Have you ever enjoyed using laptops? Emojis? Your phone camera? Had your ears bled from some inspired karaoke? All of these amazing inventions originated in Japan and are widespread today.
Japan is a beautiful place filled with incredible culture, futuristic inventions, and people whose knees are way too flexible from the seiza position.
Now, you may be wondering why you should care about Japan, a place 5,741 miles (to be precise) away. Well, Japan might not be so far away after all. Our school hosts a Japanese Exchange Program (JEP) dating back over 57 years! This program involves not only Boulder High, but also Broomfield, Fairview, Monarch, and Centaurus.
Eight lucky students get the opportunity to visit Japan for 6 weeks during the summer, along with a teacher-chaperone.
Selection happens in a process: First, interested and passionate students submit applications around mid-September to be in the Japanese Exchange Program. Then, the finalists will be selected for an interview in early December at the district level. At the end of the process, 8 students will be selected to visit our sister school of Tokyo Jitsugyo High, for 6 weeks in Japan!
Students will be hosted by volunteer Japanese families and prepare for one of the best experiences of their lives. Climbing the beautiful Mt. Fuji, formal tea ceremonies, experiencing the Japanese school system, being baffled by how to put on a kimono, experiencing the busy public trains, and tasting the delicious Japanese cuisine are consistently highlights recorded for over 57 years.
The Boulderjep.weebly.com website is where students and teachers alike have recorded how their trips have gone, all the way back to 1968! That is right around the time that the internet was first being invented, which goes to show just how long and strong this program has been going on.
The “experiences” portion of the website is where so many people expressed their heartfelt gratitude and incredible experiences for and in Japan.
BHS alum, Mike Luckow, thanks the JEP for profoundly changing his life, and how he “wouldn’t have become an engineer, I wouldn’t have served as the first Japanese language teacher at Boulder High School, I wouldn’t have been a translator, I wouldn’t have written a book, I wouldn’t have been the CEO of a $14 million company, I wouldn’t have become a physician, and I wouldn’t have ever met my Japanese wife” if not for the JEP.
Another former student, Mollie Messimer, wrote a haiku about her trip 55 years ago: “Nineteen sixty-nine. Futon stays, Fuji stars. Lifetime Memories.” For over 57 years, this amazing program has been clearly touching the hearts and minds of everyone involved.
Colorado students aren’t the only ones having incredible trips. Students from Japan also visit every May! Jitsugyo High students have equally amazing experiences here. Japanese students visit the beautiful Grand Canyon, museums, hike Flagstaff, wander Pearl Street, and make lifetime connections with their host families.
You can also be one of these host families, if Japan is too long a flight! When asked if she would encourage people to be JEP host families, Mrs. Spray enthusiastically replied, “Absolutely! All of those families got so close to their students, they maintained contacts [past when the students left].”
The program is so influential, passionate teachers like Mrs. Dolbear are seeking to bring in more programs to bring closer connections to not only Jitsugyo High but also our entire sister city of Yamagata, Japan!
Several online meets have already occurred in our Japanese classes, where students video call and use their learned language skills in real-time! These exchanges have led to a more interconnected culture, societal understanding, and a remarkable connection between students thousands of miles apart.
The Japanese Exchange program is an incredible opportunity for everybody. With passionate teachers, extraordinary experiences, and with hundreds of lives permanently altered for the better, the JEP and Japanese programs run one of the best ships anyone can hop on in the entire school.
This world is also open to you, dear reader, only a teacher and a talk away!
