japan20061125

As part of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund program, teachers were assigned to a host family for an overnight stay. My hostess was Sayo who lived in the outskirts of Matsuyama City with her parents. Sayo works at the Matsuyma City International Center. Her parents work on the family produce farm. We started with a return visit to the garden at Matsuyama Castle. At the garden we took part in a tea ceremeny.

		a bride and groom who were using the garden for wedding pictures




Water dropping on an overturned urn buried underground sounded like music. The sound could be heard through the bamboo pipe.		The gabbon fruit is native to Matsuyama. It is not quite an orange and not quite a grapefruit, but is is a citrus fruit.

After taking part in a simplified tea ceremony, another teacher and I were invited to try whisking the tea. It was harder than it looked.		The green tea is bitter tasting. One eats a bire of a sweet pastry before taking a sip of the tea. The tea is whisked into a froth.

It was great to be out of the city and away from concrete.		We walked a short distance to the local Shinto shrine.

I met the master of the shrine who was waiting for a family whose daughter was celebrating her 7th birthday and first kimono.		the view from the main gate of the shrine

"Pirates" of this area became the navy that defeated Ghengis Kahn on the Korean Peninsula making Japan the only northern Asian country to not be invaded by the Huns.		The climate is mild and moderated by the Setonaikai-kisen (Inland Sea). Aa variety of plants are supported by the humid summer and warm moist winter climate.

a typical field		a traditional style house

During the summer, the beaches of the Inland Sea are popular with teenagers. The water is blue-green. Small islands jut out of the water. the rock barriars keep the water near the beach calm. but also disrupt circulation of the water. During autumn months the beach is a populare spot for fisherman.		We ended our stay in Matsuyama at the Yamatoya-Honten, a ryokan in the onsen district. Four of us shared the room and slept on futons placed on the floor. Ryokan are thought of as rustic inns, but this was quite upscale. We saw a short Noh performance, had a farewell banquet, and wore hukata while staying at the ryokan.

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