SASC's 2016 Japan Study Tour - Blog
4 December
We are currently waiting at our gate - all safely through immigration!
5 December
We have just landed and we are waiting to clear customs.
We just arrived back at the hostel after a very busy day - my phone tells me that we walked close to 16km today! After arriving, we had lunch and then headed to Shinjuku Station to get our JR Passes. When that was done, we took the train to Harajuku to see the lively Takeshita Dori. When we were there, we ended up bumping into some ex-SASC students, including a former school captain, Johnny Radas! We had dinner in Shibuya and, of course, walked across the famous Shibuya crossing!
6 December
Today was another busy day - where we were able to experience both modern and traditional Japan. After a filling breakfast, we took the train to the geek and pop culture centre of Akihabara, famous for all things manga, anime, and game-related. The students were very enthusiastic about all the goods on offer - parents, brace yourselves for rooms full of Japanese goods! After exploring Akiba (as it is also known) and having lunch there, we headed underground to the metro to catch our transportation to Asakusa, probably the most traditional area of central Tokyo. Asakusa is most famous for the temple of Senso-ji, the oldest in Tokyo, and its Nakamise-dori, or 'shopping street'. We had time to explore the temple complex, have our fortunes told (some good, and some not pleasing to their recipients), and to pick up souvenirs - everything ranging from beautiful fans and kimonos to fridge magnets and samurai models. We had dinner in Asakusa before returning to our hostel to rest as we will be visiting Disneyland tomorrow.
7 December
Today we went to...Disneyland! We all had a lot of fun trying out the rides.
9 December
We have just arrived in Kyoto! The students (and Mr Jennings) very much enjoyed their first experience of Japan's famed shinkansen. I've attached some photos of the students on the shinkansen and Japan's autumn colours, as seen in the East Imperial Gardens.
10 December
Today we had a full day of sightseeing, building on our wanderings around Nishiki Market, Teramachi and Gion last night. We used all the types of public transport on offer - tram, subway, train and bus!
We first travelled to Kinkaku-ji, the beautiful Golden Pavilion. The students loved the building, if not the crowds! After that, we walked to Kitano Tenmangu, dedicated to education, where the VCE students desperately purchased good luck charms for their studies. From there, we took the Randen Tram to beautiful Arashiyama. We explored the gardens of Tenryu-ji, one of Kyoto's 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, before heading through the famous bamboo groves to my favourite viewpoint over the Hozugawa river. We were lucky to see some glorious autumn colours out there. We finished with a stroll over the scenic Togetsu-kyo bridge before returning to Kyoto Station for dinner.
11 December
13 December
Our time in Hiroshima is almost at an end, as tomorrow we head to the last stop on our study tour - Osaka.
We learned a lot, as our Horoshima sojourn began with a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, to learn about the impact of the atomic bomb. This was followed by an exploration of the Peace Park, including a stop at the iconic Genbaku A-Bomb Dome. We decompressed by sampling Hiroshima's most famous cuisine - Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
Today, we took a day trip out of the city to see one of Japan's Top 3 Views - the giant O-Torii of Miyajima (Itsukushima) Shrine. A tram, train and ferry got us safely to our destination, and the students were awed by the massive structure. They also took the opportunity to sample the delicious local oysters.
