Uniting cultures, sharing languages: Okinawa students visit Kubasaki high school

Photo By Sgt. Brittany A. James | Students from Showa Yakka High School and Kubasaki High School play the telephone game during their cultural exchange visit Oct. 25 at Kubasaki High School on Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan. Telephone is a game where a word or phrase is whispered from person to person, until it comes full circle to the person who originally said it to see how it changed from the original word or phrase. The students played this game using Japanese and English phrases. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brittany A. James)  

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

10.25.2016

Story by Cpl. Brittany A. James 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

Approximately 220 students from Showa Yakka High School in Urasoe City spent a day with the students of Kubasaki High School Oct. 25 on Camp Foster.

The visit gave the students of both schools the opportunity to interact and learn by sharing cultures and practicing speaking Japanese and English. In mid-November the Kubasaki students will visit Showa Yakka high school to complete the exchange program.

“This is the first time we participated in this cultural exchange of students,” said Yoshinaga Nagai, the director of the student union of Showa Yakka High School. “This allows students to make friends with people their age from a different culture, and practice their English which they have been studying for eight years.”

Upon their arrival, students partnered up and began the day by getting to know each other over a lunch period. They then followed their partners to their third period classes, and concluded with social activities in the gymnasium.

“It has been a unique experience for me today, but I must admit that there are more similarities than differences,” said a 12th grade student from Showa Yakka High School. “We all interact similarly. I imagined it to be much different than ours, but the largest difference here is that everything is taught in English.”

As the Kubasaki students bid farewell, the Showa Yakka students proceeded to the base Chapel for greetings from Col. William L. DePue Jr., the camp commander of Camp Foster, Marine Corps Installations Pacific-Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, Japan.

Showa Yakka students then proceeded to visit the Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force motor pool to observe the vehicles that move Marines and equipment to their destinations on a daily basis.

“It was an honor to have (the Showa Yakka students) on our camp today,” said DePue. “The exchange students got to meet with our children and get to experience what their life is like, and get to experience a little bit of the Marine Corps along with that.”

• Date Taken: 10.25.2016
• Date Posted: 10.26.2016 20:17
• Story ID: 213033
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP