Hey all..

I simply LOVE Japan..It rocks..how i wished that i could go again..

I just want to say..Thank You to all organizing teachers to allow me to go on this trip..

it really was worth the while and money going..

I had alot of fun and the experience of seeing Mount Fuji with my own eyes was

certainly a sight to behold..

I realli liked Japan and interacting with the students there.

The students were so friendly and enthusiastic about seeing us and making new friends..

unlike some of us Teck Whyeans who doesnt know how to welcome guests or visitors in our school..

I hope that Teck Whyeans like me and you can improve and show to the public what change Teck Whye has gone through to change what they used to think about us..

Lastly..THANK YOU once again to all organising teachers of this trip..I had an enjoyable time with everyone..

Signing off,

Rebecca, 3A

Tokyo

I LOOOOVE Japan!!!! Thank you to the organizing teachers who have planned the trip. I appreciate the opportunity to visit such a gret country. I apologize for not being of much assistance in the trip. I honestly do not know HOW i can assist... It certainly looked like the organizing teachers had a trying time keeping everything running smoothly. Your effort is appreciated.

It was a wonderful learning experience. I learnt a lot from attending the briefing on the Yasukuni shrine. It is wonderful what a combination of knowledge form differnet people, a change in perspective and some thought can do to bring about realisation.

The Mount Fuji visit was certainly the most enjoyable part of the trip and it was such a lovely sight to behold. I really enjoy looking at the Japanese lifestyle and practices and learning that there is more than one way in which a life can be lived; just look at their grace in public and their considerations for everybody's needs!

Japan was a great eye-opener, (so many Calpis flavours!) and I sincerely hope that students have also come to realize that the world is bigger than just Teck Whye and Lot 1 and open their minds to experiences beyond the Singapore shores.

Japan was great. Thank you for the experience everybody.

Ms Nurjannah

东京游 游东京

旅游是快乐的。每一段旅程，都是一种全新的体验以及知识的增长。

八天的日本之旅，不但让我见识了东京的先进与繁华，更叫我有幸一瞥富士山的美丽……

第一天的东京是灰色的。尽管六月的日本原是暖和的夏季，却因台风过境，因此从早到晚雨下个不停。穿着夏天的衣裳在秋天的东京街头游走，只觉冷冷的，湿湿的，灰蒙蒙的。

第二天一早，温暖的阳光洒遍大地。东京还原了它夏天的面貌，开始展现无限活力，我的心情也随之亮丽起来！日本科学未来馆（Miraikan）内先进互动的展品让我看得目瞪口呆，电玩、动漫天堂秋叶原街头偶然邂逅三三两两的cosplay也让我的眼球累坏。再加上精致的日本料理......噢，我已开始享受东京！

接下来的几天，老天继续作美，我也尽情地以欢快的心情参观学校、游湖、登山……

就在我完全放松身心，全情投入之际，八天美好的时光转眼即逝。这趟旅程，确是满载而归的。点算一下，除了满袋的“战利品”、异地的人事物带给我的无限惊喜和震撼之外，记忆里也留下了与同校师生把臂同游的珍贵回忆。这一切，有照片为证，也有我们同行39人的共同回忆为证。

谢谢你们！

By Mdm Wong

Wonderful Japan!!

Hi all,

It's been a while since we came from Japan. Still feels like yesterday...
A BIIIIIIIIIGGGG THANK YOU to the ORGANISERS ( they know who they are) ;D for giving us the opportunity to visit this WONDERFUL country JAPAN, Land of the Rising Sun, breath-taking sceneries, hot baths, and glorious food.... This trip has been so fruitful with memories and we learnt so much within only a few days...

As much as I can remember, Day one : Changi Airport in the evening. ..Farewell to the parents and relatives and friends (with careful reminders to bring back japanese souvenirs for them)..Photo-taking as if we were Hollywood actors and actresses on the Red carpet at the Academy Awards...Some teachers from TWSS came to say BON VOYAGE. ..Some were quite emotional, but who can blame them..? We knew it was going to be an exciting trip awaiting...

