Hockerill-Japan Exchange Programme

 

At Hockerill we run two different concurrent trips to Japan which allow our younger learners to get to know the Japanese language and culture through an exchange programme with Keio Chutobu Junior High School; and a more challenging trip for our older students based mostly at Komaki Primary School, in Nagano.

 

Keio Chutobu Exchange Programme - Tokyo

 

Since our first trip in 2003 we have established an excellent relationship with students and staff alike at Keio. Located in the heart of Tokyo, Keio Chutobu is one of Japan’s most prestigious Junior High Schools. The school has a highly international flavour, enjoys excellent facilities and is a feeder school for Keio University, one of the most prestigious institutes of higher education in Japan and every year participants from Hockerill are looked after extremely well.

 

The students spend approximately a week living with a host family and attend school during that time. They also have the chance to participate in a number of extra-curricular activities, outside and during school hours, such as calligraphy session and a judo class. In addition, we enjoy several excursions in and around Tokyo and beyond.

 

One of the highlights of the Tokyo Keio trip is the Tokyo Challenge and enjoying a traditional bath in a Japanese hot spring. In the Tokyo Challenge, students have the opportunity to participate in an urban orienteering challenge around Tokyo. Working in student teams, they have a full day to navigate themselves around Tokyo using the train system to try to find as many landmarks as they can. The winning team must provide photographic evidence that they have been to the most places on the list provided to them.

 

Komaki Homestay Programme – Nagano, Japan

 

For our senior students, some of whom have already participated in the Keio Homestay Programme, we offer the opportunity to take part in our Nagano homestay programme. Our students are hosted by a rural primary school, where very few of the students of families are able to speak English, and where our students participate in English classes and share English culture with the children attending the school.

Our students will spend approximately a week living with a host family and will attend school during that time. They will also have the chance to participate in a number of extra-curricular activities, outside and during school hours. This trip also includes a number of additional excursions, the highlight of which is spending a night in a remote Buddhist monastery in Japan to take part in meditation and sutra copying.

 

Its History   

 

    In 2003, Mr Grey, ex-head of Japanese at Hockerill decided to establish the Japanese exchange programme to Keio Chutobu, one of the schools under the Keio University of Japan. At first there were only a maximum of 8 students who could go to Japan with the school and the programmes offered were not as exciting as the current exchange trips. However, after the first exchange trip to Keio Chutobu in Japan, Hockerill recieved great feedback enabling the school to delve into a deeper and closer relationship. Every year the exchange happens our schools become closer and more integrated.

Today the exchange trips to Japan can afford more than 20 students, along with 4 to 5 teachers, which gives a chance to both students and teacher to learn more about Japans wonderful history and culture. The exchange trip to Japan is during the half term holiday in October, lasting 10 days. The programme involves: Lessons with the Japanese students, the annual sports day, home stay, the Disneyland of Japan, Onsen in Nikko, travelling by the Shinkansen, visiting various famous places in Japan such as the Tokyo tower, the Ghibli Studio, and many other places.

During summers, the Japanese teacher would bring 3 to 5 students to Japan, to visit Keio Chutobu, and places outside of Tokyo. Recently, the teacher brought students to Sendai, to see the local area after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occured on the 11th of March, 2011.

During March, the second year Japanese students from Keio Chutobu would visit our school for 2 weeks. Japanese students would home stay, and go to school with the English students. On the weekends, Hockerill students would bring the Japanese students out to places like London, Cambridge, and Oxford, to let them experience and learn about England. 

 

One of the highlights of the Tokyo Keio trip is the Tokyo Challenge and enjoying a traditional bath in a Japanese hot spring. In the Tokyo Challenge, students have the opportunity to participate in an urban orienteering challenge around Tokyo. Working in student teams, they have a full day to navigate themselves around Tokyo using the train system to try to find as many landmarks as they can. The winning team must provide photographic evidence that they have been to the most places on the list provided to them.

 

Komaki Homestay Programme – Nagano, Japan

 

For our senior students, some of whom have already participated in the Keio Homestay Programme, we offer the opportunity to take part in our Nagano homestay programme. Our students are hosted by a rural primary school, where very few of the students of families are able to speak English, and where our students participate in English classes and share English culture with the children attending the school.

Our students will spend approximately a week living with a host family and will attend school during that time. They will also have the chance to participate in a number of extra-curricular activities, outside and during school hours. This trip also includes a number of additional excursions, the highlight of which is spending a night in a remote Buddhist monastery in Japan to take part in meditation and sutra copying.