A group of students have spent two fantastic weeks in Japan, arriving in Hakusan to be reunited with their Japanese student families after an epic 36 hours without sleep, having left Boston on Monday, July 15, at 2.30am when most of our town slept.
Japan is very hot and humid at this time of year. Fortunately, although two weeks of rain and thunderstorms looked likely at the outset, the group have enjoyed some lovely weather, sightseeing, swimming and socialising with their Japanese hosts. As well as visiting primary and secondary schools in Japan, the 12 students and their two chaperones enjoyed lots of exotic cuisine, a demonstration of Taiko Drumming; also participation in a Japanese Tea Ceremony wearing traditional Japanese costume.
Our students put on a fantastic performance at the farewell “Sayonara” party to their Japanese hosts, which is a tradition shared when the Japanese group similarly entertained their UK hosts at Fydell House back in July 2018. Lots of tears of joy, happiness and departure sadness were shed at the Sayonara and again as their coach left Hakusan on Saturday, July 27, before the three-hour Shinkansen “Bullet” train trip back to Tokyo. Whilst in Tokyo, the group spent a day and a half sightseeing and an afternoon and evening in Tokyo Disney Sea Resort, before their overnight flight back to the UK in early hours of Monday, July 29, a long night with clocks going back eight hours in transit.
If you would like to apply to be considered for the 2020/2021 Hakusan City Exchange and you are in school year group 8 or 9 in September 2019 and live, go to school or have a parent/guardian working within the Borough of Boston, please contact the Hakusan City Exchange for an information sheet and application form at bhcexchange@outlook.com Applications close on Friday, September 20, 2019.
Chaperones with Hakusan officials at the farewell party
Farewell group photo, last evening in Hakusan
Tokyo boat trip relax before long flight home