It was raining at Narita Airport the first day when we stepped on the Japanese soil... Outside was pouring and very windy and some of us did forget to bring an umbrella, ellah, ellah...eh eh..so they had to buy one at the convenient store. It was not so much of summer during the first 2-3 days..For those who never experienced the cold before, they got served...:)
We got to know our tour guide , Tammy-san and chauffeur Yamada-san who were very kind to us throughout this trip. of course, no one can forget Tammy-san GREAT sense of humour, especially with Mr Miso Soup...LOL
The first day was indeed a very tiring day for all of us. Some students barely slept on the plane and apparently, it was uncomfortable and cold for others. Some were dying to take a refreshing bath at the hotel and eat something consistent...They couldn't believe when they were told that it was only in the late evening that we all checked-in the hotel. Nevertheless, we spent a wonderful day in the City area, visiting the Disaster Prevention Centre (check out the gargantuan architectural aspect...), RAINBOW bridge ( by which we passed many times), ate ice-cream in the cold weather (Ronald's inspiration), Bugis look-alike street leading to the temple...(sorry can't recall the name..)...etc, etc...busy busy day indeed.

OMG! We went to so many places really out-of -this world. But the cherry on the cake was the day we went to Mount Fuji... It was AMAZING, INCREDIBLY beautiful..!!! I remember everytime our bus did the contours and at every sight of the summit, we all went: "' Aaahh!!...oohhh" in awe. And here goes the flash of cameras again. I bet Mount Fuji likes to be taken in photo. Tammy-san said she is even more beautiful in winter, all covered with fresh coats of snow...Picture this using your imagination, it's a priceless vision to be treasured!!! One day, maybe we can all pay her a visit when she is all dressed in white...This wouldn't be interesting enough if Chiang Tek "thought" he lost it when he realised his camera was "missing".....haha Lesson learnt. Thanks to the sensitivity of his belly.

We also witnessed a traditional Japanese ceremony, all dressed up so beautifully.. It's indeed a fascinating culture where everything should be perfection.. Even the food was presented in a very ZEN way..It reminded me of some Feng Shui style, so neat and clean and properly executed. I do hope people learn when they come to Japan, they don't mess around with the environment...And first impression SHOULD always be a GOOD one.

Tokyo and Japanese country-sides are so different, in another words, worlds apart. It's always rejuvenating and peaceful be be in touch with nature (I love the way they trim and "style" the leaves on trees; they look like green mushrooms). The traditional houses are magnificent and I bet living in these areas must be an everyday joy, no worries, embracing freedom with Nature. Oh and the flowers were so aromatherapeutic, especially the lavender!!! If only I can bring some home...

Oh oh!! The Sulphur mountains!! What a blast!! The wind was so strong that some of us couldn't stand still; it was literally pushing us back slowly..Then we climbed the steps up, fighting against the extreme cold (I love it by the way!!!) and wind. It's interesting t know that even in such a cold place, the sulphur liquid can be 100 degrees Centigrade!!!..It reminded me of some horror movies like Hills have eyes..or The Fog.. I can't imagine this place at night and in winter!!..You must be kidding..hahaha

Gotemba!!! Shopping frenzy!!..Can we go there again!? It's clearly a request. MAybe we can bring along sleeping bags and plenty of cash and credit cards. Anything I missed?

Anyway, I'm happy to be part of this trip and the opportunity to open my eyes to a new culture. I hope the students enjoyed this experience as much as I did. Of course, THANK God we were not around the area where the human-stabbing spree happened.. It was scary to hear that. We were blessed.

We haven't seen the rest of Japan yet....and there is so much more to see, smell, taste and enjoy!!It's not Sayonara Japan. Hope to visit you again!!

Arigato.
By Jennifer sensei.

Educational and informative Learning Journey to Japan

Kudus to the four organisers, Khai Ming, Yen Peng, Surmani and Shu Wen. Really appreciate for including us in the learning journey. They are really committed in ensuring the journey is informative and educationally. They stayed up late to ensure students do their scrap book and reflection, either electronically or on paper. The students' and our welfare and safety was well taken care of by them.

Our students were generally well-behaved and excited over the 8 days. Really felt that they are really on a learning journey. Hope that they will be able to implement some of the good habits and practices in the school and be able to influence our Teck Whyeans in the learning culture and attitude of the Japanese to the rest of the Teck Whyeans.

