A final note

Today was the last day in Sapporo and sadly our final day in Japan but even though it was the last day, the study group of 2009 has left with memories that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. It is because of this that we find that we have become closer with our friends and strengthened the bonds with our peers that we didn’t know as well as we did before coming on this trip.

These past two weeks have possibly been the best two of our lives so far, with memories such as the group pose on the top of the tower of terror at disneysea for the photo just as it dropped, the snowball/ice throwing fight that occurred on top of mount hakodate, all the Japanese school girls pointing at laughing at us, Michael losing his passport on a bullet train, which we retrieved and Michael having to meet a Japanese policeman after losing his JR pass only to find it the next morning. These are only a few memories among many that made this trip a most enjoyable one and great way to finish of 2009 before entering year 12 and year 11.

While creating all these memories, that eventually we will look back and laugh on, we participated to the fullest extent on what this trip was meant to be for, this being experiencing the Japanese culture and improving our Japanese. We found the Japanese culture to be a very different one, being softer, with many polite friendly people who were very surprised to see westerners attempting to speak their language, no matter how bad you were. Therefore we found ourselves more determined and excited at the chance to use our language skill the fullest extent.

In light of this we found this trip to be the one of the most worthwhile experiences that have taken part in during our time at Xavier, which we could not have participated without the help of the teachers, to whom of which we are very grateful, so we thank you. While also we thank the parents for letting us go and finally all the students who came along for being the best bunch of blokes to ever do Japanese at Xavier, who made it such a great trip to be apart of.

So どもありがとうございました

And have a great holiday, merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Himeji

On roughly the fourth day in Japan, we took a day trip to visit the famous Japanese castle in Himeji. The long two hour train trip flew by as we all listened to music and told jokes. Our moods were all upbeat upon arrival and I began to navigate us up the main street to the amazing Himeji Castle at the end.

The Castle itself was like something out of a movie set. Its levels grew higher and higher as you went deeper in the castle. The wooden floorboard, low ceilings and frighteningly steep ladders inside reminded us that it could only belong to the Japanese. Inside were many artefacts which had been preserved in order to give us a more in-depth experience of the culture from hundreds of years ago when the castle was in use. Since we had all split up into small groups to explore the castle at our own pace, we organized a meeting spot back at the base to return to.

The views from the top level were amazing allowing us to see the entire city of Himeji and beyond to the Horizon. This castle was like none we had ever seen before. The moat which could just be seen from the castle encircled many houses as well as the castle and this was due to people wanting there houses built within the protection of Himeji Castle. Upon finishing the self-guided tours, Tom and I went into a souvenir shop and bought a plastic ‘soccer ball’ which gave us a heap of fun as the group joined in to kick it around on a grass patch. I think everyone felt extremely fresh whilst there and we were all laughing into the video camera which caught glimses of the good times.

Lunch included a Japanese restaurant with views of Himeji castle from the top floor. As we ate in the hard-to-adjust-to seated positions at the tables we enjoyed miso soup and udon noodles. Being in such a good mood, I struggled to eat because I was laughing so frequently. Instead of returning to Kyoto for dinner, friends had offered us a trip to their home just outside Osaka.

While there, she treated our fifteen strong group to fresh McDonald’s burgers to our great surprise. My views of her house was it was immaculately clean and presented much like the rest of Japan. One of the traditions within Japanese Buddhist families is to respect any family members who have passed away, with a series of phrases you chant in unison whilst kneeling at a small alter. The moment was powerful. It grew late and we needed to get some dinner into us and head back to our hotel in Kyoto.

However the day was not over, we arranged a dinner in Osaka for this was the only time we could experience this large city. In my opinion it was unbelievable, bustling with people, energy, high rises and enormous shops. A shop I went into called Yodobashi was the largest department store for electronics I have ever seen despite having experienced California.

Tom, Jack, Nick, Tom and I half ran up the floors screaming the things we would buy. After this large period of free time and dinner we met back at the Osaka station. The train trip back was a long tiring one however it was still free from complaints. The rest of the night was quiet as we collapsed in our hotel rooms to prepare for the next day’s trip to Tokyo. This jam-packed day was incredibly fun to lead with so many exciting events. This day was definitely a highlight for me in the trip.

Asakusa, Akihabara, imperiality and sumo adventures

TP

We woke up later than usual (that being around 8:00) and had breakfast in the guest house. From breakfast, we walked down the backstreets and reached the main road which our closest station was located on. After 15 minutes of searching, which lead to no gain, I asked a policeman where the station we needed was. We were on our way to Asakusa soon thereafter.

At Asakusa, we visited the Sensouji shrine and, more specifically, the souvenir shops that were at each side of the road the whole way up to the shrine. After an hour of free time, photo opportunitites, spotting a sumo wrestler and a public toilet experience, we left Asakusa for Akihabara; electric city.

