Japan 2018 CAS Trip

Over the September holidays, a group of 23 Year 5 students and three teachers visited Yokohama, Japan, on an exchange programme from 3 to 12 September.

The day after we arrived, we made our way to our sister school, Yamate Gakuin and followed our buddies and their parents to their homes. Most of us took the train back with the families, and reached their homes after an hour or so.

The homestay was a unique experience for all of us. Many shared the same sentiments that the home-cooked Japanese meals were delectable, and the families treated us with utmost hospitality; an experience which we are eternally grateful for. Everything about the host families that we stayed with had exceeded our expectations, as none of us could have expected that level of warmth, care and consideration that they had put in for us.

During the few days at Yamate Gakuin, we sat in a variety of classes with our buddies and observed how typical lessons were conducted. Most of us had one lesson of the day in which our buddies and their classmates showcased different aspects of Japanese culture. We did activities such as simply folding origami cranes to playing with a Japanese toy called the “Kendama”, as well as calligraphy and other card games. Watching Japanese television series and reading about their culture didn’t even hold a candle to the amount of pure warmth and welcome we felt whilst on our trip. Kindness was repaid with nothing but the same and they wholeheartedly accepted us, trying to teach us about their culture and traditions to the best of their ability. Not to mention, we also attended two of four Clubs each, namely: Karate, Kendo, Koto, and Japanese tea appreciation.

Furthermore, we participated in several service activities including teaching English to the students at Yamate Gakuin, teaching English to children at the local kindergarten and going to an elderly care home. Even though our buddies and their classmates at Yamate Gakuin knew basic English language and conversation skills, many of them lacked the confidence to speak it and communicate using English. So when we taught them English words, phrases and idioms, it was a challenge to get all of them to willingly participate in the activities. However, after they saw some classmates reply and get correct answers, they were more eager to answer the questions.

As for the kindergarten children, it was somewhat intriguing to teach them English as their level of English was actually at a higher standard than our Japanese! So it was quite a comical sight when we were trying to understand what they were saying and vice versa; but with a few sentences translated by their teacher and a few signals, we were able to teach them a little bit of English.

At the elderly care home, the only challenge – similar to at the kindergarten – was the language barrier between us and the elderly. But as we begun to play cards and Jenga with them, it didn’t matter anymore whether we understood what each of us was speaking. As we explained to them how the games were played through sign language and made gestures to communicate, it surprisingly went smoothly as we tried our hardest to understand what the other was saying. By the time we had to leave, we were reluctant to go and our goodbyes were said along with hugs and sad smiles.

However, having all of these memorable moments was nothing if we couldn’t share it with our buddies and talk about our time spent outside the school. This allowed us to create a strong connection and friendship with our buddies and when the week was almost over, we already had jokes and memories that we shared together to always remember each other by.

Our last day at Yamate Gakuin saw many of us bid tearful farewells to our buddies and their friends that we got to know in the short week that we’d spent with them. We were fortunate enough to have had the experiences of visiting shrines, local landmarks and do some shopping during our time in Japan. However, we realised at the end of the trip that the most memorable part of it all was the time we spent with our buddies and the everlasting bond which we now share with them.

Overall, I would say that the best thing about this trip was that it enabled us it make new friends in Japan and keep in close contact with them and their families. Overall, experiencing Japan from the perspective of a native Japanese was an enriching and unique experience – one which we can all agree on that we wouldn’t trade for any other experience we would ever be offered.