Japanese students visit Franklin for cultural exchange

FRANKLIN — A group of 20 Japanese students from Fukuoka Chuo High School visited the Three Rivers City on a brief trip last week. The students' aim during their visit was to gain a unique cultural international experience, and continue learning English. The students, accompanied by two English teachers — Yuki Inoue and Arisa Watanabe — came from the Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu Island.

“It’s to broaden their perspective and their way of thinking,” Inoue said. “Japan is a small island, and you don’t have much opportunities to talk and experience with foreigners using English.”

The group of 10th and 11th graders arrived July 30, and departed on Monday. Their trip's motto was “working together for others.”

The trip was in collaboration with GPI US, which works to set up exchange experiences between Japanese and American high school students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fukuoka Chuo High School started a pen pal program with a school in Massachusetts, but a visit was unable to be arranged. GPI Senior Program Coordinator Ryan Yonaitis, who is from Franklin and graduated from the high school in 2009, suggested the city as a destination.

“They've been unable to visit the school for multiple reasons, and as such, they've been wanting to come. And the Franklin High School, and the town has been very open to them coming,” Yonaitis said.

He believes the rural setting will allow for more open conversations.

“I wanted them to have more of that person-to-person experience, and to have the opportunity to have more open conversations, as well as the fact that, of course, I'm from this area,” he said. “I was able to connect a little bit more, to be able to get some opportunities for them.”

Yonaitis lived in Japan for 6.5 years and speaks Japanese. He first became interested in Japanese culture when an exchange student from Japan came to Franklin, and they became friends. He then found a Japanese teacher in Boston to teach through the high school’s extended learning opportunities program, coming up once a week. Then he studied Japanese and international relations at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Yonaitis brought the students around the city to learn and explore. Some students visited Franklin High and talked with Franklin students about differences between their two schools, including curriculum, intruder preparedness and teacher-student relationships. Japanese students were especially intrigued about fights in American schools.

The group went to Maaz’s Chicken, for a meal was paid for by Franklin residents at a discount.

The students also visited the Statehouse in Concord and spoke with state Rep. James Thibault (R-Franklin) about the difference between the U.S. and Japanese governments.

Students also toured the Franklin Fire Department, and went to Boston to meet with students at MIT and Harvard to learn more about higher education.

Peabody Place, an assisted living community in Franklin, was also a stop. The students gave a presentation on their home country for the residents, showcasing their schooling and culture. Afterward, students talked with residents, asking for advice. Yonaitis shared one piece of advice student Tamon Sato, 16, received: “To study what you want and enjoying your life is more important than the money.”

Experiencing U.S. culture for the first time, there were a few things which surprised students and teachers alike. They described how nice and friendly everyone was, and how easily people greeted each other. Watanabe was struck by something else, too.

“Everyone loves pets. I have never had a pet, so, it's very surprising to me,” she said. “The people in this state are trying to treat the pet as a member of the family.”

This was Watanabe's first trip to the U.S., and found it an enriching experience. She hopes to return.

“From the bottom of my heart, I [would] like to come back next year, together,” she said. “Lovely place.”