STUDENT’S IMPRESSION OF HIS JAPAN SCHOOL TRIP
Kindly provided by a student from Philips High School

From the moment you step off the plane and into the arrivals lounge, you can tell that you’re in Japan. Many first sights include, masses of vending machines covering every inch of wall, friendly locals leaving and arriving into the country, brightly coloured signs and more. Taking into account that Japan is one of the most advanced countries in the world, it still retains its traditional culture as a common practise. Firstly we set our sights towards the astounding city of Kyoto.
Weaving in and out of traffic along the brightly lit motorway, we caught our first glimpse of the Japanese countryside as we passed various rivers and woodland. These stunning vistas made us eager for more as the day moved on and fell dark. Upon leaving the marvellous sights, our eyes were averted to the hundreds of winking lights that glimmered before us; this was Kyoto, our first destination.

Kyoto – City of Culture

Kyoto is the seventh largest city in Japan with a population of over 1 million and yet it still holds the steady balance of traditional culture and modern life. It was amazing to see how alive this city is even after dark and the bright lights just beckon you to join in the action. Rows of brightly lit shops and stalls follow winding roads around the city, each with its own unique way of attracting you, whether it is the smell of food or the flash of a camera. Upon entering the city a friendly glow of light flows over you like a warm blanket, first instincts are ones to shop but common sense kicks in to tell you where you should be sleeping the night.

After we had found our stay in the ‘New Miyako Hotel’ we split up into groups and had a crack at finding a place to eat for our first night, typically I tried the local McDonalds to see if it was any different from back home, it wasn’t. However there were many other places to eat such as sushi bars, Italian restaurants, a donut shop and probably a lot more, most of us just felt a little queasy after seeing the sushi bar. With that in mind, we did eventually have sushi and it isn’t as bad as raw fish sounds.

Once daylight struck on the busy city of Kyoto it was time for sightseeing. Despite being up ‘too early’, I managed to enjoy the rest of the day being expertly guided around various of Kyoto’s famous temples, one of which I was very particular about because it had an extremely tranquil setting on the edge of a lake, this being the ‘golden feather temple’. After a pleasant tour around Kyoto we made our way back to the hotel where we would rest again.

The following day indicated no luggage after breakfast as it was handily transported to Uto, our next destination.

Japanese School Visit

Morning sang through my open window and I made myself busy by burrowing under my pillow trying to shut it up, but I managed to be a fraction earlier than I was the previous day. The wind called us to the southern central part of the island Kyushu as we caught the bullet train towards out next destination, Uto.

A slow start for me was soon sped up with a sharp dose of a 210-km/h train hurtling past unknown countryside, which longed to be glimpsed at for a few more seconds. Stunning scenes and skies flew past as we rapidly sped towards Uto where we would spend the next two days visiting a local school. We travelled to Hakata then picked up the train to Kumamoto where our arrival was unexpectedly, but excitedly greeted by some of the Japanese students from the school, after which, we were escorted by taxicab to our next hotel, ‘Hotel Beneuveto’ just a short drive away from the school.
Uto is an interesting place, the traditional culture seemed not much different in these surroundings than those of Kyoto but all the same, modern technology was never really hard to find in this day and age.

After a pleasant evening on the hillside, which is home to a very friendly Japanese school who hosted us, we made our way back to the hotel where we found out that we would be eating at a sushi bar for dinner, a fun experience if you like the sound of uncooked fish! That wasn’t all there was on the menu so most of us were happy. We met up with the students from the school for dinner and we were strategically placed by teachers so that we couldn’t sit in one big group and for us to be unsociable for the rest of the night, which in the end was a fun experience because we got to make some new friends. Finally after a hard day’s work of travelling across a country in a comfortable train seat we said goodnight to the students and teachers and hit the hay.

One of the many activities that I enjoyed while we were there was the traditional art of Japanese paper folding otherwise known as Origami. Ever since I was young, I have always been interested in folding paper to make the flapping wings of a dove or the pointed ears of a fox and this one activity in particular reminded me of such times. We ate lunch at the school and we still had just enough time for a fairly long game of soccer at the end of it all. Overall, it was a fun experience for more than just the students like us.

