A group of Motueka High School students are aiming to say sayonara to Motueka and konnichiwa to Kiyosato next year, during a fortnight-long school trip to Japan.
The school has 17 students who have signed up for the trip, ranging from Year 9 to Year 12, and they are planning a rough itinerary for late September 2025.
While the details are not yet finalised, the group plans to spend several days in Motueka’s sister city of Kiyosato, as well as exploring further afield during their stay. Motueka has an active relationship with Kiyosato, with an annual contingent of the Japanese city’s high school students arriving in term three.
Motueka High School student Brooke Perry is currently studying at Kiyosato High School, while fellow 16-year-old Yuina Takahashi is spending eight months at Motueka High School as part of an exchange programme.
Motueka High School has about 45 students studying Japanese, including the four senior students who are studying the language by correspondence.
Japanese language teacher for juniors, Yuki Yoda, says that multicultural communication skills are a must for this generation.
She says that the world is changing quickly and seamlessly, and new technologies like ChatGPT will not teach us how to understand our neighbours from the other side of the world.
“Language skills tend to be [the focus] in exchange programmes, but the most valuable learning for students is multicultural communication skills, tolerance and empathy,” she says. “Putting your feet into someone else’s shoes.”
With flights, rail passes, accommodation and meals, the trip will cost around $7,300 per person, and the group already working hard to raise as much money as they can.
The long lead-up to their trip will give them time to continue progressing their fundraising, which is already underway. So far, the students have done food sales, bake sales, firewood raffles and garage sales.
A movie fundraiser – Deadpool & Wolverine – is screening at Motueka’s State Cinema on Wednesday, 24 July, at 6pm. Tickets are on sale from Whitwells Menswear, or the school office during term time, for $20 each.
