Highcliffe to Johoku 2012 | Highcliffe School

Highcliffe to Johoku 2012

Read the blog from our Japanese Exchange


Wednesday 7th November
What a week it has been! This really was the last day - and you could see that the students really felt it. The students went to normal lessons with their students. They also participated in a tea ceremony and some of them took part in kendo (Japanese sword fighting) at the end of the day. We all had a group photo at the end of the day then they drifted off for their final night in Japan - with Mrs Bewley off to watch the local football team with the principal! Johoku High School and the host families have done a fantastic job in ensuring that our students could get the most out of their time in Japan. We'll start the journey home tomorrow - but each student, in their own individual way, has explored their own pathway in Japan and forged friendships in the process.

Tuesday 6th November
Who says we need to go travel around the country to experience the best of what Japan can offer? Johoku very kindly put on a programme for us today that enabled us to enjoy some of the delicate beauty that Japan has to offer. We spent all day at Johoku School and were treated to about two hours of practical instruction in how to put on a kimono and yukata, the traditional dress of men and women. The teachers explained some of the cultural background of the kimono then gave us all a chance to put one on. As always, this was a great hit with our students.



At the end of the school day, we had a calligraphy class in which all our students put considerable care and attention in trying to perfect the artistic expression of some of the Japanese characters.



However, it was also a day in which we were able to give plenty back to Johoku. The lunchtime was spent at a kindergarten which is very keen to have its students experience something international in their lives. We sat at tiny tables on tiny chairs speaking little bits and pieces of English with tiny people. Can there be anything cuter than being greeted by about thirty wide-eyed four year olds all at once?

After lunch, we delivered our presentations. The students asked questions to the class after which they sat with small groups and helped the Johoku students practice their English.

It was also a day of high emotion. At the end of the day, we had the Farewell Party. The Principal was very impressed to see how students from Johoku School came to say farewell to our students. Present were not only the current hosts, but students who had visited England from previous years. This is a tremendous testimony to the relationships that have been built up. Speeches were delivered and presents exchanged. After this, the students mixed and mingled with each other taking photos firstly in pairs, then in small groups then in larger groups with parents and the principal, too, being invited into photographs.



From their speeches and from other things our students have said it is clear that they have all been amazed and inspired by the magical time that their host families and buddies have given them. In their speeches, many students said in Japanese "Sabishiku naru" which means "I will miss you." One student said she wanted to stay here forever. We have much to be thankful to Johoku for and much to thank the host families and their buddies for.

In her speech at the Welcome Ceremony, Georgia said: "We are few and you are many, but we hope that we can reach all of you in some way." With their friendliness, good manners and outgoing attitude, I think it is fair to say all our students have managed to do that. However, the Farewell Party was capped by a particularly memorable moment which touched all who were present.  The front of the room was cleared and a chair placed in the centre. Mr Wood got everyone's attention. A few seconds later, a door opened and Jamie came and sat down on the seat with a guitar. The audience gathered round in a semi-circle. Jamie played and sang two Beatles songs - Drive My Car and Blackbird. The audience was spellbound. What a way to end the day!



Some comments from students about their weekends:
Ryan
  - On Saturday, we returned from Kyoto on the Bullet train. We arrived at Hiroshima station just after 11.00am and were met by our host families. Kyoto was brilliant! We visited loads of different places and the shrines and temples were beautiful. When I returned to my host family on Saturday, I was handed another ticket for a two hour bullet train trip to Kumamoto - I had not even left the station!
We visited Kumamoto Castle - it was huge! We explored all of the rooms and the towers had excellent views over Kumamoto.
On Sunday, we took the train to a local high school for girls to go to their culture festival. It was good fun! Each classroom was laid out with lots of different games and when you entered the classroom you were given a scorecard. How well you did in the games affected how high your score was and how high your score was affected what prizes you won. I won a water bottle and lots of sweets.
On Sunday evening, after playing super-mario on the Wii, my host family and two of Kazu's friends and I went to a "rotating" sushi restaurant - the food was delicious!
I am really enjoying my stay in Japan. Everyone is very friendly and I have made lots of new friends.

