Shinano Mainichi Shimbun exchange program recap!

On August 1, SJA hosted a youth exchange event for Japanese and American middle- and high-school students. This event was part of a week-long program run by the newspaper Shinano Mainichi Shimbun during which 20 students from Nagano Prefecture visited D.C. and New York City to write an article on a theme of their choice. SJA was very happy to host this event again for the second time after three years of absence due to Covid. The event attracted about 20 American students who are interested in the Japanese language and culture from Arlington, Fairfax, D.C., and Maryland, and we welcomed the 20 student reporters from Nagano. The students enjoyed Japanese cultural activities such as origami, shougi, calligraphy, uchiwa-making, and sugoroku. They also enjoyed talking in both English and Japanese on various topics and had fun dancing and singing.