These are the letters to their hometown in Japan.

They are junior high school students' works.

Their school will close this spring.

They thought about it again and again

and wrote about their precious hometown.

RK

Do you have a home?  I have a home. My home is Nakagawa. It has my friends.  I have a lot of memories with friends in Nakagawa.  I’ve played baseball for seven years.  I’ve studied many things for nine years.  I’ve learned many things for fifteen years.  I enjoyed my life with friends.  And my home has my family. They brought me up. My mother cooks dishes everyday. They are very delicious.  My father works for my family everyday.  I have a lot of memories with my family.

There is a lot of nature in Nakagawa.  It was beautiful.  And Iwabuyama was very beautiful.  Nakagawa was encircled by mountains.  So Nakagawa has good air.  I like it.  But the air in this country is polluted.  There are of global warming.  It was very dangerous.  We made a lot of carbon dioxide.  For example machines, factories and humans.  We break at earth.  But plants made a lot of oxygen.  It was important.  We must take care of plants.  But we deforest a mountain.  And we made new roads.  So nature will be few.  So global warming worsens.  So I must stop global warming.  I can recycle.  Every body must do that.  We must make a good earth.  I want to see a lot of nature.

KS

Many people say Nakagawa is a good place but I don’t think so.　I think Nakagawa’s people are good. There are 3 kinds of people there.　

1st Kamanohata’s people. They are very old but they are very kind to many people.　They are wars, difficulties and a lot of things.　So they tell us important things about human life.　

2nd my friends. I have friends in Nakagawa JHS.　They are very good.　I think their greeting is the best of all the world because when they do it. They have words to thank you in their hearts.    I’m very glad when I greet them. They are my pride.　

3rd my family. I have stayed with them since I was born.　So they made my home. It’s my treasure. Our home was made by us. We made our home ourselves. Nakagawa is made by many people and their gentleness. So we cam be kind. We can do anything with our gentleness.  I want to say Nakagawa’s people’s gentleness is good.

NT

Have you ever thought about your home town?  I have never thought about it because I usually walk in it.  I usually laugh in it.  So I have never thought about it.  But home town helped me.  But I didn’t know it.  I couldn’t get home.  So a man lent me has telephone.  I can know people’s kindness.  I was crying.  So a breeze stroked my head.  So I can know nature’s warm heart.  I think home town isn’t a form.  It is a support.  And we will be good people.  So we can help people.  Now we have to help people and our home town.  My school will break up next year.  So we make memories of our home town.  It is support for it to make memories.  What do you do for your home town?  What can you do for it?  Let’s think about in the forever.

RT

My home. Nakagawa has many trees and mountains.  We love here in them.  They change with the season.

In spring there are a few cherry blossoms on Mt.Iwabu. Mt.Iwabu is popular in Nakagawa. 

In summer there is a lot of green there. I don’t like the heat.  But I like to see bright green on the mountain. 

In fall they change from green to red.  They are beautiful.  But I like delicious food more beautiful thing than beautiful thing.

In winter I only see white.  There are autumn leaves on the ground.  I cam make Yakiimo.  Winter is quiet.  Seasons change with time.  Mt,Iwabu changes its appearance.  I like all seasons.  Animals are on Mt.Iwabu.  People like Mt,Iwabu.  But it will be lost someday.  If it vanishes we’ll feel unhappy.  I want to save it and I want people of future to see it.  I think so. Nakagawa forever.

TN

I think Nakagawa is the best home because there is Nakagawa junior high school.  Nakagawa junior high school teachers are very tender.  And they are fun.  So I like teachers.  I can go to school and I can talk with my friends.  My friends make me happy.  I think my friends are important for me because they are treasure for me. I can help them and they can help me. So I can believe in my friends.  And I think my friends can believe in me.  So I’m happy.  And I like my friends.  I won’t dislike them because they support me.  So I like my friends.  They are precious to me.  I want to be important to my friends.  I met good wonderful teachers and my friends.  So I want to say thank you to Nakagawa junior high school and Nakagawa.  I like this place the best all over the world.  I can say now “Every one, thank you very much.”

