Reflection Journal NIT-A 2016

Japan, the land of the rising sun. A beautiful country with rich culture. I went on this cultural

exchange trip to Fukuoka, Japan with a group of awesome friends. Personally, I haven’t been to

anywhere except for Malaysia and Philippines once for LEX SP. This would be my second trip

travelling abroad with SP. I really enjoyed all the moments that I had with my group mates

throughout this wonderful trip and I would like to express my utmost gratitude to SP for giving

me this chance to go abroad to experience new cultures, gain precious memories and meet

such wonderful friends.

Through this trip, I felt that I learnt more about myself, my friends around me and the Japanese

culture. I would like to highlight the warm hospitality displayed by the Japanese. Their good

attitude and hospitality brought warmth to me during these 10 days. Their help along this whole

trip is significant because if not for them, we could have met many difficulties exploring

Fukuoka, Japan and communicating with the locals. Since I am a big eater and love to eat, I can

definitely say that the food in Japan is absolutely delicious. Everything in Japan is so good. I

regretted not getting the chance to try sashimi and unagi but I did try gyoza (Japanese Pan fried

dumplings), oden (Stew with various ingredients), takoyaki (Ball shaped snack containing

octopus), udon (Thick Japanese flour noodles in broth), natto (Fermented soybean) and their

ramen (Noodles in broth). If you get a chance to travel to Japan, remember to try out all the

local food. You won’t regret! I can reassure you that it will definitely be one of the best memories

in your life.

Ebi tempura Udon Macha ice-cream

Tonkotsu Ramen Takoyaki

Curry rice Homestay dinner

What I really like about this trip is the company that I had. Despite the lack of sleep during these

10 days, I treasure all of my memories from this trip and they were some of the best days I ever

had. We went to Greenland Amusement Park on day 4 and it was quite regretful that most of

the roller coasters were closed due to strong wind, but we definitely had fun with the rest of the

rides. During this trip I had a lot of first experiences. I went on the Vikings ride, Merry-go-round,

ate udon, matcha ice-cream, wore the kimono, did calligraphy, made ocha (Japanese tea), did

ikebana (flower arrangement), kyodo (archery), kendo (martial arts) and more. I really feel

thankful that I have met friends like my groupmates, our delegation leader, Jelena and our

Japanese friends in this trip. If not for all of them, this trip wouldn’t be as fun as it was. One good

thing about this trip is that we treated everyone equally, we were all understanding and there

was no clique formed in this trip. We were so bonded and close that we even treated Jelena as

one of our friends. It is indeed amazing how we have gotten so close even after the trip. Thank

you for choosing us for the trip Jelena.

Kyudo (archery) Tea ceremony

Tea Ceremony (group photo)

Ikebana (flower arrangement)

Greenland Amusement Park

Greenland Amusement Park Kendo (Martial Art)

Kendo (Martial art)

Throughout this trip, I finally got to talk to Japanese students. We walked around the school

compound and got to see how the lecturers in Japan taught the students. I felt that this is the

only chance that I get to talk to them so I tried to keep the conversation going. Well, I can

definitely say that interacting with the Japanese students was an amazing experience. We also

enjoyed and laughed at the performance during the welcome party. The performance by the

Ariake students was awesome. We also played some local games with the Japanese students

such as ‘Give me tempo, Ready go’, ‘H20’, ‘What time is it, Mr Wolf’ and ‘Takoyaki’. We taught

our dorm buddy a few camp songs such as ‘Peace by the river’ and they taught us their

childhood games. At night, mostly we all spent time with the Japanese students. Even though

they might be younger than us, they are quite understanding and I am glad that we were able to

spend our time together.

The highlight of this trip would be the homestay. It was thanks to Yayoi’s family that I had a

chance to climb up a hill, visit a mountain cabin to celebrate her grandfather’s 84th birthday, visit

a shrine and temple, her nursery school, an onsen (Japanese Hot spring), and the supermarket.

I also learnt that camellia (tsubaki) is a flower that represents Omuta. Within the 2 days of

Homestay, I am grateful that I went to so many places. I believe that they were exhausted since

we went out for the whole day and yet, they were still able to smile and tell me that it was fine.

Her mum even woke up early to prepare breakfast for the whole family and I am grateful for

their warm hospitality for these 2 days. The home-cooked food prepared by Yayoi’s mother

reminds me of my mum’s dishes. My homestay family was so kind. Their home was warm and

cozy too. Thanks for bringing me around Omuta.

We visited Kumamoto`s Castle which is one of the tourist sightseeing spots located in the Kumamoto prefecture. Last year, there was an earthquake that caused the Kumamoto Castle to be damaged. The repair work was going to take quite some time but luckily, we were still able to visit the site for sightseeing. The Kumamon is a famous mascot in Kumamoto. It was seen everywhere in districts and shopping centers. For dinner, we had buffet. We were given one and a half hour for the buffet and the buffet food was some of the best tasting food I ever had.

On the second last day, it was time to bid our dorm friends farewell. We went to Hakata station and Tenjin. At first, I was wondering where we would go and little did I know that we were going to try wearing the kimono in Tenjin. I never expected that I would be able to wear a kimono in Japan. I was also told by my dorm buddy, Hitomi that nowadays they had become more open-minded thus, they don’t really follow the traditional Japanese culture anymore. I was quite shocked when I heard this but I realized eventually although they don’t really follow the traditional Japanese culture that strictly anymore, they still respect the older generation because of their seniority, knowledge and the hard work they put in to build their country where they are living in comfortably now. From this trip, I learnt that no matter where you go, you should be polite, helpful and understanding towards each other. In Singapore, since most people are living busy life, all of us had forgotten about having basic etiquette. In Japan, they will bow as a sign of respect to their elders when greeting them. We should learn to be more respectful and kind to one another regardless of our age, like the Japanese. These 10 days had been a wonderful time spent with them. Thank you.