Japan Trip: August 2010

We asked our Learning Detectives to go into each class at George Street Normal School and ask the children and teachers what questions they had about Japan. We hope that as we travel in Japan we will be able to post some answers to these questions on this blog. Here are some of the questions...

Climate:

What temperature is it?
It is about 20 degrees today, but tomorrow it is meant to be 25 degrees. And then there is the humidity.

Population:

How many people are in Japan?
8 and a half million.

Geography/Environment:

How many hours behind/ahead is Japan to New Zealand?
It is 4 hours behind.
Is there much pollution?
Not too much air pollution. There isn't much rubbish on the grounds and we can never find any rubbish bins! At the Temple we saw people in traditional costume picking up rubbish.
How would you describe the buildings?
In Hannah's words they are "big, tall, white and look great at night when they are lit up!".
We are staying at the Kyoto Tower Hotel. It is 100m tall. It is opposite the Kyoto train station which is MASSIVE both underground and up into the air. We never have trouble finding a restaurant to eat at or shop to look at.
Are there any museums?
Yes. We went to a fantastic one today called the Museum of Technology and Science.
Are there many statues?
We have only seen lots of statues in the Temples. The two statue guards at the entrance had eyes that looked real. Miss Spencer saw a big white one against the mountain through the binoculars up in Kyoto tower.
How is Japan different to New Zealand?
"More people" Tutawake
"More cars and lots of trains!" Tiana
"Subways" William
"Tall buildings and lot of them." Hannah
"Temples" Hannah
"A lot more taxes" Kayia
"Every time you go on an esculator you have to stand to the left so people walking up or down it can move past on the right." Ms Spencer
"People are still shopping on Saturday night at 7:30." Miss Hill
"It's not polite to eat when you are walking." Kaiya
"Lots of vending machines!!!" Kaiya, Ms Spencer, Miss Hill, Tutawake, William, Tiana.
"People wear masks" William
"The trains are so much faster!" Ms Spencer
"Halloween is big here". Tutawake
"There are a lot of 'Hello Kitty' shops" Kaiya
"Lots of people in the train stations". Tiana
"It's a lot warmer than New Zealand." Anon
How big is Japan?
It's just a little bigger than New Zealand.
Is it hot?
Yes! 28 degrees today.

Transport:

How would you describe the public transport?
Very efficient and easy to use once you know how! When you go on the buses you pay at the end and you have to have the exact change. There is lots of public transport and not as many personal cars especially in Tokyo. You have to keep your tickets when you get them at the train station so that you can get out of the station at the end. When you ticket goes through the machine at the train station it makes a chirping noise. When you use the pedestrian crossing a bird sound tweets at you. Birds sounds everywhere! There are a lot more taxies driving around than New Zealand and some of them have love hearts on the top.
What was the best bit about traveling to Japan in the plane?
The movies, the games, the music, the food and drink, the flight attendants and the company!
How long does it take to get to Japan?
About 10 and a half hours in the plane and then an hour and a bit by train to Tokyo.

Education:

How long is a school day in Japan?
What games do they play at school?
They love soccer and dodgeball
What are their playgrounds like?
They are all made of sand! They had an adventure playground like the one in the Juniors. Another school did have astroturf.
Do they have a canteen?
No
What languages do they learn?
English and Japanese
Is their school big?
It is about the same size as ours without the Junior side. Similar amount of children.
What is around the boundaries of their school?
Great question...rice fields..some houses....tall nets to stop balls from leaving the property....a traffic man who watches the crossing all day between the school and the university.
What is the main focus of their education?
Similar to us except they learn Japanese and English. They also learn Japanese dance.
What are their school rules?
That you take your outside shoes off to wear inside shoes. That you clean your school without supervision for about 20 minutes every lunchtime, including the toilets.
Are the teachers strict?
Just as strict as GSNS.
Is their school tidy?
Yes - we never saw any rubbish!!! It is a nice modern building.
How do they count?
The same as us but in Japanese...ask us to demonstrate....
What is different between our school and their school?
Lunch time - cleaning and school lunches, learning Japanese, they have robots in their computer lab and a video conference facility. They wear a uniform and change into a different uniform complete with reversable hat for PE. They have an art room.
What was your favourite classroom over there and why?
Everyone had different classrooms...because some of us like art, some computers, some older children and some younger children.
How long has Gifu Shotoku Gakuen Primary School existed?
How many children are at the school?
350 we think
What kind of technology do they have?
TV's in every room, computer lab with lots of computers, sound system that plays music instead of the bell,

Food:

What are your impressions of the food?
It was good. It didn't cost to much. Lots of fish, rice and pickle. We drank green fanta!
How do they make sushi?
How many different flavours of sushi are there?
We saw lots and tried some.
Do you like their sweets? What kind of sweets do they have? Yes
Do they use chopsticks? Did you learn how to use chopsticks? Yes and Yes
Do they have desserts? Yes - especially icecream...even green tea icecream.