JET Programme Series: Hyogo Prefecture, Akashi-shi - Annika Mohammed

I was placed in the Hyogo prefecture, Akaski-shi to be exact. My home in Okubo Akashi is mostly a rural/suburban area that has the tremendous ability to be a juxtaposition of itself. While walking through the beautiful city filled with high rise buildings and lights you will come across a large rice field, right in the middle of the bustling city. Maybe you can also see a small shrine or temple nestled between the large apartment and office buildings.
 

On arriving to Japan, from the whirlwind experience that is Tokyo orientation week to moving to my new home I took time to explore new sights, to experience everyday life in Japan. I go to work every morning and seeing the same faces walking busily to their work. I see the elementary school kids walk in ordered lines to school. When I walk by the students, they all in unison echo ohayo gozaimasu to me, all one hundred of them. I see the elderly farmer tending to his crops and he doesn’t miss saying good morning to me. The people in Akashi and by extension Japan are a lot more welcoming than what I am used to back home.
 

Since I’ve been here, I’ve been to Kobe and Osaka. In Kobe I exited the train station to meet a bustling city. The city was alive and throbbing with chatter and people walking in every direction and it made me realize just how quiet my Akashi city really is. I visited Kobe Harborland and Chinatown. It was a pleasant surprise to see within the small streets that looked like alleyways, that there was a beautiful little city within the city, it looked like an old Chinese movie, everything was red and gold and there were lanterns everywhere. At Kobe Harbor-land there was a huge Ferris wheel that lit up at night, at the top you can see the amazing view of the bay and the Kobe Tower. In Osaka I visited the Dotonbori Bridge where I saw what some may say is the symbol of Osaka known worldwide, the running Glico man sign and the beautiful lights reflected on the glistening water below.
 

I have been placed in a Super Science High School where I teach various classes, one of which is a Science English class where I prepare lessons and experiments for the students to perform. Being a past science student myself I feel a sense of excitement doing these experiments with the students. My students here are very good in understanding and writing English. They are all also very vocal and happy to speak to me about music and television shows that we both commonly like. I’m very excited to see what fun and exciting things happen in my little Akashi town and I cannot wait to explore the rest of Japan’s beautiful scenery.



JET Series: Hyogo Prefecture, Akashi-shi (Japanese Embassy's Facebook)


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