Following another short train trip, Akihabara was in our sights. Coming out of the station, the whole group had no idea where we were. No idea. At all. So, like the proud tourists we were, asking questions was not an option; we went in a general thataway direction, and thankfully ended up in the right area. Given two hours free time, the 15 of us split up with three instructions: get lunch, meet at the department store in two hours and (this one was from me) BUY STUFF! We set out getting pictures with cosplayers (people dressed up as either maids or anime characters) and soon got our bearings. With various gifts and items purchased, we all met on time, well most of us *cough teachers cough* and made our way to the imperial palace.

By the time we reached the imperial palace, everyone was feeling the burn of a hard days shopping, even if it was only 4:00. We decided, after taking several photos of huge water features, that the best thing to do would be return to the guest house for some much needed rest before a sumo wrestlers meal at Ryogoku.

We met up with Miss Clark’s friend Makiko at the station, and she instantly lead us away from the main streets, calling them boring! We were a little confused at first (we love flashing lights and advertisements the size of trains) but soon realised why she did so. We took a small walking path, which was surrounded by the Tokyo museum and the Sumo Wrestler’s stadium. We were shortly seated at our table at Ryogoku to start our meal, with no idea as to what we would eat. Waiters soon brought out bowls of water and burners, and before we knew it, we were cooking our own meals. With an assortment of crab, chicken, mince, fish and various vegetables, we dug in as soon as the water boiled. Through the meal we met some intereseting characters, two in particular, who were kind enough (or drunk enough) to share stories of past rugby games, and even sumo wrestling training with our group. We even got to have a photo inside the sumo ring!

Following possibly the most humerous meal of the trip, we were all exited to hear that the group had been invited by Makiko to karaoke, all of us discussing songs all the way to the building. We sang, beautifly, for an hour or so, with a wide assortment of songs including its raining men, lose yourself and of course no karaoke night would be complete without the timeless classic barbie girl. All sad the time had gone so fast, we thanked Makiko for an unforgettable night and made our way back to the guest house, ready for the next adventure.

Disney Sea

We all woke up eagerly at around about 8.00, very excited and ready for what was the most anticipated day of the trip, to Disney Land’s DisneySea. After dressing quickly and packing our bags, we put on our yukkata and went down to breakfast for another traditional breakfast. We travelled by train to Tokyo Station and transferred trains to the JR line. After walking to the next platform, which literally took 15 minutes we boarded the train for Maihama station, the station in front of DIsneyLand. After arriving there we realised we needed to board yet another train; the monorail that circles DisneyLand, and after what felt like ages, we arrived outside the gates of DisneySea.

As anyone who as been to a Disney theme park will tell you, it is surreal. Just like a page taken directly out of a fairytale, or as if being placed into a movie set. Everything from the Popcorn sellers to the ground you walked on was decorated to suit the theme of where you were. We rode on many rides, and we were particularly looking forward to the “red triangle” rides – those rides that warned the old, pregnant and those with heart and back problems not to ride. “The Tower of Terror” an elevator that takes you to the top of a very high building, shows a nice view before dropping you back to the bottom, “Raging Spirits” which included a 360 loop, many of us took advantage of the Japanese line system, whereby “single” people can go straight to the front of the ride and avoid the 30-45 minute wait, this allowed many us to ride this ride 3-5 times. An “Inidiana Jones Crystal Skull” themed wild mouse ride, and “Journey to the centre of the Earth”. All of these rides had our hearts pumping and wanting to ride theme again and again. We did however, ride other less scary rides such as “jumping jellyfish”, a thunderstorm simulation, spinning fish boats and star fish rides.

All rides we went on were very fun, funny and memorable and our day there will always be remembered. After DisneyLand, we went to Shinjuku, the biggest railway station in the world, and spent an hour or so wondering around had dinner and did some shopping. So we made our way back to the Ryokkan and prepared ourselves for the next trip.

Hiroshima part 2

Abe Suzuko-san, a survivor of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, spoke about her experience of the blast and her recovery that followed; most of us were on the brink of tears when first listening to the horrors that she went through. Our umbrellas that we bought at the 100 Yen shop in Nara proved to be a good purchase when it rained during our walk to the Bomb Museum after the speech. Here we met Clarke Sensei and Michael Mooney who had thankfully recovered his Rail Pass. The Hiroshima Bomb Museum was extremely moving, confronting and informative. It consisted of information on the creation of the atomic bomb and the morning of August 6, 1945, a rather graphic wax sculpture of a mother and her two children demonstrating the effect the blast had on skin and a step that contained the shadow of a man that remained after the bomb. We exited the Museum in a straight line that went pass a memorial of the victims of the bomb, the eternal flame that will be extinguished when all atomic bombs are rid from the world and the Dome building that survived the blast, still preserved today. We also saw the memorial of the young girl who died from radiation poisoning 10 years after the bomb. Sadako believed that if she made 1000 paper cranes she would become healthy. Although reaching her goal, she died at the age of 12. The nation was moved by her story and children from around Japan made paper cranes in memory of her. After buying lunch at the local 7/11 we mistakenly took a 48 minute tram to the Miyajima Guchi instead of catching a train. Arriving on Miyajima Island by Ferry, we were greeted by many deer, ‘shika’, to which we took several photos with. The main attraction on the island, however, was not the deer; the large shrine in the water (‘Itsukushima’) was what brought Japanese and other tourists to Miyajima Island. Another long and dreary tram ride later we ate dinner at an ‘okonomiyaki’ restaurant after 15 minutes of searching up and down for a free table. Everyone seemed to enjoy Hiroshima’s famous dish, as seen in the groans as we walked down the stairs and the belief that we were about to throw up from too much intake of food. Despite the exhaustion felt by everyone, Hiroshima and Miyajima Island proved to be one of the most memorable places any of us had ever had the privilege of seeing.

