LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — This past week, students from Johoku High School in Shizuoka, Japan came to LAHS to tour an American high school and experience Southern California. For the past decade, the LAHS Japanese classes have worked closely with Japanese schools to give both visiting students and Griffins a chance to practice communication, learn about cultural aspects, and make lifelong friends.

Touring an American school

Johoku High School students arrived in California on Saturday, Nov. 30, and were given the weekend to spend time with their host families. Then, from Monday, Dec. 2 to Thursday, Dec. 5, Griffins escorted Japanese students through their day-to-day schedules and classes, giving the visiting students a chance to experience life in an American school.

“(The Japanese students could) see the differences in the cultures here (and how) students move from classroom to classroom. In Japan, teachers are moving (to different rooms), and lunchtime in Japan is a lot longer, so they have to manage their time and their schedule is also different,” said LAHS Japanese teacher Mrs. Takeuchi.

Rio Matsui, one of the visiting Japanese students, described how being in America was a huge culture shock, but loved walking around the LAHS campus. He said that his favorite part of the tour was visiting the photography classes.

During their four days at LAHS, the Japanese students also gave presentations to classes on Japanese culture, their school and other topics like anime. Many of the presentations involved students asking questions and participating in hands-on activities and demonstrations.

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Japanese students give a presentation on Japanese anime to an LAHS class. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Takeuchi)

Throughout the entire week, both the Japanese students and Griffins were able to practice communicating and build new connections. Mrs. Takeuchi explained that both groups of students were able to learn patience during the whole experience, working around communication struggles and helping each other during conversations.

Experiencing Southern California

Despite only being in America for about a week, the Japanese students were able to get plenty of exposure to local iconic locations and California culture.

Rio Matusi shared that he visited Dave’s Hot Chicken for the first time with his hosts and how he had never tried boneless chicken before, an American staple — in Japan when you order chicken, it typically comes on a bone, according to Matsui.

Sakura Yamashita, another Japanese student, also shared that she loved her experience in America and her host family.

“People in America are really friendly. When I gave gifts that I brought from Japan to my host family, their reaction made me happy,” she said.

During their stay, Japanese students visited many destinations such as Downtown Disney, Hollywood, and Universal Studios. On Friday, Dec. 6, before leaving for home the next day, the group spent the day at Disneyland. LAHS students also took them to local favorites like In-N-Out, See’s Candy and the beach during their free time.

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Japanese students and their LAHS hosts visit Naples in Long Beach. (Photo courtesy of Mrs. Takeuchi)

From one week, American and Japanese students have made lifelong connections and gained new experiences. Mrs. Takeuchi explained how all of the students take away something important and remain close to their new friends after the visit.

“Whatever (the students) learn through the cultural experiences can translate into their personal lives. Some students (have written), ‘This whole experience made me become a different person,'” she said.