Providing education is not a business at India International School in Japan

This is the second post about India International School in Japan (IISJ) in this blog. The first post was before more than two and a half years after a visit to the school when my elder daughter joined the kindergarten. Now the reason behind this post is the queries raised by some of the visitors to this blog through blog comments and personal e-mails.

I have received both good and bad comments about the school. Some commentators were rude to scold me for writing good things about the school. In that post I tried to see the good things of the school. I don’t really want to reply to those negative comments received earlier since reply to a negative thing will also be a negative thing.

One thing we need to realize is the availability of such a facility in a far away land for Indian children. The approximate number of Indians in Japan may come around 27,000. Most of them are bachelors. Those with children were facing problem due to lack of schools based on Indian syllabus. Most of the Indian professionals stay in Japan for a shorter period and they need to return to the country. Continuing education in India, once they return back was solved by the presence of Indian schools in Tokyo. Indians living in other parts of Japan does not have this opportunity.

Ropeway trip from Nihondaira to Kunozan Toshogu Shrine

One of the possible options to reach at the Toshogu shrine dedicated to the Tokugawa Ieyasu, the great emperor of Japan, is to ride a bus from JR Shizuoka station to the Kunozan Yamashita. As the name indicates, Kunozan yamashita bus stop is at the bottom of the hill Kunozan. From the bottom of the hill, 1159 steps goes to the shrine at the top of the hill. That would have been more adventurous, but it might be a too difficult task for children. Moreover, the aerial ropeway ride would be more exciting to the children.

Frequency of buses are not so good from JR Shizuoka station to the Nihondaira hill top from where the ropeway starts. As per the instruction from the tourist information center located near to the ticket gate of JR Shinkansen line, we boarded the bus at 9:27 AM. The bus fare is 550 Yen per adult. The bus fare can be paid inside the bus before getting down. Even if you don't know how to pay, the driver will help.

The bus journey takes around 35 minutes from JR Shizuoka station to the Nihondaira ropeway iriguchi (entrance station). There is a zoo in between JR Shizuoka station and Nihondaira hill top with approx. 800 varieties of animals. If time permits it is worth to get down and visit the zoo. We could see the entrance of Nihondaira gakuin university on the way to the hill. The road to the hill top is with many curves and zig-zag. Persons with trouble of vomiting during travel has to take care by keeping a towel or anti-vomit medications during the bus ride.

The exotic beaches and the warm hospitality of Japanese people at Shimizu

It was around 3:00 PM when we reached at the JR Shimizu station JR Shimizu station is approximately ten minutes journey from JR Shizuoka station on the way towards Hamamatsu in the JR line and is the third station from JR Shizuoka.

We were little confused after coming out of the ticket gate on the exit that goes to Kashi no-chi market, which is a fish market. After trying to locate the road by ourselves, we decided to approach some one local standing in the bus stop. He guided us to the west exit of JR Shimizu station by coming with us so that he might have thought the foreigners should not waste time again from enjoying the scenic beauty of his place.

We got down through the elevator to the ground and walked 5 minutes to reach to the Kashi-no-uchi fish market. As per our plan made after researching on the internet, we were supposed to find a water-bus service behind the fish market. Since we could not find it by ourselves, we asked an old woman standing in front of the fish market. Since she was not sure of the timings of the water bus that goes from the behind of Kashi-no-uchi market to the S-Plus Dream plaza, she took us to an Ojii-san who was guiding the cars going and coming from the parking lot. After explain where we want to go and how, the Ojii-san told the old woman to stay at his place and told us to accompany him.

We could see a water-bus leaving the barbor just a few minutes ago when we reached there. The water-bus stop (Water bus noriba) behind the Kashi-no-uchi market is a small place that it is difficult to recognize it as a place of boarding. The frequency of service is also less. We need to wait 40 minutes for another boat. So Ojii-san advised us to catch a taxi or bus from there to go to the S-Plus Dream plaza. He showed me the number to be called for the taxi and when I dialed it in the mobile, he talked on behalf of me to tell the location where we stand. The taxi charge we paid to travel from Kashi-no-uchi market to the S-Pulse Dream Plaza was 800 Yen. The Ojii-san and Obaa-chaan helped us generously to locate the place and get there without loosing much time during our one day exploration of Shizuoka.

One day trip to Shizuoka by Shinkansen

Inside the Tokyo station, there are separate counters for the reservation and ‘today's booking’ of Shinkansen tickets. While spending 5 minutes in search of the counter for reservation, I approached the information center, which is near to the counters that sells tickets for today's travel.

Though Shinkansen ticket charges are expensive compared to the normal type of JR tickets, it is worth enjoying the luxury and speed. If we travel alone and does not matter when to start and when to come back home, JR or other freelance transportation methods may be the preferred choices. Elder daughter was insisting on travel to some place by Shinkansen and we decided to go to Shizuoka. We had decided to cover maximum spots of attractions in Shizuoka in one day with children. The ticket was reserved on the Hikari Shinkansen at 8:03 in the morning.

There are three types of Shinkansens based on the speed and number of stations they stop. The fastest is the Nozomi. Nozomi stops at very few stations (big cities) and runs faster than other shinkansens. It was the fastest train until we hear more higher speeds from China. The second fastest in Japan, the Hikari stops at limited number of stations. Since Shinkansen get more travelers from Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama stations, The Hikari Shinkansen stops at Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama on its way to Shizuoka being the third stop. It covers almost 180 kilometers in 73 minutes.

Rinkai Koen Tokyo sealife aquarium and diamond and flower ferris wheel

Though it was a sunny day, the Rinkai Koen was reasonably crowded. We preferred to visit there after the lunch. As the climate was not kind enough to allow for an outdoor walking we headed to the aquarium, which is known as Tokyo Sealife Aquarium.

Children enjoyed walking around inside the aquarium. We could see lot of tuna fishes and other sea creatures. The aquarium also have penguins and seabirds. At a specially made water tank, children can touch fishes with their hands.

Rinkai Koen’s Giant wheel, which is called the Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel has been visible to us from our apartment. Ever since we shifted to the apartment in Edogawa-ku, we have been thinking of making a visit to Rinkai koen. The Diamond and Flower Ferris Wheel is believed to be the second tallest ferris wheel in Japan. Tokyo bay, Disneyland etc. are visible clearly from the top of the Ferris wheel. On a clear day, Mount Fuji can also be seen from the top.