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Japanese children visit Saipan schools
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Posted on Dec 29 1998
More than 200 elementary school children on Saipan yesterday welcomed friends from Japan, marking 14 years of cultural orientation and exchange among the young.
As early as 9 a.m., students from both public and private schools on Saipan, including Tinian assembled at the Garapan Elementary School to meet the Japanese delegation of over 600 students from Hokkaido.
After an hour, 10 buses of the Public School System and Pacific Development Inc. ferried the visitors to Garapan as their local counterparts were armed with gifts to exchange with their new Japanese friends.
The ManAmkos were also on campus to take part of the cultural presentation scheduled that morning.
According to principal Juan Babauta, the school’s enrolment of over 900 students have 12 different cultures and nationalities.
As first time host, he believes the school is in the best position to honor its foreign visitors with a cultural variety show because of its mixed student population.
The objective of this annual trip from Hokkaido, Japan is to introduce young Japanese to other cultures. Saipan’s proximity to Japan facilitates the choice to learn the Chamorro and Carolinian traits, together with their introduction to the American and Asian ways.
