School Trip Circumstances for Everyone

In my previous article, when I touched briefly on Horyu-ji Temple in Nara, two people mentioned in the comments that their school trips were to Nara, which surprised me a little.

The reason is that I have never encountered a group that appeared to be on a school trip when I visited Nara, whereas in Kyoto, I see them all the time, and I have even seen students on school trips from overseas.

Because of that, I had assumed that Kyoto was the standard destination for school trips in the Kinki region.

Thinking about it now, I realize that it is only natural for school trip destinations to vary widely depending on the region where one lives and one's generation.

Just then, maru-san wrote an article detailing the school trip they experienced.

Reading it, I was surprised at how well they remembered it.

I am very envious that their middle school trip was to "Nikko."
Going to Nikko from Osaka requires a great deal of determination, and it is not something one can do as easily as the trip to Inuyama the other day.

Well, as for me, even if I try my hardest to remember, I only have fragmented memories, and I am ashamed of how vague they are.

Even with such poor memories, I would like to try and scrape them together.

My School Trip

For people in Osaka, the cities of Kyoto and Nara are basically within the range of a field trip.
Except for the more remote areas, there is no sense of it being a place you need to stay overnight to visit, and personally, it is normal to go there and back in a single day.

So, where do people from Osaka actually go for their school trips?
As one example, I will write about my own experience.

● Elementary school was "Ise"

Of course, I must have gone to "Ise Jingu Shrine" as well, but I don't remember it at all 💦
I only have memories of the trees growing thick and the gravel paths(?), and I had no awareness that it was the supreme tutelary shrine of Japan, nor did I feel even a hint of its serene atmosphere.

The only thing I remember is the "Wedded Rocks", two rocks connected by a rope against the setting sun.

I probably stayed at a ryokan in the area, and what I remember most clearly and funnily is the "pillow fight" before bed, getting scolded by the teacher, and the teacher making rounds until late at night.

● Middle school and high school were "Kyushu"

I attended a local public junior high school and a private high school, but coincidentally, both school trips were to Kyushu.

Honestly, I remember that when I was in high school, I felt a bit disappointed, thinking, "Again?" which was quite spoiled of me.
I wanted to go somewhere completely different if I could.
I recall hearing that the following grade level went to Hokkaido, and I felt very envious.

The slight difference was that the junior high trip was to "Northern Kyushu," while the high school trip was billed as a "Kyushu Tour." However, we certainly didn't go all the way around.
I remember it being more of a diagonal traverse, going from Nagasaki to Kumamoto to Miyazaki.

We visitedGlover Gardenin Nagasaki Prefecture andthe Unzen Hell touras well, but I can't for the life of me remember if I went to those during junior high, high school, or both.

I'm sure I'd know if I looked at the photos, but they are buried deep in the back of the closet, and I don't have the energy to dig them out right now.

What moved me wasMount Asoin Kumamoto Prefecture.
It was a clear day and the volcanic activity was stable, so we were able to climb near the crater, and that sight is still firmly etched in my memory.

I felt the phenomenal power of nature unconditionally.
I was made to realize how small my own existence was in the face of something so powerful and absolute.

Also, the view I saw at the Nichinan Coast in Miyazaki Prefecture, known asthe Devil's Washboardwas another scene I was captivated by.
I was simply impressed by the endless art of the rocks, and I felt the mystery of nature there as well.

My Sons' School Trips

Now, as for the school trips of my sons, who were born in the Heisei era, the content has changed completely, even though they are from the same Osaka.

● Elementary school is "Hiroshima"

Both my eldest and second son visitedItsukushima Shrineon Miyajima,the Atomic Bomb Dome, and the Peace Memorial Museumand so on.

I don't know when it became Hiroshima, but perhaps it was around the time when the generation that didn't know the war began to make up the majority of the population.

It is likely an initiative to ensure that the historical event of the war is not forgotten.

