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10 CNMI students headed for Japan
A group of 10 CNMI students will be leaving for Japan on Feb. 5 for a weeklong stay in that country as part of the Saipan Mayor’s Office Student Cultural Exchange Program.
The participating students are from 5th grade to 12th grade and are from Marianas High School, Saipan Southern High School, Kagman High School, and Mount Carmel School.
According to the student exchange program coordinator Yuki Kishimoto, there were a total of 37 applicants for the program this year. Since only 10 students could go, they had to evaluate each applicant so that there will be students from both public and private schools.
The activities during the trip will include a visit to Kyoto and Nagano governor and mayor’s office, Kyoto Studio Park, a visit to Zenkoji Temple office, and more. They will also be staying at the homes of Japanese families during the weekend for a first-hand experience of the daily life in Japan.
The Saipan Mayor’s Office’s Student Cultural Exchange Program gives CNMI students the opportunity to visit Japan to learn and experience their culture, customs, language, as well as their daily life. The program is being implemented in partnership with the KSKK Student Cultural Exchange Program as a means to promote friendship, respect, peace and mutual understanding between Saipan and Japan.
“I really think this is a great opportunity for students, both the CNMI and Japan, to experience each other’s culture and to create potential lifelong friendships,” said Kishimoto.
Kishimoto have been part of the Saipan Mayor’s Office for five years as a student exchange program coordinator. She takes pride in chaperoning the students to Japan and hearing their experiences in Japan and vice versa with the students from Japan and Korea.
