the interactions between a group of Japanese and American teenagers were subdued few words and a preoccupation with their cellphones But after pairing up for a series of activities and games the teens overcame the language barrier and cultural differences and warmed up to one another they're out here having a kickball tournament and now they're all on Snapchat or WhatsApp So they're all taking pictures and sending them to each other even though they're at different homes at night," said Julie Fleck of the Grand Lake International Association GLIA coordinated a youth exchange from Minamiawaji GLIA and host families welcomed 10 students aged 14-18 and three adult chaperones during their weeklong stay in the area This is the first time a Japanese delegation has arrived in Mercer County since the pandemic A trip planned for 2021 was nixed due to Japan's ongoing concerns about COVID "It's actually pretty rigorous from Japan's side They had to apply," Fleck said of the delegate selection process "They have to go through an interview process Minamiawaji is somewhat similar to Mercer County in that it has a strong agricultural-based economy the students researched Mercer County before arriving here Fleck characterized the teens as "very culturally-aware students." "Definitely they're kids that want to come over whose parents want them to come over as well," she said "Some are a little shy but most of them have had English since second or fourth grade at school." The students have a good grasp of reading English but appeared not to be as proficient speaking the language Exchange households often relied on Google Translate to aide communications Organizers prepared an extensive itinerary that found the exchange students busy from 9 a.m ate at restaurants and spent time with their host families "The homestay is probably the favorite (part) because they immerse themselves in families for the week," Fleck said inviting culture whose social etiquette is less restrained and decorous than that of Japan so when they are here and the kids get to be a little bit crazier and have a little more outwardly fun The Japanese teens really got a kick out of a birthday party with all the commotion stirred up by lots of children It's so cool to see the interactions between the American kids because they want to learn as much about Japan as these kids want to learn here," Fleck said Elizabeth and Gary Muether of Celina were asked to host a Japanese student My daughter's been wanting to have an exchange student for quite some time and we've just never had the opportunity to," Elizabeth Muether said cat and pig and relished the home-cooked American foods served to her Elizabeth Muether said she was surprised when the teen finished a giant bacon cheeseburger from Happy Daz restaurant in Celina When taken to Mercer County District Library where Elizabeth Muether works as director Aoba was amazed at the amount of resources available to the public After learning Aoba has an interest in rocks the Muethers' oldest son dusted off his own extensive collection and spent an hour showing different pieces to the Japanese teenager Aoba also often pointed to the area's vast farmlands onions and rice fill the fields of her home certainly at least half of our family - my daughter Jordan - the desire to travel and go see Japan just because of the way she described it," Elizabeth Muether said Carl and Michele Huber of Celina hosted two 18-year-olds They said this is probably the tenth time they've provided accommodations for Japanese visitors "I think it opens our eyes to be more understanding and accepting to other people," she said we don't have to dress the same and we don't have to eat the same foods or like the same things or even speak the same language to find something in common," Michele Huber said "So when you send them to college or you send them out into the workforce and they come into contact with other people from other cultures the Japanese delegates on Tuesday evening were treated to a lakeside cookout Many host families were sad to see the teens leave The group was presented with a quilt featuring the 88 counties of Ohio Coldwater Elementary School teacher Francesca Niekamp's students had pieced together the quilt in 2003 in celebration of Ohio's bicentennial "Those students would be thrilled to know that that's where it's going," Niekamp said "I make a quilt probably every year with my students for the past 20 years and how many quilts do I need to keep or display So I think it's a perfect idea for them to give (it as a gift)." Fleck said GLIA will soon assemble a delegation to send to Japan during this time Applications should roll out in a few months as well as fundraisers to offset the cost of the trip became sister cities through agreements signed at ceremonies in each community after four years of exploration and introductions Nandan-cho's economy was similar to Celina's community members and agriculture professionals traveled to Japan several years ago before the project became a youth exchange spearheaded by the Grand Lake International Association Nandan-cho merged with other towns to form Minamiawaji a city with a population of about 50,000 people including Grand Lake International Association President Julie Fleck sign an agreement on Monday night reaffirming a partnership between sister cities Celina and Minamiawaji and Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel exchange gifts at the city council meeting on Monday night This is the 20th anniversary of the cultural exchange between the two cities Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information daredevils can take a high-speed thrill ride off the coast of Awajishima island in a special vessel which operates sightseeing boat tours of the Naruto whirlpools decided to give the attraction a trial run this summer before going full swing during the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo the vessel is a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) equipped with air tubes on both sides of the craft It provides better stability and safety and boasts a maximum speed of 80 kph The boat is about nine meters long and can carry up to 14 people The Awajishima Adventure RIB Ride offers passengers a chance to experience high speeds while the boat jumps over waves and makes thrilling turns Passengers can also see the Onarutokyo Bridge that spans the Naruto Strait and can relax on a beach only accessible by boat The 45-minute tour leaves from Port Fukura in Minami-Awaji seven times a day and will run until Aug The tour costs 6,000 yen ($41) for passengers in junior high school or older and 3,000 yen for elementary school students For inquiries, visit the official website at (https://awajishimaadventureribride.hp.peraichi.com/) Milk from cows raised on Mozart a hit even outside Awajishima isle People seated at bows of boats at higher risk of spinal fractures Godzilla invades new amusement park in Awajishima Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission Please view the main text area of the page by skipping the main menu. The page may not be displayed properly if the JavaScript is deactivated on your browser Japanese version please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent Hyogo — Having boldly gone where few vegetables have gone before a specially grown brand of onion is being touted as the next agricultural star of Awaji Island The onions currently being cultivated were grown from seeds that were launched into space as part of a project aimed at helping earthquake affected municipalities The first batch of the “space onions” was harvested in mid-June and unveiled at a taste-testing event on July 5 at an agricultural research center in Minami-Awaji The project invited communities to have local specialties sent into space thus adding value to the brand upon their return to Earth and helping the area bounce back from the disaster Awaji Island is known as one of Japan’s top onion-producing areas and was hard-hit by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake So three cities in the island participated in the project by providing seeds from a local brand of onion Five grams of seeds were launched into space in June last year from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and were stored for about a month on the International Space Station before returning to Earth About 100 seeds were planted by the agricultural research center The space onions were praised at the taste-testing event “It’s sweet even when eaten raw” and “It would be good in a salad.” One official joked it had an “aroma of space.” The officials plan to take about 20 of the most optimally shaped onions and sow them in a greenhouse for the purpose of producing about 20,000 seeds next summer — and gaining a brand that is out of this world Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun Japanese version Japanese version