NK Teacher Tours Japan, Tastes Culture, Meets Atomic Bomb Survivor, Sees Fukushima

Sandra Makielski, a seventh grade social studies teacher at Davisville Middle School, might be feeling some jet lag but it was worth it.

Makielski just returned from a three week trip to Japan after her selection to join 9 other middle and high school teachers to attend the 2014 Educator's Trip to Japan.

Makielski was chosen among a pool of 300 applicants by the Japan Society in New York City.

This program was designed to immerse teachers in the culture of Japan while educating them on the history of the nation.  

The program was overseen by Ms. Kazuko Minamoto and Mr. Jeffrey Miller of the Japan Society.  

Some of the highlights from the trip included visiting six  schools, exploring the historic capital of Kyoto, and the touring of many shrines and temples of Japan.  

Ms. Makielski participated in two homestays where she lived with two different families, one in an urban setting and one in a rural setting. Each day educators sampled various Japanese cuisines in traditional settings, often sitting on the floor.  

The most memorable and intense experience involved meeting two hibakusha survivors (atomic bomb survivors) while visiting Hiroshima.  These individuals are living reminders of the horrors civilians suffered during World War II.  

The trip ended with a visit to the Fukushima Prefecture to tour the devastation caused by the triple threat three-and-a-half years ago:  earthquake, tsunami, nuclear power plant accident.  

"The Fukushima ghost towns are a stark reminder of the physical and human devastation people are still experiencing today in Japan," she said.

Ms. Makielski said she looks forward to incorporating her new knowledge of Japan into her social studies lessons.