It’s been 27 years since the Higashi Naruse village and Nippon Kan formed an alliance to facilitate cultural exchange programs. Nippon Kan welcomed 5 high school students and 3 village staff members this year. The group of delegates from the village not only visited a few public elementary schools, a local farm, but experienced American lifestyle through a short-term home-stay program. The group also visited a city of Salida, about a 3-hour drive from Denver, to witness and experience firsthand a unique outdoor facility the city offers that is designed to benefit from a natural river. As many rivers of different sizes run through the Higashi Naruse village, it was an eye-opening experience and a fresh new idea for the visitors from Japan to continue evolving the village’s tourism resources. The city of Salida and the Higashi Naruse village will continue to deepen its mutual beneficial relationship, and Nippon Kan will continue to help facilitate the process.
Much THANKS goes to Mr. and Mrs. Rick Thompson who played an integral role in making all the necessary arrangements for the planned activities in Salida, host families in the greater Denver area who opened their homes to host the guests from Japan and other volunteers who helped as a guide(s) and as a driver(s). THANK YOU, EVERYONE!
Nippon Kan staff and the group of visitors from the Higashi Naruse village hosted a group of parents, students and teachers from the Japanese School of Denver at Nippon Kan. The group of children and adults, a total of more than 40, witnessed impressive Aikido demonstrations, enjoyed a tour of the Museum to learn about a collection of Japanese traditional tools, equipment and various folk attire made of rice straw, and experienced a hands-on demonstration of how to make a pair of sandals from rice straw, facilitated by the high school students from the Higashi Naruse village. The children from the Japanese school of Denver also enjoyed surprise photo opportunities with the 3 female soldiers from Nepal, who were training at Nippon Kan under the uchideshi program, dressed in their traditional costumes.
