Teachers and librarians have asked us how they might prepare
students for their special time with Hiroko Fujita.
Here’s a baker’s dozen of suggestions.

1. Find Japan on the map or globe.  What other countries are near by?  How far is Japan from your school in:  Miles?  Kilometers?  Hours?  When it is lunch time at your school, what time is it in Japan?  What day is it in Japan?

2.  Find Fukushima Prefecture in Japan.  What is a “prefecture?” Mrs. Fujita grew up in the small town of Miharu in Fukushima. It is rural and mountainous. What American state’s geography might be similar to Fukushima?

3.  Find Chiba Prefecture in Japan.  Mr & Mrs Fujita currently live in Kashiwa City in Chiba.

4. Decorate with “cherry blossoms” by gluing pink tissue paper flowers to dead branches. Make colorful paper cut-out fans, kimonos, or kites decorated with artwork.

5. Learn about origami from library books.  Decorate with origami figures.

6. Learn how to count in Japanese.  Counting is important in some of Mrs. Fujita’s stories.  She’ll be so surprised when you can chime in! Here are the numbers 1-5 and what they “sound” like:
      1 ichi(“itchy”)     2 ni(“knee”)     3 san(“sun”)      4  shi(“she”)     5 go(“go!”)

7.  Invite someone who has lived in Japan to teach the class a few friendly phrases, for instance, how to say greetings and thanks.

8.  You probably already know some Japanese words:  Sayonara, haiku, sushi, honcho.  What are some others?

9.  Japanese money is called "yen" (¥).  What is the current $/¥ exchange rate?  How much would your favorite snack food cost in ¥?

10. Japanese reading and writing: learn about the three different writing systems (Chinese pictographs and two phonetic syllabaries).  Try writing your name in English letters but in vertical rows, starting in the upper right!

11. Ongaeshi (the obligation to repay a debt of kindness) is a very important concept in Japan.  Mrs. Fujita will give each school a sampling of traditional hand-made Japanese toys.  Perhaps the students would like to be prepared to reciprocate by presenting her with something special which she can take home to students in Japan. For instance, an American traditional folk toy or game, a popular children’s souvenir, a reminder of your unique part of America.  She also loves children’s drawings of their families and favorite activities.

12.  Learn about Japan’s spectacular geology: volcanoes, hot springs, earthquakes, tidal waves.

13. If Mrs. Fujita can visit your class individually, please help students to plan what questions they might like to ask about Japanese children, education, games, home life, etc.