Thank You

The Tokai Study Abroad Summer Programme for 2016 has come to an end. All the boys are now safely back with their families in Japan. This year has been a very eventful learning journey for them all. The boys have been fantastic. In each of the three locations that I visited, Edinburgh, Marlborough and Malahide, I was told that this year’s group was the most outgoing and friendly group that had come from Tokai in all the years we have been running these trips. There was a really fun atmosphere in the air led by some particularly energetic and big-spirited individuals. Their courage allowed the whole group to be lifted to new heights.

The group at Fettes College in Scotland was enthusiastically led by Mr Miyachi and Mr Hibino and the two weeks passed safely and productively. This year Learning Journeys was well represented by Claudia Matthews who really developed the programme to new heights winning everybody’s hearts with her cheerfulness and her excellent care for the details of the day to day running of the programme. We hope that Claudia will be able to lead future Learning Journeys groups.

One of the highlights of the trip to Scotland was the Talent Show won by our very talented student Yosuke Hattori. His energy and fun attitude were such an inspiration to the other students. The discos and Scottish events were also great fun. During the two weeks, the students visited most of the main sights of Edinburgh and were even, by special invitation, able to see inside the Scottish Parliament. The trip to St. Andrews, the home of golf was another highlight.

We got very good feedback from the Fettes teachers about the Tokai boys’ conduct in their English lessons and on the excursions. Greg Burrell, Programme Manager said that this year the boys integrated with the other groups and individual students better than in any previous year. This was helped by them being in Carrington House with a lot of individual students from a wide variety of other countries. The group seemed to really bond well with the other groups and the students were able to tell me at least 10 different nationalities of people with whom they had made friends. That’s one of the most important goals of the programme – to build bridges with the rest of the world and for students to understand that they can use their English to communicate and to make friends. 

We can see this very clearly at Japan Corner. That’s when the boys have a chance to show off Japanese things such as origami, happi, kendama, furoshiki and so on. People always love seeing their own names written in kanji and learning how to use chopsticks and folding fans. This year, the event was a triumph. The other teenagers, young kids and adults are fascinated by this display of cool Japanese culture.

This year’s group should be very proud of themselves. They have been excellent ambassadors for their families, for Tokai, and for Japan. I hope that their experiences will have a positive effect on their further English studies and that they will continue to broaden their minds through study abroad and developing friendships with people around the world and with foreigners living in Japan. I also hope that they will keep in touch with us and with the people they met in Scotland, building up their network of contacts and friendships. Some of them may even want to join the Tokai programme next year.

This year we celebrate that 500 Tokai boys have studied abroad during the past 13 summers. That is something that the Tokai teachers who have made this possible should be very proud of. Without their energy and dedication none of this would have happened. Particular thanks go to Mr Tatsuya Ito who has been an inspiration to the whole programme. He makes close friendships everywhere he goes and that makes him the best role model of all for the boys. We hope that those students who have enjoyed themselves will share their adventures with their families and ‘kohai’ back in Japan. This will ensure that the programme goes from strength to strength.

Finally, a great big thank you to all the parents and grandparents back in Japan who have supported this project. I can assure you it is a wonderful gift to your sons and grandsons.

It’s a Learning Journey!

Congratulations and Celebrations

After two weeks of hard work and great fun, the students graduated from the Fettes College of Language and Culture.

Learning Journeys Ambassadors

The boys received Certificates of Ambassadorship from Learning Journeys. This is to congratulate them for their work as International Communicators- making the world a better place!

More Happy Memories

The boys are about to take off from Glasgow Airport. Some more happy memories here.

Trash 'n' Fashion

Fun memories from the fashion show last week. A great way for the boys and girls to get creative. Thanks to Mr. Miyachi for the pictures.

Life at Fettes

We asked the boys "What did you learn about today?" Here are their answers. You can see from this what a varied and fun life they are leading in Scotland.

Yuki

Today, I took part in a program and we made a rocket made out of a plastic bottle. We had four people in our group and they were all so cooperative. So, we won first prize. I was very happy to do it.

Junsei

In the morning, we made sentences using the verb “be going to –“. Then we discussed with each other about various given topics. And, I practiced my juggling act for the talent show in the evening. It was very fun.

Taiki

I visited the museum of Scotland. There were many exhibitions. I learnt about the history of Scotland. It was great.

Yosuke

I went to the Harry Potter tour. I had a very interesting time. I also sang a song in the talent show and danced for everyone yesterday. It was so great and I won the competition. It was so amazing and wonderful.

Yuto O

Yesterday, I went to the Fudge Shop. And after, I went to the Museum of Edinburgh. After that I saw the talent show and I enjoyed it very much.

Hironobu

I took part in the science class in the afternoon activity. I learned how rockets are launched. We then made our own rockets. We competed with each other to see who would launch the highest. It was really great.

Hiroki

I ate breakfast. I went to school. I studied English. I ate lunch. I went to the Museum of Edinburgh. I ate dinner. I sang songs in the Talent Show. I love you. Good bye.

Atsunori

I made a plastic bottle rocket. The rocket was made by me, Shuya and Susan. Susan is Chinese. We took a lot of time to make it so we worked hard. After we completed it, it was very beautiful and very interesting to make.

Tsuyoshi

Yesterday, I learned about Harry Potter. I did not know anything about it, so I was unable to take part in the class. But, it is important for me to learn new things so I did have a good time.

Yuto Abe

In the morning, I had a class and I learned about magic mystery of each country. In the afternoon, I did a project and made a rocket. In the evening, we had the “Talent Show” and we enjoyed singing and dancing very much.

Takashi

I want to eat rice and miso soup. I have eaten cereal, waffles and bananas continuously for breakfast for 11 days. I went to the city and I learned about the history of Edinburgh. The Talent Show was exciting and fun last night.

Naoki

I went to Edinburgh and toured Harry Potter spots this afternoon. At night, the Talent Show was held. It was a lot of fun.

Yuto K.

I studied English in the morning. I went to the museum of Edinburgh with my classmates in the afternoon. It has a lot of information about the history of Scotland.

Shuya

Yesterday, we made a plastic bottle rocket. Our team was made from three people. It was Atsunori, Susan and me. Our rocket didn’t fly very well but we had a good time.

Hirotaka

I learned about optical illusions in FCLC yesterday. Also, I did a program in the afternoon. I learned about using multimedia so, I made an object and then a commercial about the object. They were very fun.

Last Day Message from Claudia

Today was the final day of the boys' adventure in Scotland ! They have done so well to get through the two weeks! I am so proud of them. They have made lots of new friends and know so much more English than when they arrived. I am able to hold a conversation with every single one of them now. After their final lessons, the boys had their graduation. Each class went up and received a certificate. They were very lucky to have the graduation in the Chapel. We sang Auld Lang Syne and The Flower of Scotland. After many photos with all the other students, we eventually went into town to take a ride on the Hop On Hop Off city bus tour. It was great for the boys to learn a bit about Edinburgh and they were lucky enough to have a Japanese audio guide to help them! I saw Hiroki taking lots of photos and making the most of the upper deck viewing space. In the evening, we held the Learning Journeys leaving ceremony. Our own special opportunity to thank the boys for everything they have done and performed in being Ambassadors of Tokai and Japan! The disco this evening was crazy and fun, the boys really showed off their dance moves! I am sure they will sleep very well this evening before our journey back to Glasgow and then theirs back to Japan!