Three Eleanor Roosevelt High School (ERHS) students visited Japan this summer as part of the Kakehashi exchange program. Vivian Chan, Nicole Chen and Joselle Quijano were selected because of their excellent performance in the nationwide 2019 Japan Bowl, held this spring. The Japan Bowl is essentially a quiz competition, testing students’ knowledge of all things Japanese. In Japanese, the word Kakehashi means building bridges. This exchange program is funded by the government of Japan which seeks to bring American students to Japan in order to build bridges of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Japan Bowl participants compete as members of a three-person team. They have 30 seconds to respond to questions asked both in Japanese and English. They are tested on their knowledge of Japanese culture, society, daily life, history, geography and current events. The three ERHS students, as part of a larger group of exchange program participants, visited Japan from July 16 to 24. They engaged with other Japanese students, experienced homestays, and met senior Japanese and U.S government officials. Chan enjoyed randomly strolling and exploring the city with friends in the morning and night.
“It really gave me a feel for the country and let me see the everyday lifestyle of Japanese people,” she said. Chan enjoyed watching store owners clean and set up shop and watching people bike and walk to work. She recalled stepping into convenience stores and exploring the different and often unusual items available. “Japanese cities are really quiet and clean and the people are so honest and mindful,” she said. “It gave me a lot of peace and relaxation that I don’t experience everywhere.” As a result of the trip, she is considering living in Japan sometime.
ERHS 2019 Japan Bowl Stars Invited to Experience Japan
ERHS students Vivian Chan (left), Nicole Chen (middle), Joselle Quijano (right) eat lunch in Tokyo, Japan as part of their trip paid for by the Japanese government.