Hachinohe

Quick update - we've come on into the north up to Aomori prefecture today, Hachinohe, probably the furthest we've come in a day, to the end of the 'Shinkansen' line. Coming directly from Tokyo, we experienced culture shock in Hachinohe where the biggest attraction is a castle which is not actually there. So we went off to an onsen instead and experienced first hand the warmth of this very Japanese experience. Afterwards massage chairs were popular, followed later that night by a night out for yakiniku, a banquet, which we cooked ourselves.

Disneyland, the guys will tell you about themselves, but look out for the photo from the "Tower of Terror". Tomorrow we're on to Hakodate and Hokkaido, passing under a sea, in a tunnel 140 metres deep. Kowai...

Part 2 of Day 1 in Kyoto

December 2nd: Day 1 in Kyoto JL

Following our tour of the Imperial Palace, we decided to lunch in Gion, the entertainment district of the city of Kyoto. We had some difficulty finding a restaurant – being a group of fifteen, we were unable to squeeze into most shops, as much of the inner city is somewhat lacking with regards to space, as was to be expected. Nevertheless, a place was found, and we ate well. We had a little free shopping in Gion, as the abundance of plazas and multi-storey shops allowed for all manner of spending.

Having loaded up with souvenirs and snacks, we embarked on foot for Kiyomizu-dera, literally ‘pure water temple’. Our arriving on the first day of winter turned out to be something of a blessing – the woods in and surrounding the temple shone remarkably in the sunset, each a different shade of orange or red. The temple itself was astonishing, and it was here that we discovered exactly how friendly and photogenic Japanese schoolgirls can be. We were ferociously assailed from all sides by hordes of teenage girls dragging several unfortunates away from the Study Tour group and into a throng of giggling schoolgirls, where they were blinded with thousands of camera flashes, the likes of which no celebrity can ever claim to have experienced. We exited the temple rather stunned, due to both the breathtaking views and the insatiable fascination that Japanese girls seem to have for foreigners (although it was mostly due to the latter).

Finally, we boarded a bus for the JR Station, had dinner nearby, and retreated to our hotel rooms for the night.

Yesterday we arrived in Tokyo at lunch time and got lunch as soon as we arrived. The teachers got lost on the way back to our meeting place, but luckily everyone else found their way back to the train station and all the students were waiting for us when we arrived a few minutes late.

We met up with our friends Kiyo and Tetsu and Ria and they took us to the Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, Omotesando and Shibuya! The Meiji Shrine was amazing, with a Korean wedding, a Japanese wedding and all these kids dressed up for Shichi-Go-San Festival! Then one of the boys got a nose bleed in the middle of it all! A very bad one, luckily someone had some water to clean the ground up... I have never seen Harajuku so busy, it was literally wall to wall people. We had to work to get from one end of Takeshita dori to the other, but we made time to get an incredible crepe on the way, I had cream, ice-cream and peach. L had chocolate ice cream, cream and thats all.

First Day In Kyoto

Our first day began with a buffet breakfast in the dining area of the Dai Ni Tower Hotel, where we were able to select both Western and Japanese style dishes. Afterwards, we boarded the tour bus, which would take us to our first three destinations.

The first place we visited was Nijo Castle, the old residence of the Tokugawa-era shogun. We toured around the inside of the castle, and experienced the effect of the famous "Nightingale Floor", which 'sings' as the wood moves, warning of any intruders. We were also shown the various rooms, including the shogun's residence.

Secondly, we visited Kinkaku-ji; the Golden Pavillion. The name is not deceptive - the entire building is coated in gold leaf, and surrounded by a beautiful Japanese garden.

Next we were taken on a tour of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor prior to his move to Tokyo. It is very difficult to describe how enormous the palace is, especially as it is located within such a crowded city.

We decided to have lunch in Gion, the main entertainment district of Kyoto City...

We'll get to the autumn colours of Kiyomizudera later, but here is a photo taken by J.L.

Hiroshima

Well, we're getting there with our planning - only 2 and a half months to go, and we'll be in Japan!

Excitingly, I've been in touch with Yuki Tanaka, who is related to a teacher at Xavier College. Yuki is an activist at the Hiroshima Peace Institute and also works in Melbourne for some of the year. Here is a video of Yuki, speaking about some of the issues related to the history of the War. Also, this is a link to a book he has written.

Could you take a look at this website: Please read Takahashi-san's testimony - Yuki recommends that we meet Takahashi-san if possible - would you be interested in this opportunity?