Kakehashi Project: Students Travel To Japan
 | Author:
Mikayla Kraft, School Correspondent
MT43 News School Correspondent |
Kakehashi Project: Students Travel to Japan
High school students in the United States often do not get the chance to experience a culture other than their own. The Kakehashi Project between the United States and Japan is a thrilling way we have found to enhance our understanding of separate cultures.
Students from Okinawa, Japan traveled to Montana roughly three months ago and taught the high school about their culture. Many of us made friends with the exchange students and still keep in contact.
In these last few weeks, students from Townsend traveled overseas to experience Japanese culture firsthand. Seventeen students from BHS participated in the expense-free journey and gained a rewarding experience before returning.
The Kakehashi Project aims to build lasting bridges of friendship and cooperation with the United States. They do this through programs tailored to wants in the cultural communities such as “students, local and national policymakers, business leaders, Congressional staffers, pop culture enthusiasts, athletes, and many more.”
The group creates seven to ten-day trips where they can learn directly from their counterparts and be given new knowledge and perspectives to take back to their community.
Mrs. Lampman traveled as a chaperone with the high school students where they had the chance to explore Tokyo and various parts of Okinawa. They had the opportunity to travel to Kyoyu High School as well as a traditional university to get a glimpse of learning life.
Will Lynde was one of the many 12th-grade students to attend. He was especially thrilled with the entirety of the experience stating that “overall, the trip to Japan was an amazing experience. Between the karate lessons, authentic soba noodles, and bike rides along the beach, every day I spent in Japan was filled with new and exciting experiences. That entire nation is filled with a charming culture.”
Okinawa has proven to be a life-changing experience for these students and will continue to benefit them in many ways even after the trip.
In contrast, the whole high school had the opportunity to meet a few Okinawa students right here in Broadwater County. I met an amazing and respectful Japanese student named Haruna. This program allowed her and me to connect. Months have gone by and we are still in continuous contact. This program helped our friendship to sprout and it gave many other people this chance as well.
The project was started in 2015 and will hopefully continue for years to come! The Okinawa experience provided by the JICE (Japanese International Cooperation Center) through the Kakehashi Project has been a reward to students across the country for many years and Townsend was simply lucky enough to be given this opportunity to interact with separate cultures.
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PhotoCredit: Mikayla Kraft
Image 1 Caption: Christmas Land in Okinawa, Japan
