kanbei, a daimyo in the Warring States period and notable military leader, planned his battle strategies. This summer, the Egret’s Eye View is open every day from 9:15 AM to 5:15 PM. Admission is 200¥. If you have the time, please try to visit!

Patrick Woods

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Introducing Himeji’s Sightseeing Rent-‐a-‐Bike service! Perfect for exploring the area around Himeji Castle! You can’t make reservations in advance, but if you go directly to the Himeji Sightseeing Navi Port in Himeji Station, you can rent a bicycle there for FREE! All you have to do is get a numbered tag from the Navi Port and take it to the employee at the rental parking lot. You can either return the bike at the O-‐Temae Road underground parking lot by 5:30 PM or the Himeji Station West underground parking lot by 6:00 PM. Give it a try!-‐George Gonzales

Shoshazan' Engyou-‐ji

Engyou-‐ji is located in Shosazan, a mountain range near Himeji Castle. Surrounded by the quiet mountain range, it can only be reached by the Shoshazan Ropeway. A6er enjoying the mountain scenery on the ride up, you can visit the temple's unique and culturally significant ar9facts. There are many buildings within the temple, such as Kongodou, Gohoudou, and Jougyoudou. Buddha statues and gardens are located throughout the complex as well, crea9ng an atmosphere of tradi9onal elegance. You can even try copying sutras or medita9ng in the temple itself. If you wish to visit Engyou-‐ji, please note that the ropeway is open from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM only. A round trip 9cket for adults is 900 yen, while for children it is 450 yen. Engyou-‐ji's entrance fee is 500 yen per person.

-‐Cynthia Wang

Floral in Himeji Dining Room

Since coming to Japan I have eaten breakfast at the Floral Inn Hotel’s dinning room every morning. The dining room is located next to the lobby, so I think it is very conveniently located for the hotel’s guests. The Floral Inn’s dinning room has a variety of Japanese style breakfast foods. For example, there are three kinds of pickled vegetables, miso soup, and pickled plum among others. As for me, I think the pumpkin is the most delicious. The Floral Inn dining hall’s pumpkin’s color is pleasing to the eye and of splendid quality. In addi9on, I think the Floral Inn dining hall’s coffee is very delicious. In par9cular, the dining hall’s cappuccino has frothy cream that makes me extremely happy every morning. However, in addi9on to that, the dining hall is inexpensive and because it is buffet style I was really surprised by the delicious flavor. If you only pay 500 it's all you can eat. -‐Devon Cahill

6/23/13 12:55 PM姫路観光ナビポート - Google Maps

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Japan > Hyōgo Prefecture > Himeji

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“Sushi Roll” Rotating Sushi BarNot far from Floral Inn, our home

here in Himeji, there’s a rotating sushi bar called “Sushi Roll” (スシロー).

It’s only a 10-‐minute walk from Floral Inn, so it’s extremely convenient. If you exit the Floral Inn, turn left and pass over a small bridge, you will soon see Sushi Roll on your left. Sushi Roll is not only convenient, but also affordable and delicious. At Sushi Roll, the way you order sushi is really cool. Next to your table you’ll Mind a touch screen, which you can use to order sushi. After you order, if you wait 5 minutes, the screen will soon display a message, “The food you ordered is on it’s way!,” and in no time the conveyor belt will bring you your sushi. I eat sushi often in the U.S., but before going to Sushi Roll I had never had the experience of eating sushi in Japan. I ordered a variety of sushi and expected it to be the same as what I’m used to eating in the U.S. However, when my sushi arrived and I took the Mirst bite, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was. The sushi at Sushi Roll is very affordable, but the quality surpassed the expensive sushi I’ve had in the U.S. The experience of eating sushi in Japan is truly better than any you can have in the U.S. I hope to return to Sushi Roll soon.

Dervla McDonnell

Since we have been in Himeji, have you had the chance to explore interesting places? We are at Himeji Dokkyo University during the week, so I am sure you have been to the cafeterias several times. There are two cafeterias here at the university. The student cafeteria is located on the Girst Gloor and seats 432. The second cafeteria is on the second Gloor and is a bit smaller, seating 297. To get to the student cafeteria, head towards the library and once you leave the building, you will see it right in front of you. For the second cafeteria, go through the other one and turn left and you will Gind it located in the building ahead and to the left. Both cafeterias are very useful. They have a variety of foods that are quickly prepared. Additionally, the food is quite good and very reasonably priced.

I have been to the cafeterias several times for lunch and have had great experiences each time. I Gind the curry especially tasty.

You may wonder how much the meals cost. They range from 200 to 500 Yen. The student cafeteria is open from 10am to 6pm on weekdays and from 10am to 2pm on Saturday. The second cafeteria is open from 10am to 2pm on weekdays. Please check out the cafeterias and enjoy the experience. -‐Katherine Marcoux

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An Interview with a Citizen of Himeji!!

