Panasonic Blog

Rick, Jacob and the other finalists continue their ‘cultural experience’ tour of Japan by visiting the Golden Temple, a Shinto Shrine and meeting the stars of the longest running TV drama in Japanese history.

The Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion as it is more commonly known, provided a spectacular start to Day Four of the 2010 KWN Winners Week. This Buddhist temple is literally covered in gold leaf and though the rain clouds might have opened up everyone’s spirits were still high and dry.

Rick announced the group’s arrival with a ceremonial ring of the bell. With umbrellas opened and cameras ready, the KWN team were left to their own devices to enjoy and explore these serene gardens.

The spiritual journey continued with a visit to a Shinto Shrine where prior to entering the surroundings the group purified their thoughts and mind. Inside the shrine members of the group offered gifts to the deity in exchange for wishes of goodwill and fortune. The gardens at the Shrine were an incredible wonderland of bonsai trees and ponds featuring koi carp and turtles.

Lunch was held at the Garden Oriental Restaurant before heading to Kyoto Studio Park. Transported to the period of the Shogun we marveled at the feats of the Ninja Warrior before heading to a secret location to meet the stars of Mito Komon, the longest running Japanese TV drama in history. A rare behind the scenes view during filming with the director and stars was a highlight for all. The final personal demonstration of the skills of the Ninja had everyone believing they were invincible.

With heavy hearts and a few tears the Farewell Party gave everyone the opportunity to say their final goodbyes before the long journey home.

The final day will give Team Australia the chance to share some of their stories and adventures with their classmates, parents and teachers before it’s off to the airport and home again.

Stay tuned for the final episode.

You can view all the images from the trip on our official Flickr profile here

You can view all other posts about KWN here

Fresh from the awards ceremony last night, where Jacob and Rick walked away with both the ‘Creative Concept’ and Grand Prix Awards, all the finalists have continued on their ‘cultural experience’ tour of Japan

Day three started with a visit to a local Japanese school which was ‘a very cool experience’, with all the finalists meeting the schoolchildren then being treated to some traditional Japanese entertainment. This included a martial arts demonstration in which everyone was invited to participate. The finalists from every nation then presented traditional gifts from each of their countries to the school as a token of their appreciation. To end the day everyone boarded the Shinkansen bullet train heading for Kyoto at an amazing three hundred kilometres per hour.

The finalists have one more day left in Tokyo in which they will do some more sightseeing as well as attending a farewell party, and will be posting the last video diary right here on the blog.

Once again we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rick and Jacob on an amazing achievement. Well done boys!

You can view all the images from the trip on our official Flickr profile here

You can view all other posts about KWN here

Congratualtions to Rick, Jacob and Eric on a fantastic achievement from everyone here at Panasonic Australia HQ!

Year seven Mundingburra State School students Rick Goon Chew and Jacob Thompson and their teacher Erick Blechen triumphed above five competing schools from Canada, U.K., Malaysia, China and Japan in Japan at the Kid Witness News Global Finals in Tokyo, Japan.

The win saw them walk away with the ‘Creative Concept Award’ and the crowning ‘Grand Prix’ award at the official ceremony held in Tokyo, Japan last night. The film that secured their Global win, entitled “The Global Warming Rap”, is a dramatic, call to action, five-minute video montage that shows three penguins delivering an important message on our eco footprint and the survival of earth, through rap and animation.

The Kid Witness News global awards have kicked off in Japan with students presenting their entries on Day One

The finalists of the Kid Witness News Global competition, where students were tasked with creating a five minute film around a chosen topic, have arrived in Tokyo. The students will embark on a ‘cultural experience tour’ leading up to the awards on the 27th July, when the winning entry will be announced. We’ll be documenting the whole trip right here on the blog with daily video diaries and photos from all the events.

Year seven students Rick Goon Chew and Jacob Thompson, from Mundingburra State School, are representing Australia with their entry the ‘Global Warming Rap’ - a five-minute video montage that shows three penguins delivering an important message on our eco footprint and the survival of earth through rap and animation. Their achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that they are only the second Australian entry ever to be selected as a global finalist.