Elizebeth Threadgold, International Coordinator, reflects on the unforgettable experience visiting their partner school in Japan
On a sunny Saturday at the end of June, twenty-one excited travellers boarded a coach to Manchester Airport for the adventure of a lifetime. Twenty-fours later, we walked through the doors of our hotel in Nagoya, Japan. Despite the rigours of travelling, we were ready to experience all that Japan could show us. We were tired, excited and a little nervous.
Connah’s Quay High School is a fully comprehensive school funded by the local authority. Thanks to a grant from Turing funding, we were able to offer the visit to a broad range of students from all backgrounds, additional learning needs and financial situations.
You may ask why we had wanted to travel all the way from our little corner of North Wales to the other side of the world. Only ten minutes away from our school is the UK Toyota plant where hybrid engines are made. At the beginning of our partnership with the GSA, we wanted to have a partner school that would be connected to our community. We have been very lucky to be partnered with Takamoridai Junior High School in Aichi Prefecture; forty minutes away from the town of Toyota.
As group leader, I had spent the previous year organising fundraising events, coordinating documentation and planning the itinerary with the support of staff from GSA. The visit was the culmination of all that meticulous planning. Despite being an experienced trip leader, I had never taken a group of children so far away from home before and I had been nervous prior to the visit.
As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. The visit ran like clockwork. We were very ably supported by our wonderful guide Coco from the moment she met us at the airport to when she waved us off at the end of the visit.
Our first full day in Japan was spent sightseeing in the Nagoya area. We were a little floored by the heat and humidity but didn’t let that stop us.
The day began with a visit to Nagoya Castle, famous for its beautiful gilded screens. From there we went to the Atsuta Shrine and embraced our spiritual sides. After a lunch of local speciality ‘tonkatsu’ (pork cutlet), we went for some retail therapy and shopped both in Osu shopping district and the chopping mall at Nagoya station. We were exhausted but happy.
The next part of our visit was to take place in our partner school. Over the last year, we have had several live lessons with the students of Takamoridai Junior high. When I walked into a class and saw familiar faces smiling back at me, my nerves melted away.
The next three days went far too fast. We joined our partner school for lessons, sports clubs, afterschool art, a visit to a botanical garden and more shopping. It is hard to express how profoundly our learners were touched by this experience. We were very impressed with the learning experience in classrooms and around the school. Despite the obvious language barriers, our hosts had made every effort to make lessons as accessible as possible to us and we had the use of chromebooks so that we could participate in learning. Lunch each day was eaten in the company of our Japanese classmates; this is a delightful experience and I believe builds relationships and improves communication skills between young people. Not a mobile phone was in sight and conversation flowed.
We were treated like VIP’S and I cannot thank the staff and students of Takamoridai enough for the friendship and kindness they showed us. My especial thanks got to Ms. Erina Owetari and Susuma San, who had put so much hard work into making our visit such a great experience. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the local Minister for Education and one of my colleagues was invited to participate in a discussion about the use of AI; a subject close to his heart and one he is studying in a professional capacity.
By the end of school on Thursday, my learners were begging to return to school for one last day – this never happens in the UK! We will hold the memories of our time spent in school in our hearts for many years to come. We were so sad to wave goodbye to our new friends and it was a very subdued group who travelled back to the hotel that evening.
We will hold the memories of our time spent in school in our hearts for many years to come.
The last two days of our visit passed by in a whirlwind. Leaving the luxury of our hotel in Nagoya on Friday 4th July, we first visited the Toyota Memorial Museum. As a confirmed petrol–head, this was my idea of heaven! Three floors of vehicles chronicling the history and development of the motor industry in Japan and hundreds of classic cars. We were also treated to a visit to the gift shop and a most delicious bento box lunch.
From Toyota, we travelled first by coach to Kyoto station then had the thrill of a short journey on the Shinkansen– the bullet train. This was very exciting indeed! Kyoto station was thronging with visitors from all over the world but it was nice to escape to the calm of the bullet train carriage.
Our next stop was the neon magic of downtown Osaka. More shopping, delicious food and a ride on the Dotonburi river cruise had us all buzzing. What a great way to end the day. Before retiring for the night, we had a quick walk to the beautiful marina. We admitted defeat when the heat and mosquitoes became too much for us.
Our final day dawned all too soon. We departed our hotel; at 7am it was already 30 degrees so we knew it was going to be hot, hot, hot. By 9am we were at the Todaiji Temple in Nara. This is the largest and oldest wooden building in Japan and houses a gigantic Buddha. Quite a few of our learners even made it through ‘Buddha’s Nostril’ for extra enlightenment!
After welcome stop for Kakigoori (shaved ice), we fed the famous Nara deer then went for lunch at a local restaurant. This was one of my favourite meals; actually, they were all my favourite! We were treated to meals in so many fabulous restaurants. Of course, if you asked the children, they would all have said that their favourite meal was at McDonalds (philistines!)
Our visit ended with an incredibly hot afternoon at Osaka Castle. Surrounded by history and culture, it was the perfect end to our visit.
We returned home from Osaka airport, via Finland clutching our certificates to prove we have flown over the North Pole, exhausted but exhilarated.
This visit was a total assault on the senses –like being in the most amazing kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. We are all still processing the events of the week and its profound effects on us as individuals. It remains to me to say that this really was the adventure of a lifetime. I am grateful to my Headteacher James Forber for having the faith in me to let me lead the visit and to GSA for facilitating the partnership. I am also grateful to the learners and my colleagues who made the visit a dream to lead.
