Kaho Asai | The Chronicle
Mason High School (MHS) accumulates a number of new students every year. Many come from neighboring counties or states, but for some, they are new to the country entirely, and have left their homes for an unfamiliar place 6,000 miles away.
Some manufacturing companies in Japan frequently send their employees to divisions of the corporation in the United States for a few years, resulting in entire families having to move across the world. This is the case for multiple Japanese families living in Mason, with their children attending Mason City Schools. These students must navigate living in an entirely new country with a different language. Not only do they have to adapt to this change, they also have to keep up with their studies back in Japan, because their families will be moving back after only a few years.
Sophomore Sakura Tomii moved to America because of her father’s job in 2022. Her family plans to move back to Japan next February, resulting in almost five years living in the United States. She said that during the years she has been in America, she has worked with online tutors to help her study.
“On Tuesdays and Thursdays I meet with a Japanese tutor for an hour [each],” Tomii said. “Tuesdays I learn Japanese language arts, [and] on Thursdays I learn English, the English that’s taught in Japan. Then on Wednesdays I meet with an American teacher for an hour to study for the Eiken.”
The Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency is a nationally recognized English assessment program in Japan, backed by the Japanese government. Tomii said she attends her Japanese tutor classes along with a full lineup of classes at Mason High School.
“I do assignments given to me by my tutor, and have them teach me things I need help with or watch video lessons from them,” Tomii said. “It’s hard to balance that with my American high school work. Since I usually get assignments every day from school, I work on that first, and then have a set time for my Japanese studies. So I do both every day.”
When she first moved to America, Tomii said she experienced a big culture shock. There were so many differences between school in America and what she was used to in Japan. She said she was surprised by things like how diverse the students were, the variety in classroom layouts and the amount of lockers in the hallways.
“[It was like] coming to a place I only see on TV,” Tomii said. “Everyone is so friendly. I get complimented on my clothes a lot. Japanese people don’t really mind what you’re wearing, but here, if someone likes your outfit, they’ll speak out about it.”
Kai Omura is a sophomore at MHS but also attends the Japanese Language School of Greater Cincinnati (JLS). JLS provides students pre-K to 12th grade a full day of classes every Saturday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., using textbooks and curriculums also used by schools in Japan. He said he moved to America four years ago due to his father’s job at Horkos Corporation and has been attending ever JLS since.
“I try to finish all my [American] high school work during my study hall so I can minimize the time I need to work on it at home,” Omura said. “But JLS doesn’t give too much homework, so [balancing my work] isn’t impossible.”
Omura said the language barrier was his biggest challenge at the beginning of his years in America. Not only was he a completely new student unfamiliar with his teachers, his classmates, the school and its culture, but he also had trouble communicating with everyone around him.
“I was so nervous and I had no idea what anyone was saying,” Omura said. “The whole time I was anxious if I was in the right classroom. Even if I could say what I wanted, my pronunciation would sometimes be too bad for them to understand. Even now, I sometimes can’t communicate well.”
Sophomore Masahiro Kitabayashi moved to America this past July, and his family is planning to stay for two years. In Japan, middle school is from seventh to ninth grade and high school is from 10th to 12th. Kitabayashi said he left Japan just before starting his high school years and will be returning right before he enters college. This means he must do his studying for Japanese college entrance exams while in America.
“Since I just moved here, right now I’ve mostly only been studying English,” Kitabayashi said. “I hope to start adding [Japanese work] little by little. I’m just completely occupied with English [right now].”
Even though the change will be difficult, Kitabayashi said he is looking forward to unique American experiences and taking advantage of opportunities here. He said he is excited for the highly enthusiastic festivities surrounding holidays like Halloween and Christmas, the chance to befriend people of different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities and high level sports events. He has already experienced an event that made him excited for more to come.
“At the Cincinnati Open – I really like tennis and played [back in Japan] – I got a sign from [one of the players] Nishikori,” Kitayabashi said. “Even just that makes me glad I moved here.”
For Tomii, when reflecting on her past five years in the United States, she said she is grateful for the experience. She said that right after moving, she was disappointed because of all the things in Japan she would miss out on and the plans she had to give up, but her perspective has now changed.
“At first I really wanted to go back [to Japan], and every day I said ‘I want to go home, I want to go home,’” Tomii said. “My mentality has [now] become a lot stronger, and I’ve grown in so many ways. I’ve gotten to meet all kinds of new people and my sense of self has changed a lot.”
