Grade 10 Kyoto and Nara Trip

The Grade 10’s visited Kyoto and Nara at the end of February to immerse themselves in Japanese culture and strengthen bonds between their friends, outside of the day-to-day school activities. Every year the students are given the opportunity to plan one day out of the 4 days/3 nights trip. This day is prepared whereby the students are free to plan their day to explore Kyoto. The teachers oversee what students are doing using a Google plus system.

The Grade 10 Kyoto trip is unique since students have a more relaxed schedule compared to previous years. Having a less structured schedule means that students need to take more responsibility in the initial planning stage, on top of creating lasting memories with their friends.

Prior to the trip, students plan activities their events for one free day, such as going to temples, and exploring Japanese foods they wish to try in Kyoto. Teachers have set up a google plus page where students will then post pictures throughout the day. “Google plus was something new, it was fun to see what other groups planned to do but more importantly, it was interesting to see what other people are like outside of school.” Risa. H (10) says. It was fascinating to see how each group of friends created different memories, despite going on the same school trip. Students mostly share the same memories when going on school trips, however, letting students have the responsibility to plan out a day can create special memories.

Risa’s free day started off with traveling to Fushimi Inari Shrine. “It was super cool to see the actual place since I’ve seen photos of it before.” So this group would then post a picture on the google plus page and teachers and other students will track their schedule. Students and teachers commented on each other’s posts and will see what their peers and teachers were doing. The Grade 10’s enjoyed a lot of great Japanese food including everyone’s favorite: Green Tea ice cream. Risa added, “The trip was really fun because it was something we don’t usually do or see in Tokyo.”

Having a free day helped students build stronger relationships with their friends and also independence since they took responsibility in planning the full day. Students were able to build strong bonds with their friends by spending an unforgettable time in Kyoto. We hope students enjoyed their time at Kyoto and Nara and best of luck to their last couple months of 10th grade!