Every year on January 6th, the Tokyo Fire Department has 出初式 (New Year Fire Drill).
Tomorrow is 2014 January 6th, so it will take place tomorrow.
It’s a great event! You should see it if you have a chance!
I have been to this event a couple of times … I wrote a post with photos and video four years ago:
Click here to see it.
「ようこそジャパン」 (Yokoso Japan!) means “Welcome to Japan!“, and is the Japan National Tourism Organization‘s official slogan of their campaign to attract foreign visitors to Japan.
「Yokoso Japan!」 logo
Here are some of their Yokoso Japan! campaign ads.
Most of the scenes in this first one are of Tokyo (there are a few shots of Osaka, etc…but most of it is Tokyo):
These show many parts of Japan:
Do they make you want to visit this beautiful country?
Today my youngest daughter will leave with her class for a school field trip to 新潟 (Niigata, Japan)…which is on the other coast of Japan and further north from Tokyo.
(I mention it in an earlier post. Click here to read it.)
新潟 (Niigata, Japan) is near the 日本海 (Sea Of Japan).
When her older sisters were in the sixth grade (the grade my youngest is in), they went on the same trip. They both had a great time…and my youngest daughter is really excited about it.
This trip is five days long…they’ll return on February 24. On the trip, they’ll meet local craftsmen and make a traditional Japanese craft, go to an 温泉 (hot spring), and do some hiking…but what the kids are looking forward to is the snow skiing that they’ll do!
The weather in Japan has been really nice recently (although cold)…but it’s forecast to rain starting today and continue for most of next week (it’s also supposed to snow in 新潟 (Niigata).
I hope the weather is good for my daughter’s trip.
Here’s 全国の天気予報 (weather forecast for all of Japan) for today:
Japan's weather forecast for Feb. 20, 2009
Here’s this week’s 天気予報 (weather forecast) for Tokyo for the next seven days:
Tokyo's weather forecast for Feb. 20-26, 2009
It says there’s 90% chance of rain in Tokyo today…and 50-60% chance of rain on the 23rd and 24th.
In 新潟 (Niigata):
Weather forecast for Niigata for Feb. 20-26, 2009.
It says it’ll snow and rain in Niigata today…and snow again tomorrow, then rain on the 23rd and 26th.
When I was in my twenties, I went snow skiing a couple times. I’ve only ever skied in Japan…in 北海道 (Hokkaido) and 新潟 (Niigata) (where my daughter’s going today).
Have you ever gone skiing? Where? In Japan?
Just a few random items…
Tomorrow morning, my second daughter will leave with her school class for their 林間学校 (“Country school” “Camping school“ ”field trip”) in 新潟 (Niigata).
I’m not sure what to call 林間学校 in English. It translates to “Camp school”…but that’s not exactly what it is.
林間学校 is pronounced “Rinkan-gakkou” and is a three-day trip to the countryside by kids who live in the city, to let them experience country living. Japanese country living, of course.
She’s real excited about this trip. Her older sister did the same trip last year, and her younger sister will do it in 2010. (Older sister’s class took a 3-day 修学旅行 (school trip) to 京都 (Kyoto) this year…and this winter, youngest sister will go to 新潟 (Niigata) also—but for snow-skiing).
On this trip, from tomorrow until Friday, she and one of her classmates will stay in a local family’s house, learn to make something by hand from a local tradesman, and do some hiking.
When I was a kid, the schools I attended in America never had any field trips like this.
It’s a good experience.
Of course, though, whenever my kids are away from home, I can’t relax until they come back safe!
Tokyo Five 
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