As part of a study tour for high school students learning Japanese in Washington, D.C., we were asked to assist due to a shortage of host families in Japan. In response, four families in the Ikenoue area, including ours, agreed to host students for five days in mid-July.

Unlike Japan, summer vacation in the U.S. is quite long, lasting from early June to late August, which allows for various summer school and residential programs. The high school’s program involved a nearly month-long trip across Japan, including a five-day stay in Tokyo, with homestays and interactions with local students along the way.

The high school is located in an affluent neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and many of its students come from upper-class families. The students we hosted in Ikenoue were the children of diplomats stationed at various embassies in Washington, D.C. They were impressively polite and independent, qualities that are becoming increasingly rare, even in Japan.

We took the students to a local Bon Odori festival, where they had their first experience with traditional festival activities like goldfish scooping and participating in the Bon dance.

Thanks to the generosity of the Ki Society leader, the students from the states were able to observe and participate in an Aikido class at the Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Kai Ikenoue branch, which shares the same Ikenoue studio as Link & Learn International. It was a unique and enriching experience for everyone involved.

The Aikido Class details https://aikido-ikenoue.org/