In July, class of 2010 alumni Priscilla Chan and Emily Sheng and senior Svadharma Keerthi left for Japan, claiming their prize as first-place winners of the 2010 Japan Bowl. Filled with anticipation and excitement, the trio arrived in Japan on July 6, ready to see and absorb the world they had experienced through television, music and of course, MVHS classes.

In addition to tourist-teeming Tokyo districts including Akihabara, Shibuya and Harajuku, the team visited Ghibli Museum, a homage to animation and artists such as Hayao Miyazaki. In Kyoto, home to invigorating hot springs and magnificent temples, they spent a night at the home of a celebrated taiko player. The three also met and spoke with Princess Takamado, a member of the Japanese royal family, in a rare opportunity that most Japanese citizens have never had.

Many aspects of Japanese culture and government appealed to the team — especially the country’s efficient sanitation system.

"Everything [in Japan] gave a clean feeling and it was serene and simple, yet beautiful," Keerthi said. "I was really surprised to see the train being temporarily closed off for 10 minutes while employees cleaned the train in the subway under the airport in Osaka. It was definitely different [from] America."

Because it is so different, weaving through the streets of such a country alone is no doubt a formidable task for newcomers. Fortunately, the team traveled with the trip director and a group of Japanese college students that had been chosen to guide them through Tokyo and Kyoto, providing an opportunity for both sides to engage in cultural interaction. Since this is the first year the program incorporated student volunteers, the team members consider themselves lucky to have toured with them.

"I wanted to go to Japan before, but after this trip, it was about being able to communicate and share experiences," Sheng said.

What made this trip especially rewarding was that all three members of the team were able to take advantage of the knowledge they had accumulated during the last three to four years they had studied Japanese. Although Japan is well-equipped for foreigners with subway signs and restaurant menus in English, Chinese and Korean, the team is confident they would have survived without the translations. All of them received lavish compliments on their Japanese skills.

"Some said if they hadn't known better, they'd think I was Japanese," Chan said.

Keerthi, who is not of East Asian descent, was tickled by some native speakers' reactions when she spoke their language. “When I responded in Japanese to their broken English… some people didn’t react, [but] others would have [shocked expressions] on their [faces].”

While the work they did in class was definitely their major source of knowledge, Chan, Keerthi and Sheng agree that there were other supplementary yet important sources that propelled them to the near-native level.

"I believe what helped me the most with the language aspect when I was in Japan was all those TV dramas and other things that I did outside of class," Chan said. "It really takes passion and interest in a language and a lot of outside-the-classroom work in order to get fluent in it, not just a superficial interest that's brought on because one must [have] taken a few years of language to get into college."

The passion and interest did pay off. The team members are now winners of the highest level in a national competition, and have the memories of Japan tucked in their minds while preparing for the future.  All three have started to consider studying abroad in Japan in a few years, and their love for the language has been intensified during the ten days they spent in the country.

"The entire trip was [amazing]," Chan said. "It really is unforgettable and I hope more [MVHS] students will have the same opportunity to get such an enriching experience."