My main objective to join this learning journey was to find out more about the food culture of Japan, really fascinated by the colours and the effort put in the presentation of the food. I did not find any obese students and adult in Japan, it may be due to their diet and tea consumption. Most of their food are usually boiled, steamed and grilled. Every meal, there is miso soup. One of our students, Ravin from 3D like it so much that the his nickname given by the agent, was Mr Miso Soup.

I was very impressed by the cleanliness and tidiness of the street in Japan despite the absence of the dustbin. Japanese will keep their rubbish till they are able to found a recycling dustbin. Really embrassed that our school compund was littered despite dusbins placed nearby. Hope our participants will be able to convey such good habit and culture in TWSS, to get students to throw in the dustbin rather litter the place. At designated places, there are two types of dustbin, combustible and non-combustible items. Hope the school will also implement such environmental friendly dustbins around the school compound rather than just the canteen area.

We were fortunate to be able to see Mt Fuji at the 4th and 5th step to the majestic Mt Fuji. However, not able to see it at the foot of Mt Fuji or at the Peace Garden. Really wish to go back to climb Mt Fuji in July or August in the future years, likely after I left or retire from teaching, hope not too old to conquer Mt Fuji and to enjoy the juicy and sweet peaches.

I also enjoy the flora in Japan. Took a lot of photos of the wild flowers along the streets and the residential gardens in Japan. The Japanese housewives really take pride in ensuring the flowers are colourfully bloomed in their garden. Too bad, June is not the sukura blooming season.

As for the school visit, I found that students are more focused and eager to learn in Japan despite the smaller classroom and furniture. The teachers uses softer tone and chalk and talk during lesson. Was it due to the culture or the air-conditioned environment ? I wonder .....Hope to be on a work attachment to teach in Japan.... fat Hope !?...Possible ?!

However, cost of living is petty high in Japan Y750 (S$10) for a bowl of "tantan" noodles. Y360 (S$4.80) for 2 train stops. I heard that cost of accomodation is also pretty high.

I believe the stress faced by students to do well in Japan for the University entrance exam is pretty high based on the recent rampage and stabbing by pickup driver at one the busiest street in Tokyo which we had shopped at 2 days before the incident. Felt lucky that we were not at the place during the rampages.

Really enjoy this learning journey.

Beautiful moments

东京之旅结束一个星期多了。但看来大家对于东京的思念还在延续。
很高兴看到大家对于这次旅程都那么满意，我也和大家一样非常享受整个过程。

能够和学生们共同体验八天的旅程是特别的经验，就在此记录一些动人的时刻：

1. 现代人习惯了运用电脑，所以对于提笔书写越来越陌生，但我还是觉得亲笔写下的东西是最珍贵的。好几个晚上，看到学生们坐在酒店走廊专心地设计自己的剪贴簿，认真地写下自己的心情，我的确被感动了。

2. 看到富士山是我在这次旅行中最激动的时刻。一生人当中能有这样的机会，看到神圣的富士山就近在眼前，是多么幸福的事呢。还记得我们都冲下巴士抓紧机会欣赏富士山，大家忘情地惊叹、拼命地拍照.... 所有人的心在那一刻仿佛都因为同样的一件事而联系起来了......

3. 离开东京的那一天，大家似乎都依依不舍。人总是有感情的，原本只是陌生人的Mr Tammy经过这八天的相处后也变得像亲人一般了。在成田机场，看到一些男生临走前与Mr Tammy拥抱道别，我也忽然有点伤感了。我很喜欢学生这些真挚的情感表现，我们这些大人有时反而很难做到。

每个旅程总有结束的时候，最重要的是当中有许多美好时刻留在我们的记忆中。
很高兴参与了这次的旅行，这八天的点点滴滴，将是属于我们专有的共同回忆。

-- By Miss Lai

The AWESOMMERR Japan Trip

WAZZZZUUP!

Greetings to all those AWESOMMERR Teck Whyeans and Japan Fans. It is me, the AWESOMMERR Nicholas, posting this entry. Hope you'll not get bored out (Like that would ever happen) of this post :D

I felt that the Japan Trip was awesome [YEAH!] and really really really really FUN!* Except for the punishments :(

I mean we're like humans right? Everyone makes mistakes. But still, we accept our punishments. That's the most dreaded word to hear ANYWHERE. However, we still respect out teachers nevertheless. Their loving and caring attitude really makes people say, wow we have such GREAT teachers .

