The small town with a long history has been getting famous among the people concerned with education in Japan. The school board, teachers, and parents there worked together to improve the schools, sending teachers abroad to study, building a schoolhouse with a new concept, and using experimental teaching methods.
Miharu Farm Herb Garden was where we stopped for lunch. The one who knew the place best of us all was Dr. Dunlap. Indeed he had been there many times.
While we were eating there, Mr. Endo, a Miharu school-teacher, came to greet us. He knew Dr. Dunlap well, because he had studied education at University of Wisconsin. Together we went to the house of the Mayor.
The mayor offered us English tea and fruit. We talked about what we were doing and what he was doing. We also talked about Mr. Muto Yoshio, who died in August. After the talk the Mayor brought us to the County Fair.
Miharu no Sato Den-En Seikatsu Kan, or Old Miharu House of Country Life, was the next place we visited, with the Mayor. There we had afternoon dinner with Miharu teachers who once studied at UW Eau Claire, some teaching assistants from Wisconsin, the Mayor, and the director of the Miharu schools present. It was like a reunion party.
Our friendship had originally begun at Miharu by Mr. Mutou, who became the director of the schools there in 1980's. He sent teachers to UWEC, and some Wisconsin professors started visiting Miharu. Then those professors of education wanted to have friendship with a Japanese university. They asked Mr. Mutou and he came to Faculty of Education, Fukushima University.
In the late Saturday afternoon, all of us, having Japanese food cooked in the style of the people living among hills there, watched the videocassette brought by Prof. Satou, which contained scenes and messages recorded in Eau Claire. In the video, we saw the young man called "Kurt" speaking in good Japanese. He used to work as a teaching assistant in Miharu. Then he went back to Wisconsin to study for teacher's license. In fact we met him in our September visit and he was one of the students we interviewed. Later, Prof. Itou Shouta and Prof. Usui Yoshikazu, both of Fukushima University, joined the dinner.
Two Wisconsin professors that night stayed in Miharu and spent Sunday with the people there.
On Monday we are going to have discussion in the morning at Chu Kaigi Shitsu on the second floor, Faculty of Education, Fukushima University. We will have lunch, about 12 noon, at Restaurant Green. In the afternoon, starting at 2:40, Dr. Dunlap is going to give a special open lecture at AV Room in Building M. It's one of the events to celebrate the 50th year of Fukushima University. In the evening, starting at six o'clock, the Faculty is going to have a party to welcome the guests, at Restaurant Green, too. Anyone is welcome at the afternoon lecture. The morning discussion and lunch are not secret, either. If you are interested, come and say hello.