TF

Nakagawa is an important place. There are two reasons.

1st Nakagawa people are very gentle because they are good at greeting.  And they are very cheerful.  I like Nakagawa people.  Nakagawa is my father, my grand father and grandmother’s home.  They grew up in Nakagawa.  They are important family.  There are many friends in Nakagawa.  They are wonderful.  There are many wonderful people in Nakagawa. 

2nd Nakagawa junior high school is very important because Nakagawa junior high school is small. But the students have big minds. We have a good relationship. Nakagawa teachers are very good. And they are very kind. I was helped by them with many things.  I lived for a long time with every one.  But we will lose Nakagawa school next year.  I like Nakagawa junior high school.  I think Nakagawa is very important.  I won’t forget it.

HF

There are places I remember.  Nakagawa has a thing like mother.  It’s not really my mother but I feel worm from it.  It’s a really good place.  It is Nakagawa junior high school.  It’s my school.  There is a lot of nature around my school.  It makes people happy.  We can see lots of nature of the seasons.  When I went to Tokyo I thought Nakagawa is very good.  I don’t want to forget there.  So I have many friends in Nakagawa.  They are very kind to me.  But I didn’t tell my feeling to my friends.  I want to say thank you very much.  They are the best teachers all over the world. It’s truth.  Nakagawa junior high school and teachers are really wonderful.  When I grow up I won’t forget them.  I never want to forget them forever.  If I go any places, I’ll come back here.  Here is a place I should come back to.

TM

There is a lot of nature.  It is very beautiful.  Many trees change bad air into clean air.  So Nakagawa’s air is very delicious.  And there are many animals in Nakagawa.  There ear nuts.  So the mountains give many animals foods.  And there is Ishikiriba on the mountain.  People cut stones there in olden times.  People used the stones to build many buildings.  So the mountains were helping us since the old days. 

We can drink delicious water thanks to the mountains. 

Nakagawa has clean air thanks to the mountains. 

People built buildings thanks to the mountains. 

So we live in Nakagawa thanks to the mountains. 

Tank you very much.  And could you help us? 

There aren’t some things in Nakagawa.  But Nakagawa is good.  So please go to Nakagawa.

SI

I love Nakagawa.  Because I believe in people, they believe in me here. 

1st, my friends.  I am a spoiled child and I am a bad girl, but my friends treat me gently.  When I had hard times, when I had happy times we went through then together.  I have a lot of memories.  When I did something wrong, they advised me and they forgave me.  They say “What’s wrong?”  And they secretly help me.  I had such friends. 

2nd, teachers.  They think about me.  When I did some thing wrong, they got angry at me.  And they listened to my speech.  I did my best again because they taught important things and they lead me on the night path.  They always check my writing and they give messages to me.  They believe in me.  I had such teachers. 

Last, my parents.  I did something wrong.  Then, I saw my father’s teardrops for the first time.  I was trying my heart.  I thought I was a bad girl.  But my mother hugged me.  My mother said “I believe in you.” I was glad.  So, I thought I want to be stronger on account of my parents.  My parents look after me.  I had such parents. 

I have acceptance, strength and warmth.  I don’t know how to give thanks to a lot of people of Nakagawa.  So, I spend the important time.  Someday I want to be a girl such as we think “Thank you.” 

I had my home. The name is Nakagawa.

TK

I have been in Nakagawa since I was born.  It supports and watches me.  Its nature is very beautiful. 

In spring many cherry trees bloom on the mountain.  It’s a very beautiful pink.  I think Nakagawa’s cherry trees are the most beautiful in the world. 

In summer the mountains are a very beautiful green.  They look very fine.  Sunlight is very hot.  But I like it. 

In fall the mountain’s trees change their color.  Red, orange yellow are very colorful.  They make me clam down.

And then winter comes. The snow lies deep.  And Nakagawa becomes white.  Winter is very cold but somewhere is warm.  So I like Nakagawa’s four seasons. 

And I like people in Nakagawa.   They’re very very kind.  They always say, “Good morning.” with a smile when I meet them in the morning.  Their smiles make me feel good.  It is like a sun.  I think I’m very happy to live in Nakagawa because Nakagawa is a very beautiful place.  And I want to say, “Thank you for Nakagawa’s nature and Nakagawa’s people.”

KN

Nakagawa’s nature is very beautiful.  Nakagawa has lots of green around it.  And it has many mountains. 

Spring, it becomes pink.  Summer, it becomes nice green.  Fall the leaves are dyed red.  It is very very beautiful.  I like it very much.  Winter, it becomes white.  When I see it, I feel the wonder of nature. 

And mountains have many animals, for example, deer, monkeys and bears.  I think meeting them is dangerous.  But I want to meet them.  And thanks to Nakagawa’s nature, my town has good air.  When I went to Tokyo, I thought it had bad air.  So I like Nakagawa.  It is wonderful.  But it starts depopulation.  So it may disappear.  I think it’s unpleasant.  I want to leave it.  And I want everyone to treasure it.  I like Nakagawa.  I will never forget Nakagawa.

YM

My home is Nakagawa.  I have been there since I was born.  Nakagawa is a very good place.  It has a lot of nature.  It is very beautiful.  Nakagawa has a lot of mountains.  They are very big.  They have a lot of trees.  And they have many animals.  And they have spring, summer, fall and winter.  I like the cherry blossoms of spring.  They are very pretty.  I like the green leaves of summer.  They are very strong.  I like the red leaves of fall.  They make me happy.  I like the snow of winter.  It is very beautiful.  Nakagawa has Iwabuyama.  It wears various clothes.  And it has various expressions.  They make me cheerful.  And they look after me.  We must protect Iwabuyama.  It is home for us forever.

SY

I’m glad because I became a junior high school student in Nakagawa.  Our students are good at greeting.  It is the pride of our school.  It is a habit for us.  Thanks to Nakagawa junior high school, I can greet every day.  Greetings are very good because it can move the hearts of many people.  And we can communicate. Greetings make us happy.  I’m happy too.  If my friend greets me, I’m very happy.  It is the same for many people, too.  We can make good friends by greeting.  My friends are very kind.  They help me when I am in trouble.  They helped me a lot in club activities.  So they are important for me.  But my family is important to me, too.  My family supported me when I was in trouble.  So I can get over these times.  So I want to say, “Thank you.” to my family someday.  My family is very kind.  I’m proud of my family.  Nakagawa junior high school is the pride of Nakagawa.  Nakagawa elementary school too.  We are sad because Nakagawa junior high school will leave from Nakagawa.  But it continues to exist in our heart.

MY

I made a movie a bout Nakagawa in the school festival.  There is a lot of beautiful nature in Nakagawa.  When I made a mover, I thought so again.  Many wonderful flowers bloom in spring.  They make me smile. I can see the mountain of green.  I feel happy. 

Many leaves become red orange and yellow in fall.  I calm down.  Mountains put on snow in winter.  There are very bright. 

Nakagawa has many wonderful views.  I have seen them since I was born.  I have never for gotten the beautiful nature.  I think they are the most beautiful.  I want to keep them.  I want to leave them.  I’m happy and glad because my home town is Nakagawa.  I like Nakagawa very much.  If someone says “What are good places in your home town?”  I’ll answer them.  It is the beautiful nature.  I can see every day.  I like them very much.  I can be proud of beautiful nature in my home town.

I've experienced double standards in relationships, in how men have several partners but "respectable" women cannot.  My brother has embraced these standards and I hope to change his way of thinking as well as the thinking of all men. 

I have no clue why sex is a taboo.  It seems like such a positive thing that people can share with others and it is through its perversion that it becomes something negative.  Maybe it's because people are naked but again this seems perfectly natural. 

