From Kansai and Ibaraki to Singapore: 2026 Japanese exchange programme

Written by: Kayla (25S6N) and Phuong Linh (26A14)

Edited by: Gilbert Goh (25S6C)

     Hwa Chong students enjoying dinner with their Japanese buddies. Dylan Ng Wei Zhong

On 24 March 2026, Hwa Chong Institution welcomed students from Kansai University Senior High School and Tsukuba University Senior High School to our campus. This year’s exchange programme aimed to give Hwa Chong students exposure with their international peers, to learn about their culture and assist their peers in mastering the English language.

This was not the first time the students met each other. The students previously exchanged social media contacts and shared infographics about themselves, as well as videos introducing their respective schools, helping the students to warm up to each other before the physical visit. They also had the opportunity to interact through an online meeting, where they got the chance to discuss the pertinent issues of the day, such as the use of technology in education and the effects of an aging population. 

At the same time, Hwa Chong students prepared meticulously in preparation for hosting their Japanese peers. They maintained communication with their partners before arrival via social media, while planning activities and preparing for discussions by researching and organising content on selected topics. Students with prior knowledge of Japanese even revised their basic Japanese to facilitate communication, since the knowledge of Japanese proved valuable when explaining certain concepts to their Japanese buddies. 

The Japanese students were engaged in a special Hwa Chong experience. This included a school tour, official lessons, classroom interactions, as well as a special CCA experience on Wednesday. They also had group dinners with their Singaporean buddies after school, through bonding and forming precious friendships. 

Hwa Chong and Japanese students enjoying a basketball game together. Dylan Ng Wei Zhong

The programme left many memorable moments for both our students and their Japanese buddies. On the last day of the trip, Dylan Ng Wei Zhong (25S7D), one of the leaders for this year’s exchange programme, was playing basketball with his buddy at the school basketball court when more Japanese students decided to join in, playing and chatting until their curfew timing. “This exact scenario happened the year before, when the senior (previous) batch of Japanese students also played a game of basketball on their last day of exchange." Dylan recounted. For him, it was a true "full circle" moment, reminding him of how the language of sport transcended nationalities.

However, the exchange programme was not without its challenges. Logistically, having to coordinate schedules for two different schools proved a major challenge, as the schools had different curfew timings and instructions for their students. This limited the after-school activities and dinner options, so the students had to be creative and adaptive with their planning. “Due to the different curfew timings of the two schools, we ended up going to Adam Food Centre to cater to the earlier set of restrictions.”, Dylan shared. Given that English is spoken differently around various parts of the world, the students tried their best to make their point across clearly to others. “We found ourselves needing to simplify our language and avoid Singlish for clarity.” 

The exchange programme allowed Hwa Chong students to improve their interpersonal communication skills. Students learned to adapt their language to suit a different audience and use simpler and clearer phrasing, while being more aware of pronunciation and clarity. This encourages students to be more active in their listening and responsive in their conversations. Ultimately, it builds confidence in real-life cross-cultural communication settings. 

The Hwa Chong students spent considerable time and effort in planning, preparing and adjusting their plans for the welfare and enjoyment of the Japanese students. Through this effort, they hope their Japanese peers have created many wonderful memories during their stay in Singapore, and there will be more of such opportunities in the future to nurture this international friendship for batches to come.