On September 7^th, 24 fifth grade students and their teacher visited the Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center to learn about the various rocks that can be found around Samani. Hokkaido is still under a State of Emergency due to COVID-19, so there were several preventative measures in place during this field trip.

The students prepared questions before they came, and I did my best to answer them while showing them around the facility. The students learned all about fossils, limestone, porphyrite, peridotite, gold dust and more.

One of the students asked, "How big is peridotite?" So, we went outside to see a large peridotite specimen and to enjoy the surrounding scenery. (Photo below)

I asked the students how they came up with their questions and everyone was able to explain their thought process. The students were well behaved and took turns viewing the various rock specimens in the Visitor Center.

For the first time, we held an online learning course from a kelp drying bed in Hokkaido, Samani's Fuyushima district for the Himeshima Junior High School students in Oita prefecture. The village of Himeshima is also part of Oita Himeshima Geopark.

The Himeshima JH 1st graders have been learning about the branding of Himeshima Hijiki and they wanted to compare it to Hidaka Kelp. We received a request for the online learning course in order for the students to connect with a kelp fisherman. During the planning stage, however, it was then requested that we expand the topics to also include kelp harvesting and drying, Ainu place names, and peridotite, a rock found deep within the earth.

Sun dried Hidaka Kelp

This was our first attempt at such a project and it required a large amount of preparation.　We asked the geopark guides/staff and local fishermen for advice, all while testing out the broadcast connection, writing a script, planning for inclement weather, learning how to use various equipment and coming up with effective explanations.

The learning course was held on August 30th. It was broadcast from an area next to the Taisho Tunnel in Samani's Fuyushima district. It was a bit windy, as you can see from the photos, but otherwise we were blessed with fair weather.

Before holding the online course, we sent kelp and peridotite samples to the Himeshima JH students to have on hand while watching the broadcast. The students were quite surprised then they unfurled the rolled-up kelp to its normal 2-meter length.
Is this a rose!? It's just rolled-up kelp. It even included the root.

We wanted to show how kelp is harvested and dried, but were unable to do so. Kelp is only harvested during a short period of time, just 20 days out of the year. You might say you'd be lucky to actually see it happening. The ocean waves were too high for harvesting kelp on the day of the learning course. After we showed the students the drying beds and the surrounding scenery, they watched a video that introduced kelp harvesting, filmed by the Samani PR Division. The students were surprised to find that everything is done by hand and that the boats will go out to harvest and pull in kelp more than 5 times in a day.

Here is a link to the kelp fishing video. Please watch it if you are interested in how Hidaka kelp is harvested from the ocean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Adwc9IsQmI

Kelp harvesting (July 16, 20021)

We received some commentary from the students about how it's fun to learn something that you never knew. They were also impressed that we could connect to each other via the internist regardless of how far Oita prefecture is from Hokkaido.

The students also had several questions concerning resource management for Hidaka kelp, how the earth and kelp are connected, the ecology of kelp, other Samani local specialties, and about the 2nd year harvesting of kelp. You could tell that they were paying close attention and showed lots of interest in the subject matter.

Hand-picked kelp (July 19, 2021)

Here are a few things that we realized after the learning course was over:

1) It's easier to understand when the materials are at hand

2) Use easy to understand videos that can also be used as supplementary materials in case of bad weather

3) This led to a rediscovering of Hidaka kelp

4) Sometimes it's hard to hear with words alone

We were worried that it might not go well, but in the end, it was quite fun!

This initiative was also shared on the Oita Himeshima Geopark homepage, please check it out.

https://www.himeshima.jp/geopark-news/geopark-topics/r30830gakushu/

On Friday, August 27^th, I accompanied the Samani Elementary 4^th graders while they climbed Mt. Apoi. They were originally supposed to make the hike at the beginning of May, but due to a government mandated State of Emergency, it was postponed.

The Samani Elementary students, from grades 3 to 6, all climb Mt. Apoi as part of their curriculum. The 4^th grader's goal was to reach the summit, and the theme of their hike was plants. The geopark guide pointed out various flowers as we hiked up the mountain.

The 4^th graders enjoyed ringing the bear bells (5^th station).

View of the summit from the 8^th station. There is fog surrounding the summit which was a complete opposite from the sunny 1^st station. It was a bit windy and chilly towards the top.

Japanese Pepper tree

This signboard has been clawed many times by bears. There's also some bear fur that remains attached to the sign.

There aren't as many flowers to see below the 8^th station, but I will introduce what we did find.

