Day 1

Today is the day. Yes, the day! The day that I have been waiting for the past year and a bit. Today I leave my family and the UK behind and start an 18-day adventure that will change my life. What’s the name of this adventure I’m going on you ask? The 23^rd World Scout Jamboree!!!

Friday 24^th August 2015

The time has come… 2pm on the dot. I nagged my parents to hurry up and help me put my stuff in the car. Excited is an understatement of what I was feeling then. Exuberant… nope still not high enough. The drive to the scout hut near Heathrow seemed to go on for miles. Each minute feeling like an hour. To pass the time and to get even more into the mood (if that was even possible) I played the BeKeHaBu music playlist, and sang along, knowing that by the end of my journey these songs would haunt me forever. Finally, we pull up in the car park. I jumped out the car and ran to the hut being greeted by 5 maybe 6 people. Why is no-one here yet! I thought. I returned to the car to help my mum and dad take my bags in. None of my four close girlfriends were at the hut yet so I signed in with my leaders and received my Jamboree wristband which had the “If you get lost show this to someone and hope they help you” information printed on. Slowly more and more of unit began to arrive. The first of my tent to arrive was me, then Anna a while later. Anna had not been to many practised camps and most of us wondered if she would appear at all, but I knew that she would not want to pass up this opportunity of a lifetime and I was right. Hannah another girl in my tent, the one whom I was closest too is from Kent, and the Kent lot were meeting us straight at the airport so I was eager to leave asap! The plan to leave at a designated time was quickly demolished when Olivia, the final member of my tent turned out to be stuck in traffic. Just as this news appeared the mini-busses arrived to take us to the airport. I quickly relayed the Olivia situation to the leaders and full panic erupted!!! Just joking I told Olivia to meet us at the airport, however it was quicker for her to meet us at the hut so a bit later she arrived. Literally just as we were about to leave the scout hut. Phew *imagine wiping sweat from forehead*. Off to the airport!

When we arrived at the airport, we were greeted by members of the UK contingent and I guy I had previously met on my Scouts Speak Up Course earlier that year. I had a quick chat with him whilst my unit waited for the Kent lot to arrive and he then spoke to a couple of the other members of my unit. Once the Kent lot arrived we quickly made a formation with our luggage trolleys and had our first group photo of the trip taken. Then we were off into the airport. Woo!

We used the self-service check-in machines instead of overloading the queue for the desk. This quickly turned into a never ending sea of questions such as “What is the flight number?”, “How do I get my ticket?” and the dreaded… “Where is my passport?”. Luckily everyone managed to remember their passport and not lose them on the trip I’m glad to say. After agreeing a meeting place and having another of many to come group photos we ensured we had something to eat before the flight.

Our flight to Japan was split into two sections. First a gruelling 11-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea and then a mere 2-and-a-half-hour flight to Narita, Japan. The flight was supposed to depart at 9pm however by 9:30pm we still hadn’t even moved from the terminal. Raaaaaaaaa! Of course I’m probably not the only person annoyed by this as I am sure the other passengers on the plane were less than amused to spend an extra hour with an excited group of teenagers when the flight itself is a cruel 11 hours long. Of course being scouts our unit was well behaved and respected the other passengers by not being… too loud.

Due to the timing of the flight it worked out well that we slept for first half of the flight as we would arrive in Seoul at roughly 4pm the next day. An interesting moment on the plane was when choosing between the Korean or Western option of food on the menu, really there was no option as they had run out of Western meals. But I was willing to throw myself into trying new things as that is what I would be doing for the next 18 days. Admittedly the aeroplane food was very nice: I ended up preferring the Korean meals over the Western anyway. At around 10pm we finally took off and soon we were fast asleep dreaming of the adventure that lies ahead of us.

Oooooooooooh Exciting News!!!

How on earth has it been 3 months since I got back from Japan and I haven't posted anything on my blog you ask! Well that's because I'm working on something special.

Ooooooooooooooooooooh!

Yes oooh! Over the Jamboree I attempted to keep a diary which was difficult to say the least. First my phone died, then my iPod died, then by battery pack died and then I had nowhere to charge anything! So over the past three months amongst doing school work I have typing from memory and by looking at my photos my Jamboree diary in as much detail as possible.

Why you as?

Well because I was inspired to promote the Jamboree and how when all 155 countries were in one place together there was complete peace and unity. I mean that was the theme of the Jamboree Wa "a Spirit of Unity".

One of my favourite photos from the Jamboree

Over the next week or so my blog we be getting redesigned and I will hope to start releasing in order my dairy entries from my Jamboree experience.

I also hope to eventually turn my diary into a book of some kind talking about the Jamboree, Scouts and how I was inspired.

