2024 EPIC High School Exchange Program Students Visit Hawaii
2024 EPIC students arrive in Honolulu
From September 27-October 1, 2024, ten students from various Ehime high schools traveled to Hawaii to participate in a cultural exchange hosted by the Ehime Prefectural International Center (EPIC), which promotes cultural understanding and international cooperation through various programs and exchanges. Since 2013, EPIC has organized this exchange program that annually sends students from Ehime to Hawaii.
EPIC students at the Ehime Maru Memorial
Mr. Yasuoki Kosaka, Executive Director and Ms. Tamami Moriyama, Overseas Cooperation Promotion Staff, from EPIC and Mr. Kotaro Doi, Staff of High School Education Division, accompanied the students as they visited various sights on Oahu, such as the Ehime Maru Memorial, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and local high schools.
(L-R) EPIC students participate in a special talk with Mr. Earl Okawa at UH Mānoa; EPIC student teaches Punahou students how to laugh during Kyōgen, or traditional Japanese comedy
The Ehime students participated in a two-day home stay program with students from Punahou and St. Louis Schools over the weekend. On their last full day in Hawaii, the girls attended Punahou School and the boys attended St. Louis School to experience school life in Hawaii and give presentations about their hometowns, culture, and school activities. As a part of their presentation, they prepared some fun activities for the classes: calligraphy and kendama.The students enjoyed interacting with each other in English and Japanese. In the afternoon, they visited the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu.
