Japan exchange 2025
Japan exchange 2025
In the October half term, four VII participated in the away leg of the Japan exchange. It was an incredible opportunity to deepen our understanding of the culture, visit some breathtaking places, meet new people, and improve our very basic levels of Japanese.The exchange took place at SPGS’s sister school, Jishukan High School in Toyohashi. During our three days at the school, we engaged with many Y11 classes in English lessons, having discussions about our lives and playing games like Jeopardy to help them improve their proficiency. Led by the incredibly welcoming staff there, we also had an exclusive tour, cooking class, and a traditional calligraphy lesson – a real highlight.
Our first day trip was to Kyoto, where we visited two shrines and the older part of the town. We also climbed to the top of the Fushimi Inari Shrine with the famous red gates for some stunning views. The second day trip was to Tokyo, where a lot of time was delegated for shopping! We also stopped by the iconic Shibuya crossing, a seven-floor Tower Records, the bustling Harajuku Street, and the Meiji Jingu Shrine.
What impressed all of us was the forward-thinking and modernity of the lifestyle in Japan. We travelled to Kyoto and Tokyo via the Shinkansen, a bullet train, that got us there at speeds of 300 kmph! The streets were very clean and the subway was quiet to respect the general public.
We each also had two days with our host families where we all took part in wonderfully varied experiences such as shopping in Nagoya, trying on kimonos, traditional tea ceremonies, karaoke, purikura photos, and visiting theme parks. And of course, the incredible food MUST be mentioned. From sushi to gyoza to wagyu to even the rice, the quality and diversity of the food both prepared by our families and that we ate out and about was astonishing and we were always blissfully satiated there.
A huge thank you to our host families for welcoming us with open arms, and the staff for organising and supervising, especially Ms Halliday. It was an incredibly full-on, vibrant and exhausting trip but one I will never forget and I can’t wait for the return leg in December!
Julietta (VII)