Keep an eye on my Twitter and Facebook for updates and if you check my blog you'll see the gradual redesign of its look.

Goodbye Toyko

Saturday 25th July

So I landed in Japan about 10pm Japanese time. We were greeted by our CST and led to the coach to the hostel where I would be staying for the next few nights. The hostel was nicer than I expected however we were told the showers would not work when we got there until 5 the next day... woo! Mimi, a girl in my patrol, and I went and checked the showers because we really wanted to shower and they worked! Only thing... their communal showers. There was a dry area where you got changed, 3 showers and a huge bath. We were planning to wear clothes in the shower however there were signs asking you not to, so we didn't. This is a big Japanese custom. Onsens are bathhouses in Japan which have numerous communal baths in which do different things e.g. magnets, boiling, cold, etc. I must have gone to sleep about 2:30am that day aha!

Sunday 26th July

So our unit met up at 8am and god I did not realise how hot it was and this was only in the morning. I mean I knew it was hot but... wow! We got on the train to Shibuya, we used these cool cards (similar to oyster cards) to get through the stations and buy breakfast. Breakfast... now being in Japan you'd think my unit would go for something Japanese. Nope it was straight to Maccy D's for most of my unit. We then went to a major food market in Shibuya (right next to the Shibuya crossing!!!) to buy lunch for later. I brought mostly Japanese food with a tuna and avocado sandwich as a backup just in case I didn't fancy the food. I then got the train to Ueno Park where there was a zoo, which I went to, and a couple of shrines. The zoo was really cool there were pandas!!! I also saw a polar bear, a seal, monkeys, Japanese birds, bears, tigers, etc. Whist at the zoo Hannah and I went to the loo. I was trying to flush the toilette and accidently pressed the wrong button and a jet of water came out ahahahahahaha! I also managed to leave my lunch in the loos which was brilliant. After that we went to the Earthquake Centre where we experience a simulated earthquake first hand! Before however we watched a movie about Japan and its earthquakes. You don't realise how strong an earthquake is until you experience one, or a simulation in this case. It was very cool but very surreal, there was also a part of me that was scared even though I knew it was a simulation. We then went and ate lunch and I brought a new lunch which was a sandwich and salted rice cakes. My unit split into new group and mine was going to a pet café. We first attempted rabbits but we would of had to wait 3 hours! So then we tried a cat café which we also couldn't get into so I went to the Pokémon Centre instead. I didn't really find the Pokémon Centre as interesting as I thought I would so Hannah and I went shopping. I brought a Yukata, Obi and the wooden shoes for just under 15,000 yen. Sunday evening we went to Joypolis, an indoor theme park which was really good. I went some of the boys from my unit and we played loads of arcade games and went on simulators. I also went on a car racing simulator with the leaders which was great other than the fact I messed up the gears because up was down and down was up. I also spotted a street racing car outside which was suped up so I went and looked at it. It was gorgeous. I left Joypolis at just after 10. When I got back I had a shower, got my bag and clothes ready and then went to sleep.

Monday 27th July

Today my unit met up again at 8am. Some of the others were late so the whole unit was late getting on the train. My unit went to the Akihabara where we split off, some of us staying in Akihabara and going to the electric city and some of us going to Asakusa to see the shrines and temples. I stayed in Akihabara because I love manga, anime and gaming. I stayed with some of the boys again and we went into the Sega Arcade it was so cool. We played a car racing game and I won against the CPU! Woo! Later that day we went up the Sky Tree it was really cool We went up to the 350 metre floor the view was beautiful. I wanted to go to the top but there was a long queue. When we got down I went to Asakusa however we only had 15 minutes there so I went and looked in the shops instead of fast walking to the shrine/temple. My unit then headed for Tokyo Live!!! When we got to Tokyo Live I thought there would have been more activities but I had a go at shooting sweets of a shelf and watched a ninja show, a J-Pop band, a all girl rock band and the Taiko drummers. The drummers were my favourite by far! The event finished and my unit eventually headed back to the hostel. My feet were dead and my shoulder ached soooo bad! I had a shower and then packed my bags as the next day were travelling to the Jamboree.

Tuesday 28th July

6:45! Ouch. Yepp that's what time I had to get up at on Tuesday morning. We had to fold our bed sheets and pillow cover, clean our rooms and get the coach to the bullet train. The queue for the bullet train was sooooo long but eventually we got on it. The whole train had been reserved for the UK Contingent! It was crazy trying to get on it because the was so little room and like 1,000 participants and leaders! The view from the window is amazing and it goes so fast its crazy!

So that's what I've done so far it is hard to upload pictures so I will try and get as many up as possible. Please share, comment, like this you  know
 what I mean. Here are some photos of my Jamboree so far.