Back to School (II)

I went with one of the other Scholars to Momijigawa High School, to speak to a group of English students who were in Japan on an exchange. The area itself (Edogawa-ku) is really interesting - it's all reclaimed land, and unlike the rest of Tokyo the sole landowner is the metropolitan government so there are no individual houses, only huge blocks - it looks really Singaporean (and not in an entirely positive way - more '70s Singapore than their more recent efforts). That's certainly one of the most characteristic aspects of the Tokyo urban landscape - the confusion that results from so many small, independently owned plots.

The English students were all from Tavistock College, a Devon Comp that as well as being apparently the fifth largest school in the UK has secured extra government funding as a 'language college' and has a flourishing Japanese programme, including a native-speaking teacher. Apparently last year Tavistock supplied more than a quarter of all UK students who took Japanese GCSE.

The setup of the event was pretty weird - in true Japanese style, the two of us who were talking were expected to be dressed in suits, and we found ourselves sitting between a huge rising sun and union flag - it felt like a press conference! Anyway, the students were a real inspiration - they had all absolutely loved their time in Japan and certainly seemed to be planning to continue their Asian focus. It was a great example of international relations in action, and I'd never previously considered the full potential for building bridges and increasing understanding between schools. The majority of international statesmen seem only to be capable of behaving like children, so why shouldn't the children behave like adults?