Junior high and high school students selected from across the country “put away” their smartphones and set out on an unpredictable journey with no knowledge of their destination—The “LEARN with Porsche” program for young people, a collaboration between Porsche Japan and the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, was held in mid-August. This marks the sixth iteration of the “learning through travel” program, which Travel Watch has been covering closely since its launch in 2021. Porsche Japan covers the costs through a scholarship, and Shinji Kuroiwa, the company’s Director of Public Relations, accompanied the group for the entire five-day, four-night itinerary. On this trip, where the journey itself is part of the learning experience, a 911 Carrera S and a Taycan GTS provided transportation. The use of smartphones and other electronic devices is prohibited during the program. Not only that, but participants aren’t told where they’re going at all—not even when they leave home. For example, a participant from Osaka was given only an envelope containing a Shinkansen ticket and a notebook before departure. Early in the morning on the first day, at Shin-Osaka Station, they opened the envelope for the first time and, upon seeing the tickets inside, finally realized they were headed for “Hakata Station.” It is a mystery tour full of such unpredictability. This year’s venues are the remote islands of Tsushima, Azuchi-Ōshima, and Ikitsuki in Nagasaki Prefecture. The children will traverse these three islands—each with its own distinct history and culture—relying solely on their own two feet. The theme of this five-day journey is “A Journey to Notice the Flow.” From the flow of people and goods to the ocean currents unique to remote islands, as well as economic and historical trends, the children will discover various “flows” through their own eyes and ears, and through conversations with others. We present the children’s four-night, five-day journey, during which they put away their smartphones, struck up conversations with strangers in unfamiliar places, and—at times, while facing tough questions from Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Akamatsu—became completely absorbed in self-reflection.
© Source travel watch