"I had an amazing time in Tottori. I really enjoyed discovering the culture in Japan, and meeting so many nice people. Would do anything to go again."

Middleton Grange School and Christ’s College are members of Christchurch Educated, and together we have formed a partnership with the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education. This partnership means that in March each year the two Christchurch schools each host a student from Japanese schools in Tottori, who are the winners of the provincial speech competition. In November/December, two students, one from Middleton Grange School and one from Christ’s College travel to Japan and spend a week at one of the participating schools in Tottori. The students are accompanied by a staff member from either Middleton or Christ’s College, and for 2019, the teacher was from Christ's College, Mr Steve Everingham.

Ivan Roentgen, then in Year 12, was the student selected to represent Middleton for 2019. Here are some of the highlights from Ivan's trip.

* The size of Tokyo - it seemed to stretch to the horizon, and the transport infrastructure there was truly designed for the large population of Tokyo. It was fast and cheap and so efficient.

* The beautiful landscapes of Tottori - There were hills and mountains surrounding you from one direction while on the other was the ocean. It reminded me a lot of Greymouth and other towns on the west side of New Zealand’s South Island. It was much more populated, but the landscapes were very similar and just as beautiful to see, maybe even better.

* The people - I was very grateful of how well the family that hosted me looked after me, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better in the classes at school .

It was a really amazing trip to experience. Mr Everingham was an amazing guide and I learnt so much about Japan and its people. I really enjoyed learning of the different cultural aspects of Japan as it was all very fascinating. Going to school in Tottori was also a really amazing experience as it was different but also a lot of fun and educational. My favourite part of the entire trip was meeting people and making friends that came from an entirely different culture, because it was very interesting to learn about what life was like in Tottori.