I believe that this will be one of the most crazy, beautiful, passionate explosive, and meaningful things I will ever do in college, and probably even my life.  I have never been one who can "be me" without being on thinking who everyone but me thinks I am.  I believe that talking about something that no one else can control will bring out from within me the strong, empowered lion queen that I am.  I want my passions and my love to overwhelm me so that I have to roar, yell, scream and take my life back who knows, maybe it never left. 

I, personally, feel proud when I say vagina.  I mean if it weren't for vaginas, I, along with everyone else in this world wouldn't be here sharing all of life's beauty.  I don't understand how anyone could possibly be ashamed of or embarrassed by having one, let alone in saying vagina.

V-day is a form of empowerment for women, a chance for women to talk about issues that are sometimes hard to express or tell someone.  It's an opportunity to open up.

I think this experience will make me a stronger person and more open to share stories. 

I don't think my involvement in the Vag Mono. will affect others perception of me; I am very vocal about vaginas, but I hope to gain more confidence in the realm of public speaking. This is my last year of undergrad--I'm trying new things!

Until I came to Saint Mary's, I only ever had one friend who was comfortable talking about vaginas-her own or others'-and this was after she and her mother had seen the vagina monologues in Reno!  Most women are taught by society's code of silence that vagina is a dirty word, and especially being raised in a modest Catholic Family,  After being involved in the Vagina Monologues last year I now ADORE talking about vaginas, saying the word, and doing what I can to support vagina-related issues whenever I can. 

I want to do a higher energy piece, something funny and upbeat after my two sad pieces last year. 

-Sharon K. Sobotta

The summer that has just passed us will likely be remembered as a season of unrest. Michael Jackson died at age 50 of sudden cardiac arrest, just days before his revitalization world tour, Farah Faucett lost her public battle with cancer, as did Patrick Swayze. Demonstrators who disputed the election died for their cause in Iran. After I finished a summer of self-discovery in Indonesia, more than 1,000 people lost their lives there due to a natural disaster. Middle and working class Americans continue to struggle to make ends meet as employers distribute rounds of pink slips. Everyone is either doing more with less or experiencing the impact of others who are doing more with fewer resources. We are reminded that we are nothing more than tiny pieces of the universe.

As spring turned to summer, I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach and a suffocating pressure in my chest. I wasn’t having a heart attack or developing a stomach ulcer. Every fiber of my body and soul was telling me that it was time for me to leave, not in the typical-- weekend in New York, day in LA, week in Wisconsin-- kind of way. It had to be substantial. I didn’t have an immediate heartbreak to escape, a spot that I was dying to volunteer at or a friend getting married abroad. My passport had expired and with the exception of a day trip over the border to Mexico, I hadn’t left the country in a full year. Perhaps it was the reality of knowing that without a valid passport, I couldn’t partake in a spur of the moment international trip, even if the opportunity arose, that put me over the edge. Staying in the United States for 15 straight months, while intentionally scheduling more-time with immediate family members, distant relatives and old friends, running a department single-handedly after the economic realities resulted in a temporary hiring freeze, and literally having nowhere to escape to when my oldest friend from high school abruptly disappeared from my life, pushed me further out of my comfort zone than any trip could ever have. I’ve learned from experience not to use as traveling as a vice for escape, but instead to embrace it as a temporary pause from life.

I decided to go somewhere I hadn’t been and do something new and then visit the countries that have most inspired me. This translated to studying traditional Indonesian dance in Bali, followed by five days in one of my favorite-- picturesque, laid back, go with the flow, drink tea and take life as it comes –places in the world a.k.a. Malaysia and finally some time in the country where my journey of life began—Japan.

