For most residents, yesterday’s feast feature turkey with all the trimmings. But for Sharpsburg’s Robin Merriman, the meal was probably closer to sushi and noodles.

Merriman spent his Thanksgiving touring the Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan as part of a cultural exchange between the U.S. and Japan. Merriman teaches fourth grade at Ruth Hill Elementary and is one of three Georgia teachers spending nearly two weeks in the far East, thanks to a grant from the Fulbright Memorial Fund.

“It’s just been an unbelievable trip so far,” Merriman said this week in a call from Japan.

The Sharpsburg resident has been overwhelmed by the “unbelievable courtesy” that’s everyone has extended.

“Everyone has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome,” he said.

Earlier this week, Merriman went to Hiroshima and was slated to spend more time there yesterday. The group is also headed to an island of the coast of Japan and has already visited an elementary school and has noticed some differences.

“Each day the students spend 30 minutes cleaning the school. This includes the classrooms, stairwells, bathrooms, etc. It's just part of their day. Today they cleaned from 5-5:30 p.m. But their day was not over yet. they still had club practice after that,” he wrote in his blog at robinmerriman.blogspot.com.

One of the big differences in the two cultures is food, but Merriman said he’s surviving just fine.

“I’m almost a vegetarian, so rice, noodles and fish are great for me,” he said.

He is used to big, hearty bread, but said in Japan, the bread is more light and airy. Another difference is how food is selected at some restaurants.

“Several of us went out to get some sushi for dinner. The place we went to had a conveyor belt that carried the different types of sushi around in a circle. You just take off the ones you want. They have a small computer chip in each plate that differentiates the types. When you are done they simply scan your plates and print out what you owe. Pretty cool,” he wrote.

After touring the country and the schools, Merriman can’t wait to get back to his students and impart some of the knowledge he has learned.

“I’ve already loaded up with plenty of souvenirs for my students and will have plenty to share with them,” he added.

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