Abi - This weekend, I arrived home from Kyoto, so we went home so I could unpack.
For lunch, we went to an o-konomi-yaki restaurant. It was very nice! After lunch, we went to the "Eon Mall" and bought cake and some other things. Once we had finished shopping, we went back to the apartment and played games and ate cake all afternoon.
On Sunday, Rintaro and I met some of the other students at Hiroshima Castle and walked around looking at the history of the castle, after that we went to a Japanese garden.

Charlotte - Sunday consisted of a photography club outing to Hiroshima Castle and gardens. We visited Jogakuin High School for Girls where there was a festival. We visited many stalls the clubs held, such as the "The World Stall" where there stalls from England, USA and Germany.
In the evening, I visited a restaurant with my host family and family friends which gave me a sky-high view of Hiroshima! We enjoyed many Japanese foods such as sushi, tempura and shabu-shabu.

Katy - Immediately after arriving back from our trip to Kyoto by bullet train, I was taken to the beautiful Shukkein Garden. This garden reflected traditional Japanese style ad included bridges, tea cottages and koi-carp fish within the pond. Whilst I was there, I witnessed a tea ceremony. Many of the people wore kimonos which surprisingly is not that uncommon within Japan. I also tasted my first "green tea ice cream." Green tea is extremely popular and, despite not liking tea, I thought it was very nice.
I then went to Hiroshima Art Museum and ate at a restaurant before visiting Hiroshima Castle. The castle's exterior is very grand with many sloping roofs to almost form a tower.
Afterwards, we went shopping, the crowds and lively atmosphere being a big contrast to the tranquil gardens. Here I took a "famous Japanese photo". These are basically edited photos taken in booths which you personalise. Being a girl and naturally a poser, rather than a boy who preferred waiting outside, I found it a very enjoyable experience, as did her sister and mother. Although the result was far from perfection, the booth enlarging my eyes so I resembled a fury, I will definitely keep them.
For dinner, we went to a restaurant where they presented us with many types of meat, including intestines, and you would cook them in the middle of the table. It was a slightly unusual prospect, fun way to end the day.
On the Sunday, waking up feeling already exhausted (this was not helped by having stayed up late playing on the Wii the night before) we travelled to Kintai-kyo Bridge. This is probably one of my favourite things I have seen in Japan as is Todaiji Temple that we saw in Kyoto. What these places have in common is they are so different to Western style and they are so large you truly cannot believe they are real and are breath-taking. We took a cable car up the mountain to Iwakuni Castle, which is similar to Hiroshima Castle but smaller.

Ben - The past weekend has been very fun. After coming back from Kyoto on Saturday, I was taken for lunch at local ramen restaurant. After this, we went to a "rude museum" - a traditional writing brush museum. On Sunday, we went to a local school festival and then to Hiroshima Castle. Japan is great fun!

Monday 5th November
Today we woke up to heavy rain, so I am now obliged by a long tradition of clichés to state that this did not dampen our spirits for the trip to Miyajima. This is the island with the famous "floating" shrine. In fact, by the time we reached Miyajima, the rain had more or less stopped and we were treated to views of mountains wreathed in ragged ribbons of mist.



We were led by Mr Bressee of Johoku School over the wooden boards of the shrine. Every direction you looked there were superb views and our students had ample opportunity to capture these scenes on camera. After the shrine, we walked the hundred and eighteen steps (counted by Ben!) up to the temple. The buildings within this temple seemed to be embedded within the surrounding forest. Red and orange autumnal leaves hung over roofs, statues and stones. Every angle offered up scenes that could inspire a painting - so for Katie, Josie, Annie and Charlotte this was a treasure trove of angles and perspectives. We had lunch here and the students took their time wandering and looking around the buildings and carefully arranged gardens. It is a place designed to induce a contemplative mood except for one feature...

