 The village of Otaki has a unique exchange program under which city kids attend the school for a year. They get to experience life in the countryside and learn to look after themselves. They also enjoy fishing, camping, and skiing and like program so much that some stay for a second or third year. |
Otaki
Elementary and
Middle School
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| Exchange Program | ||
 Since
1997 the village of Otaki has been conducting an exchange program under
which city kids from grades of three to nine spend a year or more at the
Otaki School. This allows them to experience life in the countryside and
to come in contact with the village's natural surroundings. This program
is so popular that 8 of the 17 ninth graders are from the city.About 20 minutes on foot from the school is the dormitory where the urban students--most of them from neighboring Aichi Prefecture--live. Right now 23 students live there, staying in pairs in the bedrooms. There's a big hall and a Japanese-style tatami room for studying and playing, separate baths and washrooms for boys and girls, and a cafeteria where the children eat breakfast and dinner. |
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 Six
adult supervisors work at the dormitory, including those on night duty,
but the students themselves are basically responsible for looking after
themselves. They all have to do their own laundry, and some of the younger
kids, unfamiliar with how to use a machine with separate tubs for the
wash and spin dry, complain that their clothes don't dry. Even so, at
the end of the year, the students are able to look after themselves, and
some even say, "I understand what my mom goes through everyday."On weekends, city kids enjoy fishing, camping, or skiing. These activities are so much fun that some of them get permission from their teachers or parents to stay for a second or third year. |
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 The
exchange students really enjoy the experience: "I only go home during
summer and winter vacations, but I'm not lonely," claims Yuto Ikeda from
Aichi, who is in his third year in Otaki. "I love the nature here--swimming
in the river and fishing. And I've really improved my skiing!""This area is really deep in the country, and to be honest I was a bit nervous before coming," admits fifth-grader Yoshiko Asano. "But I became friends with my classmates really quickly, and I've come to love the lifestyle here. The other day I went to look at fireflies. They were so pretty! And I was surprised when I saw a fox and a raccoon dog right up close." |
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 One
male eighth-grade student may have summed up the feeling of all the city
students in saying: "Unlike back home, things are a bit inconvenient,
but there's much more that's enjoyable. The best part of all is the many
friends I've made here." |
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