Deleted Scenes

Deleted sceens. Things that didn't fit in along the way - but are worth seeing.

Put your face right up to the screen to read the label. Really...Soy Sauce flavored Kit Kat! I didn't taste these, but I did have a bite of a Grape flavored Kit Kat. Blech!

We did not fly on the Pokemon airplane, but took lots of pictures. There are certain children I know that will appreciate this shot.


Slippers for you to wear when going through security at the airport. I invite the Denver International Airport staff to read this website in its entirety.

Tokyo is very accommodating to people with diabilities. This is the subway ticket machine in braille.

At the taiko drum festival this woman pulled me aside and insisted I drink a cup of sake from the community bowl.

She put dried fish and seaweed in my hand to accompany my drink. Note: did not eat.

While on the subject of things I didn't eat - I put Wendy's in the same category with McDonald's. However, if I were to make an exception it would be this. A burger with an Italian twist - with eggplant and tomato sauce.


I'm sorry to report not all the bathrooms I encountered were as fancy as my hotel toilet in Tokyo. This is sign in the elementary school explaining how to use the squat toilet. Check out the last picture. It's how to use a western toilet - in case you didn't know.


Is is possible to travel to Japan and not sing karaoke? Apparently not. Think: ABBA, Dancing Queen


When I was with my host family, Grandmother gave me a tea ceremony lesson. In Japanese she kept telling me to wisk faster... faster....


Father gave me a calligraphy lesson. The whole family got involved.


Check out the serving suggestions for the saltines.

I'll leave you with this final shot.

The flowers and the flags together are a fond memory. The flower, called cosmos, were in full bloom along the roads of our host city, Takeo. My friend Mori-san, brought this combination to all our school visits and meetings. Thank you again. Traveling with you has been an honor.

The Final Post... or is it?

To KenYen Collectors and Family Learning Adventure Travelers:
This will be the final stop on our Japan Journey. Can you believe how much we've all learned? Throughout our adventure I've admired your bravery, curiousity and the fact that you were not afraid to ask questions. These are all excellent qualities to have in lfe and when traveling. We have learned much about Japanese culture and have grown to appreciate our similarities and differences.
Click here to read the online article originally published in the Tri-Lakes Tribune newspaper.
Think about the places you’d like to visit and explore. I hope we travel together again soon.

To my supporters:
I thank the Japanese government for inviting me to explore Japan and funding the JFMF program over the last 12 years.
I thank the administration at Lewis Palmer School District for giving me the opportunity to share another culture with our students and community.
I thank my Japanese friends in Tokyo for once again taking me under their wing making me feel welcome.
I thank my new Japanese friends in Takeo for making my host city experience unique and wonderful.
I thank my American teacher friends for the respect and kindness we shared as a group.
I thank my fellow teachers and friends for agreeing to help coordinate schedules while I was away.
Finally, I thank Mr. Jim, J-Dude and Miss G. for the support, patience and enthusiasm that allowed me to dream about being a part of this journey in the first place.

Woodblock Prints

Remember the famous Mount Fuji woodblock print I had hanging in my upstairs hallway as a kid?

The cover on the journal I took to Japan is by the same artist, Hokusai. Can you spot Mount Fuji?

Monoburo is another famous Japanese artist. His woodblock print called "Beauty Looks Back" is so famous and beautiful it was on a postage stamp. (You know how I like stamps...)

I had a chance to make my own version of this print using REAL woodblocks. I bet you'll never guess where I did this project. At the airport!!! On my way home!!!

Although I've carved linolium to make a print, I've never printed with a woodblock. The blocks themselves were a rich brown but each was carved in a way so that only certain parts are raised to take the ink.

If you look down the art table you'll see it takes several steps to make a complete print. Each block applies only one color. The tricky part for me was lining up the paper perfectly on each block so the colors would transfer where I wanted them.

The black outline was first. The man helping me put on the ink. Do you see it sitting in the bowl? He painted it on with the small brush and smoothed it over the raised wood with a larger brush.

I placed paper on top and used a flat tool to rub the ink onto the paper. I tried to keep the tool as flat as possible. I didn't want the ink to smudge on other parts of the paper. You'll see at the end that my version of "Beauty Looks Back" has lots more black hair than the Monoburo's original. Ooops.

Next I rubbed on the orange ink. You can see it soaking through the paper a bit.

Check out the yellow! Bright!

The final step was to sign my name with a 'chop'. A chop is a Japanese character carved into the end of a small stone block. This is the traditional way many Asian artists mark their work.

Voila!!

Printing is the easy part. Carving the woodblock is the hard part! Click here to earn KenYen and watch how the woodblocks are created.

Lucky Me

Have you read the book If the World Were a Village by David Smith? You are thinking "I sure have" if you are an LPES fourth or fifth grader. Two of the world's religions mentioned were Shintoism and Buddhism. Most Japanese consider themselves to be one, the other or both. Earn KenYen right off the bat to read an article so you can understand how Japan’s two major religions live in such harmony.

Visiting shrines and temples is a part of Japanese culture, but I am not Shinto or Buddhist! What would you do? I bet you'd visit them - just like I did.

They are easy to find all over Japan. The boundary of a Shinto shrine is marked by a torii gate. A torii gate marks the entrance to a sacred place. Some shrines are very small.

Some shrines are very large.

Look at all the torii as my friend Steve and I climb the stairs to this shrine.

Whenever I entered a shrine or temple area I washed my hands. I saw Japanese swish out their mouths with the water too. Keeping your body clean is very important in Japanese culture. Think back to the bath post....

Once at the alter of the big shrine, the faithful walk up and throw coins in a large trough as a donation. They clap twice to summon gods and say a silent prayer.