Beneath the main temple is a corridor which follows a square shaped line. This corridor is pitch black - and I mean pitch black. Absolutely no light penetrates it whatsoever. It is a simple device, but also incredibly effective in demonstrating how quickly the mind, once plunged into total darkness, can become disorientated and filled with irrational fears. Even though you know people are near you above ground and you're in a safe environment, after a few seconds spent in this corridor, confusion and trepidation rapidly set in.

What does it represent? There's a similar thing at Kiyomizu Temple which is supposed to represent the journey of a child being born. Perhaps it symbolizes how it feels to be living in darkness before experiencing the enlightenment provided by Buddhism. Anyway, it looked intriguing and a number of students couldn't resist a descent into the darkness...

Before long, we heard screams. When the students emerged, they showed us what had happened. In the pitch black corridor someone had taken a photo. The flash went off and revealed a tall man walking in front of them. They'd had no idea he was there and it was this that had caused the screams. Who, though, was the mysterious individual who had been walking only a few feet in front of them?  Who was it that had, through no fault of his own, embodied the dark terrors of the mind? Ryan.

The rest of the time we wandered through the forest before returning to the pier after a spot of shopping. It was all very normal in the end!

Some comments from students on how they spent their weekend:
Jamie
- The weekend felt a little different from the super-organised trips out during the week. After getting back from the shinkansen ("the bullet train") station, we were straight off to get some lunch. After that we went to Shukkeien Garden and had a traditional Japanese tea ceremony with some wonderful green tea - although getting numb legs from sitting on my knees the whole time wasn't so wonderful!
On Sunday, we set off early to a culture festival at a girls' school - it was like an indoor fete and great fun! I also got to try out some interesting foods. Afterwards, we went to visit Hiroshima Castle. It was great to have an insight into the ancient past of Hiroshima and the design of everything is just beautiful. I came expecting something amazing, but, as is somewhat typical now, Japan had far exceeded expectations. If it sounds like a good idea for you - go for it!

Josie - At the weekend, I went shopping with my family and had some salmon for dinner which was very tasty. On Sunday, I saw a school marching band and baton twirling competition which was incredible. The children were very talented! I was also able to visit the Hiroshima Museum of Art and see Shukkeien Gardens which was breathtaking!

Annie - On Saturday, I visited a Japanese garden. They were very beautiful. We also went out to a restaurant. The food was very nice. On Sunday, I visited Onomichi. The town was very traditional. In the evening, my host family cooked me a lovely meal and we played lots of games together. I really enjoyed my weekend.

Olly - This weekend was very busy indeed. On Saturday, I stayed in a Japanese-style hotel which was nothing like anything in England. Dinner was mainly sushi and rice with different exotic species of fish. There were no beds in the hotel. There were only mats on the floor, but sleeping was still comfortable.
The next day we played frisbee which was a first as in England we don't play frisbee the way they do in Japan. We also fished on the harbour.
I like Japanese culture and the way all the people are friendly, kind and thoughtful. I want to say a very big "Thank you" to the Mori family and all the English and Japanese teachers who made this trip possible. Thank you very much for giving me this amazing opportunity!

Thursday 1st November
Today was a journey in which we travelled on the hyper-modern into Japan’s ancient past. As we waited on the platform of Hiroshima station, the students were thrilled by the arrival of the different bullet trains. Then, at 9.05am, we settled ourselves into one of these hyper-sleek, virtually silent trains all the way to Kyoto.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our guide, Ayako, who took us to the ancient capital of Nara. The first thing we did was have a “bento” lunch on top of the local government offices. From here we could see the mountains closing in all around us. In the centre of it all a large roof could be seen with what appeared to be horns sticking up at either end. This was Todaiji – one of the oldest and largest wooden buildings in the world. This is the place I always get excited about the students encountering.

After lunch, we made our way to Todaiji temple. After taking plenty of photos of the deer that roam freely in the park, we entered the temple grounds. We strolled towards the central hall, went through its main door and … It’s difficult to take the giant bronze Buddha in all at once. As Jamie pointed out, you’re looking at one part and think that’s it, only to find that that there is much more to it.



After Nara, we went to Kyoto for the evening. Kyoto became the capital of Japan after Nara. We spent some time in the old entertainment district of Gion. This is full of low, wooden and very exclusive tea-rooms where geisha work. Ayako showed us some of the main features and explained some of the history of geisha. We wandered around, hoping to catch a glimpse of one – and were lucky enough to see one in a taxi.

For an evening meal, we had a Kyoto-style pancake before returning to the hotel by walking through one of the main shopping streets. There was plenty to catch the eye here, including a Ferrari with wheel hubs that glowed like hot lava. We were firmly back out of the old Japan and had returned to the hyper-modern.

No visit to any major city—no matter how ancient–would be complete, however, without paying a visit to the establishment presided over by the globally recognized twin-tailed mermaid goddess. Before turning in for the night, we all paid a visit to Starbucks, rather handily located right next door to our hotel.

Friday 2nd November
Kyoto is the crucible and capital of Japanese culture. All the images we have of Japanese culture, from the tea ceremony to Super Mario, have their origins in Kyoto. Today was a chance for us to take in some of the atmosphere of this great city.

Our first stop was Nishiki market which was actually a grid of long, narrow covered malls that stretched as far as the eye could see. Each mall was lined with small stores selling a whole range of goods and foods. As you would expect in Kyoto, everything was tasteful and of good quality – the hand-painted fans were a particular draw for our students.

Next we packed ourselves onto a bus for one of the most famous and beautiful temples in Japan, Kiyomizu Tera. This has a pagoda that overlooks the city and a leisurely walk around the grounds provided ample opportunity to take some superb photos.



The final part of the afternoon was spent in the Kyoto Handicraft Centre, an argosy of traditional Japanese artifacts. There were many things here of particular interest to students like Josie who found some resources relating to the artists Hiroshige and Hokusai on whom she is doing an art project.

For our evening meal, Ayako ushered us off the bustling main street and upstairs into a restaurant called “Mimioo”. This was a traditional restaurant. The design was plain and minimalist, the lighting low and the atmosphere hushed. We sat on a tatami floor. We enjoyed a whole colourful variety of very Japanese cuisine, including sashimi and mountain vegetables.

When we got up the next morning, it had felt like we’d been away ages. Time had magically distended during our stay in Kyoto. So much had been seen, heard, felt and tasted that any sense that time was passing had been lost. On a grey and slightly chilly platform, we noted that the train was due at nine-thirty and fifteen seconds. At nine-thirty and fifteen seconds the train arrived. Ayako waved us off. In something of a daze, we settled into our seats. As we did so, I was reminded of some words from one of my favourite poems. It is called Ithaka in which this ancient Greek city serves as an extended metaphor for any journey of discovery …

May there be many summer mornings when,
With what pleasure, with what joy,
You enter harbours you’re seeing for the first time;
May you stop at Phoenician trading stations
To buy fine things,
Mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
… May you visit many Egyptian cities
To learn and go on learning from their scholars.”


Some observations from Highcliffe students:
Georgia -
 The classes are very different in Japan. There are single desks all in rows facing the front. The thing that strikes me as odd is that the children stay in the same place all day long. It is the teachers who move from room to room to teach.

Charlotte - Yesterday evening, I was immersed in Japanese culture by experiencing a Japanese festival which takes place once a year in Hiroshima. I tried various Japanese foods as well as some well-known English ones - toffee apple and chips. I watched a show which told a Japanese myth about a princess, her family and a snake. I made a wish whilst performing a Japanese ritual - I rang a bell, bowed, clapped twice and prayed.

Annie - After school, I went shopping in Hiroshima with my buddy, Masahiko; Rintaro and Abbie; Takahiro and Ollie. I really enjoyed this. Today I attended some lessons with my host partner. These were really fun and are very different to lessons back home in England.
In the evening, my family took me to a sushi restaurant. The food was delicious. I am really enjoying my stay here in Hiroshima. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly, especially my host family.

Wednesday 31st October

Today was Halloween. There are many theories as to the origins of Halloween, but it has traditionally been regarded as a leftover from ancient pagan festivals for honouring the dead. It was supposed to be a time when the barriers between this world and the "Spirit World" were "thin" and more porous. Hence the spirits of the dead could roam around in our everyday world - and some of these spirits were evil.

So perhaps it was rather uncomfortably apt that today was the day designated for our trip to Hiroshima Peace Museum. For this was a place built to commemorate a rather more recent "Day of the Dead". Today our students would have to brace themselves to face evil - not in the shape of spirits or goblins, but in the form of documents and artifacts detailing the evil of man's inhumanity to man.

Guided by Mr Konishi, an English teacher from Johoku School, we took bus into the centre of Hiroshima. The warm, sunny weather meant that we could take our time wandering around Peace Park, contemplating the iconic images of the A-Bomb Dome and the Cenotaph. We spent nearly an hour and a half in the museum itself and, at the end of their tour, the students wrote their thoughts and feelings about what they had seen in the visitor books.



The experience of the A-Bomb museum is always a sobering one, but, once outside, a joyful sight begins to stir you from your daze: streams upon streams of young Japanese children all smartly dressed come pouring in from the area in front of the Cenotaph and towards the museum. With smiling faces and hearty voices they began to greet us all, cheerfully crying out "Hello", "How are you?" and in one case, whilst we were on our bench eating our lunch, "I'm hungry!"



After lunch, we spent a little time in town. Can you guess where two of our students headed for once allowed some free-time? That's right. The internationally renowned Golden Arches; in other words, MacDonald’s. But I can't judge. When I first arrived in Hiroshima, where did I have my first meal? Macdonald's. In fact, it was very same one.

Today, then, was a day of contrasting emotions. There was the experience of what the museum bears witness to - the horror of the Bomb and its aftermath. Then, after that, there was the pleasure of walking through the streets, all re-built and bustling. As the sky clouded over, our walk through the streets was just a little bit haunted - haunted now by the knowledge of what we had seen inside the museum. That was how we spent our Halloween.

Tuesday 30th October

After the excitement and nerves of the previous three days, today was relatively calm. Mrs Bewley and I could see that a degree of tiredness had set in - the combination of jet lag and the stimulation of the novel environment was taking its toll. Also, our students had been busy for much of the day.

The first part of the day featured our now customary introductory talk about Hiroshima and the surrounding area from the geography teacher, Mr Kato. (Some teachers may remember Mr Kato: he gave a mini-tea ceremony in the staffroom a few years ago.) His talk gives our staff and students a little bit of context about Hiroshima. It was good to see all of them, including Mrs Bewley, taking notes. It's a good job they were doing so, because shortly they will be having a quiz on this!

The rest of the day was spent taking part in two of the most important parts of the exchange programme in the "magical teaching space" of the Discovery Rooms. Firstly, we try to ensure that as far as practically possible our students can feel a part of the school. This involves attending the same classes as their buddies just as the Johoku students do when they come to Highcliffe.

Secondly, we want our students to contribute to English classes. Japanese students have little opportunity to speak English with native speakers in a natural way. Our presence is something that Johoku can exploit and means that we can make a useful and meaningful contribution to the curriculum of the school and to fostering an international outlook in the students. We delivered a number of simple presentations to some Junior High Classes. The Highcliffe students did an excellent job in making sure the Johoku students got involved by asking questions. Every time a Johoku student got a question right, they were treated to an enthusiastic round of applause.



At the end of the day, the students participated in the classes. Annie and Jamie, for example, told everyone about their families, which was the day's theme. They then joined in a game. It was pleasing to see how our students sought to build the confidence of their Japanese partners and play the game with good humour.

The Highcliffe students had worked hard all day. They had done a lot of listening, presented peppily, sat patiently in classes conducted in Japanese, and participated with humour and enthusiasm - not bad for a day's work on your second day in an unfamiliar land! Rest was needed and rest was well-earned. However, they could rest knowing that they had made an impact on some of the younger students of Johoku School and that their efforts were appreciated by the Johoku English teaching staff.

Sunday 28th October

Luggage, ten Highcliffe students, two staff and a whole heap of excitement were loaded into two taxis bound for Heathrow airport. At last, the trip to Japan was finally underway! There were probably enough butterflies in stomachs to keep a lepidopterist happy for years.

After a quick ride up to Heathrow, we finally embarked. We left behind the crowded cities of Europe and crossed the Siberian wastelands. At just after 8.00pm Japan time, we landed at Hiroshima airport. A somewhat tired and bedraggled group filed out of the plane and through customs whereupon we were greeted by the friendly faces of Mr Wood and Mr Asano, representatives of the Johoku International Committee. Within minutes, we were whisked onto a coach and were whizzing down the Sanyo Expressway to the city of Hiroshima itself.



There wasn't much to see at first - just lorries hurtling up and down; the odd light and fields filled with darkness. Before long, though, we could start to see the sides of steep hills crammed with houses and apartment blocks. The jumble of houses increased; the apartment blocks grew taller. (One rose grandly up out of the surrounding urban landscape, a stack of concrete and lights raised like an index finger pointing to the heavens - it turns out one of our students is staying there.) Roads and rail-lines began converging. The scene was packed with twinkling lights - we were now entering Hiroshima city.

At the station, we were greeted by a warm friendly gathering of staff, students and their parents. By now, there probably weren't just butterflies fluttering around in stomachs - there were probably moths, dragonflies and all manner of insects flying about. The students were introduced to their partners - Ollie and Abi were happily re-united with the students they'd hosted in England - who helpfully wheeled suitcases to cars. Luggage, ten Highcliffe students and two staff were carefully loaded into twelve different cars and driven off to the respective houses of their Japanese families. Now another journey can begin.

Monday 29th October

Its not every day you feel you have some sort of celebrity status. However, our students had a taste of it today. In order to signify the importance of international dimension to Johoku School, the principal, Mr Fukuhara, had arranged for a welcoming ceremony for our students. During period one, the entire school congregated in the gym. As we entered in pairs, the wall of Johoku students parted so that an aisle was formed through which we walked accompanied by applause.

To open the ceremony, Mr Fukuhara gave a speech in English urging all the students to "Be brave!" in making efforts to communicate with each other. Each of our students was introduced in turn, standing up to give a bow to the audience. I gave a speech on behalf of Highcliffe School in Japanese expressing our gratitude for the efforts Johoku had made. This was followed by a speech by Georgia on behalf of the Highcliffe students in which she expressed their thanks and what they hoped to achieve with the Johoku students.

The school presents created quite a stir, too. We presented them with two Southampton FC football shirts and a Southampton ball. As many of you may know, Southampton FC have two Japanese players in their squad who are stars in their home country. The shirts and ball were signed by the players. One boy was heard to exclaim: "I want that shirt!" An inspired choice of presents from Mrs Bewley!



At the end of the assembly, we were once again applauded out. The whole seamlessly organised event not only made us feel welcome, but also important and special. The speeches in different languages delivered by non-native speakers, the messages of those speeches, and the whole sense of occasion ensured that the importance of fostering good relationships between cultures and countries was brought right to the forefront of people's minds. Furthermore, by doing this Johoku School gave our students the experience of what it feels like to be at the centre of something very formal and grand.

During the rest of the morning, Mr Osmond gave us a tour of the school and Hesaka (the actual town in which the school is located). Confidence is building: Ben is finding that his Japanese studies have been paying off, because he is recognizing some of the writing and has been using some of the language. Also, "old friends" are getting a chance to meet up with Johoku students from previous homestays coming to our meeting room to say "Hello" to buddies from their time at Highcliffe School.



Today was a half-day, so all the students were able to leave the school early and spend time with their buddy beneath glorious afternoon sunshine. It was good to see that our students are making an impression. In her speech, Georgia had said that although there were only a small number of us we hoped to be able to reach all students in some way - judging by the friendly faces and greetings of the Johoku students as we walked around the school I think we have started to make an impression.

 

 

 


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