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Kon-nichi-wa (Good day or hello/Japanese)
ARRIVAL IN KAWASAKI
Since Japan is the "land of the rising sun," the sun appropriately made a spectacular appearance for our short journey north in Tokyo Bay to Baltimore's sister city of Kawasaki, Japan. There was just enough wind during the three hour trip to set the sails for the enjoyment of the crowds waiting on the dock. Fireboats sprayed colored water as we made our final approach.
 | Our welcome ceremony was graced with a lively musical performance by a flag squad. Afterwards the mayor of Kawasaki, Mayor Kiyoshi Takahashi, welcomed us. Lynnette Young, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke's Chief of Staff, spoke on behalf of the Mayor and expressed how honored we were to have Pride II hosted by her sister city. Captain Parrott also remarked on the special significance of Pride II's visit to Kawasaki. |
| The crew was then treated to a lovely luncheon at "Marien," Kawasaki's City Harbor Promotion Hall. Ms.Young surprised everyone with an appearance in a fashionable kimono. |  |
| On the following evening, the City of Baltimore hosted a festive reception on Pride II featuring a chef who demonstrated how to make sushi (rice with a slice of raw fish). |  |
| The highlight of the evening was the presentation of Oriole baseball memorabilia (souvenirs to remember events) to Kawasaki officials by representatives of Baltimore. Laughter and smiles proved that the Cal Ripken T-shirts and posters of Babe Ruth's visit to Japan were well appreciated by our Kawasaki hosts. |  |
 | On Sunday, despite morning showers, visitors traveled from afar to our Open House. As visitors dropped off gifts for the crew, it confirmed in my mind the thoughtful nature of Japanese people. There was a genuine feeling of "homecoming" in all of the weekend's festivities. On behalf of Pride II, I want to thank our Kawasaki friends for their efforts in making this welcome both warm and generous. |
TSURUMINE HIGH SCHOOL AND A STUDENT FROM MARYLAND
 As part of the sister city relationship, Baltimore and Kawasaki have developed several school partnerships through which there have been several teacher and student exchanges. Tsurumine High School has made partnerships with two Maryland schools - J. F. Kennedy High School in Montgomery County, and McDonough High School in my school district, Charles County. A teacher at my school, Katy Larson, participated in an exchange to Tsurumine a few years ago, so it was very special for me to visit this school. Oda Masahide, Foreign Exchange Coordinator, generously offered to provide a day of activities for me even though it was officially a national holiday in Japan. I had the good fortune of being joined by Tsurumine's Youth for Understanding Exchange student, Kait Kehnemuji, who normally attends Damascus High in Damascus, Maryland. Although Kait is going home in August, she has been here in Kawasaki since March and was a wonderful resource for telling me about the lifestyle of Japanese teenagers.
A PROFILE OF A JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL
 Kait, also gave me a quick profile of Tsurumine High School, which is a 40 minute train ride south of Kawasaki. Ninety percent of the 1,200 students ride bikes while others walk or take a public bus. Black and white uniforms are worn. Some girls are now wearing a new fad -- BIG, bunchy socks. The school day runs from 8:30 to 3:30 PM with classes varying from day to day on an A/B type schedule. Until the year 2002, there is a half day of school on Saturday twice a month. Teachers, who are encouraged to coach or sponsor clubs, are assigned three to four classes of around 40 students daily. Teachers meet each morning for 10 minutes to collect information to be distributed to their homeroom. Upon arrival, students' street shoes are placed in a small shoe locker and slippers are worn to class. Students can bring PHS (portable phones which also send and receive typed messages) to school, but they cannot be used in class. Most kids bring a boxed lunch of rice, soybeans, and fish for the 50 minute lunch period unless they have ordered a hot meal from the cafeteria. All students study English, while most of the other major subjects (like physics and math) are similar to those in America. Computer classes are available to seniors. Kait took calligraphy, which is Japanese writing. Generally, there are only two tests in each class, a mid-term and a final exam. There doesn't seem to be great deal of homework. However, in Japan, students who wish to attend top universities have to study hard for the entrance exams.
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After school, student practice sports such as Judo (Japanese wrestling), Kendo (Japanese sword fighting), tennis, swimming, baseball, soccer, volleyball (girls only), badminton, and basketball (boys only) which is played all year. Clubs include activities such flower arranging and tea ceremony. Summer vacation does not start until around July 20. Final exams are taken during the first week of July and the last two week include sports days and field trips. |
| When graduation day arrives, girls wear kimonos which are long flowered robes with a wide belt. In general, kids at Tsurumine are enthusiastic about school and are very involved in both the academics and extra curricular activities. |  |
THE LIFESTYLE OF JAPANESE TEENAGERS
 | While I had the chance to quiz Kait, I asked all the pertinent (important) questions. Here is what I learned! Schools do not have dances. Concerts are also not available. For the record, girls tend to like light pop rock like Celine Dion and Madonna while some of the boys go for the harder rock like Rage Against the Machine and The Offspring. Since movies are expensive ($13 per ticket), most kids go window shopping on dates. Many streets are lined with stores and, in central Kawasaki, the downtown area has a huge underground shopping area called Azalea. Since Tokyo is only an hour away by train, it is a popular place to shop with the Harajuku area serving as the teen fashion center. |
 | Many girls are quite thin and wear tight pants. Dyed hair, platform shoes, and body piercing are some of the current fads. Another popular activity is singing at karyoke clubs which are open quite late. It may be of interest to note that although kids can drive at 18 years of age, the subway and train systems in Japan are so efficient (good) that even adults use them regularly. During summer vacation, kids work part time jobs as waitresses or as fast food servers at McDonalds. Since Japan is surrounded by water, lots of people go to the beach to surf, swim, or have cookouts. There is no sun tanning, however. Lots of sunscreen is used to preserve the clear creamy complexion which is preferred. Japan also has a lot of festivals that provide fun for all ages. Just recently they had the Tamagawa Fireworks Festival. |
 | In the cities where green areas may be limited, elaborate video games provide a source of entertainment. Tokyo Disneyland is also a favorite vacation spot. In this light, I should mention that the Japanese love their comics which are read by young and old alike. Keep in mind that many Japanese "comic books" have been written to appeal to adult readers. On a final note, kids love "Print Club" which is a small booth where you can instantly make a set of miniature picture stamps to trade with friends! Thank you, Kait, for this "thumbnail sketch" of kids in Japan! |
Go to Part 2 of the July 24, 1998 Log
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