A Small Tour after a Fancy Lunch

We picked our travel buddies, walked to the bus, then got to the ferry, had an introduction with the TA’s, got to the island, then headed towards Hotel Seifukan for our first official meal together as a group, but also with people from the Island of Osakikamijima. Some of these people included the Mayor, the chair of the town parliamentary committee chair person, the high school principal, the planning department chief secretary, etc. 

After a few introductions and short speeches, the view was revealed from behind the curtain.

Lunch conversation was certainly interesting as each table included at least two people that spoke only english (or some basic Japanese), only Japanese (with maybe some basic English), and two who could fluently spoke both. Thank goodness for those who could speak both and translate for us! I just feel bad that they talked more than they ate! As this was a great introduction for us to some people from the island, it was also a great introduction to some traditional Japanese food, and a taste (literally) of what the next two weeks would be like.

Before our program really kicked off the ground for these two weeks, the directors toured us around the island to some great locations. Our first stop was to an old traditional style Japanese home, where the walls were thin and papery, the floors were lined with beautiful tatami mats, and there were slatted wooden windows on the top of the walls to allow for the breeze to flow through the house. We learned about the history of this design and about the architectural structure.

We found a secret room that people used to use to hide from pirates. The door is designed to look like another closet, but has a hidden staircase inside.

Then we went to a ship museum and learned about the history of ships on the island.

Onward to the top of a mountain for some scenic views!

Then a welcome home to our hostel for the next several days.