And so much to do in Japan too!

A fantastic trip had by all!

On Saturday April 13, Cowra High finally set out on our much awaited trip to Japan.  We were extremely excited and grateful to be on our way after many months of preparations and anticipation.  Our bus ride to the airport came courtesy of Nick Perkins and Rod Hayes, parents of students attending the excursion, and we are most appreciative of the time and effort they made for us.  I'm not sure how much they loved our singing but still, it was a happy group of travellers!  After a long day of travelling we finally touched down at Osaka airport and headed for the magnificent Hotel New Miyako, our base for the next 6 nights in Kyoto.

Many wonderful experiences were had during this week, the magnificent Golden Pavilion, Okayama Centre, Himeji Castle and its hundreds of steps, the serenity of the Ryoanji Garden and Nara and its massive Buddha, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.  Some days we were averaging 20000 steps in our travels, hard going but entirely worth it for the beauty of the culture we were experiencing.  Our trips on the Shinkansen were thrilling, though quick!  We travelled the same distance Cowra is from Sydney in a little under 1 hour and 20 minutes.  We shared many delicious meals as a group, enjoying Ramen noodles, Okonomiyaki.  Tempura and sashimi to name a few.  Some of the boys had very interesting chop stick skills, getting food into hungry mouths wasn't often easy!  Other wonderful days were spent at the Sanjuusangenda and majestic forests of bamboo and The Philosopher's Walk.

Soon it was time to visit Hiroshima and honour the moving manner in which the people of this city strive for World Peace and firming the bonds of friendship between nations.  It is a place of beauty and sacrifice and was an incredibly moving experience for all.   We then headed to the tranquil island of Miyajima to see the imposing Red Tori gates and Itsukushima Shrine and stay in an authentic Japanese Ryokan.  This was truly one of the highlights of the trip as we ate fresh and delicious Japanese cuisine and slept on tatami mats and enjoyed the soothing Japanese baths.

Sunday saw us head to Tokyo and our friends at Seikei High School.  Here the students enjoyed the hospitality of their host families and caught up with Ryu, minus his mullet, and Juliet amongst others.  We were privileged to enjoy a Japanese tea ceremony and calligraphy classes, and attended daily school activities with host brothers and sisters and buddies.  Our students were especially spoilt in the evenings attending baseball games, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Kimono fittings and wonderful restaurants.  Of course, the required visits to Shibuya, Shinjuku and Harajuku also took place together with the hundred thousand or so others that were there.  Our final evening was spent at the Sayonara Party, Cowra kids singing I Come From The Land Down Under to great applause with many hugs and tears ensuing.  Even more tears came the next morning as we said goodbye and prepared to head home.

A magnificent time was had by all and I would like to take this opportunity to commend our students on their exemplary behaviour, gratitude for all that they were privileged to experience, and their care of and for one another during our time away.  An enormous thank you must go to Seikei High School for their kind generosity, and also Mr John Millen and Mr Nick Perkins whose expertise and calm and guided care of our kids respectively was imperative to the success of out trip and safety of our students. 

We had a very special experience and one we shall not soon forget.

Megan Perkins

Trip Coordinator