WOW! WOW! WOW!

You needed to be here to believe what happened today.  Words don’t explain the worlds we entered. 

The first challenge of the day was to fit everything in our bags!!!!  We have so much extra luggage…in some cases more bags are required!  But we managed…WOW!

Our final entry into the school was just as impressive as the day before…. Children and flags waving.  WOW!

Today we got to share our culture with the children from Gifu.  We did rakau, poi, and two playground games octopus and  rob the nest.  It was really hot – about 26 degrees, and 50 percent humidity.  WOW!  Tutawake loved the opportunity to teach the children and demonstrated great skills as a teacher.  “It was pretty easy if you can get them to listen and join in with them.”

Kaiya enjoyed teaching Rob the Nest and modifying the game.

Next we did the traditional tea ceremony.  We had to follow very set rules.  There were some new tastes for us!  Kate liked the food and the tea.

After we had lunch we gave out gifts to the children and teachers.  We were also invited into the Principal’s office were we said our final formal goodbyes and thanked them for all our experiences. 

Our final experience was pretty special!  We did what felt like a ‘celebrity walk’ through the corridors which were lined with children offering their hands for high fives and handshakes.  As we left everyone stood on the balcony ie about 330 children and waved us off with many warm wishes…WOW.

The bus ride to Osaka didn’t seem to take long at all, even though it was 3 hours.   Mr Miyabe was a great bus driver.

Our hotel at Osaka is awesome…very posh!…WOW.  So much space in our rooms with grand views of the bay.  The night lights on boats and buildings are just spectacular. 

As soon as we had found our rooms we went to the aquarium… WOW…. Here are our two words we have chosen to describe the experience….

Great and awesome – Kaiya

Sagoi (awesome in Japanese) and fascinating - William

Spectacular and beautiful - Hannah

Petrifying and amazing – Tiana

Energetic and fabulous – Tutawake

Amazing and super cool – Kate

The best attraction I’ve ever seen – Miss Hill (who obviously can’t count!)

Indescribable!  - Ms Spencer (who obviously can’t follow instructions!)

Then as if we hadn’t had enough WOW experiences for the trip and the day we went up on the worlds biggest ferris wheel.  113m high and 100 metres in diameter.    For 15 minutes we saw a beautiful array of lights for as far as the eye could see!  Hannah and Tiana shared the experience with Pooh bear.  Kaiya and Kate shared the experience with our lovely two sensei (teachers) from Gifu.

This was a great day to end our time in Japan!

Now we are having showers before we get up early tomorrow for our final hotel breakfast, a walk around a very very small bit of the beautiful city and a bus ride to the Airport ready for our 13 hour flight back to Dunedin.  WOW!  We are so looking forward to telling you more of our tales in person.  We hope you have enjoyed our blog.  Thanks for sharing in our experiences!  

Tutawake, Kate, William, Hannah, Tiana, Kaiya, Ms Spencer and Miss Hill

Day 2 in Gifu

Today we entered Gifu Shotoku Gakuen School through a guard of honour by children of the school. 

We were quickly escorted up to the video conference room where we sat in anticipation listening for the dial up ring signal to let us know that we had made a connection via video conference with our families in Dunedin, New Zealand.  (This long sentence is an indicator of how tired we are!)  We all appreciated the chance to catch up and share what has been happening.

Next we had a quick morning tea before going to the computer lab where we were given instructions by the teacher and children as to how to make a calendar.   The teacher had made a power point with written English instructions.  We appreciated her efforts and were able to take home our finished product.

The next activity was PE where we did gymnastics with some of the younger children.  We finished up with a dance which was a bit like our ‘jump jam’.

After lunch we were able to go outside and play on the ‘sand’ ground.  We played dodgeball, soccer and on the bars.  There were lots of good social interactions happening and caught on camera. 

Then we helped to clean the school before going in minivan to our first sight seeing destination – Gifu Castle.   To get there we had to ascend 330m by cable car and then walk up a bit of a hill.      The views were magnificent.  Gifu seemed to stretch out forever.  The history was interesting.  On the way down we were all very excited to stop in a squirrel enclosure, where we got to wear leather gloves and feed the squirrels.

The last event of the day was a trip on a riverboat to watch Cormonant fishing as dusk fell.  The lights on the boats and having tea with everyone on the boat made for a great atmosphere.  It was fascinating to watch the birds in action and learn about this tradition which has been going on for over a 1000 years!  We were privileged to have this experience. 

First day ‘welcomes’ at Gifu Shotoku Gakuen School….

Get a cup of coffee or green tea before you sit down this entry!  It will take a while to read….
We were welcomed in many ways when we went to Gifu School!!! 

First we were welcomed by the children who were dressed up and doing a dance to Disney music.  They were very cute. 

Then we went inside, took our shoes off and put on our inside shoes before going to assembly. We were asked to sit up on the stage.  We looked out onto about 300 children.  The senior children who welcomed us and lead us through the welcoming assembly spoke in very good English.  Then we were asked to individually introduce ourselves.  We did so in Japanese and English.

