Hamilton Girls' High School re-established a school visit from Ritsumeikan-Keisho Junior High School which is located on the island of Hokkaido in Japan.

We welcomed our group officially to the school with a mihi whakatau which was an incredible experience for the students. 

During their time at HGHS, we had selected students from the school community who wanted to act as " Kiwi" buddies for each student during their eight day visit. 

The group were able to interact with Watanabe Sensei's Japanese language class, where the students from Japan brought in cultural activities and games to share with the local students. Aotea Apiti provided a Māori cultural period for the group which was also well received. Thank you also to all of our school staff for their warm welcome to our visiting students.

The last day together involved eating a shared sushi lunch and both groups of students being awarded certificates and badges. 

The group from Japan also shared a traditional Japanese song and dance for everyone.

Both our visitors from Japan and our students and staff at school thoroughly enjoyed the experience.