Trip In Japan

           I had a perfect time in Japan.We were in Tokyo,in Kyoto and Hiroshima.We arrived  to Narito Airport at 10 o'clock.then had a bus to Tokyo city.We stayed at Apavilla hotel.

         First day we visited House of Counsellor and The Nippon Foundation.We met Mr Ohno,Executive Directer of TNF and Mr Sasakawa, the Chairman of TNF .Later we had dinner with president Mr Ogata.We talked about our countries, about our culture,situations happenning nowadays.Simulatanusly, we ate dinner with Japannese national food .Next day we went to see Museum of Maritime Science.It is inside a big ship near the ocean.After that we went to 'Heiwajima Kyotei'.It is a Boat Racing Area.It belongs to TNF.For dinner we went to rastorant 'Barbacoa' and met TNF scholarrs from Peking University and Latin America.We had a great time.Evreybody liked the food.Students were interesting and intelegent people.It is a big opportunity for us to have friends from many countries.

Next day we drove to Fukuyama city and visited shipbuilding factory which is called Tsuneishi.We got a lots of informations about the factory. In two days we visited walfare facilities for people with mental and or physical disabilities. These people are getting help from this foundation.On tuesday we went to Hiroshima city to visit Hiroshima Peace Park .It is like museum bout Hiroshima's history.You can learn everything about Hiroshima.  

              We spent one day in a beautiful and full of culturel things city, Kyoto.There we went to Buddist temple with golden house in it.we stayed one night in culturel hitel in Kyoto and next day in the morning returned to Tokyo city.Same day we visited Japan Guide dog Association Traning center, where people teachs dogs for helping blind people.

            In last day we went to shopping in Akibara where you can find electronic things  then to Asakusa to buy culturel things.Everything was very amazing.

            This trip helped me to know TNP well.Paople working in this foundation are making this world better.They have a special place in the heart of people they are helping.I liked Japanese peolpe.They are very polite,respectful and intelegent peolpe.Urbans have good relationship with each other.It is big plus for this country.

I am grateful for this foundation, for the people who helped us,who sent time with us and tried to do all their bast.Thanks for Kiyokosan,for Vicky, for David and Murat Bay.

Now let me tell you everything in much more details in chronological order.

NARITA AIRPORT, FIRST IMPRESSION: Actually after I saw Ataturk Airport in Istanbul I expected Narita much more crowded. But it was not like that. And secondly it was quite. And my first impression about Japan was “green country”.

APAVILLA HOTEL: As a location this hotel was very center. When we Went up to the rooms I was really shocked with the tiny rooms. They are really small.

THE NIPPON FOUNDATION: Nippon Foundation is walking distance to Apavilla Hotel. So we walked to the foundation. As far as I understood that neighbourhood is business center. When we arrived to the foundation building  Vicky took us to the floor of the foundation. On that floor when you enter from the main door, left side is domestic department and right side is international department. So as you can understand our side is right side. We met with the people who are interested about our program and also some others. Also here was so quite though maybe 70-80 people working in the same floor. And then we went out for lunch with our team from Turkey, Vicky, David and Mr. Ohno. Mr Ohno is one of the Executive Director of TNF. We had a lunch together. Food was really delicious. Mr. Ohno talked with all of us. He asks questions about us and about our countries. Then we gave him some presents from our own countries. After lunch we back to the building of TNF. And at 14:00 we et with Mr. Sasakawa, the chairman of The Nippon Foundation. Mr. Sasakawa and Mr. Ohno was together in the room. And also all our team from Turkey and Vicky was in the meeting room. We spent about 30 minutes with Mr. Sasakawa. He asked questions and he tries to know us better. It was really nice. And then we gave him presents from our countries. And we took many photos with him. After meeting with Mr. Sasakawa we visited Sasakawa Peace Foundation which is related to The Nippon Foundation. One lady from Uzbeskistan gave us informaions about working fields of Sasakawa Peace Foundation. And I learned that this foundation has a lot of projects in central asia. After that we  took some more informations about TNF from Vicky and then we went to a dinner to one traditional Japenese restaurant which is called “Shabuzen”. In that restaurant we met with the president of TNF. Mr. Ogata. I saw him 2 times in Turkey before. He came for the ceremonies of  JATCAFA . That night I drink and eat what Mr. Ogata recommended to me. By the way we ate shabu shabu and t is really delecius. We have wonderful hours that night with Mr Ogata. He asked questions about us, about our countries, about daily life, daily politics, daily economy and etc. And he answered everything. He behaves us like we are one friend of him. And after dinner we gave him the presents from our countries. We took a lot of pictures together and this s the and of  the day.

MUSEUM OF MARITIME SCIENCE: We arrived to the museum by train. This was first time in my life that I saw a building which looks like a ship. Museum was really interesting. You can see all sorts of boats and ships from the starting of sea culture in Japan. Also I understood what means sea for one nature. And also in the museum there was one stant which shows just after second world war time with the help of makets. I would like to thank to every body who gave us informations about museum there. (There is a Chinese restaurant inside the museum and that restaurant is very good)

HEIWAJIMA KYOTEI: This is a boat racing area. From Vicky I learned that the money source of the Nippon Foundation is that races. Place was interesting. First I thought we go somewhere to sea side. But this is not asea side. It looks like a big pool. We had a chance to see the pilots and boats. Also we find a chance to bet. Some of us won and some of us lost. Which is lke life.

BARBACOA: This is a Brazilian Restaurant. We met with students from Pekin University and from Latin America. They were all TNF scholars like us. We had a great time there. Food was exelent. And we met with new intelligent, interesting, different people. I think to meet with people like that is really important. Then all of us had a big picture outside. This will be a great memory for me, so I can tell this to my children.

