October 9, 1998

Dear Students, Teachers, and Staff!

Greetings from Japan. My group of 200 teachers from all over the USA arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday. Bow from my room on the 22 floor at the 1,000 room Otoni Hotel, I see sky scrapers standing above a large green woods of sub-tropical plants, mountains in the background shrouded in smog like any big city, and the highway with cars crawling slowly in the 6:00 AM traffic looking like route 7...all under the face of a shining half moon. I am often up at 3:30 in the morning with you walking the halls of the school because my biological clock is still on Connecticut time.

I am enjoying Japan! The people are friendly and the subways are not as crowded as you would think. We took a tour of the city. The 1,200 year old Kinryuzan Sensoji Shrine has a tall pagoda which stands behind a famous main gate in which is hung a huge white and red 20 foot Japanese lantern. Can you see it in your mind's eye? Can you see the hundreds of gray pigeons in the courtyard flying low and brushing my shoulders and hair as they rise into the sky along with the incense billowing from a seven foot burner? It is a shrine for the Gods of Thunder and Storm.

Last night I went to a Kabuki play which is very much like an opera. The plot was a tragic love story with many changes of scenery. All the actors are men even the woman characters are played by men dressed in beautiful kimonos and their faces painted stark white with lips done in bright red. they wear black wigs and speak in high voices. They shuffled across the stage in sandals.

I've eaten lots of fish and tempura; I've drunk lots of green tea and I love the taste of the delicate flavored tiny green and red seaweeds. You would be adventurous in your eating too if you were here. We went to the fish market at 4:30 in the morning. WOW! Tons and tons of fish from orange-pink salmon to piles of tiny dried sardines to live snails in barnacle encrusted shells to orange shelled crabs and piles of pink octopus. Poor octopus to be eaten! The tuna auction was my favorite part. The men had gone through and examined the 100-150 pound fresh and frozen tunas laying on wooden pallets....then the bidding began with the excitement in the voice of the auctioneer with the buyers just lifting 2 or 3 fingers in bids. But NOT FISH SMELL!! How do they do it?

On Sunday my group heads for the Mt. Fuji area to visit schools and businesses. I have been telling everyone here about the wonderful school system we have. When I get to Mt. Fuji, Japan's sacred mountain, I will tell Fuji-sen "Hello from the students and staff in New Milford!"

Carrying you in my heart in Japan, Eileen Cooper