Hiroshima-Schoolkids seek English speakers?

I've done my fair share of travel research about one of the cities I will visit on my next trip: Hiroshima. I'll be headed there on March 18th, a Sunday.In more than one book or site, I've read about schoolchildren on field trips to the Peace Park area who attempt their English on those foreigners they see and ask them questions as part of their school assignment.Being a Sunday and close to the end of the school year (if I'm correct), how likely am I to see them and run into the kids? I think it'd be fun to have them ask questions and to interact with them. If a Sunday is a bad day (which I tend to believe it may be), would the previous Friday offer better prospects? I'm based out of Osaka, so I can easily change the day I go to Hiroshima.

So how likely is this to still occur nowadays? Some of those travel books can keep some information in their books that is out of date, so I'm not sure if this still happens and how easily am I to be approached. This is in no way a deal-breaker about Hiroshima. I'd just consider it an added bonus if this were to happen.Anyone know if this this occurs?

Not only is it a Sunday, I believe it also falls into the spring holidays. So, I think you will not encounter any school study trips on that day.

If you just want to be asked questions by schoolkids then Kyoto seems to be a pretty common place!

We've been "interviewed" by school groups at the entrance to Kyoto Station, at Kiyomizudera, and walking to Heian Shrine. Always good fun if you have the time. Don't forget to pose for the photo after the interview is complete!

Should probably mention that the most recent interview was two weeks ago, so yes school groups are still doing it.

We were not asked at the Peace Park, and I've been there three times, but that might just be timings and the fact they tended to be in larger groups there. I would say that it is still possible/probable in Hiroshima though as it is a very common destination for school groups.

You may also like to visit the A-dome/Peace Park late at night. It has a different atmosphere when it is quieter.

Uji, when do the spring holidays start? Would that previous Friday fall into the holidays as well?

I think they just start around that weekend, but I am not sure. It also seems to vary between schools and regions a little.

John,

the spring vacation next year will start 23 March (if nothing is being changed!).

And YES, you can expect students asking you questions.

In general they are limited to: where are you from? Do you like Japan? What food do you like? So, nothing special or private in nature.

It is always fun to have this kind of "activity".

Last April we encountered 4 groups of ~5 school children asking questions - not sure if they homed in on us because we had two elementary school children in tow.

My 7year old exchanged addresses with the teacher.
Three months later my daughter received 34 individual letters from the Japanese students! Initially she tried to answer but was overwhelmed by the task - ended up handing the letters over to her school teacher in Australia who got the class to answer individually.

I saw some in KIYOMIZU-DERA. But those kids are from far away prefectures as in the trip so called SHUUGAKU-Ryokou.

From my eye, such assingment are quite racistic and do not want U that those are habits of us Kyoto Local.


Anyway U focus on Hiroshima, right?
Send some inquiry e-mail to City Educational Bureau KYOOIKUIINKAI.
They must have English teachers and have frequent contacts with local schools.

@36madcooky Are you saying I should e-mail the Hiroshima educational system? I do not know why I should e-mail them.

I was just curious if I was going to run into school children asking questions to tourists.

I may go on the 15th, a Thursday. Does anyone know what time of the day I would be more likely to run into these school groups?

As I was school kid 3decades ago , I can not definitely say .
But Schools in Japan are busy to teach kids how to translate English text into Japanese .

I can speak out English jus cuz I studied by myself since I joined in a gospel team in HighSchool and found it is fun to make myself understood rather than I understand dead text.

So I can not imagine any school put assingment to their kids to interview U .

If I have 2 recommend the timing , I dare say it must be on after 3 o'clock pm I mean after their classes finished.

A few years ago I was interviewed by kids in Hiroshima, right by the museum.
Besides asking me where I was from (one country in North America but I am from Europe..it seemed to confuse them a bit) what they really wanted to know was it I knew about the bomb before coming here, if I knew when it happened and how did I feel about it.
They weren't tiny tots but about 11-12.

I have never seen students asking question by Kyoto station and I have been there many times.

SORRY Maybe I write some wrong things.

In HiroshimaCity there maybe such students assigned to make such interview most probably a several days a year.

I mean the Kids must not be from local schools but from other prefecture on their trip called SHUUGAKURYOKOU 修学旅行.

Naturally they can appear even in the morning , when local school kids are in their class rooms.
And definitely local Hiroshima-City-Educational-Comittee have no infos about them at all.

Anyway, I am sure it does not happen on everyday bases. And if U R not Angro-Saxon caucasian, U must carry lonelyplanet or some English written guidebook and make some appeal that U R English Speaker.

U have quite a little chance but I hope ya Good Luck.

Instead, I recommend other chance 4 ya to communicate with local Japanese.
Contact with Kyoto International Community House
office@kcif.or.jp
And ask HOME VISIT service. U will be invited 2 local citizenz home and B able to make enough cultural exchange.