Japanese-Language Program for High School Students 2010
My Beautiful Memories in Japan
I visited Japan on June 30, as a reward for winning the Japanese speech contest for high school students. I had been really looking forward to visiting Japan. It was a two-week program for 49 students from 12 countries.
When I arrived in Japan for the first time, I was very surprised that Japan was a very beautiful country. We visited many places and did various activities during these two weeks. We went to Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo, visited Japanese high schools and had homestays at Japanese homes. I made friends with many Japanese people and this program’s high school students from various countries.
Also I learnt a lot about Japanese culture and society. For example, I visited many temples and shrines, Arashiyama and Tenryuuji Temple in Kyoto, where I learnt a lot about traditional Japanese culture. I visited Peace Memorial Park and Museum in Hiroshima. There I learnt a lot about Japanese old history. Burnt clothes, broken kitchen wares, burnt lunchbox and other articles were displayed in Peace Memorial Museum. In Tokyo I visited Panasonic Center, Asakusa and Ghibli Museum, Mitaka and I learnt lifestyles of Japanese youth as well as Japanese high technology.
Kyoto is the most impressive city among these three cities because there I learnt a lot about Japanese traditional culture. Another reason is that I stayed at a Japanese style inn and it was my best memory.
During this program we also conducted an orienteering activity, in which we explored the city of Osaka with Japanese high school students. At that time I talked and laughed with Japanese students and got the information about culture in Osaka. I really enjoyed this Osaka orienteering and I will never forget it.
We also had Japanese cultural activities. We learnt various aspects of Japanese culture from these activities, such as yukata wearing, calligraphy, Japanese drum, tea ceremony, flower arrangement and Aikijuujutsu. I chose Japanese drum and Aikijuujutsu because I was very interested in them and wanted to take lessons directly from Japanese experts. We learnt some techniques of Aikijuujutsu. In the Japanese drum lesson, we learnt how to hold sticks and play Japanese drums and we made a small performance together at the end. I would like to share my experiences and teach Japanese culture I learnt.
The last activity of this two-week program was a homestay. I was very happy to meet my host family. My host family was a big family. They took me to various places such as a kaiten-zushi restaurant, bowling alley and a game center. The most fun I had was when we played basketball in a gym. My host family learnt that I like basketball, and they took me to a gym to play it. Even though it was just a two-day stay, I was happy that I could know life of Japanese family and their hospitality.
It was a short two-week program, but I made a lot of good memories. I will never forget them and I will tell people in Indonesia what I learnt about Japan, its culture and society, kindness of Japanese people, and so on. And I will study hard so as to enter a Japanese university. I would like to continue my study to learn more about Japan.
Putu Haryana Ananta Wijaya (Indonesia)
Report of the Program
My experience of visiting Japan and participating in the Japanese-Language Program for High School Students at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai was very useful and gave me the knowledge about Japanese learning, facts on Japan and Japanese life, history and culture. I got accustomed to life in Japan as I talked with teachers, Japanese high school students, many new friends from other countries and my host family. I came to be able to express myself in Japanese more freely. I was very happy because all of them were very helpful and kind to me. I would like to continue learning Japanese as hard as I can.
After returning to my lyceum (high school), I told my experiences in Japan to my classmates, while showing pictures. They listened to my speech with great interest. Many of them expressed their hope of starting to learn Japanese next semester. I really appreciate this program at the Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai. I wish good health, success and happiness to all staff at the Institute and my host family. I will keep in touch with them by e-mail. I would like to climb Mt. Fuji someday, I hope I will major in Japanese language at a Japanese university and I wish to become an expert to develop the cultural exchange, economic relations and friendly relations between Russia and Japan.
SUKHORUCHKINA, Anna（Russia）
