A few posters, Japanese translations, a sober and exotic decoration that the students created themselves, paintbrush in hand. Welcome to the Japan club at the Gaston Bachelard high school in Bar-sur-Aube (Aube). At its head, Jean-Charles Candel, professor of physics and chemistry. “In this club, we learn to read, write and speak Japanese, from second to final year,” he explains. No coincidence for this former member of the French traditional karate team, who participated in several European and World Cups, and who has already traveled to Japanese soil 14 times for training and competitions.
“I have a little history with Japan. I know quite a few people and I wanted to introduce this country to the students at my high school,” he remembers. He thus launched the idea of a first trip, which took place without a hitch in spring 2023. The enthusiasm has not diminished since, and 39 students have already registered for the next departure, from 3 to April 18, 2025. Including high school students not registered with the Japan club, but very sensitive to the idea of discovering the country of the Rising Sun. A trip at a significant cost, but which the students will partly finance with the organization, on November 30 and December 1, of the “Bar-sur-Aube Japan Pop and Trad”, an event inspired by the greatest Japan Expo and will offer numerous activities.
Their motivation is all the more assured as the program for the two weeks on site has already been finalized. “We’re going to be in Tokyo for 10 days, but we’re going to leave by going to Nikkō, a city listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for its temples and the city’s entire history, 200 km to the north,” explains Jean- Charles Candel. “We will also go to Kamakura, a former capital of the Tokugawa era (a dynasty which ruled Japan from the 17th to the 19th century, Editor’s note) at the exit of Tokyo Bay… it’s a city that is magnificent,” explains the professor. The rest promises to be plentiful, from a visit to the Ghibli animation studios museum to a day-long immersion in a Japanese high school in Yokohama, with cleaning of the premises “like all Japanese students do”, underlines the teacher.
The temples, but also the districts dedicated to gamers and manga, will not be forgotten. The highlight of the trip is that the high school students will stay four days in a large city located at the foot of Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan. “We will sleep in a ryokan, a traditional inn, on rice straw tatami mats placed on futons (traditional Japanese beds) that we have to set up… we will be in traditional Japan to the fullest,” explains Jean-Charles Candel. Hikes and visits are also planned for students, sometimes à la carte. For example at Fuji-Q Highland, an amusement park containing roller coasters registered in the Guinness World Records.
After the harvest, the Bubble Fair, a lottery…
The world’s leading readers of manga outside of the Japanese, the French love Japanese culture. This is the case, of course, of the Baralbin high school students who wanted to participate in the next trip. “My sister was there on the first trip. When she came home, she told me that it was great and that she hoped I could go there one day… so, I got involved in the project,” smiles Pauline, 16 years old. “I think it’s also important to know what’s going on in the world and learn other things in high school, in immersion there. I grew up with Studios Ghibli, like the animated feature My Neighbor Totoro, it’s good to know where the inspiration comes from,” adds Mayline, 15. “It’s also a certain cost and we are lucky to be able to take action to be able to pay for part of our trip with the high school,” emphasizes Léa, 16 years old.
Without aid, the price of the trip amounts to 2,445 euros per person, all inclusive. To lower the bill, the students and their teacher have been multiplying initiatives for several months: participation in the harvest, stands of Japanese food, drinks and goodies at the Bar-sur-Aube Bubble Fair, or even the organization of a lottery… “We hope to be at 1,200 euros on average per student. Some less, others a little more, depending on their involvement in the actions,” estimates Jean-Charles Candel. The Bar-sur-Aube Japan Pop and Trad, organized this weekend at the Jean-Pierre Davot space, will be the highlight of this general mobilization. “We are very proud to be able to offer this exhibition in Bar-sur-Aube in a town that is not very large. The idea will be to make people travel to Japan,” Pauline relishes.
Art, culture… and traditions
The range of activities offered this weekend promises to be wide. First the pop culture side, with manga workshops, goodies, video games, traditional games, the presence of designers… Then the traditional side: martial arts, origami, embroidery, massages, or even Rakugo, a form of Japanese comic theater, which has around 400 years of existence. “There will be an expert, the French Cyril Coppini, expatriate in Japan for 30 years. He’s a star there and he’s the only European professional in this art on site,” announces Jean-Charles Candel.
Another distinguished guest, the actor and professional voice actor Olivier Chauvel will come to give demonstrations on animated films with the participation of the public. “We have rhythm tapes from Naruto and One Piece. We will be able to do live dubbing and he will tell us about his job,” explains the teacher. Students will get their hands dirty cooking Japanese recipes, including karaage (marinated and fried chicken) and kare raisu (a meat and vegetable dish in sauce). “I didn’t want to make sushi or maki, because the French only know that about Japan. However, the Japanese consume these specialties like we eat sauerkraut at home, that is to say not often during the year,” explains Jean-Charles Candel. Enough to whet the appetite to discover this “Japan Expo” with its baralbin sauce!
Practical: the Bar-sur-Aube Japan Pop and Trad will take place on Saturday November 30 and Sunday December 1, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jean-Pierre Davot space in Bar-sur-Aube. Entrance: 5 euros for the benefit of the students’ trip.
