Home at long last

well, we're home. I'll give you some more update later, but suffice it to say that we are home and safe.

Harajuku

too tired for a proper update, harajuku was HUGE! with everythign from walking human vending machines, china dolls, flea markets and traditional Shinto wedding ceremonies - we certainly had an experience today.

We　wandered the streets for hours and did a bit of shopping - although navagating the human sprawl was trying ...　literally like swimming up stream.　After lunch, we went to Meiji Jingu shrine where we saw not one but two traditional shinto weddings. very surreal,　very beautiful.

tomorrow is Disney, everyone going to　bed early - myself included. will　let you know how it goes. Corey

A two day update

Hey Grandad and other miscellaneous relatives! This is Emma again to say we have been having a simpry dericious time in Toyko.

After all the hype about Akihabara, we went last night and it was a bit lame desu. Prices were pretty much the same as at home and nowhere near good enough for us to spend our rapidly dwindling funds on. Although there was a very cool phone that looked like a storm trooper.

We finally found a hundred yen store, which everyone went a bit mad in. If you are expecting presents from your children, they probably bought them last night.

This morning we went to the fish markets and saw whale (Yes, Mitchells mum, whale!) as well as some decapitated tuna that weighed even more than Mr Edwards!!

We then went into the Ginza which has the most expensive real estate in the world but having said that, it wasnt really much to look at. None of the galleries we had planned to go to were open and none of us had $1000000 to spend on a handbag.

So unfortunately, the group was dragged to (insert drumroll here) Shibuya: the biggest teenage shopping district in the universe, where we were locked in a building 9 storeys high filled with sequened micro skirts and knee high boots. Sweet desu. Angela finally got another piercing and Ahlia bought bright red suspenders in a second hand clothing shop.

Tomorrow we go to Harajuku, well let you know how that goes too.

p.s. Angelas mum ... She didnt really get her piercing.

Ghibli Museum & other cool stuff

Well gang,　weve had a busy day - but COOL! we went to the Ghibli museum and were welcomed by the director of International relations! This is no small deal - the dude is on first name terms with Walt Disney and the whole crew at Ardman entertainment - not to　mention the man Hayo Miyazaki himself!

We planned to be there for 2 hours and left after about 3 1/2 - still having not seen everythign there was to see! We even got to see a movie that is never going to be shown outside the museum! leavign with our wallets a lot lighter, we headed home for a rest before we went to one of the biggest shopping centres in the world - the sunshine 60 plaza ... only to get there and find it closed - by 8pm. sux to be us right?

During the time between the museum and the hotel, we did manage to lose a student in Shinjuku station - the biggest and busiest in the world ... right at peak commuter hour. The student in Question will remain nameless (Geri, can you guess who it was?) but she was absoloutely perfect in checking the platform we were leaving from and thenb going straight to the information desk to wait. I myself only realised that we were one short as we were boarding so i had to crash tackle a grandma in my desperation to get off - earning me the somewhat questionable nickname of the granny-snapper. nonetheless, find her we did and all is well that ends well.　

anyway, we did a bit of exploring　in Ikebukero which was good and one group had a pizza party! some of us tried to get a round of karaoke going, but too many were weak! anyway, tomorrow we are going out to Nikko, a world heritage park for temples. then off to Akihabara, which has some of the girls in raptures at the thought of International model phones!

Tokyo - the greatest city on earth?

Well hello again! We've had an interesting couple of days out in Kyoto ... Internet connections that were supposed to be there weren't - the boys missing out on showers because we found out only after arriving that 'communal showers' really meant communal showers.

Here's the update of things we have done so far - We went to Tohei film park yesterday morning, it really was excellent! The Haunted house was, at the very least, terrifying and Ahlia decided to break my arm to match her ankle *geri - her ankle is not broken and neither is my arm ... that's the last time I let a student post without my checking it first! Apparently Ahlia thought it would be funny. I am not convinced. It is slightly swollen after a mild sprain, but she is keeping up fine now.

We are doing well on the injury front, having only cracked open the school's 'Dianna Ferrari' Med kit once for a minor complaint - Emma the Hypochondriac! that's payback for the last post.

We were all hugely dissappointed to have missed the raked gardens and Kinkakuji temple - the golden pavillion, wejust couldn't get there in the time we had - I don't think the guide books were factoring in the time it takes to mobilise teenagers - this is not to suggest that they weren't/aren't an excellent group its just that moving 23 of us around is a little bit liike herding cats!

In actual fact, I am hugely impressed by the aplomb with which they are managing life here, I don't have much to complain about. We arrived into possibly the busiest station in the world last night and the group just numbered off and wandered straight out of the west gate - perfect!

today is a big day, we are finally in Tokyo and today we will be heading out to the Ghibli museum - something we are all hugely excited about! I personally had a fairly rude awakening when Stacie and Agela came banging on ly door at 6am, fully dressed and ready to go asking if the group had left them behind ... we weren't planning on leaving 'till about 8. it seems some uncharitable soul had changed the clock in their room and they had woken at 10 to 8, showereed dressed, put makeup on abd woken their teacher up all before 8.02am ... 12 minuites start to finish - as I said to them, impressive!

I am having trouble with posting photos as the wireless internet is way too slow to even check email - I am posting this from the hotel lobby. I will give youpictures just as soon as I am able. until then, mata ne?

Hi parents - sorry we have been so lax in updating this, but power (and time for that matter) has been an issue ... anyway, here is Emma with the update, Corey


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Minnisan Konnichiwa! It is hard to believe that we have only been away for 60 hours because it certainly seems like much longer. Right now, it is about 11 o'clock and we have just got settled back in at the youth hostel after exploring Dotonburi, America Mura and Shinbashi. Ahlia is sitting next to me eating ice cream, Mitch is drawing a giant octopus in his travel diary and Mr Edwards is looking over my shoulder making sure i'm not telling you what's REALLY going on on the trip. Joking, parents.

This morning we went to Takurazuka and the Astro Museum (possibly the coolest thing on the planet, aside from a giant Spiderman on the side of a building). We also saw lots of pretty cherry blossoms and stuff like that.

Yesterday we went to the ninja village, Iga-Ueno. We watched a dude throw death stars and machette-like instruments at a board and pretend fight another dude. Sweet.

Katrina bought a UDL and all the seniors got trashed at the convience store. no.

We went on a giant ferris wheel looking out over Osaka, kind of scary but very cool.

We have met some cool (well at least interesting) new people. A sweet transvetite at a train station, with pink flowers in his hair. Girls in America Mura dancing along with a character in a commercial on a giant tv screen. Some hardcore Japanese skater boys. A 'famous japanese comedian' working in a shoe shop. A forty year old woman in a hot pink ninja outfit and some cute ninja kids. A pimp and some mafia cars.

We bought ice cream from a vending machine.

And most importantly, I have been crowned the Octopus Queen after beating EVERYONE in a takoyaki eating competition.

Running out of battery!!!!!! Sayonara!


P.S. Ahlia has a broken ankle. She loves you, mummy and is sorry for being rude to you at the airport.