ASU-Hiroshima Exchange Enhances People to People Ties
JAMES HANLON (Yamanashi 2015 - 2018)
Arizona State University and Hiroshima Shudo University (HSU) have enjoyed an exchange relationship since 1988. Each spring a class of HSU students comes to Tempe to study American English and culture. To complement this program, ASU professors Miko and James Foard established a faculty-led summer abroad to Hiroshima in 2003. Since these programs began, over 650 HSU students have visited Tempe, while 150 ASU students have visited Hiroshima. These trips connect and transform participants, which leads to further cross-cultural engagement and better relations between Japan and the United States. Participating in 2012 encouraged me to apply to the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, and gave me confidence to accept placement in a village where I was the only foreigner. . . .
About the Author
James Hanlon was an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Program in Yamanashi Prefecture from 2015 to 2018.
About Japan Matters For America
This article is part of a guest-contributor partnership between the East-West Center in Washington and USJETAA in which former JET participants contribute articles relating to their experiences in Japan.