And the way that they presented Yasukuni Shrine, which was a shrine to commemorate the war dead in Japan during the world war II (Which happened in Singapore when the Japanese invaded). Although it is from the Japanese perspective, our teachers presented it in a way such that there was a deeper meaning to be known. And that helped us in our humanities. The facts are all the same, it is just the different ways that it is presented (opinions).

I felt that the HIGHLIGHT of the trip was MOUNT FUJI. The view of the mountain is like SO cool.And its like FREEZING cold up there but nevertheless i enjoyed it ALOT! The school visits were also memorable as we got to interact with the Japanese students and got to know a bit about their daily lifestyles.

I have learnt alot from the Japanese. Their cultures , etiquette , and history. I give my utmost gratitude to all the teachers who made the trip possible. YOU ROCK MAN!

Well, that's the end of my post. Hope you really enjoyed it!

Nicholas Ong 3Diophantus

Last day in Japan

Last day in japan... the saddest day for most of us... some of us didn't even realise it was the last day till we were told to pack our things up for our departure... Well now were back in Singapore, we could only see photos taken there to remind us of our days spent there.

Time: between 7-9+am
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari

We woke up, bath, brought our luggage down to the lobby and had our breakfast.

Outside view from the hotel(view from Faizal's hotel room)

Time: between 10am-2pm+
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari/ a shopping center opposite the hotel

Shopping... Eat.... Shopping... We spent our time during this period shopping and ate our lunch there... Most of us go to the arcade while the rest hang out at MacDonald.

Time: 3pm+
Location: Wishton Hotel Yukari/ Bus/ Narita Airport

We took a different bus then the normal one which we usually take. Its so small... luckily we could fit inside... Then we depart from the hotel to Narita Airport. In the bus, our tour guide, Mr Tammy, shared some news and jokes with us during our journey there.When we reach Narita Airport, we took some photos with Mr Tammy before bidding him farewell(some of the students cried.. but of course secretly but we saw them crying)... After that we waited for about 1hr before boarding the plane... we got back to Singapore at about 1am.

In the bus....

Tammy-san talking about the news about the rampage at Akihabara....

At Narita Airport....

Done by: Herniati, Li Ching, Caroline, Jeremy, Zhi Yi, Faizal

Teck Whye Sec Heads For Japan!

Ohayo Gozaimasu.

Hi to all Teck Whyeans and Japan lovers....It's me, Pearry, the one and only, keeping you company for the next few mins or so....

Let me summarised our Japan trip. Overall the trip was really good and fun (and not forgetting to mention our scoldings by our teachers).

We're teenagers right?....so I'm sure everyone would like to venture around... unfortunately for us, our (mis)adventure at Ginza's crossroad junction took us a little bit off course and we wondered off a little further than we expected. And that's where we got our desserts = "PUNISHMENT"...Yup. The last word we all love to hear, especially during a trip. Anyway, really appreciate the love and care from our beloved teachers throughout the trip.

And also their guidance and teaching about the difference in the modern day Japan and the past Imperial Japan when we visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. We learnt about different perspectives regarding the Japanese loyalty to modern Japan and Imperialism, the different countries' perspectives of Yusukuni Shrine which I think it helped us in our humanities. =p

The hotspots on our "got-to-go" list were.... Lake Kawaguchi (this place has a great scenery).... Shibuya (Darn! the boys had to babysit the girls here...and HEY WHERE'S MY PAY?)...Shibuya Makuhari High School (missed interacting with the friendly students there)...Mt. Fuji 5th Station (simply love the cool weather in the higher altitudes)....and many other places (most of which I can't remember because of the difficult Japanese names)

We learnt a lot of different Japanese words and phrases, culture and history from the tour guide and from the students there in Japan. Most of the boys took the time in the schools doing "girl-watching". our dearest RAVIN was staring at the girls with his saliva drueling all over the place..YUCKS!

I wanna just take this chance to thank all the teachers who organized this trip. I'm sure all the students really enjoyed the trip because I sure did. Mr Ong, Miss Ng, Miss Teo, Mdm Sumarni and the other teacher participants, a big THANK YOU from me.

