There were so many amazing things we as a group experienced within a jammed-packed two weeks that if I went into detail, we’d be here all day. But first I’d like to thank Mrs Chapple for creating such a memorable journey and leading us through Japan and all it has to offer. And, a thank you to Miss Pegrum, Mrs Leadley, Mr O’Toole, Mr Dent and Ms Serhan who travelled with us and helped keep us organised.

On Tuesday 9 April, we set off from the school to Sydney to catch our 10pm flight. After a long eight hours of travel, we touched down in the capital city of Tokyo where we would be spending the majority of our first week.

After booking into the Metropolitan Hotel in Shinjuku, we spent our first day visiting the Asakusa! We enjoyed the markets and saw Senso-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in the capital. We then travelled to the famous Sky Tree Tower, where we viewed the city from 634 metres in the air.

On our second day, we visited the Meiji Jingu Forest. A giant forest in the middle of the town, with a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. We were lucky enough to witness a once-in-a-hundred-year ceremony for the Empress. After leaving we walked through Yoyogi Park and got to see the cherry blossoms. Our next stop was Takeshita, a famous street filled with all kinds of colourful. After some good spending, Shibuya was next, we got to walk across the busiest crosswalk in Tokyo, which you might recognise from some movies, such as Tokyo Drift, before finally ending our night with a classic Japanese baseball game. It’s the country's most popular sport and had an exciting atmosphere that left us all rooting for the home team.

Day 4, we headed for TeamLabs. An interactive museum where you walk barefoot through water, and immerse your entire bodies in the artworks. The artwork changes based on where you are in the room, a surreal experience that the photos don’t do enough justice for. On our way back we stopped at a shopping centre with a huge Gundam robot outside that would change at 6:00 which was pretty cool to see, and we got to see the rainbow bridge as the sun set over the city.

On Day 6, we travelled by train to Kamakura, a seaside town that has lots of ancient shrines and temples. Here we got to visit the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine and Kōtoku, a Buddhist temple that houses the second-largest Buddha statue in the world. The giant bronze statue sits outdoors surrounded by the temple. The Buddha sits outside because the buildings around it had been destroyed multiple times in earthquakes and tsunamis, so they took it as a sign to leave the statue outside.

The seventh day we arrived bright and early in Yokohama where we visited the cup noodle museum! Here we learnt about the history of the first cup noodles and how they were invented before being invited to design our very own cup noodles with flavours of our choice. We then visited the nearby Cosmo World, a mini theme park with a a huge ferris wheel. We ended the day by walking through the redbrick warehouse on the harbour before heading back to Tokyo with our noodles.

On Day 8, we got to visit Disney World which was just as magical as you’d expect it to be. We paired up into groups and explored the park, getting to ride Disney rides, eat Disney snacks and see famous Disney characters. I liked the Buzz Lightyear and Pirates of the Caribbean rides. We met back up to end the night watching the Disney light parade and seeing heaps of awesome floats.

Day 9 we packed up and left Tokyo, travelling on a bullet train (which was as cool as you think it is) to the quieter countryside of Nagano. we first stopped at Zenkōji temple, having an ice cream break along the way before walking around the town, seeing some beautiful cherry blossoms at the park. Hopping in our minibus we drove up the mountains before hiking the rest of the way up to the snow monkey reserve. Chilling with wild monkeys as they played and had baths in the volcanic hot springs.

Day 10 we travelled to a local school where we met other students and teachers; saying they were excited to see us was an understatement. A local news team followed us around the school as we got to see what a normal Japanese school day looked like, visiting classes such as archery, kendo, English classes, calligraphy, lunchtime and tea ceremonies. By the end of the day, we’d exchanged gifts and said our goodbyes to our new Japanese friends.

Day 11 we travelled by bullet Train and ferry to Miyajimacho Island, taking photos with the giant floating shrine and hanging out with the local deer that roamed the island freely. We spent the night in a traditional hotel and experienced traditional Japanese dinner in proper dress and slept on futons.

Day 12 we arrived in Hiroshima city. Visiting the Hiroshima Castle where we learned the history of the castle and city. After another ice cream break we arrived at Chuo Park, a world heritage peace memorial where the remains of the Genbaku Dome are held up by supports. Before we left and visited the museum itself, we donated hundreds of cranes from our school to a memorial in the park as a sign of peace. Visiting the Museum was a heavy and emotional experience, but also educational where we learned about the history before and after the nuclear attack about nuclear testing and the danger it causes. We had our dinner and hopped on our bullet train to Kyoto to stay at the Kyoto Tower Hotel.

From Day 13, we visited a variety of different temples, shrines and castles, including Kiyomizu-Dera Temple. Apparently, if you survive jumping off you’re granted a wish, however, people aren’t allowed to do that anymore. Motorikyu Nijo Castle belonged to the last shogun before he retired. We also visited the Golden Temple in Kinkakujicho.

And finally, on day 14 we visited the rural town of Nara. We saw the Thousand Golden Gate Temple in Fukakusayabunouchicho - (there are 21 letters in that name) and were set to visit the deer park but unfortunately due to wet weather we couldn’t. However, we were able to enjoy the rest of the day in the five-storey arcade playing DDR and Gacha spins. After that, we made our way to the airport for our 9pm flight. Eight hours later we touched back down in Sydney.

Japan is a country that’s rich in history, technology, and culture where we met such kind and helpful individuals who made the experience so much better. On behalf of the students I’d like to thank everyone who worked to make this happen and create a trip with memories that will last a lifetime.

Natasha S

Student

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