Each addition of this newsletter will feature an interview with a citizen of Himeji. This issue will feature the assistant manager of the Floral Inn Mr. Akihito Tanaka. Originally from Himeji, Mr. Tanaka has worked at the Floral Inn since February of last year. I had the opportunity to interview him last Sunday, at which time I learned some extremely interesting facts about the hotel where we are staying. According to Mr. Tanaka, the appeal of the Floral Inn is its “at home,” and relaxed atmosphere. The Floral Inn is reasonably priced, just a 10 minute walk from Himeji Station, and features an all you can eat breakfast buffet. Therefore, he believes it is an extremely comfortable place to stay and we agree with him about that. Frequent guests of the hotel include professionals on business trips to Himeji and personnel involved in the redevelopment project at Himeji Station. Occasionally tourists from Asia stay at the hotel, but Western tourist are very rare guests. It’s not clear why Westerners don’t stay at the hotel, but I encourage all the participants in the CLS program to write a good review for the hotel on Trip Advisor, or a similar website once our program is over. In the interview, I asked Mr. Tanaka what he thinks about the CLS program, he replied: “What I think is amazing about the program, well of course I would expect all the participants to speak in Japanese while they are at Dokkyo University, but the students even speak in Japanese amongst themselves at the hotel, they don’t speak in English! I think that is incredible. If I were in America, I would speak English with Americans, but if I were with a Japanese person, I would speak in Japanese. That’s probably because English is difMicult. So I really feel that the students speaking in Japanese all the time is incredible.” The CLS participants took a “language pledge,” in which they promised to only speak in Japanese while in Japan. Since we arrived at Kansai International airport in Osaka, we have tried to only speak in Japanese. To a citizen of Himeji who doesn’t know about our program, it is likely this group of

foreigners talking in Japanese on the bus looks very strange. Mr. Tanaka is extremely knowledgeable abut the area around the Floral Inn, so if you would like a recommendation for a restaurant, or other attraction, ask him personally and he will be happy to answer any of your questions. Mr. Tanaka and the staff of the Floral Inn are very kind people and we all greatly appreciate their help.

-‐ Jeanne Michaels, Mei Prang, Christie Nguyen

Assistant manager of the Floral Inn Mr. Akihito Tanaka

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Serial Fiction: Great Detective John’s Big Adventure

Great Detective John’s Big Adventure

Since they had finally come to Himeji, John and Molly decided to ride the Ferris wheel at Himeji Central

Park so that they could look at the city from a high place. However, they didn’t know how to get there, so they

asked Mr. Tanaka, who worked the front desk at Floral Inn. “Excuse me, we’d like to go to Central Park, but…”

“Central Park, right? If you go to Himeji Station, you can board the bus to Central Park,” Mr. Tanaka

replied. John and Molly started to leave the hotel, but Mr. Tanaka started talking again. “Please be careful.

Central Park is a very odd place.”

“Odd, huh? I wonder why he said that,” Molly said as they walked to the station.

“Yeah, I wonder why,” John replied, but he didn’t really think about it very much because he was looking

forward to Central Park.

***

As they walked around Central Park, John said, “Man, it’s really hot. I’m really thirsty. I wonder if there’s

a vending machine around here.”

“Yeah, I see one over there.”

John took out his wallet and was about to put money into the vending machine when he realized that,

since he hadn’t withdrawn any Japanese Yen yet, he didn’t have enough money. “Shoot. I only have 48 yen!

Sorry, but could you lend me some money?”

“Well fine, I guess. This is why I told you to withdraw money yesterday…” In order to take out her

wallet, Molly opened her handbag.

“Look out!” a robot-like voice called out. John turned around to see a silver egret flying towards them. A

high-pitched scream slipped from his lips.

Molly turned around as well. At that moment, the egret swiftly plunged its beak into Molly’s

handbag and flew away. As they looked up, John and Molly saw what the egret was holding in its beak.

“That’s my passport! Oh my god! What are we going to do?? This is all your fault, John.

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Serial Fiction: Great Detective John’s Big Adventure

If you’d just brought money with you, this never would have happened!”

“I’m really, really sorry! I promise I’ll get your passport back, Molly.”

“But how are you going to find that silver egret?”

Once again, Molly and John heard the robot-like voice. “That was the lord and protector of Himeji

Castle.”

“Who’s there?” Molly asked, looking around.

“It is I.” It seemed like the voice was coming from the direction of the vending machine.

“Is there someone behind the vending machine?” When John went to check behind the vending

machine, the voice spoke again.

“Sir! Please don’t do that, it’s embarrassing!”

At that point, John finally noticed. “This vending machine can talk!”

“That is correct, sir. I would like to help you two out, so I will reveal some special information.

That silver egret is the lord and protector of Himeji Castle, so I believe it will return to the Castle soon.”

“Then, we have to hurry to Himeji Castle!” And with that, the great detective John was born.

***

To be continued…

　　　　　

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Housekeeping Notes

Information from the Hotel Staff

First, we would like to address the trash cans in the rooms. Everyone has been told to place their trash bags outside when full, but it’s best to put out the entire trash can so that the hotel staff can put in a new bag.

Next, there is the shower and bath tub. When you take a shower or bath, be sure to close the door. If you close the door, hot air cannot enter the main room and set off the fire alarm. Please keep this in mind and close the door.

Lastly, in the desk there is an internet cable and it is free to use.

Some people in the CLS program have realized that the pillows in the room are not the type they’re used to. If this is the case, there is the pillow exchange system. On each floor once you leave the elevator and turn a little to your right, you will see the pillow exchange shelf. There are three types of pillows. Choose your favorite amongst the three types and you can exchange it. Remember to take off your pillow case and put it on the pillow you choose from the shelf. That way the pillows remain clean.

Although there are three types of pillows, it is possible that you will find only one or two types remaining on your floor. However, if you're worried about this, feel free to search on other floors.

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About the Keys

There are people wondering about why we return keys to the front desk, and there are several reasons for this system.

First, it is so that if the key is lost, the staff won't have to change the locks on the doors. Second, it is safe. In the case of a fire or earthquake, getting out of the building is essential, and the staff can quickly figure out which rooms are occupied by the remaining keys at the front

US State Department’s CLS Program Newsle7er. Editors：

Jeanne Michaels、President of the Community/ Events commiYee

Devon Cahill、 Vice-‐President of the Community/ Events commiYeeSana Ali-‐ViraniGeorge GonzalesChris9e NguyenMei PrangAshaiah RaineyVivian Shaw

HIGH FIVE! Eniglish

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