Taiwanese students welcomed with flags in Japanese city exchange

Students from Liantan Junior High School in Tainan, Taiwan, received a spirited welcome in Akune City, Kagoshima, Japan, during a recent educational exchange program. Mayor Masashi Nishihira and his staff at the city hall greeted the 24 visiting Taiwanese students with enthusiastic waves of the Republic of China (Taiwan) flag, creating a memorable start to their visit.

The exchange, part of an ongoing friendship agreement between Shanhua District and Akune City signed in 2018, saw the students engage deeply with Japanese culture. They participated in traditional "Yamada-e" folk performances at Wakimoto Elementary School and Mikasa Junior High School, fostering a sense of cultural understanding and shared enthusiasm.

Beyond the school activities, the Taiwanese students immersed themselves in local life through a 100% homestay experience. Staying with seven host families for two nights, they experienced authentic Japanese daily life, including preparing sushi, working on farms, and sleeping on tatami mats. This deep dive into Japanese culture was facilitated by a memorandum of understanding signed between Liantan Junior High School and the Akune City Board of Education.

Principal Xu Jialing noted the students' "lively, polite, and proactive" demeanor, which was highly praised by their host families. The program aimed to cultivate a sense of global citizenship, and the students' active participation and willingness to overcome language barriers by teaching Japanese students Chinese and Taiwanese dialects underscored the success of the cultural exchange. The event also garnered attention from Japanese media, with the "Minami Nihon Shimbun" newspaper featuring the visit.