04 Jun Year 8 pupils celebrate ‘Japan Day’
On Friday 24th May 2019, Year 8 teaching staff celebrated the end of the spring term by hosting ‘Japan Day’ for our Year 8 pupils. This day is part of our enrichment program, outside of normal lesson time, where pupils experience a range of Japanese educational activities, including Japanese food, technology, art, and history. The day builds on our fantastic relationship with our International Partner School, Kamokita High School, from Hiroshima, Japan.
Above: Japanese students teaching our pupils about Japanese writing on their visit earlier in the year.
The below was written by Year 7 student reporters Alesha, Siah and Kim
As period one started, our small team of Year 7 student reporters sprang into action, visiting lots of different lessons, making notes and taking pictures as we went. To start the day, Year 8 pupils began to learn about the culture of Japan, which we learned was vastly different from to ours!
Did you know that ‘Japan’ actually translates in Japanese as, ‘the origin of the sun’? This is because of it’s easterly position on the world map.
Did you know that Japan is made up of lots of different islands? It’s mainland island is called ‘Honchu’.
Did you know that the most common surname in Japan is ‘Saito’? It refers to a meal taken by monks and priests.
As the day moved on, we discovered Japanese fashion and some of their amazing technology. The ‘Kimono’ is a world famous piece of traditional Japanese clothing worn by many people across this fascinating country. It used to be worn on a daily basis, but in modern times, its formal wear is suitable for many occasions. We were amazed by their fabulous colours and fabrics. We learned that the Japanese love to celebrate the ‘Sakura’, which is the season of cherry blossom, and that the trees are popular in art and design all over the country. Our pupils had a go at drawing some!
After lunch it was time for some traditional Japanese-style lantern making, which was full of colour, creativity and of course lots of fun! The lanterns we made where red and yellow in colour, and to add a little detail, Year 8 pupils added some Japanese words which they had learned throughout the day.
To end the fun-filled day, pupils enjoyed learning about the foods of modern Japan such as Sushi, Tofu and Onigiri (a rice type sandwich perfect for a travelling snack). Yum Yum!
Thank you for reading our blog and we hope you learned something new about Japan!