Japan-America Society of the State of Washington

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Japan in the Schools

Japan in a Suitcase Program

The Japan in a Suitcase Program presents a day in the life of a Japanese child using visual aids and items from Japan to make the experience as real as possible.

Common items used by Japanese children in everyday life - at home and in school - are brought to the school in a suitcase and used to show how a young Japanese boy spends a typical day, from morning to night. Pairs of volunteers make the presentations: English speakers facilitate the lesson and lead discussion, while their Japanese partners provide exposure to the language and act as native experts.

Elementary students participate in Japan in the Suitcase programStudents are delighted to be able to see and touch the items from Japan - chopsticks, pencil cases, games, textbooks and much more. They are encouraged to look for similarities as well as differences in the lives of their Japanese counterparts. They also have the opportunity to hear and speak Japanese and even to try their hand at writing some simple Japanese characters.

The Japan in a Suitcase Program has been a big success since its inception, averaging over 2,000 students reached year year since the 1994-1995 school year.

School visits are usually scheduled between 9am and 3pm on weekdays, from September to June. Available for 1st through 3rd grade classes, presentations last approximately 50 minutes. To arrange a Japan in a Suitcase presentation, please contact the Japan-America Society at 206-374-0180.

At the end of the school year 2007-2008, we have brought our program to 2138 students in 96 classrooms at the 34 area elementary schools listed below:

Bright Water Elementary School
Graham Hill Elementary School
Loyal Heights Elementary School
Lafayette Elementary School
Lowell Elementary School
Maple Elementary School
Thurgood Marshall Elementary School
St. Anne Elementary School
Bellevue Christian-Three Point School
West Mercer Elementary School
Island Park Elementary School
Hazelwood Elementary School
Lockwood Elementary School
East Ridge Elementary School
Sierra Heights Elementary School
Horizon Elementary School
Charles Wright Academy
College Place Elementary School
Seattle Jewish Community
Spiritridge Elementary School
Seattle Waldorf School
Open Window School
St. Thomas More Elementary School
University Prep School
Kimball Elementary School
Dearborn Park Elementary School
Lawton Elementary School
Marvista Elementary School
Audubon Elementary School
Endeavour Elementary School
Mukilteo Elementary School
Olympic Hill Elementary School
The Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Church
Kline Galland Home



Japan-America Society of the State of Washington
Information, Opportunity, Access

Offices in the World Trade Center West
2200 Alaskan Way, Suite 400
Seattle, Washington USA
Telephone 206-374-0180 FAX 206-374-0175
jassw@us-japan.org

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