A Little Disney Magic

Just when we thought our trip couldn’t get any better, we went to Disneyland.

Throughout the day, we were greeted by a variety of Disney characters who helped make our time there extra magic. The entire resort was decked out for Halloween….Spooky! Of course, the rides were pretty special but the parades and shows were spectacular. At night, Cinderella’s Castle became a giant storybook from the world of Disney fairy tales and unforgettable Disney music and our amazing day in the kingdom of dreams and magic ended with fireworks.

It was an epically fun day but we’ve got school tomorrow so we have to get to bed.

Below are some of the many magic moments as identified by the happy international jet-setters:

Aaron Wiggins: Thunder Mountain

Allen Glover:  The Carousel

Austin York: Hanging with the lads

Bailey Jones-Carew:  Nice girls

Brea Knott:  Space Mountain Tennille:  Cinderella’s Castle

Dillon Wilson:  Thunder Mountain

Ella Morrison:  Once in a lifetime opportunity

Emily Godden:  Magical

Georgia Smith: an overall fantastic day

Grace McRoss:  Space Mountain Victoria:  Selfie with Mrs Marcenko

Hayden Cusick:  Fireworks

Holly van Lierop:  fireworks

Jessica Green:   Talking to a little princess

Lilly Amos:  Splash Mountain

Lukas Flytkjaer:  Star Wars

Luke Foster:  Chillin’ with the lads

Matthew Haddrick:  Star Wars Thomas Deane:  The overall good vibes

Meagan Schofield:  Space Mountain

Samarah Burke:  Splash Mountain

Afternoon Activities

This afternoon was a lot of fun. We had a tempura lunch at a lovely Edo restaurant in Tokyo where we had to remove our shoes and sit on cushions. We tasted a terrific range of traditional Japanese delights and challenged ourselves to try a variety of new dishes. Our chopstick skills are definitely improving.

 

By mid afternoon, we arrived at the Asakusa Sensoji Temple. By the time we arrived there, it was absolutely teeming with people. This is a Buddhist Temple and we learned about its history  how two fisherman found a small statue of Buddha in their net. When they showed it to their master, he recognised what it was and its worth. He then converted to being a Buddhist monk.  We also learned how to buy a fortune by letting a number fall out of a box and into a tray which held your fortune. If your fortune was good, you could carry it with you. If it was bad, you tied it to a rack to avoid taking the bad fortune with you. We also learned that the incense burning there was symbolic of the breath of Buddha and how it had cleansing powers.

 

After a short stroll through a shopping market, we made our way to the Sumida River Cruise.This found us enjoying the beautiful scenery along the river as we cruised past many famous landmarks and factories including the Asahi beer headquarters.

Dinner tonight was at the World Trade Centre Food Garden where students took themselves off in groups to order a meal from a range of local eating establishments. This gave them the opportunity to practise their new language skills.

 

 

An Epic Morning in Tokyo

What a morning we have had! The weather has been beautiful and we had a busy morning of sight seeing. After breakfast, we met our tour guide, Nagi. She did a terrific job of organising us, teaching us language skills and showing us the highlights of Tokyo.

The first stop was the Imperial Palace Plaza and a short history lesson. Of course we took advantage of this opportunity for some photos in front of the double bridge at the entrance to The Palace.

Our next stop was at the Meizi Jingu Shrine. This is a Shinto Shrine and upon entering, we walked past barrels of Saki and French wine. Nagi taught us how to purify ourselves before we proceeded to the shrine. We were absolutely delighted to see three wedding parties and a blessing for a baby today. The Japanese come to the shrine on happy occasions like these.

Over thirteen million people live in the prefecture of Tokyo and we think they were all at Harazuku Shopping Street (Teenager Street) this morning. It was fun to explore the shops and get a sense of the popular teenage culture in Japan. The teachers obviously blended right in.

 

Safe and Sound in Tokyo

 

 

We had a wonderful overnight flight to Tokyo and we have already started learning things such as how to sleep on a plane and how to navigate our way through customs and immigration. Having arrived very early in the morning, we had the opportunity to explore a bit of this amazing city before we were able to check into our rooms. Today is a national holiday in Japan so the streets were alive with all sorts of people. Our first attraction was a Buddhist temple and then we ventured 150 m up the Tokyo Tower to get the lay of the land and check out the immense skyline. Feeling very brave and confident with our communication skills, we booked ourselves on a round trip river cruise to see Aqua World. We have been basking in the beautiful sunshine and immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of this vast city. We’re loving the vending machines and can’t wait to try out some more Japanese cuisine.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are We There Yet?

No, we’re not. At this point, we are still in Sydney.  Here is a photo of the excited travellers before leaving Hobart.

 

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Welcome to our 2015 Japan Trip Blog

Both staff and students are getting very excited for our trip. We will be holding another parent meeting in the Library at 7:00 tonight. Students will receive their trip jumpers at this time.