Nagoya castle

JASON COLEY - 8/6/10
that morning it was the last time we would be in the Tokyo international hostel. we were leaving for Nagoya. we travelled to Nagoya via bullet train and had eaten obento on the way. Obento is really delicious and travelling by bullet train is fun. We arrived in Nagoya by bus from the station. when we got inside the owner showed us our rooms and we put our luggage in the cupboard. we put our sneakers on and walked to Nagoya castle with two special guest. we arrived at the park and saw a statue of a samurai which was very cool. i took lots of it. we walked for a bit more and arrived at the entrance to the Nagoya Castle. Around the castle the is a dried up moat and there were a few deers grazing. it felt really calm and relaxing just watching them. we did not have a lot of time looking around so we had to run up the stairs. Jade and me ran up the stairs; probably four stories. we stopped in front of the elevator and saw the rest of the group come out of it. that was funny. We had to take quick pictures because it was almost closing time. The castle was very big and it felt very historic and ancient. on all the levels it had lots of information and on the top level it had a gift shop. it was very hot at the top. it felt very awesome just to look at it let alone be able to go inside it.

sayonara
JASON COLEY

Yummy foods

Janice Chin

We have talked about many things on this blog. But what we haven't talked about is FOOD!! The shop assistants and waitors are very polite and they make us feel very welcome. Unfortunetly, the size of the resturant are quite small.

There is one thing that you have to try in Japan and they are sashimi and sushi. They taste very fresh and yummy!

One thing I have never tried before was eel. I was amazed at how nice the eel tasted. The eel went very well with the sweet sauce and rice.

The noodles you have to try are udon and soba. Udon is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle which is popular in the Japanese cuisine. Soba is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. Both are very yummy!

Katsudon is very popular in Japan because of its taste. Katsudon consits of deep fried pork, cutlet, egg and condiments on top of a bowl of rice.

Curry rice is served with vegetables and meat. Curry rice is also very popular in Japan. The curry is served with rice and that makes the whole meal taste even better.

It seems every where we go we an buy meals and snacks very easily. The presentation is superb, the flavours are incredible and the waiters and assistants make us feel welcome and imnportant.

Eel

Rachel Golding
On the second day of our stay in Japan some of us had the opportunity to try eel. Yes Eel!!! This was a great chance for us to try one of Japanese dishes. At first we were hesitant about trying eel because it was such an unusual food, though we all enjoyed it. It was an awesome experience because we got a taste of Japanese culture. I would love to have eel again in the near future. I also hope that now i will have the courage to try the other Japanese dishes and I will be able to give myself a go at other things without being so jude mental before hand.

Showa Senior High School in Nagoya

Yesterday we visited the Showa Senior High School in Nagoya. This was our first school visit. We were split into four groups and experienced being in an actual Japanese class. The maths class was really hard, but the sports class was pretty fun!
We all went to a home room for another chance to introduce ourselves using the scrap books we made. That went really well. Lots of laughing and heaps of questions from Showa students. Then MORE group photos! We made lots of new friends.
Before we left we had a chance to see students practising kendo, and they even let us hit them with their wooden swords!
It was another great day.
Annie & Max Mayes

Tokyo Disneyland

This is Kirsty McRobert updating you from Japan!!!
The first day was amazing because we went to Tokyo Disneyland, however I was lucky to go even though I was sick. The group amazed me because every time we had to stop for me not one person complained. What also amazed me was how everyone willed for me to get better and after an icypole at Disneyland I was able to recover. We went on many rides and met many different people. We got our photo taken with some Japanese students and got interviewed by a group of school kids who studied English. We have many photos and memories from Disneyland that we will keep forever and also lots of souvenirs for our friends and family. Disneyland really is a place where dreams come true and we would all be willing to go again sometime. Going to Disneyland was one of the biggest events in my life and it makes me smile to remember the great times at Disneyland.

bullet train

My very first time on the bullet train was from Tokyo to Nikko! I imagine the bullet train's speed to feel more like the speed of a race-car. However, it felt more like a plane! Although, the bullet train was going about 300 km/hr. It didn't feel very fast, it felt more like a normal train! I would consider using a bullet train to travel to places, far far away. Instead of using a plane or car because it is quick, easy and VERY comfortable

Nikko, shrines and temples

Tash Gagnon-4 June

We went to a beautiful place called Nikko. As we walked up the long path up to the gate I didnt know what to think. I just thought the shrines and temples would be old looking, dark and dull. Now I know how wrong I could be in some of my judgement about things. I really must try things out before I decide on how I would feel. I was very impressed as soon as I saw Toshogu Shrine at first sight. It was like a dream because I never knew I would see something so wonderful and special. I was amazed by the creative Japanese designs . I really felt like I was special when I purified myself by rinsing my mouth and cleaning my hands with the spring water in front of the shrine. This is an old Japanese tradition of making our bodies pure. I felt very happy because drinking this magic water was a new experience to me.

I think I am very lucky to be in a different country where I can learn new things and become a better person in many ways. I feel that I am becoming more trustworthy by not being late for meeting, place and time. I really enjoyed Nikko as it was so fascinating. The shrines and temples had beautiful colours and I cant believe how much of a good job the Japanese people have completed in restoring this historical treasure.

I now realise how loved I am to have such caring and loving parents to let me join in this trip, or I wouldnt have seen this remarkable place in Nikko. I love trying new things and I was very appreciative of being able to pray and do things the Japanese way. It wouldnt have been the same if I didnt have my kind and amazing friends to share this amazing day with. I feel that the group and I are very lucky to have Mrs Mayes and Max take us on this once in a life time experience. They went out of their way for us, I never knew I would be one of those chosen. I will never forget this wonderful Japan trip.