Day 2 of the 8th Grade Japan trip started out after a restful night in a traditional-style hotel and an abundant breakfast. We drove a short distance to the Yoshinogari Historical Park, which was a great area full of things to do and see. The  first activity the students did, was carve a stone cube into a traditional Japanese pendant which were worn by the nobles of the area. The students worked tirelessly shaving the stone against a larger piece of pumice until it was smooth. For the next 2 hours, we enjoyed the beautiful day by walking around the park and seeing various traditional structures that were replicas from the 5th century. We saw sacred houses, the king's home, storehouses, and many other homes for people of the society. The students explored what living in this society would have been like and considered the equality and inequalities among the social classes. 


Our next stop was to the city of Dazaifu where we walked along a street (similar to Insadong area) which lead us to our lunch...Japanese Bento Boxes! Then, we went to the Kyushu National Museum which showed a variety of artifacts throughout the centuries. We saw everything from ceramics, swords, statues, and much more. The museum also had a hands-on exhibit which displayed artifacts, games, clothes, and music from other Asian countries. After the museum the students had some free time to explore shrines and do some shopping for traditional items. The students enjoyed getting Japanese snacks, anime figurines, and other trinkets.

An hour bus ride away took us to a Japanese/Korean BBQ restaurant where the meat and kimchi were on par for the evening! After supper, we kept driving and arrived at a luxurious and modern hotel where we have a great view of the water. Students grabbed a snack at the convenient store and have been winding down for the evening. Overall, it was an eventful day with gorgeous weather with great cultural immersions!
​Ms. Van Liew