Cultural Exchange – East Meets West

Back in March, six Japanese schoolboys had the opportunity to visit Challenger K-8 School in Brooksville. Their chaperone was Cynthia Takahashi, an American who started a school in Japan to teach English to Japanese children and adults, and Keisuke Yoshihara, a teacher at her school. Ms. Takahashi went to Japan at 13 years of age as an exchange student and fell in love with the country and its people. After graduating from college, she relocated and married a Japanese man.

Ms. Takahashi opened Story Book English Academy in 2017, a school devoted to teaching the importance of a second language and fostering international awareness among children. Although students in Japan often study English, there is more of an emphasis on grammar and testing. Ms. Takahashi’s goal is to focus on practical language skills and understanding diverse cultures. Also, Ms. Takahashi teaches English surrounded by physical activity because it’s been proven that in language learning, you remember better in movement.

The students stayed at the home of Ms. Takahashi’s sister, Christina Ottersbach. It was a learning experience, not only for Ms. Ottersbach but also for her two sons.

“Language was definitely a barrier, but we got to know each other through many shared interests, such as video games and music,” Ms. Ottersbach remarked.

At Challenger K-8, the boys sat in on an art class taught by Ms. Cassie Surak. As the art teacher explained some of the methods she used, Ms. Takahashi interpreted.

Then Ms. Takahashi gave a presentation on the Japanese writing system that uses characters to represent letters, words or phrases and how that can be transformed into our alphabet of twenty-six letters. She also explained how English words like “coffee” have been adapted into the Japanese language and writing.

Another interesting fact that the American students learned was that in Japanese, you read from top to bottom and from right to left. However, when they read math textbooks, they read the same way that we do. The American students listened intently and asked a number of probing questions.

Ms. Surak commented, “The younger a person, the easier it is to learn a foreign language. I always tell my students’ parents, ‘If you are bilingual or trilingual, teach your children those languages.’ ”

In comparing Japanese education with education in the United States, Ms. Takahashi mentioned some major differences. For example, the schools in Japan do not hire janitors. The students are responsible for keeping the schools clean. After discussing the differences between Japanese and American culture, Ms. Surak taught an art lesson to all the students. Because art is a universal language, the Japanese students enjoyed the lesson as much as the American students.

In July, Braden Ottersbach, Ms. Takahashi’s nephew, spent a month in Japan. It was his first solo trip abroad to a country where the average citizen was not conversant in English. Although her son was eighteen, his mother, understandably, was somewhat anxious. “My sister has lived in Japan for twenty-two years, so she was extremely helpful in guiding us through the travel process,” Ms. Ottersbach remarked.

One rather heart-stopping moment for his mom and for Braden occurred when he arrived at Tokyo Airport. He got lost and his cell phone was dying. “I lost my passport twice and had trouble finding my luggage in Tokyo, but everyone was very friendly and willing to help,” said Braden.

Some of the highlights of his trip were climbing the mountains there and meeting many nice people. He visited several cities, such as Kyoto and Hiroshima, and even traveled to some places alone by train.

Obviously, there were some stark contrasts between Japan and the United States. “The Japanese seem to follow the rules better. Rules and manners are extremely important there. I also felt very safe–crime doesn’t seem to be as big of an issue like it is here in the United States.”

His month-long visit to Japan has had a lasting effect on Braden. One of his goals is to learn how to cook Japanese food and he hopes to go back after he finishes college. It has changed him in other ways, also. “I feel more excited to take on new challenges. I’ve become more appreciative of the outdoors and I also feel like I’ve become less shy around people.”

At the moment, Braden is embarking on a new adventure–college. He’s attending Pasco-Hernando State College and plans to follow up at Florida Polytechnic University. Eventually, he’d like to go into the cybersecurity field and do network security. Who knows, he may wind up living and working in Japan like his aunt.

Traveling to foreign countries is an eye-opening experience, especially so when you’re young. You see both the differences and the universal similarities among the nations of the world. You’re an ambassador from your country and, hopefully, represent the best of our values. It leads to understanding among people. It’s a priceless investment.