Year 9 Japanese Excellence Programme - Rikkyo School Exchange

On June 17th 2022, Year 9 Japanese Excellence Programme students participated in the inaugural visit to ‘Rikkyo Japanese School in England’. Located in Horsham, West Sussex, the school provides a beautiful setting amongst picturesque countryside. 

All students at Rikkyo School are Japanese, and board full time at the school following a Japanese curriculum. Staff and students offered 9JEP a fascinating experience of Japanese culture, including observation of a ‘kendo’ match between two primary school students. This modern Japanese martial art uses bamboo swords and protective armour so was quite the spectacle for our students. 

We watched Japanese ‘tea ceremony’ where students demonstrated the ritual of serving green tea in their special construction which was donated by The Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Students were able to try their hand at origami and Japanese ink calligraphy, assisted by Rikkyo students to translate the phonetic sounds of their names into Japanese ‘kanji’ characters. Finally, following a delicious lunch of Japanese curry and ‘onigiri’ rice balls, students were divided into teams to try a jump-rope sport traditionally included in sports days in Japan. 

Our thanks go to everyone involved in making this such a special occasion for our students, particularly Headmaster Dr Okano, and International Exchange Coordinator Ms Sekiguchi. We look forward to welcoming Rikkyo students to Dartford Grammar School in the future, and to the continuation of this new exchange and friendship.