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16 Tsuru University students visit man’amko
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Posted on Dec 20 2005
Sixteen students from Tsuru University of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan visited the CNMI Aging Center yesterday morning for a half-day social immersion with the islands’ elderly.
The students were composed of 10 freshmen, four sophomores, and two junior students. The students took time interviewing some of the members of the man’amko about their life experiences.
University professor Kazuteru Omori said the students are on the island for the first time for a research project.
The “study tour,” he said, is aimed at learning by interviewing the man’amko and knowing more about their lives, especially during World War II.
“The students in trip want to know more about the history of the island and life under the Japanese rule,” he said.
Omori, who teaches American History in the university, said it is his first time to be on this side of the Pacific. “We want to understand the life back then and remember the old days.”
The group arrived last Saturday and will leave this Friday. The students already visited important and historic landmarks on the island such as Banzai Cliff, the Last Command Post, and the CNMI Museum for History and Culture.
Omori said the group was impressed with the beauty of the island, though, the group admitted that they really could not really feel happy about their trip because at the back of their minds, their countrymen had tormented the islands and done so much damage. “We just can’t enjoy the island just like other tourists do,” Omori said.
Last Monday, the students also had the chance to interact with the Northern Marianas College’s Japanese class. NMC teacher Hiroko Yasukata said professor Sam McPhetres also gave the Japanese students a brief lecture on the islands’ history.
