Victoria School goes Kyushu, Japan

DAY SIX

Today, being the last proper "day" of our trip, was filled with SHOPPING!

In the morning, we had breakfast in our hotel, before departing for fruit-picking at Tanushimaru. After a rather long bus ride, we finally reached our destination - a lush orange orchard.

Here, we were allowed to pick up to 15 oranges each, and could sample 1 in the orchard if we so wished. Most people took full advantage of the fact that we could pick our own oranges, and we all scrambled to get the best ones.

After our fruit-picking session, we left for Robo Square in Fukuoka City, a high-rise building in the city, in stark contrast to the rural area we'd just left.

In Robo Square, we observed the various robotics displays that the Japanese are famous for, and watched a "robot show".

Sooner than most of us liked, we left Robo Square for Fukuoka Tower, where we ate an early lunch of hamburgers.

After lunch, we visited the Fukuoka Citizen Preparedness Centre. Here, we watched and took part in demonstrations on how to protect ourselves in the events of disasters such as fires, earthquakes and typhoons. Most of us enjoyed the activities we took part in, such as an earthquake simulation (including a shaking floor, toppling furniture and loud bangs), a typhoon wind simulation (we had to wear goggles to prevent the >30m/s wind from harming our eyes), a lesson on how to operate fire extinguishers, and navigating through a maze to train us in the correct way of evacuating a building in the event of a fire.

The knowledge we gained here will certainly be very useful in the unfortunate event that we encounter a disaster back in Singapore.

The rest of the day was nothing but shopping! First, we travelled to Marinoa City, a waterfront shopping mall. Then, we went to Aeon Mall, where we indulged in even more shopping, plus yet another buffet dinner!

Finally, at 10pm, we returned to our hotel and settled in for the night.

DAY FIVE

The previous night, each of us was allocated a dormitory in the Fukuoka University of Economics. Many of us welcomed this, as we were finally able to get some privacy and relax a bit, without the noise and interference from our friends.

In the morning, we ate a simple breakfast at the university cafeteria, before we were transferred to the actual university campus. It was surprising to find out that the university has its own in-campus elementary school, known as the Linden Hall Elementary School. Here, we learnt more about the school's education system, and found out more about the students' school lives.

Next, we went to thefamous Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, supposedly the most famous Shinto shrine in all of Japan. Here, we learnt more about the Shinto religion, and its practices and customs.

On the way to the shrine, we visited the numerous souvenir shops lining the streets.

We were then transferred to downtown Fukuoka, for a syabu-syabu lunch at MK Restaurant, similar to the steamboats we have back in Singapore. After that, we had 2hrs of shopping time in the Fukuoka city centre!

Meeting in a subway station, we visited the NHK TV/Radio Broadcasting Station, where we viewed exhibits of the various TV shows and dramas broadcasted by NHK at one point or another, and also saw an actual radio broadcast going on!

Finally, we went to the Tosu Premium Outlet Mall in the evening , a factory outlet mall with beautiful, Victorian-era architecture, for another 2hrs of shopping! After shopping, we ate dinner at a buffet restaurant, before being transferred to the Hotel Chisun Inn Tosu, where we would spend the last 2 nights of the trip in.

DAY FOUR

In the morning, we walked over to Unzen Jigoku (literally "Unzen Hell"). This is a series of vents which constantly emit toxic, stinking fumes of hydrogen sulphide, which react with metal compounds in the soil, forming sulphur. The air here is constantly smoky due to the vents, and through the haze, you are able to see boiling pits of sulphur.

In the past, when Japanese society was still very conservative, Christians were thrown into these sulphur pits to die a slow, painful death.

Despite all this, Unzen Jigoku, like most of the other places we visited, is surrounded by large expanses of mountains and colourful flowers.

Next, we visited the Nagasaki Peace Park, a memorial dedicated to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in World War II. We viewed the bronze "peace statue", and numerous other sculptures and fountains in remembrance of the victims. A large group of elementary schoolchildren were present at the Peace Park, as well as the "ground zero" site of the bombing (the hypocentre of the blast), reciting prayers and their own silent wishes to the victims of the bombing. This shows that the Japanese are still deeply affected by the bombing, and are sincere in their wish that such a disaster will never happen again.

We also went to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, where we viewed exhibits detailing the various aspects, and the damage, caused by the bombing.

After that, we drove over to Kurume for our much-anticipated school exchange. At the school (Kurume Nanchiku High School), we were warmly greeted by the Japanese students, and were treated to displays of their school's various clubs (equivalent to our CCAs), such as taiko drums, judo, kendo and sports.

