On arrival in Tokyo we were greeted by our home hospitality families who then took us back to where we were going to be staying for the next two days. Many of us were in groups going to the districts and families however, some of us were on our own. I was in a group with two other people. When we arrived at the scout hut everyone was very welcoming. They dressed us in traditional Japanese summer dress, Yukata, and we got to experience a Japanese tea ceremony. After, a BBQ had been organised with all the members of the unit and their families where we got to try some traditional Japanese foods. That evening we were taken to a karaoke bar by two of the unit members who were also going to the jamboree as part of the Japanese contingent. That night we stayed in the scout hut with one of the leaders. The next morning we were treated to a full Japanese traditional breakfast before being taken to Harajuku to go shopping and go to a sushi bar for lunch. For our second night we went to families to stay in their home and see how they live, as mine and Oliviaâs host familyâs mother was a cooking teacher she taught us how to make Japanese pancakes which we helped cook for the family to eat that night.
During our time on the jamboree site we got the chance to visit Hiroshima and it really surprised me when we visited. I didnât really know what to expect before we went, itâs easy to separate your emotions with what happened when you learn about it in school but when you are actually there standing right in the place such a terrible part of history happened and where so many innocent civilians were killed it is a lot harder to separate those emotions. Walking through the museum and looking at artefacts from the incident makes you think differently from someone talking to you about it, seeing the clothing of school children who werenât much younger than me made me think about how they must have felt in the moment the bomb was dropped. Some wouldnât have even had a chance to process what was going on because they were killed so quickly whereas others suffered from horrendous injuries, such as burns, before dying slowly and painfully. Although it shows all the horrific things that happened they also used it as a way of promoting peace and for a world without atomic weapons. The way they have rebuilt the city is amazing, all the trees surrounding the well-kept memorials is beautiful giving the view of new life growing and the tall buildings show it is not a small torn apart city but one that has bounced back proudly from an event that will haunt the memories of many for years to come. If going to Hiroshima has taught me anything it would be that even though somethings may feel as if it will be the end of something there are still ways to come back from it even if it takes a long time.
After the jamboree we went back to Tokyo to do some site seeing. One of my favourite parts of this was going to the earthquake centre where we watched a short film about earthquakes in Japan and how they can and have effected Japan. We also got to go on a simulator and experience what it would be like if a level 7 earthquake struck. We went up Tokyo sky tree which gave us a 360â° view of Tokyo. For our last evening in Japan the UK contingent had organised an event they called Tokyo Live where they had arranged for traditional Japanese acts and food stalls to be so that we could see and experience many Japanese traditions in one place before we left the next morning to return home.