Mrs. Jorgensen's Fulbright Memorial Fund Study Tour of Japan | home

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October 17

Today was a bit of a departure from the routine that we had gotten into during school visitations.
We were to spend the day at Maronie Community Center in panel discussion with various members of the Odawara-shi Parent Teacher's Association.

Several of us were looking forward to this meeting so that we could ask again some of the questions that we had either felt uncomfortable asking before or so we possibly get another viewpoint from someone else. I enjoyed today very much, as I felt that our panelists were very honest in expressing their opinions, and often expressed differing opinions, even among themselves.

After this meeting, we were fortunate enough to visit the Odawara City Kamome Library, then the Honma Art Museum, where we met the local master of Hakone Art. Hakone is a beautifully complicated form of woodwork, borne in Kanagawa, and exemplifies the typical Japanese commitment to beauty in nature.

We were also fortunate enough to spend the night at a ryokan, which is a more typical Japanese-style inn. This was very different from either the Century Hyatt or the Spausa Odawara, as typical clothing was optional, and most people prefer walking in or near the ryokan wearing their yukatas instead.

PTA Discussion	The Hakone Master Craftsman
Rice Farming in Kanagawa	At the Hotel Kajikaso, our Ryokan