Year 9 Japanese Excursion

On 14 September, the Year 9 Japanese class went to the city, visiting places such as the Japanese Embassy, Daiso in the Melbourne CBD and Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake Shop.

In the embassy, our class learnt about different aspects of Japanese pop culture such as anime, manga and video games. We did a quiz afterwards to test our knowledge of these things. 

After that, the class then went to Daiso to buy some Japanese items and snacks. 

At around lunch time, we made our way to Uncle Tetsu’s Japanese Cheesecake Shop, where Ms Yamanaka allowed each of us to try different Japanese pastries such as onigiri crepes, madeleines and cheese tarts. We took a tram to the National Gallery of Victoria and ate our desserts there, and after that we explored the Japanese exhibits that were held there, which featured works of Japanese artists and ancient artefacts.

Overall, the excursion was highly informative and it was fun seeing all of the different aspects of Japanese culture, from food, to art, to pop culture. It was interesting to see the large contrast compared to culture in Australia.

Lauren Vong, Emily Mitchell and Darcy Cooper
Year 9

Year 7 Italian Excursion

Year 7 Italian students went on an excursion to Carlton, home to Australia’s only Italian museum. Carlton is considered Melbourne’s ‘Italian heart’. Students discovered the stories of Italian migrants who arrived in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, what they left behind and the little they brought with them on their journey from Europe. The museum showed how these “new Australians” contributed to their new homeland, creating something unique by blending their culture with what was already here. 

The Italian museum is part of Co.As.It (Committee for the Assistance of Italians), an organisation that has been supporting Italians in Melbourne for 50 years. Co.As.It is also an art centre and Italian language resources centre, where Italian students can borrow Italian movies and books. It is a must-visit for our senior year Italian students! 

The excursion continued along Lygon Street, where students observed the shops and their Italian flair. The students then arrived at Brunettis, where they enjoyed the authentic Italian atmosphere and food, including pizza and delicious gelato!

Giovanni Di Fabrizio
Learning Leader: Languages