The village of Otaki has a unique exchange program under which city kids attend the school for a year. They get to experience life in the countryside and learn to look after themselves. They also enjoy fishing, camping, and skiing and like program so much that some stay for a second or third year.

Otaki Elementary and Middle School

The things we do differently from other schools

School Trip to Australia
Cultural and Language Differences
Keiji Kotani

By the end of my study trip to Australia I had learned about many different things. One was cultural differences. It was hard to get used to how, as a matter of etiquette, when you take a shower in Australia you should not take too long. Travelling by train is also different. Whereas in Japan you have to select your destination when you buy your ticket, in Australia you have to choose how long it will take you to get there. And while in Japan we use tickets, in Australia they use cards. I found that these Australian train cards were really cheap.



The second thing I learned about was language differences. When I wanted to take a shower, for example, I used my body to make gestures, continuing until my message was understood. I also used a dictionary, but sometimes I just could not make myself understood. At those times I kept making gestures over and over again. I continued this for a while, and eventually the other person understood me. I will never forget how happy I was at those times.
I also had some very fun times. I especially enjoyed watching Australian-rules football. I went to the football stadium with my host family. It was my first time seeing Aussie-rules football, so I didnÍt understand the rules at all. But even without knowing the rules you can still support a team, and I got quite excited cheering them on. I really enjoyed getting a taste of the wildly enthusiastic atmosphere in the stadium.
There were some parts of my study trip to Australia that really made me think hard, but all in all it was a great learning experience.