artwork by Andrew Villescas
A group of students got to spend their spring break overseas, in the exciting land of Japan.
Over spring break, Japanese teacher Kyler Jackson took a group of Spartans overseas on a trip to Japan. Jackson accompanies his students on the trip to Japan every year to help his students learn about the subject in a fun, interactive way. Though the trip is primarily beneficial for students in his Japanese classes, it is not exclusive to them. Any students who are interested in going on the trip are encouraged to accompany them.
The group landed in Tokyo, and first visited its district of Shibuya. While there, they visited a shrine and took part in a water cleanse, a Japanese healing process in which participants refresh their bodies with water. They also visited a temple, where visitors write their wishes on tablets. After this, the group explored the town, and ended up seeing a wedding. Following this they explored the heart of downtown Tokyo, where they went shopping and experienced the huge crowds. The second day of the trip brought the group to Akihabara, the main source of Japanese pop culture known and enjoyed by Americans. This district is heavily influenced by the video games and cartoons known as “anime.” “Walking around Tokyo was amazing,” said junior Tegan Suzuki. “Being surrounded by millions of people shows you how small you are.”
Following their time in the metropolis of Tokyo, the group took the Japanese Bullet Train, the fastest train in the world, to Kyoto. It was there that they got a first hand look at the country’s culture. This portion of the trip had them exploring temples including the Great Buddha, where they saw Buddhist monks from China. After taking a gondola to a small mountain temple, the group visited a castle. Additionally, they participated in one the country’s most prized traditions of dressing up as Samurai Warriors.
The final day of the trip brought the group to the city of Nara. In Nara, they visited a deer park and got to spend time with the animals. Here, they visited another Buddhist temple and cherry blossom fields. Japanese cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, and are in bloom only one week out of the year. After this, it was finally time to head home.
The Japan trip is an annual opportunity for students to learn about another culture and see a part of the world that is radically different from their own. “It’s a great opportunity for students to be immersed in another culture and see all the benefits of that,” said principal Suzanne Morris-Sherer. Jackson encourages anyone who is interested to join himself and others on this once in a lifetime trip. “Being able to see another part of the world, especially one so different, I think can change a life,” said Jackson. “We’re so limited to what we have here, we don’t realize how amazing the rest of the world is.”