Traveling solo, as a non-tourist, has proven time and time again to be the most enriching experience for me. In spite of my pale skin and blonde hair, I am often asked if I am a resident of the place I am in or an expatriate worker. Ironically it is Japan, the place that I have lived for a collective total of more than two years, the place where I studied, worked and speak the language of, the place that I have visited more times than I can count, the place where I feel most at home, that I am sometimes met with panic. ‘Omatase itashimashita. Irashaimase’ is followed by ‘Sanku you for waitingu, Werukamu,’ the Japanese followed by the katakana English equivalent of ‘Thank you for waiting; welcome,’ is followed by yokatta, nihongo wa daijyoubu desu ne (Great. You speak Japanese) and a sigh of relief. I also breath a sigh of relief as soon as it has been established that Japanese is the language we’ll be speaking. On my journey to Japan for the first leg of my flight, I was seated in the middle of two Chinese people, who were mistaken by both me and the flight attendant staff for being Japanese. When flight attendants approached our row, it was the Chinese women who they initially addressed in Japanese not me. There’s nothing that can be done about this necessarily. It is an unfortunate reality of having no visible indicator of the language that you speak.

After enjoying a 24 hour layover at Hotel Nikko Narita, preparing my radio story about the impact Michael Jackson’s death had on Japan from my hotel room, I was writing about cultural/lingual assumptions when a kind almost 80-year old lady sat down beside me and started talking to me. The woman took for granted that I spoke Japanese and launched directly in to conversation. ‘I’m almost 80, but I’ve never been sick in my life. I was a school teacher and so was my dad,’ she told me. She was ecstatic when I told her that my mom and sister were also school teachers. I put my computer away and gave her my undivided attention. Not once during the conversation did she ever question why I spoke Japanese; she just talked. ‘Tomodachi ni narimashita yo (I made a friend),’ she told her daughter and granddaughter when they came to join us. When it was time to part ways, it was me who requested to take a picture together, so I could remember the special serendipitous moment. As I walked away, I felt like the entire purpose of my first 24-hour layover in Japan had been defined in that simple moment.

When I arrived back in Japan after discovering new depths of myself in Indonesia and reuniting with several old friends in Malaysia, I immediately reported to the Swine Flu check station so I could confirm that my sneezes, my cough and my drippy nose was merely a cold. I found a rental phone, bought a bullet train ticket and hopped in a train for Yamagata. As I sat in the train, the contemplative feelings of whether or not going all the way to Yamagata was the right thing to do, melted into a feeling of assuredness and confidence.

When I arrived at Tendou station, two of my closest friends who happen to have the same name, Nami and Nami picked me up. We then headed directly to a cake shop to pick out three slices of cake that would pair up with tea and chat time. It had been more than two years since we had a chance to spend time together, so we had a lot of catching up to do. We talked about everything from relationships to our old memories of hanging out together. There is something beautiful about connecting with old friends and discussing the universal topics of love, dreams and memories in a language other than your native one. After we finished our cake, we brought the Tokyo-bound Nami to the train station and my best friend Nami and I stood doing the traditional wave, which means that you keep smiling and waving until the train is completely out of sight. Later that evening as Nami and I dined at a curry house with her new husband Kensukei and I watched the chemistry between them as they discussed their students and exchanged stories and work advice, I felt inspired by the chemistry between them and decided that marriage should stay within the realm of possibility for me. For the rest of the week, I accompanied Nami to school and helped her teach English class. I helped her student named Saori with recitation practice and helped Keiya write his speech. Keiya was the son of factory workers and was not necessarily on the college-track, but was the most respectful student I’d ever met. In the evenings, Nami, Kensukei and I did the simplest things. One night we put on cute outfits, found a laundry mat that was conveniently located next to a nomiyasan (drinking and dining place) and drank, ate, chatted and did laundry all at the same time. We taught by day and then visited an onsen or tried out a new restaurant by night or sometimes, we took the day off of work and shopped, ate sushi, had tea and dessert and did more work like refine Keiya’s speech further and work on radio stories.

Our work paid off and Keiya won the contest.

