At 10:00pm on 9th January 2018, 36 students and 5 teachers arrived at Perth International Airport to embark on an unforgettable journey. We boarded our flights to Tokyo and after a swift stopover in Singapore we had landed in one of the most astonishing cities in the world. Bustling with excitement we piled into the small bus which took us to the small village of Hakuba.
After a good night sleep, fuelled by jet lag and exhaustion from having to haul our luggage up the ski slope in the thick snow, we hurriedly ate breakfast and finally stepped out into the snow – a sight new to many!
Each morning began with a two-hour skiing or snowboarding lesson, followed by two hours of free skiing, then lunch and more free skiing until 4.30pm. Skiing was absolutely the most exhilarating experience; whizzing down slopes and gliding through the soft snow was truly surreal. Although it took a day or two to become familiar with having long skis attached to your feet, it grew into an unforgettable five days in the snow.
After our amazing time in Hakuba, we began our return trip to Tokyo. Our first stop was a 3.2 km hike to see the adorable snow monkeys living near natural hot springs. Next was Zenkoji, a famous Buddhist temple in the heart of Japan where we were able to walk “The path to enlightenment” (a pitch black passageway under the temple). We then continued our travels to Tokyo. After arriving in Tokyo we visited a Japanese pub for dinner in which we experienced traditional Japanese cuisine.
The next day we embarked for Disneyland. We enjoyed exploring and shopping and would all agree that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. Later that evening we travelled into the city where we had some shopping time. Tokyo’s city culture was unbelievable.
On our last morning we visited another Buddhist temple local to the area in which we were staying. It was one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. We finished our time in Tokyo with more shopping on the busy streets of Tokyo. We then set off for the airport and our long and tiring journey back to Perth.
We sincerely thank everyone, including parents, who contributed to this trip. We would like to thank our tour guide, Ms McDiarmid who organised the trip, and Mr Fogliani, Ms Marwick, Mr Rasano and Mr Walker who all managed to take care of us and provide us with an experience we will never forget.
Written by Preston Jones (Year 11) & Simran Vyas (Year 11)