School Trips to Japan: Travel Grant for Accompanying Teacher

In July 2005, 4 students from Kelston Boys High School travelled to Japan with girls from Kelston Girls High School. Their reports and photos are below.

Welcome Ceremony at Yokohama Senior High School.

To the Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for Japanese Language Education

This is Leroy Hudson, one of the 4 students who went on the Japan trip from KBHS this year. This trip to the land of the rising sun was great. I got to experience the climate, the school life, family life and how to get places.
When I got to the airport it was very hot and humid. I quickly acclimatized to the temperature inside but outside would be much different. It was my first time in a youth hostel ever. The first one was the best out of all of them. The school that was very close to Nookendai Station was Yokohama Boys High School. This school and its students did give us a very warm welcome. The students at this school were helpful and friendly too. Our homestay families were also helpful and friendly. They cooked me meals and have taken me out to dinner. They have given me a place to sleep. They have taken me shopping, and to 2 mini piano concerts which was great. I also experienced family life.
How they got to places was fun and very interesting. Some people took buses. When I looked at the bus through the window it was full. Some people took the train. When I caught the train it was different to the trains in New Zealand because the seats were facing inwards and not one way or in rows. That I found fascinating.
I thank you Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for making this trip possible. If you had not helped us, we might not have gone to Japan.


Yours Sincerely,

Leroy Hudson. (KBHS Y9)

To Sasakawa,

Going to Japan was a great experience. We went to so many different places like Shin-Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Yokohama, Tokyo, Disneyland and many more. I am grateful that the trip was fun and exciting. The people I went with were great. We did lots of things in Japan like visiting various temples and shrines, experiencing kendo, calligraphy, Japanese drumming, shopping, staying with a Japanese family and staying along side Japanese students. Going to Yokohama High School was great. One thing that I have learnt is that Japanese people are very friendly and courteous. I have absolutely fallen in love with Japanese culture and the cool buildings. I actually want to come back to Japan and get a job and live a better life. This truly has been a great experience for me. Thanks to Sasakawa Fellowship Fund for helping us by giving us the money, you made the trip a little better.

From Rikash Kumar. (KBHS Y9)

Rikash and Leroy write “wa” using big brushes.

Japan Trip 2005. Letter to Sasakawa Fellowship Foundation:

Dear friends,

The 2005 Japan trip has been the greatest experience of my life. I have been places I have never been, seen things I have never seen, and had an experience like no other in my life. When I first stepped out of the plane and went through customs, I was amazed at the sheer size of Osaka Airport. We stayed in a youth hostel in Osaka which was on the 10th floor of a big building. The view was amazing.

The next day we took a bullet train to Hiroshima. We visited the A-bomb memorial and History Museum and found out what really happened to Hiroshima. The youth hostel we stayed at wasn’t as new as the youth hostel in Osaka, but the manager was still a cheery man. We took a ferry to Miyajima the next day. It was really cool how the wild deer weren’t afraid of people. The whole shrine was literally on water. I was quite shocked to see the temple damaged by a cyclone, but I am glad they were rebuilding it.

We then went to the train station and caught another bullet train to Kyoto. Kyoto was spectacular: the station was bigger than Osaka Airport. While in Kyoto we visited Arashiyama, Kinkakuji, Tetsugakuno, Maruyama Koen, Yasaka Jinja, Ninenzaka, Sannenzaka, Kyomizudera and Shijokawaramachi. We stayed at Utano youth hostel. I found this hostel the best as it was spacious and had a lovely atmosphere. The people were very friendly.

We took a bullet train to Yokohama on Friday. When we arrived we walked down the path to Yokohama Boys High School and laid eyes on this great school we had heard so much about. They welcomed us very warmly to their school and showed us around. Afterwards I met my homestay family. They were the nicest and kindest people I have ever met.

My homestay mother and brother (Hideyoshi Takahashi) took me to their house. I now think that Japanese houses are awesome. They served me great food and treated me very good. They took me to exciting places like Kamakura, and also took me to a shop to buy my Japanese swords. I really thank them for all they have done for me.

While attending Yokohama Boys High School I did many fun activities with fellow Yokohama Boys High students. I did Japanese drumming, calligraphy, Japanese tie dying and kendo. The students were very helpful and friendly. I particularly liked the Japanese drumming team, and was impressed by their technique. I also liked the ferocity of the Japanese Haka Team. They performed their Haka very well. I also liked the Yokohama Boys High School Volleyball team. They were very skilled and let me practice with them.

I was really sad to leave my host family. On Saturday I said good-bye to the Takahashi family and thanked them for everything. I walked up the school path for the very last time and got ready to go to Tokyo. In Tokyo I went to Tokyo Disneyland. It was the most spectacular theme park I have ever seen Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were my favorite rides. At night all the lights made everything look fantastic.

The next day we walked around Tokyo and went shopping. Tokyo was huge, there were people everywhere and the shops were amazing. We then took a train to Tokyo airport and got ready to go home. I will never forget my first experience in Japan, as it is the best place I have ever been. I left for New Zealand with many fond memories of Japan. I hope to return again and see all my friends in Japan.


Brook Young. (KBHS Y12)

Brook Young contemplates calligraphy.

Dear Sasakawa Fellowship Fund

I was very excited to have gotten the chance to go to Japan this year with my school mates. The trip was amazing, there was always something to do, and it was always fun. Places like Tokyo Disneyland, Akihabara, and Kyoto city were amazing places full of lively and busy Japanese men and women. But the places I enjoyed the most was the small back streets of Kyoto, and walking through Miyajima where I got to see the more tranquil side of the Japanese culture.

Other than all the fun activities I believe I greatly benefited from having gone to Japan. I got to use my Japanese on a regular basis, and I saw how the Japanese people lived their lives. I’m also very grateful for the chance to have met my homestay family (who I am still in contact with), because they are amazing people, I think that when I go back to Japan later in my life this contact will greatly benefit me.

Thank you Sasakawa Fund for helping make this trip possible, and giving me the opportunity to visit the land of the rising sun.

Saquib Ahmed (KBHS Y11)

Tie dying (Aizome) at Yokohama Senior High School. Saquib Ahmed (behind) and Rikash Kumar (front).

Goodbye and thank you to everyone for having us at Yokohama Senior High.