Thursday 25th February

After our four lessons today we had a series of traditional Japanese culture sessions. We did calligraphy, flower arranging, the tea ceremony and kimono dressing.
In the evening we went to City Mall for last minute shopping and a delicious meal.

Wednesday 24th February

Today's activity was a visit to a recycling centre. Here we were shown how milk and juice cartons were recycled into paper. Best of all we were able to make 2 postcards of our own design from this recycled paper.

Later we went to the plum blossom garden in the grounds of Osaka Castle. It was incredibly beautiful and the scent of the blossoms was really sweet and heady.

Tuesday 23rd February

After school today we went to Shitennoji Temple. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku. It was in lovely, peaceful grounds and in the complex ia a five story Pagoda. In its central column are enshrined relics of the Buddha himself. The garden is based on the concept of the Garden of Paradise and Buddhist believers walk between the 2 rivers to find his way into Paradise - a beautiful garden of many different flowers.

On our way out we were "mobbed" (well the boys actually) by a crowd of very excitable Japanese schoolgirls!

Monday 22nd February

Back to school today. We don't mind because we love our lessons and our Japanese teachers. After school we went to the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living where we could see a section of Osaka reproduced as it was in the 18th and early 19th century. We got to dress up in kimonos and Rezwana got "married". We also shopped along Tennjinnbashisuji Shopping street - 2.4 km long ( we only managed a short section)

Sunday 21st February

Today we went to Kyoto - on the bullet train. This city is famous for its many temples and shrines. We went up the Kyoto tower which is shaped like a rocket and gives a panoramic view of the city. We decided from these views where we wanted to visit and set off by bus to the Kiyomizudera temple - "pure water temple". It is one of the most famous temples in Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We walked up to it through narrow, winding streets and saw many Japanese ladies dressed in their traditional costumes.

We also visited the nearby Ryozen Kannon Temple which commemorates the Japanese who sacrificed themselves during World War Two. We saw the beautiful statue of Kwannon - Bodhisattva Avalokitesevara. It is 80 m high and was modeled by a famous Japanese sculptor. In the gardens is the Memorial Hall which houses the monument to the unknown soldier from the second world war and is in memory to all the foreign soldiers who perished on Japanese territory or on territory under military control.

Saturday 20th February

Today we went to visit our host families. We felt apprehensive at first but it was a wonderful day. The families came to our school to meet us and we trasvelled with them to their homes. They had carefully planned the day so that we could experience Japanese family life and we played games and had fantastic meals. We gave presents to our families and they presented us with goodie bags -they were very generous.
You can see some photos and read of our experiences in the comments section.

Sadly the teachers did not have the opportunity to visit with a family. Dr Bishop and Ms Hicks went to Himeji on the bullet train - so they had a pretty good time as well.

Friday 19th February

After our lessons today we went on the train to Kobe. This is another Japanese city situated about 20 miles from Osaka. Kobe is the site of Japan's worst earthquake in recent history. 6000 people died in the huge quake in 1995. Kobe remembers this event every year. It is a major port and attracts many tourists.

We also visited Kobe's China Town where we had dinner and watched the Dragon Dancing - part of the Chinese New Year celebrations.