Wellington College Hangzhou's School Trip to Tokyo

We decided to take a 6-day residential trip to Tokyo, Japan, as part of our annual Changemakers Week. This is a residential trip experience for all students from Year 7/Grade 6 to Year 13/Grade 12. 

We chose Tokyo as an option, as Japan is undisputedly the home of technology advancements and robotics. 

A real highlight of the trip for our pupils was visiting the Kawasaki Robostage and the Panasonic Green Impact Park. 

Here, our students were not only able to see robots in action, but also learn about developments in sustainable engineering and 'green design'. 

Our students also visited cultural sites around Tokyo, including Meiji Jingu Shrine and Senso-ji Temple, as well as notable districts around the city, such as Asakusabasi, Harajuku and the world-famous Shibuya Crossing. 

And, no trip to Tokyo would be complete without a fun day at Disney, as well as lots of opportunities to sample the local delicacies of sushi, tempura, ramen and katsu curry. 

For the school, we found the robotics and technology aspects of the trip to be the most valuable educational experiences for our students. They continue to link what they saw in Tokyo to their in-school curriculum. 

Since returning from Japan, the students have been sharing their experiences with their peers and teachers, and sharing photos of the fun times they had. 

The good thing about using Halsbury for our trip was that we insisted that any company we used provided an on-the-ground representative to support the trip leader in daily activities in a foreign country, as we were unable to run a pre-visit. Halsbury kindly agreed, and our personal rep, Laura, was a much welcome addition to our staff team while away from home. 

She helped with everything, from greeting us at the airport on arrival, to supporting with the trip logistics on a day-to-day basis. 

We also couldn't fault the accommodation - with friendly and welcoming staff, and modern facilities in a safe and quiet neighbourhood, all not far from the heart of all activities planned.