Akash Dey
St. Lawrence Academy
Santa Clara, California

Akash Dey in Nagasaki, Japan

Akash with host student

Last October, I embarked on a two-week journey to Japan, a place where you can explore a whole new world with a vast array of discoveries to offer. I went as an exchange student with a group from my school--nine seniors and me, a sophomore. We each stayed with our host families, went to school with them, ventured on field trips and sightseeing trips with them. It was a great privilege to have this opportunity to go as exchange students from our school in to our sister school Junshin High in Nagasaki.

At the Japanese school, we were expected to respect their dress code and wear uniforms, and we also got to step into the lives of a Junshin student. We made presentations in classrooms at Junshin in two groups, after which we split up to talk to students individually so that the students are able to practice their English with us. We had two hours per day for homework, and we ate lunch with our host students.

After school, activities were usually planned for us. There was a Tea Ceremony, where Japanese girls make a very bitter tea called "Matcha." It is so bitter that you are given a sweet cake to eat to neutralize the bitterness. One day we went to Koto class, where we tried our skills with a Japanese guitar-like instrument where we attach tools kind of like guitar picks to our hands. Later we watched the Junshin students play sports after school, and their sports players I can say are quite superior. I tried the Japanese martial art form Aikido, but won't comment how well that turned out. We visited local sights such as Unzen, a volcanic mountain, but most unforgettable was our trip to the atomic bomb museum and Peace Park, where statues were built to represent the monstrosity and terror of the bombings in World War II. It was quite heart wrenching.

There are many things you can go see in Japan; you should go to experience a whole new culture, but if you are ever offered a food called "Nato," DO NOT EAT IT! This is a dish made of fermented soybeans wrapped in seaweed and many agree that it is the worst thing they have EVER tasted. I did learn to master eating with chopsticks. I also found that when offered an "American hamburger," it had no bun--only meat.

We saw and learned so much it would take a book to fill, so in a nutshell, what was most memorable about the trip was that we made such good friends that all ten of us will cherish for years to come. I have to mention if there are any people who are the most gracious and hospitable they indeed are the Japanese! My host family became so close to me; their nurturing environment made me completely comfortable.

We all came back as rounded individuals who grew socially, intellectually, culturally, and morally. Most of us came back with gifts that were presented to us not only in materialistic ways, but with the gift of their love that has touched each one of us individually. I can't thank those enough who helped make this enriching experience a dream come true. To all future explorers this trip is a must see. Once again Japan the "Land of the Rising Sun" provided us with sunshine and warmth beyond our expectations.