Junior Rose Davis initially took an interest in an exchange program because she wanted to step out of her comfort zone. “I also wanted to learn a new language. [Japan] was perfect because I listen to a lot of Japanese music, so it’s always been an area of interest for me, and it’s really beautiful too…[when I was there], I caught the tail end of cherry blossom season,” Davis said. She traveled to Japan during the summer before the 2023–24 school year. 

Since Edina High School doesn’t offer a Japanese exchange program, Davis found an opportunity through the AFS Intercultural Programs. She began working with a Japanese tutor six months prior to her trip, which spanned the month of July. 

Through AFS Intercultural Programs, Davis flew to Kurume, Japan, where she was paired with a host family and attended core curriculum cultural lessons at a community center along with the other exchange students. Upon arrival, Davis was surprised by the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan. What stood out to her most was the culture’s emphasis on collectivism, the principle of group priority. To her, the Japanese saying “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down” describes the social climate which sometimes made Davis feel conspicuous. “I was told multiple times that I was so tall,” Davis said. “My hair is red, so I stuck out in that sense too… Kurume is a small countryside city, so [there are] not a lot of foreigners.”

At the same time, Davis valued the cultural appreciation that bonded her and her host family together through dinners and sightseeing. She was able to adjust to the new community without much difficulty, and she and her “host sister,” Kohime Yamaduchi, soon became close friends. “At first it was kind of forced proximity because we shared a room, but we ended up having a lot of similarities,” Davis said. “She’s super outgoing and friendly and we both love music… but there was a language barrier, so we used a lot of hand motions to connect.”

“[Rose] was very cute and kind,” Yamaduchi said. After Davis left Japan, she offered for Yamaduchi to visit her in the U.S. over winter break. Yamaduchi was eager to meet Davis’ family and found the U.S. an interesting environment to be in. “The driver of the car was in a different [seat], and we entered the house with shoes on,” she said. “There also isn’t much snow where I live.”

Currently, Davis and Yamaduchi stay connected through FaceTime and plan on meeting up in person through more trips. Davis hopes to attend another Japanese exchange program in college and Yamaduchi looks forward to visiting the U.S. in the future. “It was difficult to communicate [in] English… But I think it’s very fun to experience different cultures. I want many people to have this experience,” Yamaduchi said.