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A cookie that could make you cry: Walking with Tochio Higashi students
Students pose with a local rice farmer, their first discovery on their 10 km journey. 99.12.12/ Temperature: 1.5C/ Weather: Snow/ Wind Direction:@NW
Start: Kamo City Latitude: 37 56 58 N Longitude: 139 12 55 E
Destination: Tochio City Latitude: 37 28 50 Longitude: 139 00 00 E
Distance Traveled: 26kmA cookie that could make you cryc "Go for it! Search for wisdom around Japan," reads the large cookie that members of Toshio Higashi Elementary School's sixth year class gave me when they met me on route to Tochio City. We spent the day together marching through the snow and searching for wisdom in Tochio.
When Mr. Kato, sixth year teacher at Tochio City, joined me early in Kamo City we walked under the last umbrella of blue sky we would see for the rest of the day. He told me that several of his students decided on their own that they wanted to join me for the last 10 kilometers of the journey into Tochio City. Learning that I might have students actually walk with me, me heart thumped rapidly. My only concern was that gray skies ahead might keep them huddled up in their warm homes.
Students trek through the slush of early winter. Heavy snow began to fall as Mr. Kato and I approached the tunnel on the Kamo and Tochi City border. Running a little behind schedule, I worried that even if Tochio students did show up, we might not be able to meet up. Just as my worries began to build, a car slowed to a stop in front of us and four students hopped out. Shortly after another car carried three more. Thereafter came the last of eight students who decided to come. I was naive to think that poor weather would deter a group that has been commuting to school in such conditions for several years.
Sitting down for lunch at one of the student's relatives' house, I was showered with encouragement from the students. My special gifts included hot packs and a hand knit scarf to keep me warm, ume plumbs to keep me healthy, some good luck charms, and several cookies, one which read, "Go for it! Search for wisdom around Japan." The students gathered last night to bake the cookies together.
Lining up under the mysterious second-floor door, students of Tochio Higashi Elementary. After a quick lunch, we began the 10 kilometer trek into Tochio. Snowflakes as large as small cookies drifted down from the sky, melting as they hit the rice paddies which surrounded us. Wet slush greeted our boots with every step.
As soon as we started off, I was anxious to show the students what it is like walking and searching for wisdom every day. An elderly man leaned over in a rice paddy rolling up a long strip of material. He must have been just as curious (if not more) about us as we were about him. After explaining to the farmer what we were up to, we learned that the long strip of material he was rolling up is used to prevent the cold water in the irrigation ditch from going directly into the rice paddy. "Really cold water doesn't grow good rice," he said. We had stumbled upon a clever trick of farming Nigata rice. Satisfied with our first discovery we all shuffled down the road.
As the day progressed, we all prayed for a safe journey at two different shrines, there was an occasional snowball fight, and we kept our eyes peeled for anything peculiar. Baffled by a second-floor door with no staircase or ladder leading to it, we asked locals to find out why. (You'll have to ask Tochio students for the answer). In our long journey we came across caves dug-out of a hillside that are used for storing vegetables, the largest pumpkin I've ever seen, and fire hydrants over one meter high. Though I was worried that the students might tire from the lengthy walk, they remained cheerful and curious for the entire four-hour trip.
A cookie to make you cry. The cookie I received reads, "Go for it! Search for wisdom around Japan." The biggest discovery for me today was the challenging spirit and warm hearts of my partners in travel. I thank them greatly for their curiosity, determination, and support. I'd walk the entire length of Japan and back again just to walk with them again.
They are an adventurous and action oriented group. I wish them well in all future endeavors. I hope they enjoyed our time together as much as I did and can use the experience to think about wisdom for our future.
If you have any questions about our walk together, ask the students.
Greg
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