Japanese Language Excursion
On September 3rd, our Year 10 Japanese Language class ventured to the Japanese restaurant Dohtonbori in Docklands! It was a thrilling experience all the way through. Before heading to the venue, we were given the chance to translate the Japanese instructions on how to arrive there, which complimented our unit for Term 3. It definitely made us think and put the skills we had learned throughout Term 3 into practice.
The experience at the restaurant was one-of-a-kind. The staff spoke full Japanese to us, which only motivated everyone to speak in Japanese back. When we entered the restaurant, there was one thing we noticed that was different from usual places, there was a teppan included on each table indicating that we’d be able to make our own okonomiyaki. We both ordered the corn cheese and chicken however our friends around us ordered the pork belly option.
As the cooking session kicked off, we were given instructions in Japanese and also got to practise our fluency with the staff, learning colloquial vocabulary and different words you wouldn’t know unless talking to native speakers. It was a surreal experience, as if we were ordering in Japan and had to survive without google translate. We would say that the hardest part was flipping the okonomiyaki to a perfect circle shape. However, the challenge was worth it, because the okonomiyaki tasted so much better when we made it ourselves.
Part of okonomiyaki includes adding an okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, bonito flakes, and nori. What we found surprising was the fact that the mayo and sauce was drizzled in three nozzles creating a satisfying look that made the okonomiyaki mouth watering. Being able to cook our own food and chat amongst friends gave the environment as if we had just finished school in Japan and decided to have some food together! We would definitely go again as it was wonderful and worth the wait while cooking.
Lauren A (10A)
On September 4th, Docklands got ready to face a ravenous group of teenage girls about to embark on a Japanese feast! For our 2024 Japanese excursion, we were given an incredible opportunity to go to Dohtonbori in Docklands to enjoy a teppanyaki lunch. Unlike most teppanyaki places, Dohtonbori is an interactive restaurant that invites diners to cook their own okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a delicious savoury pancake dish made with wheat flour, butter, layering over and beneath a variety of meat and vegetable ingredients. It is often paired with toppings including okonomiyaki sauce, aonori seaweed and Japanese mayonnaise. The Dohtonbori servers were encouraging as they instructed us on how to assemble our meals, accommodating our lack of teppanyaki experience.
We were given a range of options for our filling, including pork belly, chicken breast and corn, and then a vegetarian option as well, which was then put all together with the batter and some more vegetables. This variability is reflected in the dish's name; "okonomi" literally meaning "to one's liking". The time taken to create our okonomiyaki was 15 minutes, but it felt closer to 15 hours. The restaurant gradually filled with the enticing, tangy yet slightly sweet aromas of frying okonomiyaki along with our anticipation. Once they were cooked, they were intricately decorated with sauces, aesthetically positioned on our plates, and before we knew it they were gone.
We know that this is not an easy day to plan, so on behalf of the Year 10 Japanese cohort we would like to say a massive thank you to our Japanese teacher, Mori Sensei, as well as the supervising teachers, Mr. Regalo, Ms. Ryan and Mr. Radelj, who volunteered to spend the day with us. Finally, we would like to thank Dohtonbori Docklands for giving us a culinary experience that we will never forget!
Raga B (10A) and Nidhi B (10E)
On September 6th, it was our language class’s turn to take a trip down to Dohtonbori in Harbour Town, Docklands. We set out to navigate our way to Dohtonbori independently from Mori Sensei, and finally found it, nestled away in the back of Harbour Town!
In the restaurant, we learnt how to make okonomiyaki, a popular pan-fried dish usually made with batter and cabbage (as well as other toppings). With the friendly staff talking completely in Japanese, following the steps was challenging as they taught us how to flip and cook the okonomiyaki, but with some trial and a lot of error, we all had a hearty lunch!
The whole experience provided us with further knowledge of Japanese culture. The unique opportunity to make and eat Japanese street food, and go through the entire process on our own, was overall really enjoyable, informative and immersive. Although adjusting to the new speaking environment (which was quite a shock at first!) was difficult and intimidating, and took effort and certainly a lot of hesitation on our part, we did end up asking for a song recommendation in Japanese! We appreciated the excursion as an interactive and creative learning experience to get to properly understand how Japanese conversations work in real life in a low-stakes environment, with the flow of conversation being very different to speeches we do in class.
Highly recommend Dohtonbori in Docklands or the CBD for anyone who’s interested!
Maddie H (10E) & Hridya KC (10E)