Japan Tour
On Wednesday 8 April 2026, it began. The adventure I and 19 others, had awaited since the first day we heard about it. 17 students and 3 teachers stood at Melbourne International Airport, Terminal 2, many different emotions warring inside our bodies.
The first real wake-up was when we landed in Tokyo, Narita International Airport. Suddenly, English was not dominant and the amount of language skill everybody had seemed to have vaporised in a matter of minutes. However, we had to catch another flight, to Itami Airport, Osaka. Luckily it was only 1 hour and the night view from the plane was beautiful. We landed in Osaka, tired out of our minds and ready to just sleep right then and there, transport to the hotel be damned.
Our time in Osaka was a whirlwind of events, our first proper introduction to the busy Japanese public transport, getting to see the beautiful Osaka castle and learning all about the amazing history it comes with. The Cup Noodle Museum, where we completed a cooking class in making our own noodles. The Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, where we got to walk around in traditional Japanese kimonos.
Hiroshima was a completely different world. Where once was devastation, now stood the Peace Park. Thousands of paper cranes encased in giant boxes, tributes from all over the world. We donated our own cranes, after we spent a whole hour untangling them.
The next stop was Miyajima Island, where we took cable cars and hiked our way to the top of Mount Misen. The views were incredible and worth every second. We were lucky enough to complete another cooking class, this time with the island’s specialty sweet, called ‘Momiji manju’.
Kyoto was the next stop. A bustling city filled with beautiful shrines, wonderful people and an amazing city view. Nara was the most surprising place, the deer were quite insistent on being fed, even chasing some students around. It was quite entertaining, only if you were the one watching though. The Kyoto City Disaster Prevention Centre, loaded with information about all possible natural disasters, and what we could do to keep safe. Miraikan, the museum of science, robotics and innovation.
Then came the shopping districts. Akihabara, Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya. Places where money flowed out of pockets like a river over smooth stone. We walked across the famous Shibuya Scramble Square, lucky enough not to have lost anyone, yet.
Then came the homestay, the second part of our trip. The families met us at Mobara station, welcoming us with open arms and hearts. Our time at Chosei High School was a fun one. We joined classes across subjects, learning just how different our school is to theirs. The students were all so welcoming and would always greet us as we passed in the hallways.
Mid-way through the school week, we were fortunate enough to visit Disneyland. It was a perfect day, and most people were lucky enough to enjoy a good few rides before our time was up.
Overall, the 18 days we spent there were amazing. A huge thank you to everyone involved in planning, supervising and guiding us along the way. Especially Ms Kamimura, without her, none of this would be possible. Further to this, she was well supported by Ms Vanstan and Mr Pegram, whom we also thank for their time and effort on this amazing Japan journey.
By Mischa Hartland, Year 11