A cross-cultural voyage: Campbell High School meets Fukuoka's student mariners

HONOLULU - Campbell High School students had a unique opportunity Thursday, when they visited the Kaiyu Maru, a 698-ton Japanese training vessel from Fukuoka. Moored at Aloha Tower, the ship acts as a floating classroom and home for 52 students from Fukuoka Suisan High School on their 4,393-mile journey across the Pacific. In their senior year, Suisan students undertake this two-month-long culminating experience.

Built collaboratively by fishery schools in Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Yamaguchi, the Kaiyu Maru embodies the rich maritime traditions of Japan while serving as a bridge between cultures, allowing young people to share their lives and heritage with peers from across the world.

For students from both schools, the visit offered a chance to see the world through the eyes of their international peers. (Suisan High School has an exchange partnership with HIDOE high schools including Campbell, Radford and Roosevelt.)

Honored guests including Superintendent Keith Hayashi, First Lady Jaime Kenani Green, Hawai'i Senate Vice President and Education Committee Chairwoman Michelle Kidani, and Japanese Consul Keiko Okawa joined the students for a tour of the Kaiyu Maru.

Led by Captain Kazuhiro Totoki and Fukuoka Suisan High School Principal Takehiko Koga, the tour highlighted the work and dedication of Japanese students on this educational journey. Students listened attentively as they were shown the ship's bridge, sleeping quarters, classrooms, mess hall and bathing areas. Campbell students gained insight into the structured, communal life aboard the Kaiyu Maru, where discipline and teamwork are as essential as academics.

Fukuoka students also performed traditional dances and skits for guests. The tour concluded with a hands-on kumihimo lesson, a traditional Japanese braiding art. Side by side, Campbell and Fukuoka students braided strings, exchanging tips, laughter and encouragement. The intricate braids symbolized the interweaving of their cultures and experiences, creating bonds that transcend language and geography.