Japan Trip - April 3, 2012 – Yao Elementary School Visit

Tuesday, April 3, 2012 – Yao Elementary School Visit

We met up with Kana’s family in Yao, a district east of Namba where they live. We attended Waka’s First Grade ceremony at the elementary school where Yuto is currently a third grader.  This ceremony involves the school principal and city officials welcoming the new first graders. Fourth and fifth graders perform a few songs to introduce first grade to the little ones. The new school year starts Monday April 9th, and Waka will be going to first grade.  Japanese children enter the first grade of elementary school in the April after their sixth birthday. There are around 30 to 40 students in a typical elementary school class.  The school year starts in April and ends in March.

Waka is wearing the white jacket

Waka's teacher

After the ceremony the kids went up to their new classroom with their teacher and classmates. They got to sit in their desk, and received school supplies.

Mika, Souta, Waka and Yuto

From the school we walked to the mall, and enjoyed a buffet lunch in the Seibu mall with James, Kana, Atsuko, and Mika with her husband and kids.

Buffet lunch with Kana and family

 After we ate (a lot) mom and I went shopping in the Seibu and Ario malls while James and Kana went to a doctor to get antibiotics for James. He was encouraged to stay home (Kana’s family home) for the evening, so Kana traveled on the subway with us to get us back to the hotel in Namba where we picked up food at the Namba/Nankai station and enjoyed it in our hotel room.