In subsequent classes, there were opportunities to discuss the "war," and each group compiled reports on large sheets of poster paper and presented them during class observation days.

As for the souvenirs they each bought,
my eldest son bought three boxes of Momiji Manju.

そんなに誰が食べるねん。

A cool standing picture of Miyajima's scenery drawn by my second son.

そんな絵、どこに飾るねん。

With such extremely different tastes, as a parent, I found it indescribable and full of things to comment on.

● Junior High School: "Shimane", "Nagano"

My eldest son went to Shimane Prefecture.
My second son went to Nagano Prefecture.

Both of them attended the same local junior high school, and although their destinations changed due to the three-year gap, the content was the same "homestay".

It is a school trip with the purpose of experiencing the local climate and nature, staying in the homes of local residents, and experiencing their entire way of life.

Since both of them had new experiences, it seemed to be quite stimulating, and they learned a lot from it.

As I have never experienced a "homestay" myself, it was hard to imagine what it was like, but by interacting with the local people, they must have learned many things for the first time.

● High School: "Germany"

Both of them went on to the same private high school, which was not in our local area.

Moreover, the destination for their school trip was "Germany".
I deeply felt that the era had finally arrived where school trips go overseas.

Early in the third term of their first year, they had to choose between "Ojika Island" in the Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture "Ojika Island" or "Germany", and savings for the costs corresponding to the destination began.

Ojika Island is also a quite attractive and beautiful island, so the reason both of them were quite hesitant was that Ojika Island involved a homestay, and they had a premonition that it would be a fun experience just like their junior high school trip.

After much deliberation, they ended up choosing "Germany" because their interest leaned heavily toward something they had not yet experienced.

Seeing them return with smiles, saying it was worth going after fully enjoying Germany during their week-long schedule, made it worth it for me as a parent to pay the high travel expenses to send them.

Visiting famous sites might have been
like 'casting pearls before swine'?

As I have written in past articles, I became interested in historical dramas in elementary school, and while I had an interest in Japanese history, my understanding was only fragmentary, so I was in a state where I couldn't quite connect the dots.

Even when I went to Glover Garden in Nagasaki, I recognized it as the residence of a merchant from the end of the Edo period, but I couldn't realistically connect it to Sakamoto Ryoma or the movement to overthrow the shogunate; I just thought the flower beds were beautiful or the furnishings inside the house were wonderful, and looking back now, I didn't see the 'history' at all.

Moreover, I was completely ignorant about shrines, temples, and religion, and it was only natural that a child who couldn't even distinguish between Shinto and Buddhism would have no idea of the value of the 'Ise Grand Shrine'.

I wonder if there is any point in taking children to such destinations.

In fact, while I have no memory of the important parts, I remember trivial things vividly.

If I were to go now, I think I could thoroughly see and enjoy the history of both the Ise Grand Shrine and Glover Garden, but that is surely because of my life experience.

I believe that shrines, temples, and historical sites should be visited only after one has developed an interest in them.

However, in my sons' generation, the content and purpose have clearly changed.
I think they are choosing destinations that involve hands-on experiences, global initiatives, and looking at modern history to make them think about the future.

To be frank, in our day, there was a sense thatJapan was being forced upon usbefore we could even grasp it, but I feel that for the children's generation, it has becomea school trip where they can see the challenges of what to do about the futureinstead.

However, I don't think the children understand it to that extent, but I just hope that they will remember it years or decades from now and that it will be of some use to them.

A small request
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Comparing school trip differences based on where you live or your generation can reveal surprising regional characteristics, various intentions, and changes over time, making for a very interesting perspective.

So,
if you would like, could you write about your own school trip experience in the comments section?

If you cannot fit it all in a comment, I would be happy if you could write an article about it.
In that case, a link to this article and I will definitely come to read it.

※There is no deadline!
This isn't really a formal project, so please feel free to write about it whenever you feel like it.