By Misha Lawrence

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After traveling over 3000 miles from Japan, the students of  Kaiyo High School finally arrived and received a warm welcome from the students and staff during their 10th annual visit to MHS on Nov. 10. ASMHS, the Junior Reserves Officer’s Training Corps, Japanese language students, Kumu Wong’s hula students and the MHS staff played important roles to ensure that the day was exciting and memorable for the students from Kaiyo High School.

“It’s a tradition that’s been kept at (MHS) for a very long time. So it’s really an honor to keep this going and it’s really a rewarding thing to see them come to enjoy themselves and see our school and our students,” said ASMHS President Senior Austin Ajimura.

Japanese language students and other volunteers led the visitors through different classes and other locations on campus. “I was really excited to meet the Kaiyo High School Japanese students since it was my first time doing it this year. I enjoyed spending time with them and asking questions to get to know them,” said tour guide Sophomore Andriana Oshiro, who helped show the students around. “I was excited because I like Japanese a lot and the people from Japan are really cool. So I really wanted to meet them,” said tour guide Junior Mikala Regohos.

All students had the chance to get to know one another and enjoy the time they had together. “My favorite part was playing games with them because even though we didn’t fully know what the other person was saying, we bonded a lot during the games. The games showed a lot about the character and how they are as a person, so that was fun,” said Regohos.

The visit allowed the students and teachers from Kaiyo High School to learn more about Hawaii and what the schools are like here. “I like the nice people, low stress and the beautiful ocean,” Kaiyo Assistant Teacher Masaki Shimizu said. “In Hawaii, the classes are more diverse. There are a lot of different classes and subjects.”

Many of the students from Kaiyo were already enjoying Hawaii and everything it had to offer. “The beach is very beautiful,” Kaiyo High School Junior Naoya Tabita said. During their trip they were able to try the different foods around the island that are unique to Hawaii. “I really like the pancakes here,” Kaiyo High School Junior Takahashi Akakibara said.

After the exchange of cultures and the strengthening of the bond between schools, students from both MHS and Kaiyo look forward to the continuation of the visits in the future.