The Principal then welcomed us and Miss Hill gave a reply.  We then gave gifts to each other.  

The children then sang us a song. We replied by singing our National Anthem. We were proud of how we sounded.  Next we were given some gifts each. 

We then left assembly and were given some more gifts by the Principal and Deputy Principal!  This was followed by morning tea.

Next we were taken to the art room to do some calligraphy.  We were shown what we needed and then the children helped us to write the word ‘friend’.  We had to do the strokes in the correct order and you couldn’t go back and fix up any brush strokes.  We had to sign our name in Japanese down the side when we had finished.  We all had a few goes and then selected our best two.  One was given to Gifu and we got one to take home.   We were given a calligraphy paint brush each to take home. 

Next we went to a PE dance lesson.  The teacher used a microphone to teach the children. The children all had PE uniforms which included a hat. We all participated in the dance including Ms Spencer and Miss Hill.  
We had lunch with the children.  They sang a blessing before they ate.  The children served each other lunch.  While we ate lunch we were introduced to the children and asked questions by the class.  While they get provided lunch they have to bring their own chopsticks.

At the end of lunch all the children got brooms, scrapers and cloths and started to sweep and polish the floors, stairs and sinks.  Everyone had a job.  The teachers didn’t have to watch over them!

After lunch we went to the hall again where we got to see a traditional Japanese fan dance by some children from the school who were dressed up in Kimonos. (This was Ray’s highlight of the day).  They were tutored by the number one dance teacher in Japan.  She then taught us how to do the Japanese fan dance.   We were good at picking up the details.

Then we went on a tour of the school.  We saw pictures of ourselves and our school on the walls! 

After school we were taken to the Gifu tower which was 135m tall.  We went up 100m.  You could see the view out of the lift as we went up.  There was a cool playground below which we visited after being up the town.  It had a flying fox (this was a highlight for Kaiya), lots of mazes and a bouncy pillow (Kate’s favourite part of the day).  There were lots of flowers in the park.  As they locked the park up they played a tune over the loud speakers to tell us that it was time to go home.  

Finally we had the last welcome of the day.  We were taken to tea at the University.  We had tea with the children and parents of the children who came to New Zealand and the teachers (this was Tutawake, Tiana, Hannah, William, Miss Hill and Ms Spencer’s highlight of the day!). After a couple of speeches we ate tea.  At the end of tea were shared gifts.  We felt overwhelmed with the welcome and hospitality.  We were very appreciative and humbled.  

Moving on to Gifu

This is just a quick message because we just found out about computer access at this hotel and we are getting ready to be picked up for school.
Yesterday we were taken around the sights of Kyoto in a minivan.  We saw some more temples.  One was covered in gold - well gold leaf anyway.  The grounds around the temples are beautiful.  What wasn`t quite so beautiful at the temple was getting to use a traditional toilet.... actually we have a few stories about toilets, but we will fill you in on that when we get home. 
When we got to Gifu we were taken out to tea by the Principal and his staff.  Tutawake was priceless to watch as he interacted with the staff. 
Hopefully we will get the opportunity to add more to the blog at school, otherwise it will be late tonight!

Using our senses and cents around the Kyoto sights...

When we posted the blog last night we hadn't been up to the top of Kyoto tower.  It is 100m high and on top of the hotel we are staying at.  It has awesome views!  We went up at dusk, so we saw the views in daylight and then with the city lights.  We could use the binoculars to see if people on the street were smiling or frowning.  There is some great architecture - especially the Kyoto train station.  

We had a great sleep and early night last night. We enjoyed sleeping on the futon's. Nobody snored, talked or walked in their sleep.  Thank goodness for that! Then we had breakfast, yum! Cinnamon bread, french fries, bacon, berries, yoghurt, cereal, even omelet's being made especially for us. 

The first attraction we went to was one of the Japanese temple's - Kiyomizudera! (Aren't we clever for remembering that!). We had a great time looking at the kimono's, cleansing our hands and burning incense. The maples around the temple were beautiful. 

Our second attraction was eating Japanese food off a conveyor belt. We had to save our plates which were different plates for different foods, so they could see how much to charge us. 

Next we went to a market with lots of fish so Tiana had to stand by the flower stalls all the time! As you can see Miss Hill and Hannah took the dare to eat a baby octopus! We bought lots of things including kimono's, pottery, silk scarfs, Japanese shoes, fans and postcards. By the end of the day we were really tired and worn out. We had an awesome day and it still hasn't finished because we still have to decide where and what to have for tea! 

Going fast on the bullet train!!!

Today we have been cleaning, traveling and exploring. This morning we started to clean up for the trip to Kyoto, making sure nothing was left under the beds and out of the hotel we went! Ms Spencer, Kaiya, Tutawake, Miss Hill, Hannah and Tiana went for a trip around Tokyo on foot while William and Katrina went around Tokyo train style and Ray and Kate went to the market! Then we set off for Kyoto, a two and a half  hour trip that took us a distance the same as from Christchurch to Invercargill.  First we had to go to another station which took five minutes so we could board the bullet train. It was good for our feet to have a rest from yesterday at Disneyland!!! We have finally arrived in Kyoto and now we are organizing our accommodation.  Here are is a picture of our traditional accommodation...