And with that comes to the end of my sharing.

By:Pearry Artiaga (3C)

5 days since we are back

5 days have passed since we came back from Japan. Still misses those days in Japan..the weather, the people, the schools, the fun, the nights where i was so tired and yet had to walk around like zombie doing room checks... all in all...these are memories and experiences i missed dearly...

The organisers: Well, what can i say, they are great (i'm not saying i'm great though i'm one of them). Miss Teo and Mr Ong did a lot for this trip and i'm glad that everything went well...Well Done!.. Somehow, they taught me the "sentimental" part which resides in them more than in me! Being always practical and efficient, somehow, i will always question their work- What are the objectives? What are the desired outcomes? What can be done less to yield the same results? Why must we do these? Can it be done the other way round? Why? Why? Why? They were always patient (trying to be)... haha... to show me the other side of the story.

As Mr Ong will say to me at times "STOP being so efficient!" haha... think it make senses somehow when i see the joy in the kids when they were doing their scrapbooks, printing photos late at night along the corridors of our hotel room. I never heard a single complaint from them even though it was already late, and they were tired after a long day.

The accompany teachers - They were EVEN GREATER!! Really appreciate their patience and the ability to tolerate!

Patience with us - i remembered so clearly what Mrs Ong said when i told her that they can move off to shop around instead of following us around Chinatown looking for Bentos - "Don't worry, We understand". Something so comforting at the moment when 30 hungry students were roaming with us searching for Bentos.

Tolerated us - they were so accommodating to sudden changes in plan, and most importantly, tolerated the noises made by the kids along the corridor outside their hotel room!! Thank you... thank you.

The Students - They are a wonderful lot of students. What can i say- ALWAYS ON TIME. MY GOD... hopefully they are also always this punctual to school... haha... well.. very cooperative, very obedient lot. I really hope they will spread the things they learnt in Japan to fellow Teckwhyeans. Yizhen, pls do not say you will migrate to Japan and study there... instead, ask yourself what can we do, to make Teck Whye as enjoyable a place to study as it is in Japan. :)

One funny encounter i had with these group of students i don't teach-
1. MY SEAT BELT- Day 1... on the flight - I sat down next to one student and the first question he said me was - "TEACHER, LATER IF I WANT TO GO TOILET, WILL YOU SCOLD ME??" --- I had a lot of question marks from his QUESTION, and when i said YES... he literally took it in... :)
Then, when i wanted to fasten my seat belt, i could not find the other half of it...guess what...the student took mine and fasten to his..leaving me with one side of the belt...i have no choice but to yell ..." XXX, u took my seat belt!!''

One touching one
1. Saw two students with a plastic bag of food after our shopping trip at Shibuya. When questioned who is it for?
"Is for the driver, he is so poor thing, have to drive, no dinner" replied the students.
I was impressed with their thoughtful act. Keep up the good work!!

This trip, shares with me some nice and wonderful memories that made my third time in Japan still exciting as if it was the first time ........
Thank you all for making these possible. :)

Cheers,
Ms Ng

this is missing from our learning experience (luckily)

Earthquake rocks northern Japan

At least four people have been killed and about 60 hurt by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake which struck the north of Japan's main island.

The epicentre was in Akita prefecture, 100km (60 miles) north of the city of Sendai, at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the US Geological Survey.

The tremor rattled buildings in nearby towns and in the capital, Tokyo, 390km (240 miles) to the south.

All high-speed bullet trains in the area were automatically shut down.

Click here to read more

changteck, oh careless changteck

let me blog about my forgetfulness, carelessness of me during the japan trip.

the most serious was the camera, which was pretty dumb, but nevertheless, i shall give details about it.

the thing started when i realised i LOST my camera =/. i was devastated as it carried memories in there. the teachers - Mr Ong , Miss Teo , Miss Ng and Tammy-San, were very very helpful. for 30 minutes before i realised the camera was in my sweater, they searched everywhere with me because i told them that a man took a picture with my camera and ran off after taking the picture (P.S i ran off to look for the others ) . after i realised my foolishness, i apologized to everyone. But this embarassessment will be etched in my mind :(. i will be more careful and more RESPONSIBLE in the future, and i will change now.

lost and found

-chang teck , Mr Careless. :(

JAPAN rocks ! :D

Hmm,

I must thank the teachers who organised this trip for us! I really enjoyed a lot, a lot, a lot! Guess everyone of us enjoyed the trip! It was really a fun trip, although we had some scoldings from teachers when we did something wrong. Overall the trip was a good one! At first all of us were so excited 'bout this trip, and now we missed Japan!

