Katie - Japan
My Japanese Adventure!
I had the most amazing two-and-a-half weeks in Japan, both with my host families and the international camp. I had three host families, the first of whom I stayed within a town called Yosano. The family had 4 children and I did many things with them such as bag making, soba noodles making, a visit to a few temples, visiting a primary school and having a BBQ. I stayed with another family to visit a festival in Kyoto for a really interesting night. I tried a lot of Japanese cuisine at the family restaurant with the third host family. After the camp, I went to Kyoto again and explored more with the family staying in Kyoto. All the families were so welcoming and lovely, although we did have to communicate using Google Translate!
The camp itself was fantastic, there were 24 campers and we all got on well. We travelled extensively starting with Hiroshima and its peace memorial, then went to Himeji castle, Kyoto and Wakayama. We had an ascetic experience with monks - being cleansed under a waterfall! - visited a bamboo forest and went to the beach too! I'm still in touch with a lot of them and I think I have made some friends for life.
It was a once in a lifetime experience and being able to fully immerse myself in Japanese culture through staying with host families was something I'll always remember. I cannot recommend this highly enough and greatly appreciate Ringwood & Fordingbridge Lion's Club for giving me this opportunity.
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1. The photo of me at the Minion Park sign was when I was at camp, we went to Universal Studio Japan (USJ) for a day. We split into groups and went on a lot of rides. |
2.The picture of the bamboo forest is when (at camp) we went to Arashiyama as part of a day of sightseeing in Kyoto. |
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3. The selfie of all of the campers was taken on the last day (Sunday) we were together, after we had watched a lovely video the counsellors had made of all the pictures they had taken of us throughout the trip. |
4. The picture of a few of us in kimonos was taken on the last night during our free time which we often spent playing card games or just hanging out. |
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5. The picture taken with my first host family was the first day after I had arrived in Japan and we made our own leather bags (and then went to another place to make soba noodles). |
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7. The photo of me in a yukata (traditional Japanese summer dress) was when I visited one of my other host families in Kyoto for the Gion Matsuri which is a famous festival and happens every year in July. |
