The group’s visit is part of a “Student Exchange Program” which has been coordinated on a yearly basis between Yap State and the “World School” in Japan. The group will be in Yap from Aug. 17 to 28, 2011.
The delegation is led by Jun Jumpei and Takano Takako of the World School in Japan. Members of the group include eight students and three staff of Waseda University and nine others including two staffs from various schools in Japan that were invited to take part in the visit.
Officials of the government who were at the airport to greet the students upon their arrival have taken them to the Palaun Abai where they had spent the night in Rull.
The Japanese students broke up into two groups after breakfast and were transported to Maa, Tomil and Arngel, Dalipebinaw where they will be staying for the duration of their visit.
The community in Maa’ Village is hosting the group from Waseda University while the other group which consists of various schools will be hosted by the community in Arngel.
Aside from the tours that the groups will be taking around the Island, the group from Waseda will concentrate effort by focusing on the culture and traditions and the lifestyle of the people of Yap. The students will be able to conduct interviews with families in Maa’ so they would have a better understanding of the people and the island.
The group in Arngel will also be doing the same but mostly by visiting the cultural centers where they could learn the value of the culture and traditions as they are watching the activities that will be happening each day.
