SOUTHERN Cross College, Scarborough secondary students have embarked on a two-week tour of the land of the rising sun.
The students in Years 10-12 will have the chance to raise cultural awareness and practise their Japanese language skills while experiencing the Asian culture.
The group, including 10 students and two teachers, will return on December 13.
During their tour the representatives will visit Ryuou Junior High School, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Akiyoshi Cave and Aquarium, and experience a Japanese tea ceremony.
Their two-day stop in Hiroshima will be a highlight, where they will visit the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum.
Finally they will visit Tokyo which will include a day trip to Disneyland.
Southern Cross Japanese teacher David Meulman said the trip would give the college the chance to promote interest in Redcliffe’s Japanese sister city Onoda.
The students and college officials will be hosted by Onoda families to give them a taste of Japanese lifestyle and culture.
The tour will give the students a similar experience to that of their Japanese counterparts, as Southern Cross has been participating in a Japanese student exchange program with teenagers from Immaculate Heart College in Kagoshima for several years.
One student is invited to return to the college the following year as a teaching assistant.
This program is designed to allow Japanese teaching assistants to become a valued part of the college’s languages department.
