Visiting students from Japan make friends at Helias Catholic, learn about life and culture in the United States

For nearly two weeks this fall, two high school students got to live in a different world.

Aika Inoue and Mayu Miyata, both 16, are used to the day-to-day activities and schedules in their Notre Dame Girls School near Kyoto, Japan. But thanks to an opportunity through their school they were able to find out what high school is like some 6,496 miles away at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City.

Before they could begin even thinking about what American high schools were really like, the girls each had to write an essay, which was then read by their school’s administration.

Interviews followed, and soon the girls learned they would be among the four who would travel from their school to Missouri for a whirlwind student-exchange program.

Two would go to Jefferson City, while two of their classmates would go to Notre Dame High School in St. Louis.

The delegation to Jefferson City arrived for their stay with a host family on Oct. 6.

While the pair admitted they had preconceived notions and even some fears about American schools, they adapted well and quickly realized that many of their fears were based on stereotypes, not reality.

“I was a little nervous about the other students, about Americans,” Miyata said. “But they are nothing like I expected.”

However apprehensive they may have been, they both decided to approach their time in America positively and with excitement.

Having visited the United States previously, Inoue said she knew that not everything she had seen about Americans in U.S. movies was true, but she still had reservations.

“In so many movies it seems like Americans can be mean,” she said. “But everyone here is so nice.”

The pair said while there are very few similarities between nations, schools and cultures, they found most of the differences to be heartwarming.

“Here, in America, you all hug each other a lot,” Miyata said. “People always talk to each other. In Japan, we do not talk to people we do not know, and here you talk to everyone.”

Respect and confidence

The pair both spoke of a level of respect, which while common in America is much more prevalent in Japan.

“We are to respect everyone, even if they are just one year older than us,” Inoue said. “You speak to those older than you differently.”

While in Missouri, the girls got to become immersed in the lives of their American counterparts.

“We have gotten to do a lot of fun things,” Inoue said. “When we have gone places, like to Six Flags, I saw my American friends talking to strangers. We do not do that. Then the strangers became our friends for the day. It was fun and very different from Japan.”

They found confidence to be common among their American peers.

“Everyone is confident,” Inoue said. “They are not afraid to ask questions, tell a joke or tell their opinions.

“It is a good thing — Japanese people are not like that — we are not as outspoken,” she said.

Other cultural differences relate to ensuring that others are comfortable and enjoying themselves, even at the expense of one’s own feelings.

“If I am tired but out with a group, I will not say (that I’m tired),” Miyata said. “I would not want to ruin their fun. I would act like I was not tired.”

Wide-open spaces

The teens also got to partake in American shopping, with stops at stores like Bath & Body Works, Kate Spade and others.

Many of the popular American stores don’t have locations in Japan, and getting similar items can be difficult.

Much like their American counterparts, the teens are looking to the future.

Miyata hopes to major in hotel and restaurant management, beginning at a Japanese university and then transferring to one in the United States to finish her degree.

Inoue wants to be a fashion magazine editor. She said she plans to attend college here in the United States and noted that the University of Missouri-Columbia is one school she’s interested in applying to.

Both were amazed by the size of things in America. There is much more land and space. The Midwestern cities they visited are not as dense and have far fewer high-rises than they are used to seeing.

Even meal portions are larger.

“There are so many fast-food options,” Inoue observed. “And the amount of food is so much larger.”

The girls said Japan has more “fun, cute things.”

Anime is huge. Cartoons, especially “Hello Kitty” and other animated characters, are also very popular and appear on TV shows, clothing and in prominent places throughout larger towns and shopping areas.

Weathering

the storms

When speaking of home, the pair said their region is always in need of well wishes.

The area frequently deals with natural disasters. Typhoons and earthquakes are not uncommon, and many times there is a loss of life.

“We wish and hope that it will not affect us very bad,” Miyata said. “If we could ask for good thoughts, it would be that people are spared and do not get hurt, or worse.”

Beyond any cultural differences, the pair both agreed that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and they look forward to sharing their experiences with their friends back home.

The experiences they gained and the friendships they forged wound up transcending any cultural, language or distance barriers.

“I have good friends here now,” Inoue sad. “We will be friends for a very long time, and I hope to be able to come back again, soon.”