A few students comment on their Japan Art Trip experience during the July holidays, along with video highlights of their trip at the bottom of the page.
“Going to Japan was a genuinely crazy experience. Almost everything about Japan was different! From the massive network of underground trains, we had to dash to every morning with our canned coffee. To the endless vending machines and plastic bags we found and all the Japanese walking rules we had to follow. Being in Tokyo made me feel like a country bumpkin, but I loved being part of the city atmosphere. My favourite moments were going to visit all the art museums japan and to offer notably the Studio Ghibli Animation Museum. Also getting to experience Japan’s traditional and historical culture at the famous temples and shrines, sometimes getting to see a geisha. Nijo-jo castle was my favourite to visit. Mostly I loved connecting with the other girls and feel totally lucky to be able to share this journey leaving the country with them.
Lily Bull, Year 13
This trip to Japan has made me realize just how young NZ is compared to Japan. Unlike NZ, Japan has hundreds of years of history under is’s belt and has grown into a very culturally rich nation. However, on this trip, I learned to not only to love the Japanese culture, but I have also found a new appreciation for my own as well. You don’t often get to see the uniqueness of the individual culture until you leave it and see how cool it really is. Going to Japan helped me realize how proud I am to be a kiwi and that every culture has its own beauty.”
” Japan was an amazing lifetime experience I could ever have. I loved learning about their culture and loved being able to create a piece of my own artwork to take home. Japan is so different from New Zealand, the quality of air to the number of buildings and people are different. It was an eye-opener for me that there is a place out there that doesn’t have heaps of green around and it was pretty cool. I definitely didn’t want to come home, but at the same time, I really wanted to come home to see my family and friends. I loved the train rides that we went on racing around to try and catch the correct train that is definitely something I’m going to miss. It was nice to have a small group of us go to Japan as we got to know each other just the little bit better. In all honesty, Japan is an amazing country. This is definitely not the only time I will be popping through, there is still so much that we haven’t seen in Japan yet, and I want to go back and explore it.”
Nikkita Cheeseman, Year 13
“Japan is an experience that I will never forget. I learned a new thing every day and made a new appreciation for my own country. I found everything to be fascinating and exciting to look at. The one thing I probably enjoyed the most was Disney Sea, as I was pretty proud of myself for going on all the rides such as the tower of terror. Disney is definitely something that played a massive part in my childhood since my grandma always played Disney films for me when I came to visit her. I also enjoyed everything else as well, especially the food. I found an interest in the culture, especially the people themselves as they walked to work, and the way they dressed. I loved all the little vending machines and how the store workers always gave you an extra plastic bag. I had a lot of fun with all the girls and bonded with them. Japan will genuinely be an experience I will remember for a long time.”
Hayley Matata, Year 13