By Sephi Grinkrug

It was a nerve-racking experience because it was my first time in Japan and I was nervous that Japan would not feel like home at all, but driving through the streets on the left side felt weird for about five seconds, then it felt normal until I really looked at it. This experience reminded me about those stories where the main character moves to a different house and that house never feels like home. Well, I was in Japan where every single thing felt like home: sleeping, eating, riding on the LEFT side of the road, and the language.

​When in Tokyo my favorite place was definitely Shibuya Crossing. And in general my favorite place was Toshogu-shrine, this is because it felt really cool walking through Japanese architecture buildings, and it was perfect temperature.

​By Aoi Koizumi

It was my first trip abroad, so I was both excited and anxious. When I first met my buddy, we hugged each other. She and her family made me feel so welcome. And she asked me, “What do you want to do?” So, I told her, “I want to be your bestie.” 

On my first day in America, I had a hamburger for dinner at Gott's. The fries were so crispy…!!

I’m into hamburgers!!!!

On a holiday, I made stuffed animals with my buddy at BUILD-A-BEAR. I chose which character I wanted to make a stuffed animal of and stuffed it with cotton. And I put my heart inside a stuffed animal. It was interesting because it was like they were really coming to life!

In America, there were many stores where we could make and experience things ourselves! I was so excited to be able to make one myself. It will be my precious memory.

By Itsuki Aida

What surprised me the most about this program was the friendliness of the Americans. There were aspects that were a little different from Japan, such as how everyone took the initiative to help if someone was in trouble.

It was my first time going to America. Everything was different from what I had in Japan, it was big and artistic. There were no small cars like in Japan, and I think everything was about 2 to 3 times larger than what we have in Japan.

The Yosemite National Park that I visited on my trip to America was so beautiful that it cannot be expressed in words, with a kind of fantasy that is far removed from the Japanese mountains. The temperature was also comfortable for me, and everything there was beautiful and amazing. I strongly felt that I wanted to go again.

The Japanese food that I made and ate with my buddy and buddies’ family on host day had a special feeling different from what I experienced in Japan. Even though it’s something I usually make and eat by myself, I was a little surprised to realize how much it changes just by having a different place and different people to eat with. My buddy and buddies’ family also happily ate the dishes I made, and I was glad.

I also visited world-famous companies like Google and NVIDIA. The buildings were futuristic, and the structures were interesting.