                                                                                                          

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

We have just had a fantastic day at Disneyland.  Some of us have run out of 'scream' (or giggles in Ms Spencer's case!)!  We managed to successfully and independently negotiate our way on the subway to Disney.  We went on at least 10 attractions.... including space mountain twice!  (For those of you unfamiliar with Disney, Space Mountain is a roller coaster in the dark... not for the faint hearted!)  It rained all day!  However we think that this was to our advantage, as the lines were probably shorter and it was fun to walk around with our new Disney umbrellas singing in the rain, looking like Mary Poppins.  We satisfied the merchants with our obligatory shop merchandise.  Who knew how many ways Mickey Mouse could be sold.  I hope our bags are big enough to accommodate the extras...especially for Tutawake, Kaiya and William!   Finally after about 10 hours we called it a day and dragged our sore water logged feet back to our soft comfortable beds.  Here we are typing up the blog at 12:00!  One day we will make it to bed early!  Tomorrow's bed will be on a futon in Kyoto.  In true Japanese style we will be sleeping together in one big room.

Tokyo in a day!

We were awake at 4.00 and then 5.00 and then 6.00 because our bodies were still in the NZ timezone!
We had breakfast at the hotel.  We could have everything from lettuce to corn, sausages and ham.  The butter was really white and the honey was really runny. (Tiana found out about the runny honey the hard way.)
After our breakfast team talk we went into the hotel lobby and were introduced to our guides for the day.  First we went to the Science and Technology museum.  We saw a great 3D movie and the robots were cool.
Then we went on the Ferris Wheel.  It took 15 minutes to go around once.  Miss Hill managed not to get too anxious when we got to the very top.    The views were fantastic.
After this we went to lunch with our hosts in the highest apartment building in Tokyo.  Mr and Mrs Sakura and their children were very good hosts.  They had decorated a special lunch room with Japanese and New Zealand flags.
Next we were on the train ... yet again... and off to the Pokemon Centre.  Kaiya, Tutawake, William and Kate were very happy to spend their money!   Hannah and Tiana are waiting for tomorrow....
Finally we went to a famous spot in Tokyo - the Harajuku district where people dress up in very interesting ways.  We enjoyed looking at them as we ate a very yummy crepe filled with berries and ice cream.
At the end of the day after about the 10th subway ride of the day (we are now pro's at jumping on and off the train and keeping hold of our tickets), we found a local Japanese noodle house and ordered our meals from the pictures on the menus.  We were all very happy with our choices!
Now we are catching up on communications and very soon we will be off to bed because tomorrow will require even more energy!!!!

Phew the biggest plane ride ever..

After 10 hours and some minutes we arrived in Tokyo where we were met by a very friendly and extremely helpful Mr Miyabe from Gifu School.  We then had to catch a train from Nartia airport to Shingawa in Tokyo.  That took about one hour and then another quick train to our hotel.  Very exhausting but fun - lots of snacking today.  On the plane we played on i-pads, i-touch pads, watched karate kid, listened to music and sat... lots...   If we are on NZ time we are going to bed at 1am!  But we are on Japan time so its only 9pm, but our body clocks are saying 1am.


We are now resting in our rooms but we are all on different floors.  When we look out our window it is dark and we see thousands and thousands of lights.

Breakfast in Auckland

We were up at 6:30 and away to the airport by 7:00.  We didn't set off any beeps at customs and now we are enjoying breakfast.  Thanks to Katrina and Ray for allowing us this treat!We'll be on the plane in 15 minutes...time to eat another croissant !!!!

The journey has begun...

We have spent one and a half hours on the plane traveling to Auckland.   Kaiya felt it was more like two hours.  Kate thought it was good that we didn't crash!  Many of us liked the view from the plane... when Tutawake's head wasn't in front of the window!  We are just about off to bed because tomorrow we will be getting up early to get to the international airport.  I wonder what we'll have for breakfast? Ms Spencer, Tiana and Hannah have spent some of the  time on the plane getting earache's!!! Owwww!!

Questions for Students going to Japan

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.

Clothing:

• What are their clothes like?  Just like ours. 

General:

• What are some examples of kindness that you have seen in Japan?
• What is it like sleeping on a futon?
• How many Samurai are left?
• Do they have playstation games?
• Do they hold any world records?
• What traditions do they celebrate?
• Do they have a god?
• What's their native animal?
• Do they have different Pokemon from New Zealand?
• What is their most popular sport?
• What pop stars are famous there?
• How is TV different?
• What are your favourite sights you have seen?
  

If you have any more questions for us, please post them and we will do our best to answer them.

George Street Normal School Visit to Japan Gifu Shotoku Gakuen Primary School September 27th to October 8th 2010