It was a pleasure to meet the students and teachers of Kureha Elementary School. It was nice that we could exercise through hiking, enjoy the lovely weather, and make new friends through this activity.
We looking forward to seeing you all in the next Kureha - Ikeda exchange program.

Almost all of the students came up by foot,
What a great autumn hike!
And what a great opportunity to meet new students.
This is the view from the Hinomaru Observation Deck

They are walking in groups.
The students are walking in small groups of 8 to 10 students comprising of students from both Kureha and Ikeda.
So far, so good.

The students are introducing each other, asking what they like, what they are good at, making nicknames.
Only youth are this good at communicating in an innocuous and innocent way. The natural, beauty of youth.

Good morning!
Today we hiking with Kureha Elementary School and climbing up the beautiful Mt Satsuki. Today will be a brisk walk to the Hinomaru Observation Deck with the 5th Graders from our sister school. Hopefully we can enjoy a lovely fall morning hike and create new bonds with students we will call classmates in just a few years.

We hope everyone is enjoying time with their families and resting their aching leg this weekend. It was a wonderfully memorable three days in Tottori for not only the students, but for the teachers and staff as well. Rest well and we are looking forward to seeing your happy, healthy, faces on Friday at 10:30 to 1:30.

?Hiking up Mr Daisen is a major reason that people come to the Daisen area, but there are many other things that people can do there.
People can warm up with a nice footbath at Daisen Fire Onsen Footbath.
Their is a very nice Natural History Museum of Daisen where you can learn the history of the local area.
http://daisen-museum.jp/
One can walk the beautiful path and visit the ancient Daisen Temple which has a history that dates back over 1300 years.
http://daisenji.jp/
Here students are using the post office and doing crafts.

We are back at the last rest stop before reaching Ikeda Elementary school. We are at Kasai Rest Stop now and we are sad that this Oudoor Education Camp is ending, but we are very much looking forward to seeing our parents, bathing in our own baths, and sleeping in our own beds.

We are once again back at Awakura Parking Area with their fancy restrooms.
After this, we will be at Kasai Parking area before getting back to Ikeda Elementary School.

We are having our last meal together at the Tottori Sand Dune Center. Many of the children seem to be very much enjoying this school trip, but they are all counting the hours before they can see their parents. Just a few more hours.

The photographers come along on all of our overnight school activities and have been doing so for decades.  Mr Gen and Mr Umura not only know the perfect places to take photos, but they also they run up and down the mountains to take photos of the first group and last group to ensure that everyone is photographed. It is quite amazing to see.  Due to working with our school and the schools of Ikeda City, they know most of the staff at the accommodations, the activities we will do, as well as the places we will go.  They are a treasure trove of information and they help to make sure everything is going quickly, safely and smoothly.  If you need to be photographed, I highly recommend using Omura Photography. Omura Photography ? 5.0★(3) ? Studio de photographieapp.goo.gl

There are two main ways of making fire, the percussion method in which two items are struck to make a spark, and the friction method in which two flammable materials are rubbed at high speeds.
Today, we are using a the pump drill method to make fire.
Many of the groups successfully made fire a few times while others tried to with little success.
Everyone focused on success that everyone enjoyed the process until it was time to leave.

The staff have given us a wonderful tour of the area, explaining how this site was found and how these Yayoi period huts were made.
If you would like to see what we’re seeing, you can watch with us through a VR Tour.

https://ar.lqd.jp/show/61603f405607a

We are now here and famous Mukibanda Yayoi Remains.  This is one of the most famous and researched historical sites in all of the nation.  Remains unearthed include earthenware, stone tools (cooking tools, agricultural tools, hunting tools, weapons), ironware (agricultural tools, weapons), and broken mirrors.むきばんだ史跡公園/とりネット/鳥取県公式サイトpref.tottori.lg.jp

This morning the students were awakened to Largo frm aus-extrait de ?Serse? followed by a a radio exercise. We are currently cleaning our rooms and getting ready for breakfast.

?The day is winding down for all of the children - the group leaders are getting instructions for the evening and the morning to share with their roommates; the students in the rooms are writing reflections of their day.
After this very long day, I’m sure these accommodations will be very quiet tonight.
Good night, and see you tomorrow.

After weeks of practicing and preparing, the 5th grade had their campfire activities. Each class performed dances so well that many the students that were watching stood up and danced along.
As the fire burned down, the students reflected on their day and gazed upon the star filled sky.

After hiking all day, everyone could barely wait for dinner.
Tonight classes 1 and 2 had a barbecue outside as classes 3 and 4 had sukiyaki indoors. To prepare for the barbecue, the teachers were preparing the barbecue pits an hour in advance.
Tonight, we sold out every piece of meat and every piece of vegetable so I think it went well. The students seemed to eat to their limit, but when it was time for the teachers to eat, the students wanted to have our BBQ too!

The students are bathing and giving their feet and legs a good bath, the adult are preparing for the barbecue and the evening fire.

After a beautiful hike down the mountain and through beautiful forests and Daisen Shrine, we are back at the hotel.
A warm thanks to Mr Nagatsuma and Mr Yoshino for guiding us safely all day long. It is thanks to them that all of the students were able to successfully complete the hike.