Hornets Say ‘Konnichiwa’ to Japan
The group pauses for a breather in front of a shrine near the Tokyo Shopping District. Photo: Ms. Cynthia Ly
By ANNA BUKHMAN, SIBYL ZHENG, LUKE WALSH, and JACKLYN TSIPKIS
On April 7 at approximately 5 p.m., 30 Hornets buzzed off of the plane in Tokyo, accompanied by the king bee, Mr. Lawrence Kolotkin, and his five chaperones, prepared to visit five cities throughout Japan on a week-long, culturally-immersive trip.
The spring break voyage, organized by Mr. Kolotkin and EF Tours, took the students through Tokyo, Nara, Osaka, Hakone, and Kyoto. It cost each student around $4,200, which covered the flights, hotels, transportation, breakfast, and dinner.
“Japan is insanely beautiful and insanely clean, which was a surprise compared to Brooklyn,” said Emma Sit ’25. “I think people there are a lot more respectful and a lot kinder to tourists. Maybe the only thing that was surprising was the lack of garbage cans around the city.”
That detail stuck out to a lot of the visitors. “I thought it was really weird how there were like no trash cans at all,” said sophomore Chowdury Mahbub. “It was highkey annoying having to carry all your trash with you for a long time.”
Sebastian Senior ’23 was impressed with Japan’s transportation system. “It was very efficient, consistent, and reliable,” he said. “It’s 100 times better than New York’s MTA.”
Chelsea Pickering ‘23 noticed some interesting cultural differences. “They really cater to their people,” she said. “There’s a whole bunch of fancy devices and things I wouldn't even think about. They have bidets in all of the toilets, and they have all these buttons.”
Sophomore Erik Meyer thought Tokyo’s technology district stood out. “It was a massive complex of a couple streets that were closed off from cars, so you could go wherever you wanted,” he said. “The buildings were all huge, colorful, and – you guessed it – full of logos and signs and billboards. It was like Times Square if Time Square had any personality, as opposed to just ads.”
“I had a lot of fun just walking around the various markets,” said Mahbub. “It was cool to see all of the shops and what they had for sale. My favorite market for sure had to be the one at the Asakusa Shrine.”
“The tour was super interesting and was a very good learning experience,” said Sit. “It was very walking-heavy, and we got to see probably all the major temples in each city, which was very cool. The tour gave us time to learn about the history of Japan but also time to explore the city and shop.”
“There was never a wasted moment,” said Senior. “We always had an activity to occupy us no matter the time of day or night.”
On the fifth day, the group departed for Hakone, where they visited the Hachimangu Shrine and the Great Buddha Statue. On the morning of the sixth day, the group drove to Owakudani to visit the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, cruise on Lake Ashi, and ride the Mount Komagatake cable car.
The group then took a two hour bullet train that arrived in Kyoto during the evening. “It was really fast, very smooth, and very quiet,” said Senior, “like a plane, but on the ground.”
The day was busy with four hours of sightseeing, including a visit to Nijo Castle, the Golden Pavilion, and a kimono show at the Nishijin Textile Center. In the afternoon, the students explored the famous bamboo forest.
Chaperone Ms. Sue Ann Seccafico said, “I liked Kyoto. Tokyo felt like Times Square and Kyoto felt like Brooklyn. It was a little bit more laid back and chill, but it still had a lot of sites and things to see.”
“Eating was a great experience as well,” said Ms. Cynthia Ly, another chaperone. “Seeing students try takoyaki for the first time, seeing students just get into Japanese culture was really fun.”
Of course, no one came back empty handed. Senior brought back an assortment of Kit Kats with special Japanese flavors like orange, milk tea, and banana. Ms. Ly brought back Japanese sunscreen. “It’s better than most American sunscreens because it contains less chemicals but is still really good at blocking UV rays,” she explained.
This was Mr. Kolotkin’s 15th and last overseas trip with the school. “It’s safe to say that this trip to Japan will always hold a special place in my heart,” he said in an email to the group. “It is a very bittersweet moment for me. Last night, I counted: 16 different countries and 609 students over 15 trips. It’s great that this one was my last and one of my best. The best part is that [Midwood’s travel program] will outlast me and forever change students' perceptions of the world.”
Mr. Kolotkin said that his favorite part of every trip is seeing the kids enjoying themselves. “I love when the kids are happy, seeing all these new things,” he said. “They're learning and experiencing new stuff. That’s why I did it so many times. That, I’m going to miss.”