Japanese, American Children Share In Negishi Cultural Exchange
Story by MC1(SW/AW) Brock A. Taylor, Navy Public Affairs Support Element Japan

Japanese and American children learned about each other’s culture during a special event held at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) Negishi Housing Detachment Richard E. Byrd Elementary School June 23.

Negishi’s Child Development Center (CDC), in coordination with CFAY Yokohama Detachment, hosted 32 Japanese students from Shin Yokohama Mama Shinohara Preschool. The five and six year-old children spent several hours singing, dancing, playing and plainly stated - just having fun together.

Negishi CDC Director Sue Proctor says this is the first time the center has reached out to the community in this manner and she hopes the experience will help expand the children’s minds culturally.

“This will teach these kids a lot about diversity,” said Proctor. “Children are never too young to learn about other cultures and see how other people live, so that they can learn from an early age how to get along with everyone in the world.”

It was a long bus ride for the Japanese children, as they had to trek across Yokohama to take part in the activities. As the students made their way to the school cafeteria, the CDC students welcomed them with open arms. The American children broke the ice quickly with a few popular children’s song-and-dance routines. The Japanese children returned the favor with a few songs of their own. It didn’t take long before the children did what kids do best - play!

Culinary Specialist 1st Class (AW) Anthony Sykes from Chicago, who volunteers a lot of his time with community outreach projects, says this is one event that truly displays the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance.

“These kids are just having a good time,” Sykes said. “They are young and this is the perfect time to show them that times have changed and as they grow up they will see how we have become tighter and stronger,” he added, referencing the bond between the United States and Japan.

Following song and dance, the children took turns showing each other one popular school activity. The American children got their hands dirty, literally, with hand paint, while the Japanese children put on an origami making display. Before hopping back on the bus and heading home, the Japanese students were treated to a taste of America, with a hot dog and hamburger lunch. Mama Shinohara Principal Katsuko Niwa expressed her gratitude for being able to share in the cultural exchange.

“I am grateful that we got a chance to come here today and everyone had a really great time. We hope to do this again soon,” Niwa said. Proctor says she believes the event accomplished the task of bringing two cultures together and she too looks forward to hosting more visits in the future.