International Cultural Exchange at JAPEC
the Department of Education of Tasmania, Australia.
Left: Mr. David Kilpatrick, Head of International Services at the Department of Education of Tasmania, Australia
Right: Mr. Shunji Terachi, JAPEC Chairperson of the Board
Program Outline
Outline
Every summer, JAPEC invites primary, middle and high school students from Australia, New Zealand and America to participate in the JAPEC International Cultural Exchange Program.
The aim of this exchange program is to promote international cultural exchange between children of other countries and Japanese children. The two primary activities that take place are a homestay and a large 3-day international summer camp.
This experience has proven to be both highly educational and enjoyable for all parties involved. It is one of JAPEC's main goals to grow this program so that more students can participate.
Program Schedule
| Itinerary | Description |
|---|---|
| DAY 1 (Saturday) | Arrive in Osaka. Reception with all homestay families. Free time with your homestay family. |
| DAY 2 (Sunday) | Free time with your homestay family. |
| DAY 3 (Monday) | |
| DAY 4 (Tuesday) | |
| DAY 5 (Wednesday) | International Friendship Summer Camp with Japanese Children (2 nights and 3 days). |
| DAY 6 (Thursday) | |
| DAY 7 (Friday) | |
| DAY 8 (Saturday) | |
| DAY 9 (Sunday) | |
| DAY 10 (Monday) | Arrive back in your home country. |
* The above schedule is subject to change.
Program Timetable
Applications available for students who will participate in the program.
Application deadline and determination of students who will join the program.
Determine volunteer host families. Receive full payment of program fees.
Provide information for Japanese host families and all participants.
Finalize program details.
Implementation of the exchange program.
Program Timetable
Ages 10 – 16.
Primary, middle, high school students.
Application is available from November 2019 to March 2nd 2020.
Program Fee
per person. (incl. tax)
(Teachers do not need to pay the program fee.)
The minimum group size is 10 students.
- Homestay placement (All host families are volunteers. They will provide 3 meals per day at home. You should pay your own expenses if you go out to a cafe or restaurant.)
- Airport shuttle bus to Osaka station for the first day (one way only)
- Welcome reception
- Camp, including meals (2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 2 dinners) at the camp and transport between JR Shin-Osaka station and the campsite
International Cultural Exchange Summer Camp
Through various camp activities, children and staff build friendships, improve interpersonal communication skills, and gain confidence. Everyone has a lot of fun. The camp is very international in nature due to the large number of children and overseas camp staff that participate.
What We Do At The Camp
Tell others about your country
Students who understand other countries and cultures will grow up confident and proud of their own culture. People all over the world need to be multicultural. This camp is a great opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. JAPEC believes that if students can experience spending time with people from other countries, it will benefit them greatly in the future and other people can also learn from them.
- Team-building activities
- Watermelon-smashing activity
- Various outdoor activities
- Japanese arts & crafts
- Campfire
- Tea ceremony
- Cultural exchange time
Homestay
We will ask JAPEC member classrooms in the Kinki region to recruit volunteers from families with primary or middle school children who are studying English.
We will select host families and then match participants with them, taking the children's ages into consideration, so that the participants and children in the host family are similar in age. The host families will be carefully selected by JAPEC and their teachers to suit the needs of all parties concerned.
The JAPEC Headquarters will provide full support for exchange students and host families throughout the homestay period. We will be available 24 hours a day during the program just in case any sudden need should arise.
The JAPEC Headquarters will serve as the liaison for program participants. If a family member wants to contact a participant, the JAPEC Headquarters will make the necessary arrangements.
- A Japanese family home environment.
- All daily meals (breakfast, lunch and evening) during the homestay.
- A bed and adequate privacy. You will have your own room.
Participants’ Thoughts
"It was the experience of a lifetime. It was amazing! I definitely want to go back.
I learned that Japanese people are really nice. I felt welcome. There was no pressure. When I did my cultural presentation before the audience, I felt proud to be aboriginal."
"I loved being with my host family, my friends and everyone else. I made lots of friends at camp. We taught them our things and they taught us Japanese things. All the Japanese people I met were very kind and I will never forget them!"
Eden Korewha, 11"They've got lots of gizmos and gadgets that we don't have. The one I really like is the washing machine which doesn't shrink your clothes and you don't have to separate washing!
The people were really nice and the food was great. I like rice and nori and loved the bread and Grape Fanta! I want to go back!"
"The culture is more about volunteering than being forced to behave in a certain way. By this I mean, like at the Japanese Summer Festival, when many people dressed up in their yukata but other people just wore ordinary clothes.
People could do as they wished and there was no problem with that because everyone is accepted for who they are.
I learned that judging people for what they look like is a learned behavior. They don't care as much as we do about appearances and that made me feel more accepted."
"The JAPEC program offered our students a chance to enhance their study of Japanese language and culture with this in country experience. As a new school it was fantastic to connect with this program so our students could experience homestay. The students thoroughly enjoyed their time and on our last day in Japan were saying ‘Can’t we just stay a few days longer? I don’t want to go back to Australia yet.’
There were beautiful moments of laughter and play where any language barriers were broken and friendships were formed. The JAPEC staff organised an amazing camp and were there for any support and questions regarding homestay.
We hope we can be part of this program in the future."
Northern Territory
"The JAPEC program offered our students a chance to enhance their study of Japanese language and culture with this in country experience. As a new school it was fantastic to connect with this program so our students could experience homestay. The students thoroughly enjoyed their time and on our last day in Japan were saying ‘Can’t we just stay a few days longer? I don’t want to go back to Australia yet.’
There were beautiful moments of laughter and play where any language barriers were broken and friendships were formed. The JAPEC staff organised an amazing camp and were there for any support and questions regarding homestay.
We hope we can be part of this program in the future."
Northern Territory
Participants’ Thoughts
Can more than one student stay with the same host family if they want to?
It will usually be difficult for more than one student to stay together with the same host family because Japanese houses are small and there are not many rooms.
When is the deadline to pay the program fee?
The deadline is early in April.
When will participants know who their host family will be?
We will finish arrangements by early in June.
Can vegetarian students participate?
Yes. Meat-free dishes are also provided. Please let us know in advance. Also, please let us know if your child has any dietary restrictions.
Can you help to arrange additional trips before or after this program to other places, like Hiroshima or Tokyo?
Yes. We can help you to arrange additional trips.
Must a school apply for this program, or can individuals also attend? If it is school-based, is there a minimum number of students?
It is school-based. We ask teachers to bring at least 10 students from one school.
Does the organising teacher arrange for booking flights?
Yes. The organising teacher books his/her own flights and the students’ flights.
Can students join this program without their school teachers?
No. We ask that at least one teacher accompany his or her students, because a teacher needs to be responsible for taking care of his/her students in case of an emergency.
If we submit the application form, when can we find out if we have been accepted?
You will be notified when we have received all applicants’ applications and confirmed all your payments.
How long does it take to prepare for participation in this program?
Based on our past experience, it takes most schools about a year to complete all the steps of the application process. As one example, we have heard that it takes about a year to get special permission to participate in this trip from the education authorities in Australia.