Off to a Great Start!

After landing in San Francisco, a coordinator from the Institute of International Education met me along with other teachers flying in from Houston, Denver, and Orlando.  The other educators eventually arrived at the hotel where we spent the afternoon learning more about the program, Japan "do's" and "don'ts" ( I really hope I don't commit too many cultural faux pas!), and met participants with whom we will be traveling to the smaller cities.  I will be visiting Yokkaichi (pronounced Yo-kah-ee-chee, as I learned from a fellow group member) in the Mie prefecture- a few hours southwest of Tokyo.  There was definitely a sense of excitement in the air as we are all eager to get to Japan.

Last night was a perfect U.S. beginning to our journey.  We boarded buses and experienced a roller-coaster ride through the narrow, hilly streets of San Francisco to the Consul General's home.  I greeted him with a smile, bow, and Konnichiwa upon entering his home.  After formally greeting the many guests crammed into his home, he hosted a dinner complete with traditional Japanese fare.  The view of the bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge from his terrace was stunning.  

As you can imagine, I fell into bed last night after a full day.  After a refreshing run along the bay this morning, I'm off to breakfast with 159 of my new friends and then we're off to Tokyo!  Sayonara!