10-18 Wednesday “Group Presentations and Uno Kenny’s Bar"

10-18 Wednesday “Group Presentations and Uno Kenny’s Bar”

Not a whole lot to say. The group presentations lasted a good part of the day.

There were 10 different groups of 20 educators coming from various points across the USA. We all had many “once in a lifetime” experiences to share with each other. Whether it be by PowerPoint, poem, song or video, we each displayed our journeys in our own individual ways… (sometimes.)

An ongoing “though-to-be-clever” gag was to narrate the presentation in Ryoken theater style. Just like the art form we saw early on in our Tokyo stay, the groups would have members execute narrative in a ryoken-esque slow, exaggerated, deliberate wavering voice. This would have been very funny and was –the first 3 or 4 times that a group chose to do it. However, by the about the seventh time, I had had just about enough of that joke and was wishing that I had kept a motion sickness bag from the air-bus.

Things that we seemingly all observed included taller people hitting their heads on doorways and the resonating way that kids and Japanese teachers alike greeted people “ohiyo gozi-maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasss!” holding out the last syllable as long as possible.

One group visited the International Ramen Noodle Factory. Another group went to Disney Tokyo. Another one was in an area that had an earthquake while they were there. For the most part, aside from societal features, all the groups had the same itinerary as u;, to visit each level of schools, a number of cultural visits within the host city, a stay with a local family, and a night at a traditional ryokan hotel.

For our group presentation, I let the dominators do their thing. I sound bitter, but not totally. I did volunteer and passed out diced jumbo Niitaka Pears from Arao. I just think it would have been nice to be included when you wanted to help. Our presentation was a little flat on the entertainment side, which I know a few of us could have spiced up on –but whatever. I will being a TON of presentations my way when I get home anyhow. (And Kate did do a super job with her video put to music.)

After the group meetings, I met up with Tom, Gina, Virginia and Dave with The Indiana Jones hat at a place called aptly “Kenny’s Bar.” Kenny’s bar was a quant little typical Japanese establishment, seating about 10-15 people tops comfortably. There was a tiny piano in the corner that I understand the bartender would play from time to time. Being not much of a drinker, I ordered a water and got a seltzer water. Yuk.

Everyone has strange things that they do. Mine, from time to time, is I get together with the boys and play cards. No, not poker… UNO.

Yeah. We have a championship wrestling title that the winner of each hand gets to wear and then puts an interview on the losers WWF style. We call it Hardcore UNO.

Why do I mention this? Before I left the states, just as I did when I went to Jamaica a few years ago, I won the title and swore to defend it at least once while in Japan so that we could keep up the championships international status.

I played one game against Gina – AND KICKED HER @-$-$!

What a perfect way to spend the last night in Tokyo. I went to bed and snuggled up with my International Hardcore Championship title and went to sleep listening to the smooth sounds of Japanese Delilah.