On Friday, February 21, 2025, the Tourism Business class went on a one-day bus tour to Shizuoka Prefecture. After a break at the Ebina Service Area, we enjoyed all-you-can-eat strawberries at Izu Fruit Park. Then, we visited the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival. Prior to the trip, we decided as a class to create a video documenting the experience, so during the tour, we took plenty of footage and photos and later edited them into a final video. Below are reflections from several students:

Ryo (Hong Kong):

“The day trip to Shizuoka for strawberry picking and cherry blossom viewing on February 21 was a great experience for me. I got to try a lot of things for the first time.

To start with, I had never been to Shizuoka before, so it was exciting to add another prefecture to the list of places I’ve visited in Japan.

The strawberry picking was definitely the highlight. I love strawberries, but they’re usually too expensive for me to eat often. This time, we could eat as many as we wanted and try different varieties, which was really satisfying.

Since we had decided to create a video of the trip, I took on the role of cameraman and captured lots of memorable moments. The footage I took ended up being very useful for the final video.”

Aki (Thailand):

“From beginning to end—including the bus ride—it was a super fun day.

On the bus, I played games with Yuuma and Jenis, while others were singing, chatting, or just enjoying themselves in their own way. I really liked the lively and cheerful atmosphere. At the Ebina Service Area, we walked around together, bought snacks we wanted to try, and shared them—it was a lot of fun.

During the strawberry picking, I didn’t just stick with my classmates; I got to mingle and laugh with lots of people, which made it even better.

At the cherry blossom festival, we strolled around slowly looking for tasty foods to try, which I really enjoyed. Honestly, I wished we had more time there. As I was editing the video afterward, I kept thinking about how much fun I had with everyone. Even though the cherry blossoms weren’t fully in bloom, I’m still glad I went.

I was so tired on the way back that I barely remember it—but maybe that just shows how much fun I had and how many good memories we made. This trip made me want to go somewhere again with friends.”

Ken (Hong Kong):

“The main reason I joined the Tourism Business class was to have the opportunity to visit different places. This semester, there were too many students for us to choose the destination ourselves, but going to Shizuoka for strawberries and cherry blossoms turned out to be a wonderful experience.

To be honest, I haven’t eaten much fruit since coming to Japan. So being able to enjoy strawberries again was really nice. Also, eating them dipped in condensed milk was something totally new to me—it was a special experience.

Although the cherry blossoms in Kawazu weren’t in full bloom yet, the festive atmosphere was more than enough to enjoy. I was in charge of directing the video filming, so I was supposed to capture everyone’s trip—but since everyone went off in different directions, it ended up being quite a challenge!

Even though there were some minor hiccups, I think it was a memorable and meaningful trip overall.”

This trip to Shizuoka gave everyone the chance to try something new, make fun memories, and experience a little bit more of Japan together. We’re already looking forward to the next adventure!