After a long flight we arrived in Japan and went straight to home hospitality. We were staying in small groups, linked to one of the Machida scout groups. Although we weren't staying with a Japanese family for very long (only one and a half days) it seemed much longer since we did so much.
In the afternoon of our first day in Japan we dressed in yukata (a summer kimono) then we attended a traditional tea ceremony, the tea was very bitter but it was interesting watching it being made and the level of respect given when serving and drinking the tea. Next we went to a local festival, experiencing dancing, games and some of the local food we stayed there until late then it was finally time to go home and fall into bed!
The next morning we had a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, miso soup, tofu, vegetables, noodles and egg rolls. It was very different to breakfast at home! After breakfast we caught the train to Akihabera, which is also known as electric town there, we did some shopping and ate an early lunch before heading off to the imperial palace. Unfortunately it was closed so instead we went to a nearby shrine before going to dinner with the whole Scout Group. After dinner we went to watch and participate in a Japanese martial art using katana (swords). Finally, it was time for bed.
The next morning we had to get up early in order to get the bullet train to the jamboree site. The bullet train was amazing, it was very fast and extremely quiet so that you almost felt that you weren't moving despite the landscape speeding past. After the six hour journey we arrived at the station and boarded a coach to the jamboree site. It was huge! From the entrance it took us half an hour to drag our suitcases over the grass to our campsite, then we had to go and fetch our tents and other equipment. One thing I noticed immediately on the jamboree site was how friendly everyone was, it didn't matter what nationality or religion you were, everyone was happy to say hello.
The next day we weren't doing any activities so we took the time to explore and erect our gate using cable ties, duct tape and a lot of luck we managed to keep the gate standing. Then in the evening we attended the opening ceremony. There were several speeches and acts from a drumming group and a j-pop group who had more energy than their 3000 strong audience!
Whilst we were on the Jamboree site we attended various activities related to culture science and world issues they were very fun. Also it was the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima this year and we went to the Hiroshima national peace park where we donated origami peace cranes, it was an extremely thought provoking experience.
During the culture day we had a visit from the crown prince of Japan, he was very nice and we served him tea, it turned out that he actually went to Oxford University. Soon though the jamboree was over and it was time to get the train back to Tokyo.
Getting to the hotel was amazing, the air conditioning was brilliant. We were all excited to be spending a few days in Tokyo, exploring in our patrols. Whilst we were in Tokyo we visited some of the sites including the sky tree, a temple and doing some shopping. It was the perfect end to an amazing trip.