In July, 30 (then) Fifths and Lower Sixth students travelled for what felt like a whole day to reach Japan. Visiting Tokyo, Futaba (in Fukushima Prefecture), and Kyoto, there were so many amazing experiences and stories that it would be impossible to name all of them. For some, this was a bucket list destination, for others, it was an opportunity to experience a completely different culture. Whatever the reason for going, everyone learned a lot about Japan and, more importantly, themselves.
Starting in Tokyo, the initial heat (35 degrees) and humidity hit as soon as we left the airport. With only three days in Tokyo, days were very busy – and sometimes involved us being shoved onto the crammed metro – and often hitting over 20,000 steps. Learning about the Japanese economy with trips to the financial district and Tokyo Stock Exchange was punctuated by cultural visits to Asakusa and Meiji Shrines, and some more niche trips to batting cages, arcades and some retail therapy too. The fact that one boy had left space in his suitcase to return with a PS5 demonstrates that boys can plan ahead too!
Visiting Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture was a real change of pace. We were guided around the town (population 100) to see how the area was recovering and being redeveloped after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear incident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The experience was informative and poignant, as we spoke to people who had lived in Futaba at the time of the tsunami. The day was more unusual as we were followed by a lot of media. It turns out that we were the first international trip to visit the area, and we ended up on Japanese TV and in newspapers!
On the way to Kyoto, we visited Hakone National Park to see Mount Fuji and eat some black eggs (it turns out they taste like boiled eggs – who knew?). Due to the weather, we were unable to see Mount Fuji… Fortunately, in the nick of time, just as we were just about to board the bullet train, a lovely cleaner pointed to Mount Fuji over the top of a multistorey car park! Not quite as iconic an image as we had hoped, but impressive none the less.
Kyoto was a real change of pace, and felt more ‘normal’ – or at least relatable – compared to Tokyo and Futaba. Visits ensued to the Coca-Cola bottling facility, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Golden Pavilion, Arashiyama’s bamboo forests and Monkey Park across the next two days! I should add the real highlight of Kyoto has to be the karaoke – and hearing thirty boys belt out Three Lions was amazing!
As already mentioned, we cannot mention everything. There were simply so many amazing parts of the trip that I cannot mention in detail here, but will quickly list: 7/11 (we need these in the UK!); observing how rule-oriented Japan is; the toilets; the absence of public bins; Don Quiote and Daiso, and perhaps most importantly, all the food. Best of all, we seeing how well all the boys did when thrown into a different culture without the language. Impressively, they simply adapted.
I think everyone on the trip would 100% recommend you visit Japan in the future if you’ve never been.
