Dominic Teacher Exchange to Shizuoka Salesio School
My first week at Shizuoka Salesio has been full of adventure, learning, and cultural surprises! After arriving in Japan on 27 May, I travelled to Shizuoka on the famous Shinkansen (bullet train), where I was amazed to discover vending machines selling everything from ice cream to freshly brewed coffee at the station!
Principal Aono and Matthew Sensei warmly welcomed me and introduced me to the school. I was fascinated to find an anime version of Don Bosco in the library, and to learn that every student keeps an emergency helmet on the back of their seat in case of earthquakes and other emergencies.
The highlight of my first week was attending the Year 4 camp in the forest at Kawana. Students chopped wood, cooked curry over open fires, hiked through the mountains wearing bear bells, and enjoyed a campfire under the stars. Since returning from camp, I have been visiting classes (mainly from Years 3–8 so far) and learning about Japanese school life at Shizuoka Salesio.
Another great moment was seeing Mr. Gunadasa, 3B, Kumashiro Sensei and Durno Sensei on their zoom call to Shizuoka Salesio’s Year 3 class. My first week culminated with a typhoon closing the school and me stuck inside for a day. Overall a very memorable introduction to Japan!
Michael Voss - Acting Lead Teacher: Year 3/Year 4
