“Just two days after my arrival in Fukuoka, I had the pleasure to enjoy the fireworks festival with NILS teachers and students. It was my first time at a fireworks festival in Japan and I found it quite impressive! In Spain, where I come from, fireworks last no longer than 20 minutes. In Japan, it is a whole experience, where you can not only enjoy the fireworks, which definitely last longer, but also engage in a good chat with people, take a stroll with friends or try some delicious street-food from the various stalls featuring many genuine grilled snacks.

I highly recommend it to people staying in Japan. So get together with some friends and don’t forget to wear your yukata/kimono to get the maximum of your fireworks experience!”

“The ramen activity has been my favorite activity so far of my stay.  I really enjoyed cooking, therefore I had a lot of fun.  It was my first time making ramen from scratch and I would love to do it again.”

”  The Hakata Doll painting was very fun.  It was a new experience for me and I enjoyed the whole thing.  I am looking forward to the next activity.”

“We went to a Japanese paper making workshop, where we learned how to make paper and decorate it using dried plants, leaves and flowers. I made two post cards and four bookmarks, which are great for souvenirs and gifts. There was a small museum to explore. Afterwards, we were able to enjoy a delicious, seasonal, traditional Japanese lunch, and some green tea ice cream. Yum! It was a really fun day.”

Here are the comments from our students;

” I eat ramen and gyoza all the time but I’ve never taken the time to make them from scratch.

During the activity, I was able to experience how intricate the process to create the noodles were. 

From now on when I eat ramen, I will have a deeper appreciation to the chef for the time they put into making the dish. “

“On Wednesday we went to a Ramen and Gyoza making workshop at a popular Ramen restaurant. The workshop went for around 3 hours, and in that time we made, cooked and then ate our own Ramen noodles and Gyoza dumplings. We learned how to knead and roll the Ramen dough, and then how to cut the dough into noodles using a pasta making machine. We also learned how to roll the Gyoza dough into thin circles, and then fold the dough to make the Gyoza dumpling shape. It was a little tricky at times, but we had lots of help and the end result was absolutely delicious. It was a really fun day.”

“We went to the Fukuoka Castle Ruins at Maizuru Park, to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The flowers were simply stunning, as I knew they would be. We had a picnic and a chat under the Sakura, before heading for a pleasant stroll through the park under the cherry blossoms, and through the castle ruins. We climbed to what was said to be the highest point of Fukuoka Castle, which provided a magnificent view of the cherry blossoms, as well as a clear view of the surrounding Fukuoka city. We also saw many traditional Japanese weddings, and children playing traditional Japanese drums. It was amazing to experience such a traditional Japanese Hanami, and very culturally educational.”