I bid Nami and Kensukei farewell just in time to grab the bullet train back to Tokyo. Once inside, I noticed three 30-something year old men who were happily chatting, snacking and enjoying beer. I felt happy to see such a profound bond between three old friends. The laughing had a meditative quality as it blended into the background. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, an old man appeared and began scolding the three men, insisting that if they didn’t quiet down, he would punch them or kill them. He returned three more times. On his third visit, one of the men apologized profusely, bought him a drink and then accompanied him back to his seat. By the end of the trip back to Tokyo, the grumpy old man had become friends with one of the men that he had threatened to kill. I couldn’t help smiling about the beautiful moment.

I missed the Tokyo-Nami’s phone call in the midst of my norikai (train change) to Asakasa and assumed that we had missed each other. Then, while trudging along with my luggage that had grown even more, I literally collided with Nami. We went out for Okinawan food and drinks and chatted further about relationships and interesting memories in Japan. Again, I was reminded that pretty much everything in life happens for a reason.

I got into the onsen (community bath) in my inn, tucked myself into my futon and woke up to my final traditional Japanese breakfast—salmon, rice, nato, salad, yogurt and tea. As I boarded the train to the airport, I realized that I had been transformed. Rather than resisting the immense amount of structure that comes along with Japanese society and determines the details and the decision-making process, I embraced it. The sleepless nights that I spent helping my friend prepare her student’s speeches paid off and her student won the contest. When I watched Nami’s students go through their semester closing ceremony, I saw pride in their faces and it was all worth it.

The universe has a way of working with us if we let it. We can either resist it or embrace it. While traveling won’t allow us to escape for life, it certainly promises to provide insight about our own lives. Life is a journey. Have a great trip!

Hi Everyone,

            My name is Jennifer Kennedy. I am a senior at Saint Mary’s College of California. I am a Communication major and a Creative Writing minor. Soon, I will be writing a blog on this site titled “Jenn’s Corner: Gender Politics and Hip Hop.” This semester, I am taking a Communication class about social justice and hip hop. This blog is apart of the experience as a member of this class. We have each chosen our own projects and our topics to partake in. I plan to discuss through this blog, linked to my school’s Women’s Resource Center (WRC), the portrayals of women and sexism in mainstream hip hop, how sexism is addressed through hip hop, and finally some of the positive images of women in hip hop, particularly in non-mainstream hip hop and politically conscious artists. I would like to provide a space for people to comment back to me about my blogs, so that my blog space can become a discussion board between viewers of the webpage, not just me rambling about my opinions. I want to welcome everyone to challenge my opinions, add to my opinions, bring up their own topics, and so on. I would also like to encourage people to submit any creative writing or spoken word pieces they have written regarding sexism or hip hop. I plan to attend some WRC events, particularly ones where students are encouraged to write or share their own work, so that I can find pieces to post on my blog. (By the way, you are welcome to post anonymously). You can submit your work to me at hiphopjenn@gmail.com (This is not my personal e-mail, but an e-mail set up specifically for this blog). Please stay tuned for my blog page. And please spread the word to your friends if this is a topic of your or their interest.

            Now after explaining what I am going to do, many of you may be wondering what interest does a “white girl” from Sonoma County have in hip hop? First of all, I have always had an interest in issues around gender and women’s rights. I volunteered in high school at the National Women’s History Project. Last semester, I developed a particular interest in all that the Women’s Resource Center on campus had to offer. As for the hip hop aspect of my blog, my freshman year of high school, a competitive hip hop dance group came and performed at my high school. Instantly I fell in love with the dance. I begged my mom for classes and I actually went to the same dance studio the group was from. Ever since then, I’ve been in love with hip hop, particularly dance. Now, since I’ve taken this hip hop and social justice class my eyes have been opened to even more aspects of the hip hop culture. I am, also, currently the Public Relations officer of a hip hop dance group on campus called Pulses. Although I may not be the most knowledgeable about hip hop and the culture surrounding it, I am interested and passionate to learn and explore. So please join me in my blog coming soon….

For now check out the following artists: Ise Lyfe (particularly the song “beautiful”), Talib Kweli, and Michael Franti.