Today began with an early start where we left Hiroshima for Kobe. This marked our last ride on the super fast Shinkansen. We arrived in Kobe - the city famous for its port, western influence and great earthquake in the 90s. On arrival to Kobe we were greeted by the student’s host siblings and headed off to meet everyone at Kobe Gakuin University and High School. We all explored a supermarket for lunch goodies where choices ranged from tempura, sushi, noodle dishes, pizza to name a few.
The afternoon was filled with activities and games where students got to know their host brothers and sisters. The students then said their farewells before departing with their.host families. After returning to the hotel we returned to Crown Palais Hotel where the adults headed off for a dinner at a local Kobe Beef Restaurant. The parents enjoyed a lovely quiet stroll around the pretty Kobe streets soaking up the nice warm weather.
The following day students spent with their host families doing a variety of different activities. Some were lucky enough to visit Universal Studios.
The parents had a sleep in in to recharge the batteries and then headed off to visit Himeiji Castle a World Heritage Site. Himeiji is the only original samurai castle remaining in Japan. The castle was beautiful and entrenched with history and many steps which made the hike worthwhile.
We finished off the day with a night visit to Umeda Sky Building which is ranked in the 20th best buildings in the world. This was an impressive building with equally amazing views.. Despite the queasy tummy on the way up to the 41st floor via the glass elevator and glass escalator travelling between both buildings.
Monday proved to be a busy but interesting and authentic experience for the students. They travelled to Kobe Gakuin High School by train and monorail for a day filled with a variety of Japanese lessons, English spelling classes and viewing of the after school clubs! The students were impressed with the building but not so much with the compulsory cleaning after school. They were also amazed at the long hours Japanese students spend at school.
Finally and a little wearily we all boarded the coach to Kyoto for the last part of our holiday.
The afternoon was filled with activities and games where students got to know their host brothers and sisters. The students then said their farewells before departing with their.host families. After returning to the hotel we returned to Crown Palais Hotel where the adults headed off for a dinner at a local Kobe Beef Restaurant. The parents enjoyed a lovely quiet stroll around the pretty Kobe streets soaking up the nice warm weather.
The following day students spent with their host families doing a variety of different activities. Some were lucky enough to visit Universal Studios.
The parents had a sleep in in to recharge the batteries and then headed off to visit Himeiji Castle a World Heritage Site. Himeiji is the only original samurai castle remaining in Japan. The castle was beautiful and entrenched with history and many steps which made the hike worthwhile.
We finished off the day with a night visit to Umeda Sky Building which is ranked in the 20th best buildings in the world. This was an impressive building with equally amazing views.. Despite the queasy tummy on the way up to the 41st floor via the glass elevator and glass escalator travelling between both buildings.
Monday proved to be a busy but interesting and authentic experience for the students. They travelled to Kobe Gakuin High School by train and monorail for a day filled with a variety of Japanese lessons, English spelling classes and viewing of the after school clubs! The students were impressed with the building but not so much with the compulsory cleaning after school. They were also amazed at the long hours Japanese students spend at school.
Finally and a little wearily we all boarded the coach to Kyoto for the last part of our holiday.