Exchange gives Japanese students taste of U.S. life
The Academy Award-nominated movie “Lost in Translation” gave viewers a look at the crowded, futuristic and fast-paced culture of Tokyo.
This summer, 18 high school students from Showa Gakuin Shuei High School in Chiba, Japan, got a feel for what life is like in a typical American household by spending three weeks with host families in Spokane.
Chiba is located just east of Tokyo. The port city is a leader in distribution and shipping and in recent years has courted tourists. The building of Tokyo Disneyland brings more than 10 million people annually to Chiba, which has a population of six million.
The 13 girls and five boys came here through Compass USA, a student exchange program based in Denver.
The students, accompanied by a teacher and an escort/translator, came here to improve their English and learn about our culture.
There are more students interested in coming to Spokane than there are openings for the trip. Students must go through a testing process in Japan to qualify for program.
According to program coordinator Nancy Cruse, students have been coming to Spokane through this program for 17 years. Last year was the only year they didn’t make the trip because of concerns about the SARS virus.
Each student has its own host family and many, but not all, families have teenagers themselves. The students get together from 9 a.m. to noon most weekdays for learning sessions and spend afternoons and weekends doing activities with their host family. They visited area lakes, went camping, to auto races and watched movies.
This is the third trip to Spokane for escort Michiru Watanabe, 34, who acts as a translator for the group.
It’s impossible not to compare cultures. “The people are different. Americans are so cheerful. They give lots of hugs. Japanese are more reserved,” said Watanabe. But the teenagers, all 15 or 16-year-olds, dress pretty much the same in Chiba as they do here.
One of the most noticeable differences is the way we eat. “Servings are so big here. Everything is big, even the vegetables,” said Watanabe. She said that green peppers and cucumbers here are twice the size of those in Japan. Order a Coke at McDonald’s in Japan; you get an 8-ounce drink. They don’t super-size anything.
As a whole, the teens weren’t wild about Jell-O, but chips and salsa were a big hit.
Ryounei “Bob” Yoshimoto, 15, said his favorite part of the trip was a visit to the water slides at Silverwood Theme Park. Hornets were his least favorite thing.
Yukako Yamamoto, 15, said she enjoyed shopping in Sandpoint, and didn’t care for the overly sweet foods.
The students toured Rogers High School and couldn’t believe how huge the gym and lunch room were. Schools in Japan are shaped more like layered cubes.
At one of their learning sessions they were introduced to Starbucks coffee, lentils, wheat and freshly picked Washington state fruits.
They learned about sports, about Gonzaga University basketball, the Seahawks and the Mariners. Before they return home they will catch a Mariners game in Seattle. They’re all big Ichiro fans.