Playing with some of the kids at Mitaka Picture Book House

Our university has many clubs and groups, one of which named "Glocal" connects foreign students with different ways to contribute to and volunteer in the local community.  On Sunday, they arranged an entire day of fun for us and we had a great time.

Help at the grocery store, "Which of these lotions are non-whitening?"

Sushi-making class!

Me reading my book to the group (we had to make it interactive too - hilarious)

During our tour around the Mitaka neighborhood

Making my own sushi roll

We started off the day with a tour of the local neighborhood during which the group volunteers pointed out small, easy-to-miss treasures in the tiny lanes and labyrinths of streets that surround the university.  We saw pubs, family-owned restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores.  We even got some time in the grocery store to ask for help with questions we've had such as "How do I tell the difference between all of the different milk and egg options?" and "Which of these lotions are non-whitening?" etc.  I wish I could have someone with me to help all the time.

The entire group for the day

After the local tour we went to the guide's house for a sushi-making class and lunch.  It was really neat to learn how to make sushi and I immediately thought of how much fun it will be to do at home in Holland with family and friends.  We each made our own roll and I put salmon, cream cheese and avocado in mine.  It was delicious.

Playing some games - learned some new ones and taught "rock paper scissors" which was a big hit

We spent the rest of the afternoon at a small event/community center for children called "Mitaka Picture Book House".  It is a beautiful old restored traditional Japanese house that has been turned into a museum of sorts with separate areas for games, reading and crafts.  Several times a month, the house hosts foreign students who read stories to local children and then interact with the kids and their families.  The center is packed at these times because the parents appreciate the opportunity for their kids to meet and speak with people from all over the world.

The story time group

We all had to read a children's book and mine was in Japanese which required a bit of practice.  It was something like, "Mr. Vegetable, Mr. Vegetable, Who are You?"  We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out and playing games.  One of the volunteer coordinators is a linguistics professor at ICU who did her graduate work at The Ohio State University.  We hit it off right away and she said, "When I heard your introduction and that you were from Michigan but studied at OSU I thought it must have been a joke!"  (For those of you who don't know, she's referring to the strong football rivalry between OSU and UofM) Seems like I can't go anywhere these days without running into a fellow Buckeye.  O-H !

Finished sushi products before consumption

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