Check out the other things I discovered at Shinto shrines.
One of the guardians of the shrine, 'koma-inu". Betcha these guys would ward evil spirits!

A place to hang "Ema" or wishes written on wood plaques.

Attracting good luck and avoiding bad luck play an important part in Japanese life. With this in mind, the the temples and shrines often had "Omikuji", fortune telling papers. Bad luck predictions are tied to tree branches and left behind. One of the 'omikuji' tied on the tree is mine! I'm not telling which one it is - I want my bad luck prediction to stay in Japan, not follow me home!

Since the two religions are very compatible, sometimes you can find a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple together on the same property. Look who I found! Buddha!

Please don't think what I'm doing is disrespectful. All the Japanese were saying a prayer and rubbing a part of the Buddha's body. I'm not shy! I asked why! When I learned that rubbing the part of this Buddha's body can help that same part on my body, I said a prayer and rubbed his head. I want to keep my brain in tip top shape while in Japan. I want to learn and share with you.

In the town of Kamakura I visited this huge Buddha.

When I traveled to my host city, Takeo, I certainly left my bad luck behind. Not only was my host family kind and generous, but the father and grandfather were buddhist priests. This is the whole family at the entrance.

Their home was the buddhist temple. The kids and I are walking up the driveway at dusk after walking the dog. Do you see the temple in the background?

One thing really different between Shintoism and Buddhism is the way they treat death. Almost all the cemetaries in Japan are on the property of Buddhist temples. This is the cemetary at my host family's temple.

My luck in Japan has been super. Perhaps it was due to rubbing Buddha's head, perhaps it was due to the coins I threw in the trough before saying a prayer, perhaps it was the "ema" I hung, perhaps it was....

My Koto Lesson

In the video clip below you will listen to the koto, Japan's national instrument. At one point in Japanese history this instrument was played by blind men. In honor of this fact listen to the video clip below with your eyes closed.


The koto has a distinctive sound that many people associate with Asian music. You can impress the adult members of your family by casually dropping the fact that that David Bowie, the band Queen and jazz legend John Coltrane have used the koto in their music recordings.

Click on the video clip again. This time keep your eyes open to watch how it is played. It sits on the floor. The right hand plucks the strings with the first three fingers of the right hand. The left hand presses down on the strings to "bend" the notes. It is sort of like a guitar on the ground. Look at the sheet music!


When I visited a middle school, not only did I have the chance to record the video above, but I also got a lesson from an eight grade student, Shuko. First I put the picks on my fingers. Shuko thought it was quite funny when I put the picks on my fingers covering my fingernails.

(So YOU won’t be embarrassed when YOU put on YOUR koto picks just know they go the other way - covering the pads on your fingers.)

Next, Shuko tried to show me how to pick and pluck the string properly. I did not master the picking. My fingers kept slipping through the strings. We both laughed at my efforts.

Finally, Shuko taught me to press the strings down to change the sound while I played. I could handle that one. She smiled when I showed her all the dents on my finger pads. She said something to me in Japanese but I think she told me that happened to her when she started too.

If you want to try to play the koto and earn KenYen, click here. A virtual koto is a lot easier to play than the real thing!

And the Winner is....

Right before I left my host city, Takeo, I went to the vending machine to purchase a "Special". This beverage was voted number one in the poll. My plan was to drink it and report back to you.

Have you seen when the Coca Cola employee has the vending machine open? They empty the coins, restock the can supply and sometimes change the drinks offered? Guess what! They do that in Japan too! My "Special", which I found out later was ice tea, was GONE!

I did what any sensible teacher allowing students to choose what she should drink in a foreign country would do. I went with choice number two. I got a Pocari Sweat.

The thought of drinking sweat isn't too appealing. For you though, I was up to the challenge.

I did a bit of research and found that Pocari in Japanese means "like a cloud floating in the sky". This explains the blue and white bottle. Sweat means sweat. This is a sports drink meant to replace electrolyes lost during exercise. Come see me in the Library. I'll show you the bottle.

How does it taste? Ok. It is like a watered down Gatorade - Yellow Flavor.

Frankly, when I went to Japan I was on the lookout for this Coca Cola product in a vending machine.
Darn. I couldn't find it.

Ode to Ms. Allan

A Poem:
Ms. Allan you work so hard
You fix the pipes and mow the yard
You shovel show and mop the floor
If you lived in Japan you wouldn’t have to do it any ‘mo.

A Haiku (Japanese form of poetry with 5/7/5 syllable pattern):
Lunch duty, moves tables
Help! Emergency clean up!
Does it all smiling

Thank you for sitting through my very short career as a poet.

Spread the word. LPES students you have a task! I want every single one of you to find Ms. Allan, our capable and cheerful custodian. Give her a high-five, hug or say “arrigato.” If you lived in Japan you would be doing many of Ms. Allen’s responsibilities. The children do almost all the cleaning!

Every day after lunch student pull out the buckets, mops and rags. For about 20 minutes they give everything a good scrub. These first graders are scrubbing the floor.


This third grader is sweeping out his cubby.


Horray for second graders! Watch this video to see what they are doing. Love the rubber shoes....


These older boy are picking stone from between the grate outside.


The girl's hand is on the outside of the window working on a dirty spot.

Here is a fourth grade team vacuuming the hallway.


When they are finished they put their cleaning tools away.


They'll use them again tomorrow.

Kids, to earn KenYen today you need to do some cleaning. Ask mom or dad what you can do to help around the house. Parents, you’re welcome.

Some Things are the Same - Computer Version

In Japan, this is what it looks like when you log on to the computer.


In Japan, this is Google.


In Japan, this is the LPES website.


What can I say? I’m a Media Specialist!