Our Trip to Japan, by Grade IX

From February 25 through March 7, 2015, the ninth grade traveled to Japan with Mr. Bowcock and Madame de Haugoubart.  This was the first time that the ninth grade had traveled to Japan, and it was the first time in Asia for most of us.  Before we left, we spent time learning about Japanese culture, history and geography.  We attempted to learn easy Japanese phrases to use once we were in Japan, and yes, they came in handy.

We divided our time between three cities:  Tokyo, Kyoto (Nara) and Hiroshima.  We admired the contrast between old Japan, with its magnificent temples and shrines, and modern Japan, with its busy neighborhoods and new high-tech buildings.  And from our hotel room, we could see the beautiful snow-covered Mt. Fuji in the distance!

The morning of our first day was spent at the incredible Tokyo fish market. Busy workers went to and fro sorting, cleaning, cutting, selling and transporting fish.  This experience prepared us for a great sushi dinner later that night.  After the fish market, we walked a short distance to a market full of traditional Japanese goods.  We loved everything we saw.  We tried fried chicken on a stick and bought traditional Japanese tea pots.

During our stroll in the Tokyo Imperial Gardens we were able to enjoy and observe every meticulous detail that went into making these beautiful gardens, from the way each stone was cut and placed to form the walls to the way each tree was trimmed so that its round shape contrasted with the walls’ rigid forms.  Mr. Bowcock even made us stop every five minutes to stare in silence at something we had already stared at.  However, this did provide us with new perspectives on how the Imperial Gardens were created. 

Our second full day in Japan was spent at Vincent’s home, a friend of Madame Boyer-Robert.  Vincent speaks English, French and Japanese fluently.  We arrived at 10:00 a.m. and met a Buddhist monk.  He and Vincent rolled out mats, and we began our hour-long meditation session.  During the meditation, the monk gave us important advice on how to breathe.  This was an extraordinary experience for us all.  We exchanged ideas and thoughts about what meditation meant for each of us.  At about noon, Vincent gave us a tour of his beautiful Kagurazaka neighborhood and treated us to a great traditional lunch.  In the afternoon, we returned to his house and had martial arts demonstrations and a lesson by a master.  We held in our hands the same Japanese katana swords that were used by the samurai of feudal Japan.  What fun that was!

Kyoto was the most beautiful city that we visited.  The shrines, temples and even ordinary houses were all so beautiful.  The Golden Pavilion was stunning.  Our hotel in Kyoto was a traditional ryokan.  We enjoyed sleeping on our traditional Japanese mats.  Our Japanese breakfasts were interesting and unlike any breakfasts we had ever had.  Our visit to Nara, Japan’s first capital, was also very much worthwhile.  We were amused by the many deer (held to be messengers of the gods according to Shinto belief) that followed us.  We enjoyed visiting the Todaiji Temple, with its huge Buddha statue.  We admired the many groups of beautifully clad Japanese school children whom we encountered on our visits.

Our second-to-last day of the trip was spent in Hiroshima.  This day was a common favorite of the group.  In the morning, we took the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) from Kyoto to Hiroshima.  We walked by the Ota River, which was once almost a graveyard for many victims of the first nuclear bomb.  We saw the “dome,” a building that miraculously survived the bombing.  We then walked across the river to the Peace Museum to learn about the tragedy.  The message that we got from the museum was simple:  Never Again.  At the exit of the museum, every visitor was asked to write his/her impressions of what he/she had seen.  The words we wrote down were “shocked,” “sad” and “hopeful.”  We were pleased to see that this museum was called the “Peace Museum” and not the “War Museum.”  After being depressed, we needed to go somewhere that would lift our spirits, so we took a ferry to the island of Miyajima.  Miyajima is where a famous shrine stands in the water.  We luckily got to see a traditional Shinto wedding taking place.  We then walked out onto the beach looking at the shrine, and we played soccer nearby.  At the end of the afternoon, we returned by ferry to the mainland and tried to free our shoes of sand.  It was a memorable day.

We wish to thank everyone who was involved in making this trip an extraordinary one: Madame Boyer-Robert, Mrs. Murase, Mrs. Li, Mr. Fumitaka Oura, Mr. Yamada, our parents and especially Madame de Haugoubart and Mr. Bowcock.  We also thank St. Bernard’s School for supporting such great trips.