Miyamauzura

Kinrobai

Umebachiso

Shakunage

Daimonjiso

Benihikage butterfly

The 4^th graders were great at finding things and pointing them out to me. We also encountered squirrels and a snake skin. I haven't had the opportunity to hike Mt. Apoi much during summer, so it was a nice change and a fun day.

Elementary students from the Tokachi Shikaoi Geopark came to Samani to observe the inner workings of the Earth while searching for the secrets behind peridotite rock and the fault line where two continental plates once collided. It also happened to be summer vacation.

The one thing that excited them the most was seeing the ocean. The town of Shikaoi in the Tokachi region is removed from the sea, while Samani is right along the Pacific Ocean coastline. The students were able to experience the differences between Shikaoi and Samani, understand the various movements of the earth, and made new discoveries that connect back to their hometown.

A typhoon was approaching, so the wind picked up and the waves were high along the coastline of Fuyushima. The weather was fine, perfect for a summer trip to the sea. Some of the students ran out to get a closer look.

Inside the Visitor Center

After walking around the plate boundary, we headed to Horoman Gorge. When we were along the coast there was a pleasant breeze, but in Horoman Gorge there was no wind and hardly any shade... the students did their best to collect rock samples in spite of the conditions. The students were also able to see kelp being drying in the sun, the Taisho tunnel, butterfly shells, and Ezo deer.

Even though the students were traveling within the same prefecture, it's still 2.5 hours' drive one-way from Shikaoi to Samani. This was only a day trip so the students were getting ready to make the return trip back to Shikaoi. Everyone worked hard throughout the hot weather. I'm sure it was physically challenging, but overall, it was a very enjoyable summer day.

In early July we held the 5th monitoring tour for international visitors. In continuing this series of monitoring tours, the first four were all based on existing tour courses, however, this time we created a brand-new course, the first of its kind, the "Best of Samani" tour. This course was created based off of feedback we had received from the participants of the previous monitoring tours. A one-day course to see the best that Samani has to offer. Perfect for visitors who only have a limited amount of time to explore the geopark.

The morning started off overcast with Mt. Apoi hidden behind a curtain of fog. The participants met with the geopark guides in front of town hall and immediately headed to the Mt. Apoi Geopark Visitor Center to get an overview of the geopark. The guides used the new projection mapping display to show the participants the tour route we would be taking that day.

Next, we headed to Mt. Kannon where we were greeted by some young fox kits relaxing in the parking area. Here the participants learned more about the history of Mt. Kannon and the 33 Kannon statues that are enshrined there. We climbed up to the observation deck just in time for the fog to thin and catch a glimpse of Mt. Apoi.

After Mt. Kannon we headed to the Ainu chise located in the Okada district of Samani. This is a traditionally built Ainu building. The roof and walls are made from reeds that were taken from the nearby Samani River. Since the reeds are hollow it makes for excellent insulation in summer and winter. We were able to go inside this traditional Ainu building and see how it was constructed and learn about the different rites and ceremonies that are conducted inside. Even though the sun had come out and it was starting to warm up outside, it was nice and cool inside the chise.

We were closing in on lunch time, so after a quick restroom break we went to the Samani Dam for a very special lunch. Everyone sat down at a small gazebo right next to the dam and eagerly opened up the Apoi Dream Bento boxed lunches. These boxed lunches are designed by the Samani Junior High School students and made from locally sourced ingredients like Apoi Rice, salmon, and sea whelk. It was a wonderful assortment! After everyone finished eating, I began preparing for a special outdoor tea ceremony for the participants to experience some traditional Japanese culture. The participants enjoyed the outdoor tea ceremony in the beautiful weather.

After lunch our guide explained a little about the dam then we headed towards the Samani Folk Museum. Some of the exhibits are in the middle of being renewed, but we were still able to hear more about the history of Samani and see some of the Ainu artifacts.

After visiting the Folk Museum, we went to nearby Cape Enrumu. By this time the clouds and fog gave way to clear blue skies and we were rewarded with a wonderful view of Mt. Apoi and the surrounding area.

The last stop was Oyako-iwa Fureai Beach, where the participants learned the Ainu legend behind the Parent-Child Rocks. We sat down to enjoy a new treat, Mokka Butter Cream Sandwiches in strawberry and kelp flavors that is now being sold in the geopark. Afterwards the participants took off their shoes and headed down to the beach to look for seashells. We found a variety of things including a starfish, a washed-up jellyfish, sand dollar, and goose barnacles. The cold ocean water felt food, and it was a relaxing end to a whirlwind tour of Samani and the geopark.


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