Konichiwa!

Mrs. Anna showed our troop just a few of the many mementos of her years in Japan. There were kimonos and yukatas with obis, and wooden sandals. We all decided the shoes looked hard to walk in.

She also shared a few of her dolls and books. We talked about festivals and ceremonies. Mrs. Anna told us about school-life and what kids do there. We found out that their houses are different from ours, especially the bathrooms.

A few minutes were devoted to talking about Girl Scouts in Japan. We found out that they do many of the same things we do. They like to do crafts and make things; they go camping; sing songs; and take trips to fun places. We found out that not everyone in Japan has the opportunity to be a Girl Scout. There are only a few troops in an area, and some towns don't have any troops. The Girl Scout uniforms are blue; Brownie uniforms are red. (But they are still called Brownies!)

As a special treat, Mrs. Anna and two of our Brownies prepared some great food for our troop. They fixed us ocha (green tea) and yakisoba (fried noodles). We also had vegetarian sushi. Everybody received a pair of chopsticks to eat with (and take home). We also tried nashi (Japanese apples); and the meal ended with some Japanese candy.

We even learned some Japanese words: Konichiwa (good day), domo arigato (thank you), neko which says "niaou" (cat), and inu which says "wan wan" (dog).

The visit was a very special way for our troop to have a "Taste of Japan". We were lucky to have Mrs. Anna join us, and share with us.