The Exchange to Keio Chutobu, Tokyo

 

In 2003, Mr Grey, the head of Japanese at Hockerill decided to establish the Japanese exchange programme to Keio Chutobu, one of the schools under the Keio University of Japan. At first there were only a maximum of 8 students who could go to Japan with the school and the programmes offered were not as exciting as the current exchange trips. However, after the first exchange trip to Keio Chutobu in Japan Hockerill recieved great feedback enabling the school to delve into a deeper and closer relationship. Every year the exchange happens our schools become closer and more integrated.

Today the exchange trips to Japan can afford more than 20 students, along with 4 to 5 teachers, which gives a chance to both students and teacher to learn more about Japans wonderful history and culture. The exchange trip to Japan is during the half term holiday in October, lasting 10 days. The programme involves: Lessons with the Japanese students, the annual sports day, home stay, the Disneyland of Japan, Onsen in Nikko, travelling by the Shinkansen, visiting various famous places in Japan such as the Tokyo tower, the Ghibli Studio, and many other places.

During summers, the Japanese teacher would bring 3 to 5 students to Japan, to visit Keio Chutobu, and places outside of Tokyo. Recently, the teacher brought students to Sendai, to see the local area after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occured on the 11th of March, 2011.

During March, the second year Japanese students from Keio Chutobu would visit our school for 2 weeks. Japanese students would home stay, and go to school with the English students. On the weekends, Hockerill students would bring the Japanese students out to places like London, Cambridge, and Oxford, to let them experience and learn about England. 

 

One of the highlights of the Tokyo Keio trip is the Tokyo Challenge and enjoying a traditional bath in a Japanese hot spring. In the Tokyo Challenge, students have the opportunity to participate in an urban orienteering challenge around Tokyo. Working in student teams, they have a full day to navigate themselves around Tokyo using the train system to try to find as many landmarks as they can. The winning team must provide photographic evidence that they have been to the most places on the list provided to them.

 

Komaki Homestay Programme – Nagano, Japan

 

For our senior students, some of whom have already participated in the Keio Homestay Programme, we offer the opportunity to take part in our Nagano homestay programme. Our students are hosted by a rural primary school, where very few of the students of families are able to speak English, and where our students participate in English classes and share English culture with the children attending the school.

Our students will spend approximately a week living with a host family and will attend school during that time. They will also have the chance to participate in a number of extra-curricular activities, outside and during school hours. This trip also includes a number of additional excursions, the highlight of which is spending a night in a remote Buddhist monastery in Japan to take part in meditation and sutra copying.