Brainstorming for more guidebook pages

Thanks to Les' suggestion I didn't have to sit and copy all these notes out by hand! Just in case you can't read my chicken-scratch writing, here are the great ideas you all came up with:

- Futon page: how to set out/put away a futon; good/bad points of futons (make list box for reader to write his ideas)
- Bus page: how to pay / day passes / etiquette (give up seat for old people, etc.)
- Sumo: rules, names for the various moves/ranks; maybe some famous wrestler trivia?
- Souvenir page: list of ideas for gifts --> suggest ¥100 shop for cheap souvenirs
- Jan-Ken-Pon page: how to play, variations
- Japanese sweets: info about various sweets and a chart/rating system; advice on where to buy
- Japanese slang: see Richie's page
- World Heritage sites in Japan
- Famous Japanese festivals
- Japanese Anime/Manga/Movies: Info page; recommend a manga in English and where to buy



- Japanese money: different coins/notes; saying big numbers/prices
- Day in the life of a modern Japanese family
- Japanese animal sounds
- A Japanese game with rules: Kendama? Tell where to buy one


So next week we're going to work with partners (or individually if you like) to sketch out our page ideas / layout with paper and pencil. If you have any more great ideas for other pages, write them as a comment to this blog post

Christmas Pageant link

I was just looking for a link to the video I posted of the Christmas Pageant but I can't find it. I think I e-mailed it to everyone instead of posting it here. Just in case you want to look at it again, you can click here --> Christmas Pageant Video

Homework - let's try blogging

Hi everybody. It was great to see all of you last week! I think we had a great talk and lots of good ideas about what to do this year. I am especially excited about our ideas for fund raising for a field trip! I am also keen to see you guys develop more interesting and fun pages for the Mission Guide. Let's get started sketching out those ideas in our next class.

I heard you all saying that you really like using the computer, and I think it was Richie (or maybe Ren) who remembered writing comments on this blog a while ago (well, perhaps about TWO YEARS ago!! That's a while, isn't it?!)

So, for your homework this week I'd like all the members of the Red group and the Blue group to respond to this:

In this blog's "comments" section, please write at least TEN sentences about your plans for 2011. Write about things that are definitely going to happen, things that you and your family are planning to do, and things that you HOPE you can do. TEN sentences! Ok?

See you Saturday! (bring your ideas for more Mission Guide pages)

Happy New Year!

Hello, faithful blog checkers...

Just to let you know we are IN JAPAN now and are looking forward to seeing you all in Ropponmatsu on Saturday morning. Please come ready to share news about your winter holiday.

See you in the morning!