Ten Japanese exchange students visited Bellaire to improve their language skills and learn about other cultures from March 24-28.

Japanese teacher Satoko Shou facilitated the exchange program. During the 2024 summer vacation, Shou took her students to Japan for their exchange trip. This time around, it was her students’ turn to host exchange students from Nishio High School. The exchange students were chaperoned by Reina Kono and Eri Yamazaki, parents of two of the exchange students.

Shou said she initially organized the exchange to help both the Japanese and her American students improve their language skills, but she felt her students ended up learning something even more beneficial.

“I think the most beneficial thing was they were more aware of the different cultures and education systems because the students also went to school,” Shou said. “Because [the program] is not only a homestay, they learned how the school system, lifestyle and customs are different.”

Although hesitant at first, junior and Japanese 4 student Sarith Diaz chose to host exchange student Rui Okayasu.

“At first, I was indecisive about hosting because of my parents,” Diaz said. “But I really wanted to host a Japanese exchange student and it’s an opportunity that is never gonna happen again, so I decided to sign up.”

Despite speaking different languages, Diaz used translation apps like Google Translate to communicate with Okayasu.

“The bonding we had was really amazing,” Diaz said. “We had a lot in common in terms of TV shows, mostly anime shows. She liked Dr. Stone and Demon Slayer. We ended up being really good friends. I’m still texting her and she says that she hopes to come back really soon.”

The Japanese students who visited followed their “buddy” throughout the school day, going to class and activities together. The buddies were responsible for showing the Japanese exchange students around. Junior and AP Japanese Language and Culture student Eliza Teo was a buddy to exchange student Anju Honda, although Teo didn’t host any exchange students at home.

“As a school buddy, I feel like it’s my responsibility to show her around and explain to her how her classes work,” Teo said. “I’m a translator to tell her what’s going on, or what the teacher is saying, and introduce her to my friends so she feels welcomed, instead of just letting her tag her along, but more so letting her actually experience things and what we’re learning.”

According to Teo, the language barrier and Honda’s shy nature made communication difficult at first, but the two of them grew close over the course of the week.

“At first I felt like she was definitely way more introverted than I am,” Teo said. “So that was a bit of adjusting to do, but definitely after a day or two, Anju warmed up to me, and it was all great when we started having more than surface-level conversations. I think overall having exposure to the classes that I take every day definitely helps her be more in my life, so we’ve definitely become closer through spending time together throughout the whole school day.”

Teo said that Honda was surprised that students at Bellaire move from class to class because in Japan, students stay in the classroom while teachers move throughout the day. Teo also learned about cultural differences through the exchange program.

“I definitely learned more about Japanese mannerisms, how polite they are and how much they put emphasis on having respect towards others,” Teo said.

Aside from learning about Japanese culture, Teo felt that the exchange program allowed her to improve her Japanese in new ways.

“I also feel like I learned a lot about how to actually speak to a native Japanese-speaker,” Teo said. “I definitely don’t get that learning or that experience in class, because we’re all English-speakers and we’re all learning the language. So in class it’s more textbook-style, rote learning, but actually having Anju by my side throughout the whole day allowed me to push myself and practice my Japanese skills more often and it actually helped me improve.”

Teo feels that her friendship with Honda will continue to help her throughout her Japanese learning experience even though Honda has left.

“I really enjoyed getting to know Anju throughout this whole experience, even if it was a short week,” Teo said. “I felt like I really got to know her a lot even though we had a huge language barrier. I feel like it definitely motivated me to learn how to speak Japanese more so I can develop my friendship with her in the future.”

If you want to keep up with Japanese club, you can follow its Instagram @bellairejapaneseclub.