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Photo Information

Students from the Shunan International Children’s Club (SICC) dress American children in Kimonos during a cultural class at the School Age Care Center on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Aug 20, 2019. This event brought students from SICC to MCAS Iwakuni in order to give the American children the opportunity to experience Japanese culture first-hand. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Triton Lai)

Photo by Pfc. Triton Lai

Children from MCAS Iwakuni experience Japanese culture first-hand

27 Aug 2019 | Pfc. Triton Lai Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan

Forty students from the Shunan International Children’s Club in Shunan City visited MCAS Iwakuni to attend the class and interact with American children.

During the event the children dressed in Kimonos, performed a dance, practiced calligraphy and arranged flowers.

The class is an annual event that allows children from two different cultures to interact with each other. The event was a collaboration that was coordinated by Mamoru Sasamura, the director of Shunan International Children’s Club for Americans and Japanese and Eugene Clark, the director of the Youth and Teen Center.

Sasamura said the class was a good way, to support each other as neighbors.

Sasamura and Clark have been working on and coordinating events together for more than 20 years.

“Sasamura and I have a good relationship, the club comes to all of our major events,” said Clark. “It’s a cultural change that the families and kids love. Kids are gonna be kids no matter where they are around the world.”


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