Weekend 1: International Kids Day Festival

This weekend our adventure took us to festivals, on trains, up escalators (because this is very exciting to Sarah) and to a special tea ceremony for me.  Some of it we stumbled upon, some was planned...all was great!  Jim and I decided since the girls are still working on their time adjustments staying close and not having a meltdown at 4 p.m. (because we woke up at 5 a.m.) was important.


A women I met at breakfast on our first morning (our apartment provides breakfast Monday-Friday) has a daughter who attends an International School in Kobe (as in Kobe beef) and she told us about an International Children's Festival on Rokko Island.  Rokko Island is a manmade island in Japan.  On it is the Japan Headquarters for Jim's company, other businesses, a mall, lots of apartments, another International School, a large waterpark, lots of stuff.  It's a big place.  If I think too much about it being a manmade island in the middle of the ocean...well I'm wondering how long it took them to make it.  (Maybe I'll look that up later).  My impression is that Rokko Island is fairly western.  But that is coming from a girl living in "actual" Japan.  Really, it was a melting pot of cultures and foreignor's there and it is "really" Japan too.  But, I'm glad we are staying were we are to feel like we are in the middle of complete Japanese Culture.



Decorating International
Kids Day Sign



So, while on Rokko Island we went to the International Children's Festival sponsored by the Rotory Club on Rokko Island.  The girls got a little passport and at each station they got their passport stamped.  Upon earning 5 stamps they could get a treat (popcorn and a pastry thing - I don't know what it was, but it was good.) 

Children were able to decorate a flag that was later put up to represent kids from around the world.

They made butterfly bracelets.

  They decorated cupcakes...can you imagine how happy this made our "sugar monster"  (aka Sarah)

As you can see, this festival is not much different than something you may find in the US.  Really, for us, it was a great first day out of our general area because many people spoke English, there were alot of kids having fun and there was food...which we will talk about in our next blog entry.

The festival opened with kids from around the world singing We Are the World (which of course made me a bit emotional...being away from home, submerged in the culture and participating in an event celebrating all of it.)  It was on a video screen...here is a clip of it if you want to share this part with us too: