| In October 2002, six girls from the Weald of Kent Grammar School
for Girls in Tonbridge set off with their head teacher, Sue Rowell,
and Japanese teacher, Mary Banks-Murayama, for a two-week trip to
Japan. Japanese has been taught as an optional sixth-form course
for two years at the school, and Weald has been hosting groups from
Japan for many years. This was, however, the first visit to Japan
by Weald students, and it proved to be a fantastic experience for
all involved.
We spent the first six days sightseeing in Kyoto, Hiroshima and
Miyajima, before taking the bullet train to Tokyo to meet staff
and students from Chuo University Suginami High School, who were
to be our hosts for ten unforgettable days in the vibrant capital
city. Students stayed with host families selected by the school,
and attended lessons with their Japanese partners. The school also
arranged extra classes in Japanese cooking, ikebana (flower arranging)
and the tea ceremony.
Kyoto
‘I would never have imagined the difference between
Japan and England, and so it was quite a culture shock for us all
when we arrived. Kyoto was a beautiful city, and it is amazing for
us to have seen all the traditional temples. Our guesthouse was
quite traditional, along the back streets of Kyoto. We saw a couple
of geisha girls, which was really exciting. Even after just a few
days in Japan I was starting to get used to the Japanese cuisine
- for example okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake) and miso soup’.
In Kyoto we walked a lot, which is an excellent way to absorb
the atmosphere of the city, and visited four temples as well as
the old Imperial Palace where we took part in a free guided tour
in English. Each temple had something special to offer. The Golden
Pavilion is a stunning traditional temple covered in gold leaf and
a much photographed site in Japan. Ryosanji has a famous
Zen rock garden which was interesting, and the Sanjusangendo has
a fantastic collection of about 800 gold Buddha statues. It was
also interesting to wander up the streets to Kiyomizu Temple,
near the guest house.
Hiroshima
We left Kyoto early in the morning and took the bullet train to
Hiroshima, where we spent a couple of hours in the very moving and
thought-provoking Peace Museum. Afterwards we walked through the
Peace Memorial Park to the Childrens Peace Statue where children
from all over Japan bring strings of brightly-coloured origami cranes
- a symbol of peace.
‘ The Hiroshima Peace Museum is a place I will never forget
and the sight of the A-bomb dome is one hopefully that will encourage
peace throughout the world.’
Miyajima
From Hiroshima we took a train and ferry to the island of Miyajima,
site of a famous shrine built out to sea. We stayed in a more modern
guest house, with beds and Western-style toilets - universally appreciated.
The food was really excellent - modern Japanese style at night and
a Western-style breakfast with unlimited cups of tea which was drunk
with great enthusiasm. We arrived late in the afternoon, just in
time to take a cable-car trip up the mountain from where there were
fantastic views of the Inland Sea ringed by mountains and with dozens
of small islands.
The School and Homestay Programme
It could have been quite a daunting prospect to stay with a Japanese
family without understanding more than a few words of Japanese,
but all six students had a fantastic attitude and all made friends
with their host sisters. The school had apparently had to draw lots
for host families as they had 17 families wanting to host! Host
sisters were from all year groups. Some families were more westernised
than others, but all students agreed that they had a fine introduction
to Japanese life.
‘My host family made me feel so welcome from the moment
I arrived. I had a wonderful time with them and I hope one day to
be able to return their hospitality if my host-sister, Miki, ever
comes to England. I really felt like part of their family and they
could not have done more to make me feel welcome. I appreciated
every effort that anyone made to speak English and I apologised
for my Japanese, which I am sure made no sense’.
We were invited to give brief speeches in front of the whole school
on the first morning. The principal of Chuo Suginami gave a welcome
speech in English as did one of their students. All the Weald girls
introduced themselves in Japanese, which went down very well. In
fact there was so much cheering that they could hardly hear themselves.
The wild enthusiasm with which we were greeted was something of
a shock as we had expected something rather more formal, but this
genuine excitement at the presence of six English girls actually
continued throughout the stay. The Weald girls were treated like
celebrities. Everyone was keen to talk to them and be involved in
the programme.
‘As soon as the train pulled into the station, we were
overwhelmed by our host families' welcome. We were greeted with
banners, flags, and a sea of smiling faces. I had been looking forward
to the stay in Tokyo and the reality of it exceeded all expectations.
Travelling through Tokyo that evening with my host family was an
experience that I will never forget. Neon lights filled the towns
and I knew the next ten days would be really exciting!’
Chuo Suginami High School is one of four high schools in the Tokyo
area which feed in directly to Chuo University, a private and fairly
high-ranking university in Tokyo. There are about 1000 students
in years 1-3 (age 15-18), with about 40 boys and girls in each class.
Pupils have a ‘homeroom’, which is their classroom for
almost every lesson. The teachers move around the school rather
than the students. There were 6 periods each day, each of about
50 minutes. The buildings were modern and well equipped, especially
for sports, with three separate sports halls. There was a tennis
court on the roof! ICT was surprisingly low profile in the school.
Students did computer work but only in a specialised ICT room and
under supervision. The room was locked outside lesson times. The
inside of the school was somewhat austere with long, spotlessly
clean but totally bare corridors. It was strange not to see any
student work on display anywhere in the school.
‘Our time at the school seemed to fly by. The activities
organised for us gave us a real feel for the culture, especially
taking part in ikebana and the tea ceremony. Seeing Japanese traditions
was very interesting as they are so different from anything we have
in Britain.’
‘ I enjoyed spending time with the students at lunchtime
and enjoyed their English lessons and teaching about England and
learning about Japan’
‘I learned so much. I was amazed at how welcome we were
made to feel. Everyone was so kind and I was never left in want
of anyone to talk to, as everyone wanted to know about me. Even
people just waving in the corridors made me feel so at ease and
a part of it all. I even enjoyed standing up in front of the English
classes and describing myself and where I live, which I would normally
find terrifying!’
At the farewell party, a host mother gave a touching speech saying
how much her family had enjoyed having the Weald student and how
impressed they had all been by their enthusiasm, friendliness and
courtesy. The school too said they had very much enjoyed our visit,
and that it had been a very positive experience for the school.
This was definitely a life-changing experience for all the girls
who went on the trip thanks to the kindness and generosity of our
Japanese hosts.
‘My expectations were met brilliantly – I have
never done/seen so much in two weeks in my life’
‘ I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to
participate in this cultural trip, and I can say that this has been
one of the best experiences I have ever had. I would like to return
to Japan in the future as is the most captivating country you could
ever visit’.
Mary Banks-Murayama, Alison Hewings, Michelle Freeman,
Jo Clews, Emily Bent, Katherine Cockett, Liz Pim, Weald of Kent
Grammar School. |
