The 7th and 8th days of our international agriculture trip in Japan were certainly delightful! We spent time with FFJ members (they, like you, are tons of fun, full of life and excited about their future endeavors) we met and stayed with our host families, we were astounded by the agriculture facilities at the Anjo Norin high school, we took a walk from the past to the present in the mizo food industry and had a monster of a time bowling with our FFJ friends.

We first met our host brothers and sisters at Anjo Norin high school where they are each active in agricultural education and FFJ. When our van pulled up to the school students were waiving out windows yelling Konichiwa (hello)!! The excitement and friendly nature of the students who walk the halls of Anjo Norin High each day was practically tangible as soon as we arrived. An atmosphere of eagerness consumed my teammates and I, as the time we’d all been waiting for had nearly arrived- We were just about to meet our host siblings! Yayayya! As they read our names and revealed the names of our FFJ brothers and sisters we each stepped forward, waived and exchanged that often humorous mix between a hug and a hand shake. None of us could help but to smile. Personally I was thinking “yay you’re my person, I’m your person, were going to make great friends and memories, this is going to be GREAT!!” Based on factual reports from each of my teammates I have concluded that all of our families were FANTASTIC! They were a sincere highlight of our trip. I stayed with Mika, Hannah with Yui, Riley with Habiki, Regina with Manami, Paul with Takuma and Laila stayed with Yuri.

The rest of that first evening with our host siblings we enjoyed time together learning each other’s names, hobbies and how to make an oy-shi (delicious) little egg like snack. I would describe this snack to be somewhat like a little round ball of an omelet that you add say hotdog or octopus pieces into. Be wary, when the little snacks come out of the (waffle maker-like) cooker, they are hot! Speaking from personal experience I would allow them a cool down for longer than approximately four seconds. My taste buds are still on the road to recovery.

Speaking of being on the road, after some fun and mingling at their high school we each headed to our family’s homes! That first night with our families is one that my teammates and I will continue to cherish for years to come. We each had different kinds of meals and participated in many different activities such a tea ceremony, games or shopping. That night I had a home cooked meal made by my host mom and it was Ahhh mazing. I may not be able to pronounce or spell all exactly what I ate but I can tell you it was divine. It involved tofu and hotdogs in this amazing sauce and a fried roll with pork and asparagus plus some cool noodles. To top it off- the next morning for breakfast I had toast that I’m pretty sure was infused with sugar and topped with this oy-shi peanut butter/ jelly spread. Basically, brought together one of the most genius combinations of all time.

When we all came together again the next day we realized that no matter what the activity or menu each of us was positively impacted by the opportunity to learn about the lives and values of our Japanese families. We learned that valuing things such as quality time together or family traditions is not unique to our families in the US. In fact our families in Japan value many of the same things that you and I would grow up knowing in our own homes. For the rest of the afternoon all of us (teammates, teachers, host siblings and friends) toured their schools agriculture facilities, a place called Denpark and a miso factory. When I think about impressive agriculture facilities from now on, the ones we saw at Anjo Norin High will definitely be on the list. At least 30 greenhouses were filled with grapes, figs, hydroponic tomatoes and their annual best seller- orchids. Something unique about their orchid project is that the high school has an entire laboratory to grow their orchids from seedlings a process that takes about 2.5 years. Then students participate in the marketing and selling of their orchids to the local community members. The school also had chicken and dairy cattle facilities and a four step organic fertilizer making facility. It was very inspiring to see how much value agricultural programs in Japan, like those in the US, put into creating hands-on and applicable learning for their students both in and out of the walls of their classrooms. Talk about outstanding! Speaking of outstanding here’s a joke for you: Why did the farmer get a Noble Prize? …because he was outstanding in his field! Hahah aha… get it?!

After the high school tour we went to Denpark. A park made to represent what you might see in Denmark. There we had lunch, and of course ice cream! We also road in a bio-diesel fueled little tour train like those you might see at a county fair or amusement park. Then we went to a miso factory to learn the process of harvesting and preparing the soybeans that become miso. Much to our delight we now know that miso starts from humble soybeans (some from the US yay) and after many crushing processes (like sitting under thousands of pounds of rocks for 2 years… seriously) it becomes the miso that is used to flavor spreads, candies, snacks and perhaps most famous- soup!

After our tours we went bowling!! I was a little apprehensive at first to share with everyone my bowling skills (or lack of) but it was a blast and a very safe environment (except for when I held a bowling ball). However, I think I may stick to bowling in Japan because for what I think might be the first time I broke the 100 mark (usually I stick to the low 40’s). Something we found neat about bowling in Japan was that when you feel like you’re losing your streak you grab a Hello Kitty decorated bowling ball. I have to say I think our friends are on to something- it worked. I should also mention that not all of our host siblings spoke English, and none of us speak Japanese; however we were still able to communicate quite well. Mika and I used her translation book and many hand signals to help, others had handy translators on their phones to help as well.

Our host families and our experiences interacting with them was truly an opportunity to be immersed in an entirely new culture. We learned that the harvesting of relationships between agriculturalists, students, and people across the globe is needed now more than ever. That is why the Japanese company Mitsui sponsors this international agriculture learning experience each year. With our host families we saw that the Japanese people are kind, smart, funny, caring and talented just like those of you in the blue jackets. In closing, we encourage you to continue to seek opportunities to learn about different cultures and ways of life in order to enrich your own life and this world.

Sayonara for now,
-Nessie