Returning the Favour: Kansai University Senior High’s Visit to Singapore

Written by: Wayne Tan (23S66)

Edited by: Tan Xin Yee Sarah (23S77)

On 22nd March 2024, Hwa Chong welcomed 15 students, together with their two chaperones, from Kansai University Senior High at Changi Airport. They had already met each other once, when our students had the chance to fly over to Japan late last year to learn about Japanese culture. Now that they have come to Singapore, our students were more than happy to return the favour! 

Despite a stubborn language barrier between the two groups of students, the sheer enthusiasm displayed from both sets of students were enough to keep conversations going for hours, sometimes even resorting to “charades” to get their meaning across! 

Over the weekend, the Japanese students were exposed to the wonders of Singapore, visiting the Botanic Gardens, the National Orchid Garden and Chinatown, just to name a few. They also embarked on a Sustainable Singapore Gallery Tour at Marina Barrage. Two of the Japanese students I interviewed, Natsuki Ishimaru and Keita, were impressed by the affordability of our public transport, but felt that it was more difficult to drive in Singapore as compared to Japan. Additionally, their initial skepticism of our local cuisine was dispelled after they tried it for the first time. 

Admiring the view atop the Marina Barrage.

The students’ visit to NTU.

At the Singapore Sustainable Gallery.

After delving deeper into the Singaporean identity and understanding what it means to be Singaporean, it was time for our friends from Kansai University Senior High to experience the “student life” in Hwa Chong! They spent three meaningful days shadowing their Singaporean buddies, allowing them to transit from the status of “tourist” back to “student”. 

Acting as tour guides for foreign students was no small task, as there was an obvious language barrier between the two parties. Most of our students used a mixture of Japanese and English in conversation, but it was undoubtedly still an issue. As Yeo Kai Wei, Zeon (23S66) pointed out, “despite learning Japanese for almost four years now, it was still a challenge communicating with them, especially to those who could not understand English at all”. Ng Sim Kate, Paige (23S64), who has been learning Japanese for more than five years now, felt impressed by her Japanese counterparts’ determination to learn English, stating: “When we went to Japan in November last year, their English conversational abilities were subpar, but when they came over in March, they could understand us much better. One of my buddies told me she studied English more intensely, so she could speak more English when she came to Singapore.” 

When asked about the most memorable interaction they had with the Japanese students, Liu Zhixin (23S67) was delighted to share more. “They were just in time to do an Investigative Task in the physics laboratory with us. They were intrigued by the various experiments that were set up to understand electromagnetic induction, such as using chopsticks to find the resonance on a string and a magnet rolling down a slope moving in a zig-zag motion due to EMI. Although they only take chemistry and not physics back in Japan, they definitely found it interesting as they peppered us with inquisitive questions throughout!” Zeon and Paige similarly had wonderful memories with the Japanese students, especially when they participated in Physical Education (PE) lessons with their classes. Paige’s buddies were introduced to tennis for the first time, and she was amazed at how enthusiastic they were throughout the whole lesson. 

It was a tearful farewell on 28th March when the Japanese students boarded their flight back to Japan to leave. Time really flies when you’re having fun, and the countless hours spent planning the activities were all worth it at the end of the day. As Paige recounted, “It only really struck us that it was all over while we were singing our hearts out during the karaoke. We exchanged contact numbers and I really hope we can continue to keep in contact with one another.” Zeon and Zhixin shared the same sentiments and were also disappointed to bid farewell to the Japanese students. They were optimistic, however, that they would be able to visit Japan (which is just five hours away) and see their Japanese friends again! 

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Hwa Chong students for meticulously planning the wonderful itinerary and spending their weekends bringing our Japanese friends around Singapore. We would also like to thank the Japanese students for coming all this way to visit us and we hope you enjoyed your time here in Singapore!