Introduction. During the summer of 2001, I was awarded a grant to participate in the Fulbright Memorial Fund program in Japan. The program was established by the Japanese government to thank the United States for all of the Fulbright scholarships that were awarded to Japanese citizens who later went on to public service in Japan. The mission of the program is to provide opportunities for teachers from the US to gain fist hand experience with Japanese education and culture. Each year for the past five years the government-sponsored program has supported 600 teachers to visit Japan. About half the time is spent in Tokyo and half the time in one of the prefectures.
This slide show has been prepared for the students of Horace Mann to learn about Japan. Hopefully, the text and pictures will spark and/or develop interest in Japan that will lead to additional tourism, educational exchange, and perhaps other future connections. The site is also designed to be used by the computer classes as an example of a web site and by the Japanese class to see pictures of some of the places they learn about. The show is divided into four sections: Tokyo, Kyoto, greater Hokkaido, and school visits in Obihiro.
We started in Tokyo, where we spent one week learning about the Japanese educational system. Education in Japan is undergoing great transformation, starting with eliminating school on Saturdays. Most students attend juku, or supplementary school, several times a week. On top of the regular school day, the does not leave much free time. There is a growing commitment to lessening the hours of education and focusing more on encouraging creativity in learning.
The second part of the program took us to Hokkaido, the island in the far north. We were located in Obihiro. Here we visited schools, a local industry, met with Mayor and with school administrators, and stayed for one day with a Japanese family. During that stay, we toured Hokkaido away from the city.
During one weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. The capital was located there for a thousand years until it was officially changed to Tokyo in 1868, but the city is full of ancient temples, shrines, and culture. For those who have read Memoirs of a Geisha, many sites will be familiar.
This site is by no means an inclusive tour book of Japan. My favorite guide book is the Eyewitness Guide to Japan, published by Dorling Kindersley.
Click onto the area of interest