Senior
IB1: Pre CAS Hike @Takatori Nara
ib
The annual Pre-CAS Hike for IB Course first-year students was held. Pre-CAS is a preparatory activity organized by schools to deepen students' understanding of the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program before the IB program officially begins. It involves experiencing and reflecting on prepared activities beforehand, recording the reflections as practice. CAS is one of the core subjects in the IB curriculum. Each student is required to engage in "creativity, activity, and service" for a minimum of 18 months beyond academic learning and report on their learning outcomes. IB establishes such core subjects to foster a balanced development of students' humanity.
Takatori Castle is situated at the southern end of the Nara Basin, with an altitude of 584 meters and a height difference of 400 meters from the town at its base. Originally constructed during the 14th century in the Nanboku-cho period for the Southern Court, it was rebuilt by Tsutsui Junkei during the Warring States period and served as the residence of the Uemura clan, vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate, with a fiefdom of 25,000 koku until the Meiji Restoration. Its expansive layout exploiting the mountainous terrain and sturdy stone walls are its defining features. Currently, no buildings remain, only the stone walls.
The path to Takatori Castle, despite being labeled as a beginner's course, involved steep mountain trails where even with breaks, one's breath grew heavy and sweat poured. Fortunately, the weather was cloudy, and though there was a light drizzle along the way, the temperature didn't rise much, which was fortunate.
Upon reaching the Takatori Castle Ruins, it was time for lunch. The youth quickly regained their energy and enjoyed playing tag and climbing trees. For the return journey, we had planned to pick up trash along the way, but we decided to cancel and return earlier to avoid worsening rain, so we disbanded at the station slightly earlier than usual.
The route covered a round-trip distance of 10 kilometers, starting from Kintetsu Tsubosaka-yama Station, passing through Takatori Castle Ruins and Tsubosaka-ji Temple, and returning to Kintetsu Tsubosaka-yama Station. We divided into five groups, each led by IB2 students. Additionally, two alumni who were familiar with this route (they would depart for overseas universities in September) came to support us. Takatori Town is famous for the Kitora Tomb, but it also had a vast mountain castle with expansive fortifications.
Takatori Castle is situated at the southern end of the Nara Basin, with an altitude of 584 meters and a height difference of 400 meters from the town at its base. Originally constructed during the 14th century in the Nanboku-cho period for the Southern Court, it was rebuilt by Tsutsui Junkei during the Warring States period and served as the residence of the Uemura clan, vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate, with a fiefdom of 25,000 koku until the Meiji Restoration. Its expansive layout exploiting the mountainous terrain and sturdy stone walls are its defining features. Currently, no buildings remain, only the stone walls.
The path to Takatori Castle, despite being labeled as a beginner's course, involved steep mountain trails where even with breaks, one's breath grew heavy and sweat poured. Fortunately, the weather was cloudy, and though there was a light drizzle along the way, the temperature didn't rise much, which was fortunate.
Upon reaching the Takatori Castle Ruins, it was time for lunch. The youth quickly regained their energy and enjoyed playing tag and climbing trees. For the return journey, we had planned to pick up trash along the way, but we decided to cancel and return earlier to avoid worsening rain, so we disbanded at the station slightly earlier than usual.