All schools in Japan arrange school excursions for the graduating classes. Most people in Japan have visited Nikko, the city where I live, at least once in their lives just because it is a main school excursion location with shrines, temples and hiking courses. However the schools in this area take their students to Kyoto (famous for temples), Hiroshima (famous for the peace park and atomic bomb museum) and Tokyo (famous for the Imperial grounds and surrounding metropolis.)
The school excursions are all overnight trips, with a whole tourist business developed around busing hundreds of students at a time to various places, feeding them and providing them sleeping facilities. Elementary students will have a two day-one night trip, Jr. high students go to places farther away for a two or three day trip, and depending on the high school, sometimes the excursion will be international travel! (think of the cost involved for the parents!)
My sixth graders went off to Tokyo on a bright sunny day and after a bus ride of a couple hours, arrived at a famous temple area. After touring that town they were bused to the Imperial grounds for a walk around the area and then they visited a TV studio. In the evening they took a buffet dinner cruise around Tokyo Bay. A dinner cruise! For 6th graders!!! I'd sure like to go on a dinner cruise!
The next day the students were taken to Tokyo Sky Tree! Sky Tree just opened last month and is the tallest broadcasting tower in the world. The waiting list to enter and ride to the top observation deck is booked for months! Yet somehow the school was able to make reservations for their 6th graders. Parents and people like me were drooling to think that 35 lucky children from our little town were going to get to go to the top of Sky Tree. Does the school need any extra chaperones?
My students seemed happy to have made the trip to Tokyo but they weren't as excited as I expected them to be. The greatest impression on them was the fun they had in the bus and playing UNO and other card games at night in the hotel...
But the children brought me and the other two 5th graders in our class, trinkets from the school excursion.
A little Maneki Neko (welcoming cat) bell, a cell phone strap that says "Traffic Safety" (someone was very clever to remember that I am also the crosswalk guard), another cell phone strap and a badge of some samurai (but no one knew who he was), a can of cookies from the TV studio and a post card of Sky Tree.
I am honored to think the boys remembered me during their school trip! I connected some of the cell phone straps and the bell to my crosswalk uniform this morning.I want to go on a school trip!
9 comments:
What a trip!! and gifts from the boys. My memory of a school trip was to a beach, by car, where we were given ice cream in a cone, the first I had tasted, I was about 10 years old, the ice cream was in a steel can and had a thick canvas wrapping to keep it cold.How times have changed!!The little cat bell is lovely.Cheers from Jean
Tanya, your Crosswalk Uniform will jangle!! I love the kumihimo straps on those cell phone dongles - my kumihimo never turns out that even :-(
you are loved!
What well-trained little guys, to remember omiyage for everyone. We took our Obaasan for one of those dinner cruises on her 90th birthday but luckily? didn't see any school trips. My girls class went mountain climbing. No omiyage.
Oh my! I wish we could find trinkets here in the states! We hosted a Japanese exchange student this last semester. His dad sent him a list of FIFTY people to bring gifts home to! It took over a month to find what he wanted and fit his budget. All my suggestions were dismissed (!). He was alot of fun and made the most of his year. Now I have a Japanese son!
How wonderful of the boys to think of omiyage for you. I love the cookie jar with ball from the Fuji TV Building :) Very nice little guys :)
What thoughtful students you have. They picked gifts so fitting for you. About the only class trip I remember is to Malabar Farm for the day. Thanks for sharing.
cindy
Ms. Tanya, this is Heidi, can you call me please, have a question for you, 090-6524-0327
Hi Tanya...sounds like those kids really like and appreciate you!! And no wonder..you do a lot of nice things for the children...I went on two memorable field trips, as a child myself..1st to Fort Wayne airport, they drove our bus all around on the runways and everything..pretty exciting when you are 10 years old...and the 2nd trip was an overnight to Chicago when we were 8th graders...stay in hotel for 1st time, had french toast for 1st time, went to the zoo, Navy Pier, got a lot in 48 hours....hugs, Pat in IN...
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