Memorable Fantastic Place

Memorable Fantastic Place

I went to the Portland Tour from November 18th to 21st. My Portland Tour was filled with satisfaction. Of course, I really enjoyed going shopping because there is no sales tax in Portland.(There is 8.7% tax in Spokane.) On the other hand, I learned a lot of new things. The most memorable things were Reed College, UWAJIMAYA and Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club. Through these activities, I could learn more about American culture.

First of all, I really enjoyed visiting Reed College. This college is a liberal arts college, and it is known as a very prestigious college. There is an unusual rule about dorms in this college. It says that all freshmen have to live in dorms at least one year. In addition, some bathrooms are used by both men and women. If I were a Reed College student, I couldn’t stand it. The student who introduced Reed College said they are used to it, but I might not be able to do it. However, I liked this College because of their policy. For example, they must study all kinds of good things even if they are not their major. The students have a chance to extend their view, so it is very effective for them. The most amazing thing is that the teachers trust the students, so they can take an exam anywhere the students want. I’ve never heard such an astonishing thing in Japan.


Next, when I visited UWAJIMAYA, I liked the atmosphere, because the shopping store’s style is very similar to the Japanese one. Almost all of the goods are Japanese products, so I felt Japanese. In the store, there is KINOKUNIYA: a book store that is familiar to Japanese people. The contents waft Japanese to us, but the attitude of the clerk was not Japanese style, so I was disappointed a little bit. The products were the same as Japan, but the prices were terrible. These products were one and a half times more expensive than those in Japan. However, the business may be prospering, so I thought Japanese products are recognized by people around the world.


Finally, I saw an ice hockey game at the Memorial Coliseum. I’d never seen it, so I didn’t know the rules even how many players there are on the ice. There were six players including a keeper, and they play ice hockey. The player can replace another player freely, so they changed by turns quickly. They skated gorgeously as they were shooting the puck with the stick. The most incredible part of the game is fights between the players. Sometimes the referees tried to stop the fight, but they couldn’t do that, so there were some fights during this game. One audience member who was in back of Barbara said that he’s never seen a lot of fights like that, so we must be lucky. It seemed that people hope to see fights between the players, because the audience was most excited when they saw the fights.


In conclusion, I could learn another side of American culture. These three things are part of the tour, and this was the study tour although I could really enjoy visiting several places. In my opinion, people tend to grow through new experiences, so this was a very good opportunity for me. There are some interesting and fun things in Portland, so I recommend you visit this town.