After a short interaction session with the students, we presented tokens of appreciation to them, before leaving for our dormitory stay at the Fukuoka University of Economics.

DAY THREE

Today was one of the high points of the trip. After bidding goodbye to our farm families, we departed Gokase for Mt Aso!

On the way to Mt Aso, we stopped over at the Shirakawa Riverhead. This Shinto shrine is famous for its crystal-clear spring water, which constantly bubbles up from the sand beneath a pool.

We each took turns filling our water bottles with some of the water. Despite having flowed over plants, rocks and soil, the water was very clear and pure to the taste, and had no visible impurities.

After our brief visit to the Shirakawa Riverhead, we continued our journey to the famed Mt Aso.

Some background information:

Mt Aso is one of the most famous active volcanoes in Japan, and possesses
the largest volcanic caldera (crater) in the world, with a diameter of 24km and
a circumference of 126km. Mt Aso is theorized to have formed from 4 major
eruptions during the past 300,000 years. The magma flowed out of 5 main vents,
which eventually became the 5 main peaks comprising Mt Aso - Mt Neko, Mt Naka,
Mt Eboshi, Mt Kishima and Mt Taka, of which Mt Naka remains active.

The eruptions released such huge amounts of magma from the Earth, that an
"empty space" was formed beneath the surface, into which the ground collapsed,
creating the large caldera that Aso is famous for.

When we visited Mt Aso, we were exposed to very cold temperatures of around 6.5°C. We took a cable car ride up to the summit of Mt Naka, the highest point of Mt Aso, at 1592m above sea level. Here, the land is barren and rocky, compared to the lush green meadows at the volcano's base. This is due to the continuous stream of toxic sulphurous fumes being emitted from Mt Naka's crater.

Soon after, we returned to ground level and visited the Mt Aso Volcanic Museum, where we viewed presentations and exhibits detailing the various aspects of Mt Aso, from its formation to its uses and characteristics.

After another Japanese lunch at a nearby restaurant, we proceeded to Kumamoto Castle, a famed attraction of Kyushu. It is one of the few remaining castles from the ancient times, and is now a popular tourist destination.

Here, we learnt about the political history of Japan, including the rule of the bushi, or samurai class. We toured the various buildings of the castle complex, including the one remaining original building (the rest were reconstructed after the Japanese civil war in the 19th century, which destroyed them).

Close to evening, we departed for Kumamoto Port, where we took a short ferry ride over to Nagasaki. When we reached Nagasaki, we took a bus ride up to Unzen, where we stayed at another hot spring resort.

DAY TWO

We started the day with a Japanese breakfast, before packing and leaving Yunoko Sankaikan for the Kumamoto Environment Centre. Here, we learnt about the many different environmental issues in the world through interactive displays, such as computer quizzes, short videos and simple games. The facilities here are simple enough for young children to understand, and there were many elementary school children here on a school excursion.

Next, we visited the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, where we learnt about and expanded our knowledge on the Minamata Disease.

A bit of background information:

The Minamata Disease was first discovered in 1956. Since 1932, the Chisso
Corporation in Japan (one of the world's largest manufacturers of products such
as liquid crystal) had been dumping wastewater containing methyl mercury into
the nearby Minamata River. Over time, dangerous amounts of methyl mercury
accumulated in the bodies of fish and other aquatic lifeforms living the river
and surrounding sea.

As Minamata City itself is located next to the sea, many of its residents
were fishermen. In the 1950s, people began to observe dead fish floating in the
waters surrounding Minamata. Soon enough, cats which had eaten the contaminated
seafood began having strange convulsions and spasms.

In 1956, the first documented case of Minamata Disease in humans occurred,
but it was a very long time before the root cause of the disease was discovered.
The Chisso Corporation knew that their mercury-containing discharges were the
cause, but concealed the fact from the authorities to prevent profit
losses.

Eventually, Minamata Disease was identified as a severe form of mercury
poisoning, and the problem was only solved in the 21st century.

Here in the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, we learnt about the above, and also listened to a recount by an actual Minamata Disease sufferer, who shared with us his life before the disease struck, when he was infected, and after he recovered. It was quite a touching story, and served as a reminder to never repeat such a tragedy.

Lunch for the day was Spanish paella (rice with seafood), served in Japanese style at a quaint, picturesque location on a cliff above the Yatsushiro Bay.

After lunch, we took a long drive to Yabe Village, the site of the Tsujyun Bridge, a popular tourist destination. The Tsujyun Bridge is an aqueduct, which, in ancient times, served to transport water from the mountains to irrigate surrounding farms.

Now, the Bridge has weekly discharges of water to cleanse its pipes, which are actually spectacular sprays similar to a fountain!