That evening we found ourselves in a local mall where we ate before having a game of bowling with the students of the school. Our bowling event was well backed up with a large selection of arcade machines for anyone who wanted to waste money and free time by doing something that could easily be done in one day while visiting Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Putting that note to one side, the evening was overall entertaining and we said our final farewells to the students and teachers as we were set to embark on an island adventure the next day

Hiroshima History & Miyajima Ryokan Stay

Hiroshima is a very famous landmark for World War II because of its unique involvement with the first atom bomb. It is also home to many museums about the War that include thousands of very important historical facts and objects that have been dug up over the years, here was our destination for the day’s excursion.

We caught a series of trains from Uto to Hiroshima from 8:47, which called for a hasty breakfast of fizzy drinks and sweets before we left for the train. A guide toured us around the city for the best part of the day, showing us famous landmarks and historical sights which included a beautiful stone arch of which a marble plaque was placed to commemorate the war. After the tour we set off for the Miyajima-guchi by tram to catch the ferry to the picturesque island of Miyajima.

Miyajima was our last destination before Osaka and it was breathtaking, the slow ferry journey across the small channel let our eyes explore the peaceful coastline of a traditional island. The first sight wasn’t a vending machine surprisingly but it was wild deer wandering the streets. This is because the deer are known as ‘messengers from God’ to the Japanese and so they are unharmed as they watch over the streets of Miyajima Island.

We arrived at the Ryokan (Traditional Japanese Hotel), where we were greeted with an unexpected surprise for some parts of the Ryokan are home to paper windows, obviously with glass behind them to keep out intruders and most likely, deer. That evening we were served dinner, traditionally. Not one of the most pleasant surprises that I have encountered on the trip but nonetheless I was faced with a small tray laden with an assortment of brightly coloured fish and tentacles. I attempted some of my meal as not to offend the chef but I just kept my limits to the rice and one or two of the shrimp. Later that night we left the Ryokan and walked down to the coastline where it was calm and peaceful so we could look back onto the city lights of Honshu Island.

Most of the next day was made up of exploring the scenic mountains and visiting a stunning monkey park on a sloping mountain. We strolled around the attractive vistas that fell before us and as the day rolled on we made our way down to the coastline after a very exhausting hike down a steep pathway through the thick foliage of a forest. The coast stalls were a little busier at this time of day because people were coming and going from the island, this meant that there was just enough time to wander around the various brightly coloured stalls and shops to purchase any final gifts for family before our departure in two days. The last night on Miyajima Island was one for collecting any things that we may have left behind ready for our departure to Osaka.

Bright Lights of Osaka

Osaka is the third largest city in Japan and it was also our final destination for this astounding journey. After a long train journey we finally arrived in the busy city of Osaka, where we were to arrange ourselves to find our last accommodation. As we left the underground section of the city, we were shocked with the scene before us, brilliant flashing lights and thousands of vehicles flickered around the city, highlighting every small detail in every pristine building and sidewalk. After successfully transferring our entire luggage to our assigned rooms we had the option to go out and wander around the mall for the rest of the night.

The first step we took into the mall was one not to be easily forgotten, the brightly lit ground floor was filled with an extreme amount of shoppers and staff that busily made their way around the stall to reach their desired locations. Each floor was filled with stores and stalls, every one of which had a huge amount of stock with at least twenty people milling around them, trying to purchase their items. There was a floor for technology and games, one for clothing, another for food and many more, which ranged from jewellery to trendy gadgets. A shopper’s paradise is one of the more likely descriptions for this mall but also a claustrophobic’s nightmare, even though there was much to see, it was usually blocked by masses of tourists or locals in a mad rush to buy the latest fashion item or computer game. The night went well as most of our group managed to get their final gifts or personal items for home and so we set off looking for a good night’s sleep in our hotel.

A lively spring wind was in the air as we left the hotel to head towards the airport, and continued to follow us until we departed. The flitting countryside sped away from us as a final gaze at the spectacular country loomed closer, even up until the very last minute of departure you begin to appreciate how much time you have spent in the country and what it would be like to return again. One final glance of this truly amazing country confirmed that it was a journey of a lifetime that won’t be easily forgotten.

To Top