
A spirit of unity from the start
There was a real buzz around the jamboree site today, with the theme 'Wa - a spirit of unity' really shining through. Scouts and Guides from a variety of countries were joining together within moments of meeting one another to play well-known games from their cultures. A number can be see in the photo playing the 'hokey cokey' (or hokey pokey as it is known in some countries) as they arrive on site.
At Yamaguchi station we also found scouts from Chile, Brazil, Taiwan and Columbia playing a game that I am told is called 'Cangrejo' which seems to involve throwing yourself on top of a pile of people. (According to some Columbian scouts it is better when you play it on the grass because it doesn't hurt as much!)
Speaking to some of the scouts on site, it is clear most people share similar expectations for the jamboree too.
Chen Yi from Taiwan is most looking forward to having "many new friends from every country" while Saedis Osk Helgad from Iceland thinks that "meeting new people is the top thing that everybody looks forward to as well as experiencing new things that you don't normally get to do at home".
(Photographs by Jarna Pahlberg)