After watching the water discharge at the Tsujyun Bridge, we were transferred to the highlands of Miyazaki Prefecture, to the small village of Gokase. This was where we experienced our Japanese farmstay.

We were all truly surprised when we were greeted by the various "host families" at the Gokase Winery. They were all smiling and waving Singapore flags! Inside the winery, we were treated to a simple "welcome ceremony", and were introduced to our host families - 3-4 students to 1 family.

Kenwin, Ming Jun and I (Jordan) were allocated to a family who lived on a small cottage, precariously perched on the edge of a cliff. It was a 10min-long car ride from the winery to the house!

At the house, we ate a dinner of vegetable curry (probably made from the family's own crops), boiled sweet potatoes, fruit salad and orange jelly.

We were also introduced to the family's 3 young children, with whom we spent most of the evening playing with.

But what surprised us most was the fact that some aspects of the farmers' homes were actually more technologically-advanced than our homes back in Singapore! Take, for example, the bathroom. It had a fully-computerized water heater, and even had a "communication system", allowing the user to speak to people outside the bathroom, in case of accidents such as falls.

The 3 of us spent the night on futons, once again.

Sorry for the severe lack of updates on this blog. There has been no internet access for the past few days in the places where we've been staying. Please check back here regularly, as we will be uploading the full "stash" of pictures and photos once we return from Kyushu!

Entries for subsequent days in the trip will be posted whenever we have the opportunity to do so, or as soon as possible once we return from Japan.

Thank you!

*

DAY ONE

At 1.10am, 27/10/08, the 24 of us students, plus Mr Khoo Kay Yong and Mr Ron Tan took off for Fukuoka International Airport in Kyushu, Japan, on flight SQ656.

After the 6hr journey, we arrived at Fukuoka International Airport! Following that, we boarded our coach and had a 3hr bus ride to our first stop - Izumi City.

At Izumi, we proceeded to a "crane observatory"after lunch (we had a traditional Japanese meal). At the observatory, we were able to view around 200 cranes lounging in the surrounding fields. These cranes are in Izumi as part of their annual migration. Once the temperature rises at the start of spring (around mid-February), the cranes will fly back north to the island of Hokkaido.

As a side-note, Izumi is one of only three places in Japan where wild cranes can still be seen. This is due to extensive deforestation, which has destroyed the cranes' natural habitats and driven them away.

Our second stop of the day was the Tsukinoura Centre, where we learnt about Japan's methods of waste management. Similar to Singapore's NEWater scheme, Japan also recycles sewage, albeit in a slightly different way:

Japan converts solid human waste into a virtually odourless fertilizer for plants.

We visited their RBS (Reactor Bio Systems) plant to view the various stages of this process.

After our visit to the RBS plant, we proceeded to our hotel for the night, the Yunoko Sankaikan ryokan (traditional Japanese inn), where we were grouped 4 to a room. The inn is a beautiful structure overlooking the Yatsushiro Bay, and offers stunning seaviews. Yunoko Sankaikan also provides hot spring/spa/communal bathing services to its guests, and some of us entered the hot springs to experience the customs and practices of Japan.

In the evening, we ate a traditional Japanese dinner here, and even wore Japanese yukata, or robes!

We spent the night in the ryokan on futons (mattresses) laid out on each room's tatami mats. Despite the mattresses being relatively thin compared to those we usually sleep on back home, it was very comfortable, and most of us managed to get a good night's sleep.

The day has arrived! At 1.10am tomorrow morning, the 24 of us + 2 teachers will be flying off to Kyushu, Japan for our Humanities Learning Journey!

Woohoo!

The past week has been very hectic, what with all the meetings, but remember that all that preparation - as well as the trip itself - is for the "greater good". xD

We'll be using the knowledge gained from this trip to help teach the future Lower Sec students! I bet you just can't wait to torture them with your worksheets, right? =.=

The fact that the outcomes of this trip are "tangible" should motivate us to work harder both during and after the trip. Remember your lesson plans and what you planned to achieve in them!

As much as we'd like it to be so, this field trip isn't a holiday. :( It is merely one part of this learning journey we've volunteered to undertake in order to help future generations of students. Focus on the lessons behind each location we visit, and this trip will become much more meaningful.

See you all at the airport! ^^

- Jordan

As you embark on PU3, which is the learning journey itself, be reminded of the goals and expectations you have set for yourself. Pls review your own inputs and fulfill them in the course of the trip.

The understanding goals of PU3 are:

• how can field trips help me acquire a deeper understanding of the generative topics?
• how can on-site data & artifacts help improve my lesson package designed in PU2?