Sunday Fun-day!

On Sunday all the boys went on another trip, this time into Edinburgh town. They first visited Holyrood Palace, Queen Elizabeth II's home in Scotland!

 Next everyone headed to The Royal Mile, which is a fine example of Old Edinburgh Town. Here the boys bought souvenirs to take home to Japan.

Finally we all climbed up Calton Hill, which is described as The Athens of the North because of the ruins at the top.

 Everyone had a lovely time at the top, and Oya Sensei took some amazing photos of the group! It was her last day, and we are sad to say good bye. However we luckily have Hibino Sensei to look after the boys for the rest of the week.

3rd Place at Fettes!

 On Sunday night Tokai entered a competition at Fettes. It was a Fashion show called Mr and Mrs Fettes. One student from each school had to dress as the opposite gender!

 Group leader Shosei took up the challenge and his clothes were chosen by all the boys and their new Italian friends.

Shosei dressed as a Japanese woman called Cocoa with his mascot Mitsuha. HE WON 3RD PLACE out of all the other international students! Good job Shosei and all the boys at Fettes! What a funny evening indeed!!

Chapels, Castles, and the Sea

 What a day! On Saturday the boys went on a trip around local landmarks. They started off with Rosslyn Chapel. A lovely old chapel which is featured in the film The Da Vinci Code.

Next they went to the beautiful Tantallon Castle, where they had a picnic. Oya Sensei then climbed up the castle and took a photo of the boys spelling Tokai on the grass!

After this everyone went to North Berwick, a seaside town. Some of the boys went swimming which was very brave! They all had a great time on the beach. It then started to rain so they quickly headed home having finished their ice creams!

Pizza Night!

On Friday night all the boys went to the Fettes School disco! Having danced the night away they went back to their house to have some pizza.

 They shared the pizza with all their new Italian friends, and had a lovely time!

We sadly said goodbye to Patrick and Kai as they travel to England to visit more Tokai boys. The boys made a card and gave some presents from Japan to say thank you, which was very kind! 

Dynamic Earth!

Yesterday afternoon after a morning of English classes we all went into town. We visited a museum called Dynamic Earth. 

We learnt about the earth and how it was made over time. There were exciting videos and rooms to explore!

Shoichiro enjoyed the submarine room!

Yusuke and Shosei bought mascots from the museum shop to take home to Japan. 

Japan Corner!

Last night the boys shared Japanese culture with everybody at Fettes. Japan Corner displayed Japanese toys, how to open a fan, costume, origami, calligraphy, karate and snacks. It was a great success and everybody had a wonderful time. The boys really enjoy showing off their culture and everybody is so interested to learn about Japan. This year, the highlight was Akito's karate display. He was really awesome! The most popular area is the calligraphy area where people have their names written in Japanese. The snacks were sold out! Oya Sensei wore a yukata too and had a green tea stand. Altogether this was a wonderful Japan Corner and we were lucky to be able to do it inside because of the weather which was very wet.

International Friendship

What a wonderful photo of the Italian and Japanese groups together.

Italian Dinner

Yesterday, the Tokai boys invited Maria's Italian group to have dinner together. We made table decorations and place settings. All the students enjoyed themselves. We even had conversation menus to help everyone think of things to talk about! It was great fun and we now have a good relationship going with the Italian group. They are from Sicily, in the south of Italy.

Harry Potter Night

Last night the activity leaders organised a Harry Potter night for the boys. Edinburgh is full of Harry Potter connections so the books and films are a big part of the Fettes program. It was really good fun. The students did all sorts of activities in groups.

Traditional Scottish Haggis

The boys had a chance to eat some haggis. It's a traditional Scottish dish. It is made from herbs and spices and the intestines of sheep. It is more delicious than it sounds!

Fettes the Magnificent!

The main building at Fettes is one of the most dramatic buildings in Edinburgh and probably in the world. You can read about the history of the college and building here. The Fettes building can be seen from miles away. It was one of the inspirations for Hogwarts School in Harry Potter.

Going for a Potter around Edinburgh

After a morning of classes the boys set off to explore the city centre of Edinburgh on a Harry Potter Trail. They went around all the main sights that inspired J K Rowling to write the Harry Potter books. They even visited the Elephant Cafe where she wrote her first book, which they all enjoyed. Everyone made new friends with the Italian boys on the trip. After a long walk all around the Old Town, they sat down for a Starbucks before returning to Fettes, for supper and evening activities.