Japan Art Trip

The Art trip to Japan returned to Tianjin last week and both students and teachers had the most fantastic time! Ably looked after by our tour guide, we spent five days walking around Tokyo, hopping on and off the subway whilst sampling everything the city had to offer. We began at the National Museum of Art looking at Japanese and western Artworks then found ourselves in a traditional Japanese restaurant for lunch – we all took off our shoes and sat down to bowls of steaming ramen and miso soup. We moved on to the Washi paper museum where everyone took part in a traditional Japanese paper-making workshop and finally managed the last walk back to our  accommodation through the mega-shopping area, Akihabara. The next day was similarly busy starting at the Nezu museum with its stunning Japanese garden. After passing through Design Museum 2221 we were treated to a Japanese buffet lunch and had a gentle stroll through the nearby park. The second day ended with an amazing glass-blowing and wind-chime painting workshop – everyone made a glass chime from start to finish. The third day was the quietest day of the trip but included a visit to the world-famous Ghibli museum. Inside was a wonderful display of animations, original drawings and painting inspired by the original Ghibli films. The final full day of the trip saw us take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and an afternoon visit to the Mori Art museum on the top floor of the tallest building in Tokyo. After viewing the exhibition inspired by space exploration, the group ventured out onto the sky desk to see the panoramic views of the city. The sun was setting and finally we could all look across to the shadow of Mount Fuji as it appeared through the haze. It was quite magical at the top of the tower and everyone was reflecting on how much we had seen and done over the last few days. The evening ended in shopping heaven Harajuku where we enjoyed wandering through the boutique shops. Whilst it was a very busy few days, the spectacular trip to Japan was made even more memorable by the friendships made. Students loved sharing their rooms at night and being with each other all the time. And Japan itself is a perfect destination for an Art trip – it’s not too far away and provides the opportunity to explore another part of Asian culture. The experience led the group to think about the cultural similarities and differences we share with neighbouring countries and allowed everyone to sample traditional craft workshops alongside visits to international Art exhibitions. The five days away were a tremendous success and left us all wanting to return to Tokyo again very soon!