FUKUYAMA CITY: From Tokyo station we took “Shinkansen” and arrive to Fukuyama city.

SHIPBUILDING FACTORY: In that city we visited one shipbuilding factory which is called Tsuneishi. It was really huge. We took a lot of informations about shipbuilding industry and about Tsuneishi. In the factory I saw that the most important thing is “safe”. I really like it. Because contries like us most important thing is money and generally factories don’t care about safe. And also when I looked the envoirement around the factory I was protected perfectly.

ZENO SHONEN BOKUJYO: This is welfare facility for people with mental or physical disability. Here disabilities separated into 3 groups. 2 groups living in that facility and one more group live some other. First group can talk and can tell his/her problems. Second group can talk very little. And last group can’t talk and can’t understand. We leraned from Vicky that this organization is supported by TNF. Also disabilities go to the forest which is near the facility and collect some kind of plants and leaves and then they have color out of these, and they use it to print different kinds of fabrics. And then they cell these fabrics to be money source for the organization. Also there are different things which are made by disabilities. They are all hand made.

HIROSHIMA: Before I went to Japan Hiroshima was the first things I would like to see. We arrived to Hiroshima in the evening. We directly go to hotel that night and met early in the morning. First we went to Hiroshima Peace Park. To tell you honestly I expected much more destroyed buildings  which remain from second world war. But Japanese government only keep one. And that building is inside the Peace Park. This building was a sort of government building. After visiting peace park we move to the museum. That museum was really impressive. There you understood what means nuclear destruction better. In the museum they try everything for people to understand how worse it is. Not only it is impressive also you can learn a lot about the bad sides of nuclear power in the museum. After museum we went to one newspaper. And one journalist gave us all informations about atomic bombs. There are a lot of people in the who are effected from nuclear power and they even don’t know about it. This what I learned from that journalist. He really tries hard to do something for every body who live in this planet, and I appreciate him very much.

KYOTO: The old capital. Before I went to Japan Kyoto was the city which I know about. I saw so many things in Japanese traditional way in Kyoto. And I like it very much. First in Kyoto we visited Walfare Facility for the Blind and Visually Impaired People. Blind and visually impaired people can come and use this facility free. There are workers in  the facility and they are trying to teach these people to be more productive for the society.Also that facility I was impressed by the thing that; if you give any chance to any person(doesn’t matter ability or disability) he can do everything. Key point is to give him/her a chance. We learned from Vicky also like many facilities around and outside Japan, here also supported by The Nippon Foundation. After we left the facility by the recommendation of the employers of facility we visited “Golden Temple”. Something like that I never see in my life before. Temple is impressive ofcourse but I can not tell you how beautiful the garden of the temple was. In the garden of the temple there are shops that you can buy presents which are related with this temple. It was very good experience for me to see something like that which I used to watch only from T.V. After visiting the “Golden Temple” we went to our hotel. Our hotel as very interesting because t is traditional Japanese hotel. In this hotel everything desingned and organized in Japanese way. For example all of females we stayed in one room and males stayed in another room. In the room everything is like old Japanese traditional house. Also hotel has one local very big bathroom. An Kyoko told us this is also one side of Japanese culture. In the evening we went out for a dinner. While we were walking to the restaurant we found out that there is a carnival in the streets of Kyoto. And we were very lucky to catch that dates. So many people dressed in traditional way, they shout something which we don’t understand and walking on the streets. We join to them about 500 meters and then we found the restaurant which we are going to have a dinner. That restaurant was traditional Japanese restaurant. It has a nice garden. When we enter first they took our reservation and suggested us to walk around the garden. We walked and enjoy it a lot. Then they told us that our table is ready. Before forget to tell you that night in that restaurant we saw one “Mayko”. (Mayko means a lady who suppose to become a geisha). We took our shoes and we enter to restaurant. Everything was very good that night. Meals, serve etc. We took informations from Kyoko and Vicky about the meals they served us. And that was all about Kyoto.

JAPAN GUIDE DOG ASSOCIATION: After we depart from Kyoto we arrived to Yokohama. After we had a lunch in the station of Yokohama we went to visit Japan Guide Dog Associaton. In that place dogs are training to become a guide dog for blind people. The manager of the association gave us a lecture about half an hour first. Then one of the trainers with one dog makes us a demonstration. And all of us join to that demonstration. Then we walk around and see all the dogs training there. Again we learned that this association is supported by TNF.

DINNER WITH STAFF OF TNF: After Yokohama we back to Tokyo and check in the Apa Villa Hotel again. Then in the evening we had a dinner with the staff of international department of The Nippon Foundation. I had a great moments there. Dinner was delecius and we found a chance to know the staff better.

THE IMPERIAL PALACE: Next day early in the morning we took a metro and went to see the imperial palace. The garden was very big and there are different facilities in that garden. Most impressive side of imperial palace for me is; it is like a heaven in the middle of giant buildings.

ASAKUSA: After imperial palace we went to Asakusa. In Asakusa there is one Budist temple. And that day all of us behave like a budist and pray in budist way. That temple is huge and I must tell it is impressive. After temple we made shopping for our families for our friends… In Asakusa there are lots of shops that you can buy presents. It is suitable because you can find traditional Japanese things in that shops.

AKIHABARA: After Asakusa we went to Akihabara. Akihabara is a center for electronic items. It has 8 floors and it really big. If you ask me you have to know what you want to buy before you go there. Otherwise you are very much confused.

 And next day we left Japan.

 CONCLUSION: It was really very good experience for me to be in Japan. I tried to tell you my impressions and what  see in Japan. For that program I would like to thank to TNF and JATCAFA again. Thank you in deep.