Traveling to Uchiko was a significant change of pace from the very crowd busy city! This city had a low population and was in the country. My favorite thing about this city was able to tour traditional Japanese homes. I loved being able to see how their house differed so much from our homes in the USA. I was unable to get a real feel of how houses felt like by the castle.
My favorite part of the trip was brave enough to experience an onsen. There is nothing close to comparison like this in the USA. Separated by gender, you take off all your clothes rise yourself and enter the water. The water was so therapeutic. I was very sore and ached but after I felt like a new person! All my muscle felt great! I could not compare this experience to anything because it was so different from anything I have ever done!
The biggest difference I saw between the city vs. country was how the people reacted to us. In the city, we were just another fish in a giant school of fish. In the city, they were so happy to see us! They waved and greeted us and didn’t just run into people. The lady running the restaurant were we ate lunch was so fun and welcoming to us despite there being a language divide.
Kyōiku: View through U.S. Teachers Eyes 