Excursion to Inuyama Castle and Meiji-Mura

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Hello again FEA!

I’ve been in Japan for a little over two weeks now and I’ve done and seen so much in such a short amount of time! For this blog post I wanted to focus more on a trip I took to Inuyama (็Šฌๅฑฑ) with my new coworkers, and boss!

Firstly, allow me to explain my new part time job. I have been given the opportunity to work at a cram school in Gamagori as an assistant language teacher to Japanese students between the ages of six and twenty. I work with the owner of the school, and we are the only two who understand English so it’s very difficult for me sometimes! However, that’s why I am here, isn’t it? To immerse myself! I’ll admit it’s got its challenges, but I’ll discuss those another time. For now, here are some photos of my trip to Inuyama Castle!

Gate photo

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This is Inuyama Castle! It is the oldest castle in Japan, having been built in 1537. It is a national treasure. We were allowed to tour the inside and top level so I decided to take a picture- the view was amazing!

We took another trip to the Meiij-Mura Museum. It’s a large area of land with buildings from the Meiji Period. Some buildings, such as the Imperial Hotel, are known for their western influence, and have been used to host royalty and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe!

hotel

They also have a special post office where you can write a letter to anyone in Japan, which they mail to them in ten years! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of it, but the concept is cool enough! Also, one aspect I really enjoyed about this museum was the Kureha-Za Theater, a kabuki theater from the Edo Period. Theater has always been an interest of mine, and I hope one day I can see a Japanese play!

theater

Finally, here is a photo of a fellow American and I in a taxi wagon that people used to be carried around in! Although no one would take us around the museum in it, we were still allowed to sit and take a cool picture.

FEA Photo (640x480)

P.S. those white barrels to the right of us hold sake, or Japanese alcohol. That’s one way to store it!

Courtney Steele

<i>Hello in your host country language</i>: ใ“ใ‚“ใซใกใฏ (Kon'nichiwa) <i>University</i>: University of Toledo <i>Expected graduation year</i>: 2017 <i>Destination</i>: Nagoya, Japan <i>Program Provider</i>: The University of Toledo <i>Subject Matter, Major / minor</i>: Communication / Japanese <i> Language of Study, if any </i>: Japanese <i>Housing</i>: Apartment <i>Demographic background</i>: First-generation, Caucasian female <i>Future career aspirations</i>: Coordinator for International Relations or Assistant Language Teacher