Cherry blossoms and vending machines
From the pink and white petals of sakura trees floating on a lake to the ubiquitous vending machines dispensing strange and unusual treats, Rosmini College Japanese student Ujin Byun was captivated from the moment he and his class set foot in Japan. The class was supported to travel to Japan through an Asia New Zealand Foundation Japan Study Grant, kindly funded by Nakashimato Co Ltd. of Japan.
The bustling streets and vending machines of Tokyo
Four boys stood under a row of spindly sakura trees - the first they'd ever seen that weren't in photos, vlogs or anime; and they were awestruck.
One panicked with his Canon, attempting to capture this moment in perfect focus; the others grinned trying to catch petals with their fingers to no avail. A childlike joy maybe, but what is travelling supposed to be if not invaluable memories with friends?
In the chill of a Japanese spring, fourteen Rosmini students touched down at Narita Airport, marking the beginning of Rosmini's 2024 Japan educational trip.
As a student, setting my feet in Japan meant that Japanese had become so much more than a language I was a scholar of—it had become a wonderful culture I've come to appreciate, right down to the vending machines.
Ujin: "...what is travelling supposed to be if not invaluable memories with friends?"
Forget Tokyo's trains, bustle or infrastructure, we were snapping photos of can dispensers, which we learnt was called jidouhanbaiki (自動販売機), which most of us struggled to say (jihanki, darn you).
Click, clunk, snap, sip, a true wonder of humanity for us alien folk, I'd reckon. We'd compare the foreign flavours these boxes-o'-wonder had to offer, ranging from electrolyte drinks like Pocari Sweat to uh… Suntory's famed barley juice. How's that for new?
If you think Queen Street during Black Friday is crowded, then you haven’t been to Tokyo.
Like trudging through a parade, I was starting to regret not putting claustrophobia alongside lactose intolerance on the permission slip. Trains People. Cafes People. Arcades People. Where could I find some peace in a city that never rests?
Visiting a shrine and meeting a monk
A classmate shakes me awake as my dreary eyes read 5:30am. It had not been two days since we landed in Japan, and jet lag had him rising early (jokes on you, I'm always tired). Remnants of winter leer in the frigid spring morning air as I'm effectively dragged to a bridge passage in Shinagawa.
No one apart from hardcore joggers had dared to leave their homes. There, I bask in a tranquillity I never thought I'd see in Tokyo - a wondrous display of natural beauty.
Hundreds, no, thousands, of cherry blossoms had begun shedding, dressing the lake underneath with a milky pink-white. In hindsight, I question why we took photos; only a fool would forget something like this.
Shinkansen, oh, shinkansen, a titan in the realm of national transport—and a pleasure we got to experience many, many, many times.
As much as I appreciate the human ingenuity behind such a reliable and efficient train system, multiple hours of teetering between the choice of clocking in sleep hours or finishing a season of Sangatsu no Lion was not a highlight for me. Riding the electromagnetic rails did make for a good sleeping environment though.
Visiting a Japanese High School showed to Ujin that students around the world are not all that different from each other
Himeji marked my first experience in a guest house. Among the hotels, motels, hostels, youth homes and relatives' couches I've crashed on, the guest house we had stayed at holds an exceptional place in my heart.
One night when I stayed behind as the others went off to see Himeji Castle in lights, I ended up playing translator for the assistant teacher and host lady who were trying to hold a conversation with nothing but passion and barley juice.
There, I'd learnt the true beauty of language. Once upon a time, I had learnt Japanese to watch anime with no subtitles. No, really. But the language was so much beyond that: it was the only tie I had to the people of Japan.
Learning Japanese proves I care about its history, society, and arts despite being on the remote island nation of New Zealand.
Japanese, nor any other language, is not only a tool for your enjoyment—it's an investment that requires a hardiness to accept another culture into your life.
Stepping onto the grounds of The University of Tokyo Secondary School (東京大学教育学部附属中等教育学校) was an alienating experience. Their entire school was a building—I'd look up and see ceiling tiles, not an endless stretch of cloudless blue sky.
Our school has two separate fields where they had one massive pitch of artificial grass.
However, sitting in their classes, I realised the students are not that different: kids dozing off at the front of the class, dudes who had given up trying to understand vectors, and guys just cracking a laugh.
They were never this unattainable model student image I had before visiting Japan, they were schoolkids. They were colourful, interesting and hilarious people to talk to, all possible thanks to my education in Japanese.
I'd love to share more about Hiroshima, Miyajima, Iiyama, and Kyoto, but this is a report, not a blog. Alas, my word count runs short.
This report covers only part of my experience—imagine what compiling all our memories would make.
One day I'll return to Japan with better kanji-reading skills, too!
The Foundation’s Japan Study Grants assist secondary school classes (Years 9 to 13) to travel to Japan for study tours. Japan study grants are kindly funded by Nakashimato Co Ltd. of Japan.
