Day 7: Off to Ogi, Saga

We broke off into our smaller groups of 20, said goodbye to the others, and headed in different directions. Some groups hopped on buses, some on bullet trains, and some, like my group, on airplanes. By the end of the day, teachers from the United States were in 10 different cities, including Aomari, Okara, Tome, and Matsumoto, which is Salt Lake City’s sister city. We were the furthest south out of all of the groups when we arrived in the Saga prefecture. The plane ride took us right by Mt. Fuji, offering an excellent view at the majestic volcano. We landed in Fukuoka and drove about an hour and a half through tree-covered hills and open countryside. Rice patties were being prepared for planting in every direction. The weather was warmer and even more humid than Tokyo.

Our hotel is in Saga, the capitol of Saga Prefecture. Saga is on an open plain between the mountains and ocean. It has a history of 3,000 years. Saga played an important role in opening Japan to world trade. Ogi is a smaller town about 20 minutes north, nestled against lush green hills. Ogi is our host city, but we are staying in Saga because there are no hotels in Ogi. After arriving, we set out to find a place to eat. Saga is much smaller than Tokyo. I would compare it to Provo or Ogden. By 6:00 most businesses are closing. We found a little hole in the wall restaurant that looked really tasty. Unfortunately, the waitresses had no idea what we were saying and we ended up with food we didn’t order. Luckily it was still pretty darn good.