EPIC High School Exchange Program Participants Visit Hawaii

EPIC students arrive at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

From September 30 – October 4, 2022, eight students from various Ehime high schools traveled to Hawaii to participate in a cultural exchange hosted by the Ehime Prefectural International Center (EPIC), which promotes cultural understanding and international cooperation through various programs and exchanges. Since 2013, EPIC has organized this exchange program that annually sends students from Ehime to Hawaii, but it was transformed into online meetings via Zoom for the past couple of years due to the pandemic. JASH was beyond excited to welcome back students from Ehime for the first time in three years.

EPIC students at the Ehime Maru Memorial

Mr. Minoru Tomita, Executive Director and Ms. Yukari Niiyama from EPIC, Mr. Kensuke Takamura from the Ehime Prefectural Government as well as Mr. Yasuo Yamaji from Matsuyama South High School accompanied the students as they visited various sights on Oahu, such as the Ehime Maru Memorial, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and Honolulu Hale.

EPIC student participant gives a presentation about taiko

The Ehime students participated in a two-day home visit program with students from Punahou and St. Louis Schools over the weekend. On their last full day in Hawaii, they visited Punahou School to experience school life in Hawaii and give presentations about their hometowns, culture and school activities. In the afternoon, they had an exchange meeting with Moanalua High School Japanese Club members led by Jaimelynn Tateyama Sensei, who is a former EPIC intern.