The second week of the JICA training course I am coordinating has just finished. Participants and I were in Tsukuba this week, and the curriculum included lectures at seed and seedling facilities, as well as facility tours and practical training. It has been hot all week, but as most of the activities were indoors, we managed to get through it safely.

At the welcome party, the participants enjoyed origami and calligraphy, as well as Japanese sweets and sake tasting in masu sake. Our team will soon be moving to Hiroshima and Okayama, where outdoor training will increase, so I want to be even more careful about managing participants and my health.