Japan - Day 4!

Konichiwa!

Yes, we are still on the other side of the world exploring b-e-a-utiful Japan! This morning we left before dawn for the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. It's really difficult to explain how crowded and crazy it is! We walked through very narrow alleys that had boxes piled with fish and watched fresh and frozen tuna be auctioned off, as they are every morning. From there we wove our way through the many vendors that sell the fresh catch to restaraunts and even　individual buyers. Imagine walking through and seeing buckets of live eels and the biggest fish you've ever seen, being cut　in half by a table saw mind you! It was absolutely facinating. And to top off our tour, we dropped into a cozy suisi cafe to eat very, very fresh fish! A big thanks goes out to Mitsui for allowing us to tour Tsukiji! :)

Also FFA members, we had quite the experience while at the fish market because we literally bumped　into Zach Efron and Vanessa Hudgens! No joke! They were there also receiving a tour of the market. Unfortunately, we didn't have the chance to get a picture with them, but how cool is it that they were in Tokyo, Japan at the fish market at 5 am on the same day we were! Not to mention the cool-factor of knowing that movie stars are learning about agriculture in other countries too. If only we would've been able to talk to them about FFA, then we would have really told them about agriculture! (By the way - we do have a picture to prove it, I'll put it up soon!)

We added to our excitement later that afternoon when we visited Toyota, a major sponsor of FFA. They were very gracious hosts and shared very valuable information with us about advancements they are making both in Japan and in the U.S. We are so thankful to have a long-standing and strong partnership with Toyota!

Next, we were forced to make our own lunch! Well, I'm only half kidding...we set our sights on a local farm owned by the Hagiwara family, who showed us how to make sticky rice and hosted us for lunch. The farm tour was beautiful and Mr. Hagiwara showed us his compost, tea plants, and many other agricultural products. All the food grown on the farm is organic, which is a growing market　in both Japan and the U.S. myteammates and I also had a TON of fun playing with Mr. Hagiwara's 2-year-old son Aoi (sounds like owie). We had such a good time and hope that this trip will continue to visit their farm. Tonight, we are visiting with Mr. Chidani, the National Future Farmers of Japan Advisor (he is the Dr. Case of FFJ!) for dinner. Mr. Chidani visited us　in Indianapolis this winter and we are excited to see him again.

Until next time...God Bless!

-Hannah