There are no words...

A quick recap of yesterday:

We started off the morning at the US Embassy where we were briefed on the state of agricultural trade and affairs between the US & Japan. We spent the afternoon and evening at the headquarters of Mitsui, our sponsor for this trip. After our meetings with Mitsui they hosted a reception where we got to meet and hang out with several of their junior staff members, who are close to my age. It was fun to visit with them and learn from them.

I tried a sushi roll with salmon eggs. My Mitsui friend was very nervous for me, but I ate it like a champ.

Mitsui Junior staff

TODAY

Today was a very special day - one that I think will be hard to top! I think it's hard to describe what we experienced today in words, but I'll give it a stab. (That's why there are lots of pictures, which also don't do the day justice).

This morning we left our hotel at 5 am for the Tsukiji fish market - the largest market of its kind in the world! The place was already busy when we got there way before dawn. As we walked down the streets of Tokyo we could smell the fish several blocks away from the actual market. We arrived and walked through a maze of allies packed with small shops like the one below: already open and preparing for a busy day.


Then we made our way to a warehouse. As we stepped in we saw a floor that was lined with fresh tuna ready for auction:

There were men running around everywhere, examining the tuna closely and taking notes on which ones they wanted to bid on:

It also seemed like a social affair as many of them visited and laughed together. It's clear they work together often. But then, the bells started ringing and things got serious. Everyone started dashing for the lines of tuna they wanted to bid on and the auction started. As they auctioned it sounded more like a song or tribal chant than our auctioneers.
Below: an auctioneer with a bell.

After that we made our way to another warehouse full of frozen tuna:

As we left that warehouse I heard a guy talking to a japanese man about how the acution worked, and I looked up and one foot away from me was Zac Effron! No kidding! And then I looked to my left and there was Vanessa Hudgens! I was being pushed out the door and didn't get to say anything or get a picture, but we saw them again later in the market and Regina snapped a couple photos of them.

This is where the tuna goes: (this market is right outside the warehouse)

In the alley/market place there were small restaraunts. We went into one and the 12 of us litterally packed the place - there was only a bar to sit at. We had a very expensive breakfast - tons of:

Sushi. Yeah - kind of strange at 6:30 am, but I ate a lot!

This afternoon we went to the home and farm of the Hagiwara family. This is Mr. Hagiwara, a 13th generation farmer!

He and his family were absolutely wonderful. We met the whole family, including his son Aaoi:

When we first arrived they showed us how to make "sticky rice" balls - a very traditional food in Japan. Here is his mom steaming rice (this is in their front yard):

The rice was put in a stump that was carved into a big bowl:

Then we took turns pounding it!

Then we went inside their home (a very traditional and beautiful Japanese home) where Mrs. Hagawara prepared lunch for us (including sticky rice balls made out of the rice we helped make outside). It was very special - the food was wonderful and everything we ate came from their farm (and was all organic). They definitely welcomed us as family at their table.

They also showed us many family heirlooms that are very old, including this pipe below:

Then we toured the farm - the grow a number of things there, including organic vegetables and herbs. I really liked this old van that had been converted into a storage place for tools:

We spent several hours walking around their farm, and down neighboring paths. We visited with the family and especially played with Aaoi who was so fun and energetic. He was such a great reminder that people are the same no matter where you go. He had no idea that we were Americans trying to learn a new culture - he just climbed in our laps, ran, and played with us all afternoon.

Aaoi and his grandma:

One of their neighbors working on her farm: (I think she thought we were crazy for taking pictures of her) She rattled on in japanese to Nessie and I as if we could understand even when we kept shrugging our shoulders - but she just smiled and kept talking.

We made our way to a playground where the officers had a lot of fun:

We were all very sad when we had to leave. It's incredible how quickly you can bond with people - even people very different from you - when you have open hearts and open minds.