On Friday, October 17, 2008, the first-year students went on the school trip to Ueno, Tokyo.  I was lucky enough to be able to join the students this year.  The past 2 years, the school trip has been on a Wednesday or Thursday...days that I must go to a visit school, so I never had a chance to enjoy the school trip myself.  So, I was very excited to be going on the school trip for the first time. 

 We had to meet at school very early, at 7:30 in the morning.  We left school by charter bus at 7:50 and headed for Ueno.  We arrived at Ueno around 10:30 in the morning, and from there, each student was free to go where they wanted to go.   

This past summer, I have been to Ueno Zoo with my friend.  So, on this school trip, I decided to visit the Tokyo National Museum and the Museum of Natural History and Science.  First, I went to the Museum of Natural History and Science.  It was a very interesting museum.  It is difficult for me to read Kanji characters, but some of the displays were written in both Japanese and English, so I was able to get a small idea about what I was looking at.  In the two weeks prior to the school trip, all of the first-year students enjoyed watching a famous American movie called 'Night at the Museum'.  The story focuses a man who becomes the nightguard at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.  Many of the displays and  statues in the movie such as the dinosaurs and animals could also be seen at the Tokyo Museum of Natural History and Science.  So, hopefully, the students could relate to things they remembered seen in the movie and things they saw at the Tokyo museum. 

The second museum that I visited was the Tokyo National Museum.  I am very interested in the history of Japan, so at the Tokyo National Museum, I was able to see many, many old things like paintings, ceramics, sculptures, and swords.  There were many things that dated back from the early Jomon period to the late 1800's of Japan.  It was so interesting!!

All the students and teachers met at the buses at 2:20 in the afternoon.  After a brief rest-stop in Moriya city, we finally arrived back at school at 5:00.  Everybody was very tired after a long day in Ueno, but I think everybody really enjoyed this experience.  I really did!  Thank you!!