Saipan mayor’s office youth programs coordinator Jemalyn T. Tenorio, said 38 of the visiting Japanese students belong to the Sanpoen Youth Organizations and 14 are participating under the K.S.K.K. or International Youth Cultural Exchange program.
Tenorio said the Sanpoen group is required two days of home stay from the time they arrived to departure date. They must spend the rest of their stay at Hopwood Junior High School. The group is scheduled to leave on August 3.
The Saipan Mayor’s Office, the principal sponsor and facilitator of the cultural exchange program, helped provide the visiting Japanese students with host families here.
Last night, the Sanpoen group, led by a Buddhist priest Kansho Kayaki held their annual memorial service for the fallen soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II at the Hopwood Junior High School, Tenorio said.
The group also visited three significant war memorial sites – the Last Command Post, the Bansai Cliff and the Suicide Cliff in Marpi.
Traditionally, Mayor Juan B. Tudela said Saipan sends students to Japan to learn about their culture. Local students usually stay at a youth hostel, which is like a dormitory, during the exchange-student program.
Tudela said while in Japan, these young students gain experience by living with Japanese families and learn as well about their culture.
Tenorio said the mayor’s office is now accepting applicants among junior high school students to join the next student exchange program set for October.
