On June 3, 2024, I embarked on a journey with my Ewa Makai team to build
lifelong connections between Edogawa and Hawai’i. On this trip, I learned that Japan is
ingenious, they are just like us, and that Edogawa is the perfect place to build bridges.
Japan is ingenious! I love all of Japan’s buildings, transportation, and technology
because it makes living fun and easier. I like how the malls are divided up into floors by
categories. My favorite floors are the basement food halls and the rooftop gardens. I
also love the trains because it was so easy to get around town. I also like how they use
technology to make it easy to get food. For example, I love vending machines. I wish we
could bring some of these inventions to Hawai’i.
We are more alike than unalike. Even though Japan is such a unique place, the
more I got to know the people, the more I realized that we have a lot in common. We
both love school. Just like me, the junior high students looked happy to learn and be
around their friends. We also both like food! We all enjoyed eating the street food in
Nakamise Dori. We also both just want to be happy. Some things that made us happy
were exploring new places and playing games.
Let’s build bridges! This journey to build lifelong connections between Edogawa
and Hawai’i was exciting. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people. I hope that
we can continue to stay in contact with each other. I can’t wait to share this experience
with my classmates, teachers, and friends. I hope they can join me as I continue to build
bridges with the people of Edogawa.
I’m so truly grateful to be a part of this wonderful and once in a lifetime
experience. It has been an honor to watch the magic of our sister schools come
together. Again, I love Japan, and I love how the people there are just so delightful to be
around. This opportunity was breathtaking and taught me so much about ways of living
in different places. Thank you so much to all the incredible people who made this
happen.