Yeah, and i guess i won't forget the times we had in Japan, it was super duper fun. All of us didn't really want to leave Japan, but we had no choice ): haha. The Tour guide - Tammy-san was really a funny guy. I guess all of us will remember what he always said "Oh my Goodness! You must be kidding me! Oh come on ~" haha. He always crack funny jokes, stories and etc.

See Tammy-san! found that i have a pic of him. haha!

At Ghilbli Musuem !

Over there, we tried a lot of different food, and seen a lot of different things. We have learnt a lot. It was quite a memorable trip for us :D & especially this place that we went - Yasukuni Shrine - a place where Japanese goes to honour their ww2 soldiers. It was quiet there. Learnt quite a lot that night as Mr Ong and other teachers discussed with us about the ww2 and the controversy surrounding that shrine. It was quite interesting to me, as the place felt so scary to me! haha. & so we got to know what happen etc etc, and its like we're having history class!

At Mt Fuji was quite fun too. We get to experience the cold up there. Oh & the Sulphur emitting volcano! The smell ... gosh, it's sooo like bird egg smell! Stinks man. & i'm soooo happy to know some Japanese friends during the school visits! they're sooo friendly and cheerful. ok guess i'll stop here, no idea what to write already... just take a look at my pictures and share my joy.

See the teachers having FUN too! :D

See all of us waving BYEs to the Narita airport ! aww. really missed Japan alot alot.

& some of us like Me Jiaxin Yizhen Brenda Delicia, have decided that we must MUST go back to Japan when we have the money! of course that is when we work. & i didn't get to see Cherry Blossom! ):

LITING:D
Always love JAPAN ! :D

TWSS JAPAN TRIP ' 08 ROCKS :D

To all teacher-organizers:

THK YOU SO MUCH FOR ORGANISING THIS TRIP FOR US!

We had a very FABULOUS, FANTASTIC and EXCELLENT experience there!
I'm sure all of us have enjoyed a lot a lot a lot in Japan.

FYI, this is my first time going overseas, & that really made a BIG diff to me!
It was seriously GREAT to have the opportunity to be on this expedition to Japan! I had been waiting for a chance to go overseas since i was young!

This trip which included many NICE ppl had really made me cried out of joy.
The teachers were simply KAWAII NEH! they're not them exactly?! hahaha :p
I truly enjoyed the memorable days 020608 - 090608 in Japan.

Some of the places & things we did and learnt during the last few days of the trip! ^^

Gotemba.


Lake Kawaguchi + Flower Garden.

Fuji Visitor Centre.

Mount Fuji 5th Station.

Ms Teo being knocked hardly & blessed! Actually all of us did ><>

Mount Fuji.

Peace Memorial Park - for commemorating end of ww2

We den headed to Hakone for a boat ride to view this crater lake

Luckily we made it in time, its the last boat of the day :p

Owakudani [smelly mountains! sulphur dioxide stinks?!!!!!!]

Meiji Shrine.

These are pics of weddings of Japanese culture we took there.

Harajuku.!

We saw sth!

its HER ~ &

- - -

Shashin onegai.! :p

[ COSPLAY ]

All of us den went to looked out for things tt are good for an upcoming bazaar in sch!

Students & teachers are warmly welcomed to buy anything we sell ; coming up v soon. (:

Went to Shibuya on Day 7, window-shopped for a boring 3 hrs (EXPENSIVE STUFFS) :x

I was quite sad, cos that's the teen pop culture industry but i bought nth :/

Last ride on Yamadasa's coach with Tammy-san ): He shared a lot of their values and history.

Last time taking the cOoL lift in Wishton Hotel Yukari ><

Ms Teo& Ms Ng giving out last briefing b4 we reach Narita Airport.

I was rather sad at tt moment ):

JAPAN'S FUN! ^^

JIAXIN HERE ; ENJOYD SUPER LOTS :D