Postcards from Appalachia

One of the highlights of each Kanto group visit to LMU is the tour of the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee. The Museum of Appalachia is a journey through the past, where you can see authentic settlements established by Appalachian mountain people long ago.

Last Thursday, the Kanto students visited the museum, had fun playing "spoons" and singing along to traditional mountain folk music, and learned about the homes, livelihood, food, music, and farm life that belong to a bygone, simpler era of Tennessee history.

Here is a link to learn more about the Museum of Appalachia:

http://www.museumofappalachia.org/

Heading South for Visit to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

Sunday, April 3 was warm and full of sunshine, a beautiful day to take in the Smoky Mountains. The Kanto group headed south to Gatlinburg, where they toured the town, walked along the river, visited a moonshine distillery (but did not imbibe!), and had lunch in the hills. Then it was off to get a shopping fix at the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville!

Kanto Goes Back to Third Grade, Sneedville Style

On the beautiful, crisp morning of Friday, April 1st, LMU-Kanto students hauled over the hills and valleys of East Tennessee to spend a morning with Hancock County Elementary School students in Sneedville, Tennessee. In the Hancock Elementary gym, they entertained the third graders with a Japanese song, sung a capella, and then taught them many activities that are special features of Japanese culture, such as the wearing of yukatas (typical dress for Japanese girls), teaching of calligraphy, use of chopsticks, and the practice of origami (special Japanese paper folding design). The visit was right on time for the third graders’ unit of lessons on world cultures, and a great time was had by all!

Gateway Daycare Visited by Kanto Students

Each week, Kanto students spend time with American toddlers at Gateway Christian Daycare in Middlesboro, Kentucky. The Japanese high school students get to experience an afternoon through the eyes of a child, teaching and sharing games, jokes, and stories, and discover that the love of children speaks a universal language.

Kanto Visits an American High School in Bell County, KY

On Thursday, March 31st, the Kanto students got to see firsthand what the high school experience is like in the United States. They visited Bell County High School in Pineville, Kentucky, where each student paired with a Kentucky high schooler and went through a typical morning schedule of classes. While they enjoyed art, science, and social studies American style, the most fun of all was had in the cafeteria!

Kanto Cave Trips

Every Sunday, the Kanto students trek out to the caves of Cumberland Gap National Park for some serious spelunking and batwatching. For many, it is the first time they've ever laid eyes on a cave. The mountains, ridges, valleys, caves, and green hills sure provide a welcome respite from the concrete skyscraper jungle of Tokyo!

3 Kanto Students Join JFWA for High School

Three Japanese advanced-English proficiency students in the 2011 Kanto-LMU group have taken the bold move of joining students in the J. Frank White Academy to participate in American high school classes throughout their visit. Students Fuyuka Kiyonaga, Kei Sato, and Dongyin Xu will follow a regular high school curriculum at the Academy, helped along by partner JFWA students Cara Mackie, Courtney Bailey, and Boomer Russell. The Kanto Program thanks the academy for extending their warm welcome and support to these three Kanto students!

Kanto Students Arrive on LMU Campus

Continuing a 30+ year tradition, 30 students and 2 teachers from Kanto International Senior High School in Tokyo, Japan arrived on the campus late the night of March 21. The annual visit to Lincoln Memorial University, first begun in 1979, takes on special significance this spring because of the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that devastated Japan only 10 days prior to the visit. Saddened by the disaster back home but unfazed and determined to carry out their mission of study, travel, and immersion into American culture, the excited students were greeted Monday night by Curt Klinghoffer, LMU Program Director, JoAnn Russell, Assistant Coordinator, and Ruikun Chen and Chinami Arai, Kanto Program alumni and current LMU students. For Japanese chaperone teacher Mr. Yokoshiro Takeshita (affectionately known to students and staff as "Mr. T"), it is the sixth visit to the LMU campus, and for his colleague, Naoko Yamane, it is her very first trip. Knoxville media, responding to the widespread interest in the improbable visit, was on hand to cover the first days of the Kanto students' LMU experience. See news story link below. http://www.wbir.com/news/article/162920/2/Quake-doesnt-delay-Japanese-students-East-Tennessee-trip