Photo By Noriko Kudo | Mana Feenstra, second from left, listens as Ichiha Matsubara, left, explains the...... read more read more
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ZAMA, Japan – Yuko Matsubara has served a budget technician for the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Camp Zama for more than 20 years. This summer, she had a new experience: hosting an American high school student in her home for two weeks.
The homestay was part of the Zama-Smyrna, Tennessee, sister city exchange program. This year, 15 students from Tennessee stayed in Zama for cultural exchange, while 15 local students, appointed as “International Goodwill Ambassadors” by the city to become next-generation leaders, each hosted a student in their homes.
Since 2016, Zama has run this initiative to promote mutual understanding among young leaders, foster lasting friendships, and encourage community contribution through social activities.
Matsubara’s daughter, Ichiha, was appointed as an ambassador in 2023 under the program’s three-year cycle. After a year of training, Ichiha visited Smyrna for a homestay last summer and, in turn, hosted a Smyrna student in Japan this summer.
Drawing from her own experiences working with people of diverse backgrounds on a U.S. Army base, Matsubara encouraged her daughter to participate in the program. She said she hoped Ichiha would learn that “understanding others through communication and accepting differences are essential for building relationships.”
Matsubara said many of the participating students were highly motivated to learn English but struggled with limited opportunities for real-world conversation. Camp Zama volunteers helped fill that gap by providing practice sessions.
“I believe the Zama students realized they were in a privileged environment with Camp Zama nearby,” she said. “It was an environment where they could learn about American culture and interact with Americans without leaving town.”
Matsubara also valued that the Japanese and American students had the chance to visit Camp Zama, observe Soldiers’ missions, and learn more about the U.S. Army’s role in Japan.
“I feel that my 20 years of experience and knowledge with the U.S. Army in Japan played a vital role in making the experience of hosting American students for two weeks meaningful for both my daughter and me,” she said.
“This exchange program provided learning opportunities that far exceeded my expectations,” Matsubara added. “I believe it was also an extremely valuable experience for young leaders from both Japan and the United States.”
For the American students, the experience was equally eye-opening.
Manna Feenstra, a 10th grader from Tennessee, visited Japan for the first time and stayed with the Matsubara family. She said the program was an excellent opportunity for young people to experience cultures they wouldn’t normally encounter.
“Living with Japanese people and seeing what their lives look like makes it a lot more real,” Manna said of the experience.
Although her grandfather served in the Vietnam War, Manna had never been on a U.S. military installation in the States. She was surprised to find that Camp Zama was is in the same city where she stayed in Japan, and even more so to have the opportunity to visit the base.
During her visit, she met a Soldier who was from just 15 minutes away from her hometown in Tennessee. The Soldier also explained that the Army offers a path to becoming a military doctor — something Manna said hadn’t known before but found “very interesting.”
Meanwhile, Ichiha said she benefited from practicing English conversations with Camp Zama volunteers in preparation for the exchange. She also found it helpful to learn in advance about the topics American teens like to discuss.
“Soldiers in uniform can sometimes look intimidating, but when we interacted with them outside of duty hours, they were just ordinary people like us,” she said. “We always had a great time together with the Camp Zama Soldiers, youths and other volunteers.”
Reflecting on the program, Ichiha added: “Hearing about my mother’s experiences working at Camp Zama, I learned firsthand through this exchange program how communication bridges the gap between people with different values and cultures.”
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.26.2025 01:29 |
| Story ID: | 548693 |
| Location: | ZAMA, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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