Ten Sinclair College students attended a study abroad trip to Yamaguchi, Japan for 13 days in May 2026, aided by a generous scholarship from Dayton JACL.

Students experienced authentic Japanese food, culture, and nature through various activities. They stayed in a traditional ryokan inn, wore yukata (summer-weight kimono), learned Bon dancing, hiked on the Hagi Okan trail, experienced a traditional tea ceremony, practiced Japanese language, and visited many temples and shrines.

Students also went on many field trips around western Japan. Excursions this year included a visit to a school, where elementary students taught the group traditional Japanese games, and junior high students presented on local culture, history, and cuisine; a tour of a Mazda car factory; a walk through the Akiyoshido cave system; historical samurai homes in Hagi city; the Hiroshima peace museum; and Miyajima island.

In addition, groups of American and Japanese college students worked together prior to and during the trip to research a cross-cultural topic of their choosing, culminating in a group presentation. Topics included social isolation and changing lifestyles in Japan and the U.S., regulation of drones in both countries, Native American pottery compared to Raku-ware and Imari porcelain, and a comparison of how culture influences horror films in each country.