Big Catch Up!

Woooo...it's been very busy! Sorry for the late post!

Wednesday 15th April

Today was our 'day off' which meant a big fat treat - Universal Studios! A very American day out full of rides and attractions. We split everyone into different groups which included 'Thrillseekers' and those who don't like the big rides, and we arranged meeting points throughout the day to find out how everyone had been getting on and if there were any problems.

To begin with, the entry was slightly cheaper than I had told people (I always like to overestimate, it's better than not having enough!) but it did take us about half hour to get throught the gates and get our tickets etc. Scott filled in a questionnaire and got a free pen!

Gemma, Tom, Beth T, Charlotte, Helen, Beth L, Gracie and Charli all went on the MASSIVE hollywood dream rollercoaster which covers most of the park overhead and looks like a shooting star at night with its wonderful lighting effects! I think Beth R, Paige, Larni, Abigail and Daniel also had the courage to tackle this monster too!

Vicky took Sonia and Jordana to the show attractions and smaller rides for less stomach turning treats.

Everyone seemed to love the Spiderman ride which was a mixture of 3D special effects, animation, simulation and rollercoaster. The Back to the Future simulator was also really fun but it was the Jurrassic Park ride that got the most interest, even Sonia braved the big drop in this water ride - most ended up soaked and we all went on several times, collecting the photos at the end from the shop where everyone looked particularly silly.

Food was generally quite expensive but we managed to find some good places with cheaper deals! We met up around 4pm and I agreed to let them stay until the end, 8pm after the parade.

The parade was pretty impressive, we could hear it coming from some way away and just as it was about to turn the corner to us, our street was blacked out and this created a lot of surprise and anticipation! The parade was really long with loads of HUGE floats that were completely lit up! It was great because all of the Japanese people sat on the sidewalks so there were no issues with people not being able to see or being stood behind someone tall. They even had animation played through some of the large screens on the parade floats.

We had a pretty quick journey home that night, discovering that Hiroshima was not as far away as expected, allowing everyone a bit of a lie in! Celebration!

Thursday 16th April

Today we got back on the bullet train with our amazing Japan Rail Passes and headed into Hiroshima. This place filled many of us with anticipation, what would we see? what questions would be answered? what questions would be raised?

Firstly we got to take a streetcar here, a Tram as they are known in Britain! Everywhere you go on a Streetcar, you just pay Y150 (£1-ish) regardless of destination and you drop it in the box on your way off the car. Their transport system is very much based on trust. And what a fantastic system it is.

We arrived at the A-Bomb dome, this was slightly to one side of where the actual Atomic Bomb exploded in Hiroshima, due to its structure and the fact that it was almost at the centre of the bomb part of it remained standing amongst the levelled out ground of Hiroshima. The Genbaku Dome was originally scheduled to be demolished with the rest of the ruins, but the fact that it was mostly intact delayed these plans. As Hiroshima was rebuilt around the dome, it became a subject of controversy; some locals wanted it torn down, while others wanted to preserve it as a memorial of the bombing.

Some debates broke out amongst the youth members, those that had learned about it at school, those that had read bits in books, trying to figure out the facts, who was to blame etc. We read the signs around the dome and were approached by an elderly Japanese gentleman with a badge saying 'Free Guide'. He was a survivor from 1945 A Bomb on Hiroshima, having only been in the womb at the time but developed cancer because of the radiation. Both he and his mother survived despite fighting terminal illnesses, she is about to turn 92.

He showed us Ground Zero, a small plaque down a side street where the bomb had actually detonated. He showed us pictures and drawings of the effects which we were not quite prepared to see. This was upsetting but all of the youth members agreed it was an important experience and they really appreciated meeting him and having the tour, there were many tears.

In a way it was incredible to see these young people so upset about something that happened so long ago, they cared so much and kept asking why people do these things? They are now determined to be part of a world that does not let this kind of horrific tragedy happen ever again, and I really hope they succeed.

We also visited the monument of Sadako Sasaki (our summer play, A Thousand Cranes, was based on her life) and we lay our paper cranes at the monument of ashes. Sadako's statue was incredible to see after the performance we had created last summer, it was a really moving experience.

We also visited the memorial hall and the Hiroshima Museum which held all the information regarding what happened to Hiroshima when the A Bomb fell. Another sad yet important experience. We saw photos and belongings of Sadako, including her full story and some of the cranes she had begun to fold before her death.

More debate was sparked about the A Bomb, whether it was necessary to end the war or whether it was an excuse for the US to test their new creation on a living society. Regardless of the political views, everyone held greatest respect for Hiroshima and its victims and hope that such tragedy will never happen again.

Friday 17th April

Today we got up fairly late!

We headed back to Kyoto to see a different part of the city. We caught the bullet train, it was the last day of our rail pass so we thought we would put it to good use!

We arrived in Kyoto and headed to the costume museum. It did not seem much at first, especially when having to pay to get in which was unexpected! But after looking around the minature figures in a tiny replication of ancient Japanese temples, we started to learn about the way of life, different dresses and uniforms worn and then we stumbled upon another room with larger models in where we could try out the costumes ourselves!

This was quite fun, the costumes were really extravagent and you could also pose with some of the pre-set mannequins. Nearly everyone had a go at dressing up and lots of photos were taken.

Finally we headed out and after a fairly long walk we flopped onto the grass along the riverbank for lunch and rest. This turned into a very long rest! People napped in the sun and drew pictures and took photos, generally chatted and relaxed!

We then found ourselves at the same shopping markets we had been to earlier in the week! We allowed everyone to have a really good look around and pick up last minute souvenirs and gifts from the lovely shops in the area.

After another long walk, we took our final bullet train journey back to the hotel were we all headed for food and rest.

Saturday 18th April

Today we visited the MASSIVE electronics building in Osaka, it has EVERYTHING...including clothing, gifts, restaurants...and a sweet exhibition where you could buy some amazing sweet treats and deserts!

We spent a LONG time exploring this place, broke for lunch, then carried on exploring. Several people bought iPods which was quite exciting and extra little bits were purchased such as keyrings, phone accessories etc.

As we were trying to leave, an elderly Japanese lady approached us with enthusiasm as she had been teaching herself English and was keen to speak to us. She was really funny and 'loved us' lots and kept hugging people and asking about George Michael and the Beatles.

We came back to the hotel where groups were allowed to stay in the hotel to relax, go on a tour of the local area to explore shops and Den Den town or, for the older ones - go out on Bikes!

After that, we all went over to the Conference room where we had a drama workshop using our experiences of Japanese history to create short dramas, firstly based on Hiroshima were groups came up with scenes about the bomb dropping, the immediate aftereffects as well as the long term effects on the local community.

The final task was to create pieces based on the Temples and Ancient History, the pieces that developed included the girl who was drowned in the well for eavesropping as well as dramas centered around Emperors etc.

We also went over the things we had learned about Japan, the culture, the history, its comparison to Britain and also what we had learned about ourselves.