http://www.newsok.com/article/2828578/

Japanese students get taste of Oklahoma

By Judy Gibbs Robinson
The Oklahoman

NORMAN - Three dozen Japanese college students are getting a taste of
Oklahoma this week during a first-ever trip to America's heartland for a
72-year-old cultural exchange program.

The Japan-America Student Conference, founded in 1934, usually meets in
cities and campuses on the East and West coasts, Executive Director Regina
McGarvey said.

"The students actually came to me at the end of last year's conference in
Japan and said, 'We want to learn about the 'red state' phenomenon, and we
want to visit a mega church,'" McGarvey said.

The four-day stay at the University of Oklahoma also may open eyes among
the 36 American students traveling and studying with the same number of
Japanese students.

"I've been looking forward to this for a year," said Sheehan Scarborough of
Harvard University. "I've only been to the East Coast and the West Coast
and I knew America is more than that."

American Indian debut

Every year, 72 students -- half Japanese and half American -- are chosen to
travel together in one country or the other while studying and discussing
global problems of their choosing.

The University of Oklahoma agreed to host the students for one of the
conference's three weeks. They already have visited Cornell University, New
York City and Washington. Their last stop will be San Francisco.

Students arrived on three flights Tuesday night and attended a welcome
reception. They spent much of Wednesday learning about contemporary
American Indian issues from a who's-who of Oklahoma tribal, academic and
cultural leaders.

The session was an eye-opener for Marie Kanke of Keio University.

"The only thing I know about the Native American is a movie about the
western United States," Kanke said. "I was really impressed that they have
tradition but also begin to integrate," she said.

American students also had plenty to learn, said Jason Knudson of
Occidental College.

"People in this conference are from all around the United States, so a lot
of people don't know that much about Native American culture," he said.

Global ties sought

Japan also has indigenous people, and one goal of the Oklahoma stop is to
allow students to make connections between the groups.

"We're hoping students can draw comparisons between issues in the U.S. and
Japan and apply it in a global context," said Ken-Cheng Hsiang of
Washington and Lee University, the Oklahoma site coordinator.

Today, the students plan to visit the American Indian Exposition in
Anadarko. Friday, they will see the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the
National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and the state
Capitol.

Between excursions, the students work in teams studying and discussing
international issues they have chosen.

The conference ends with presentations on what they've learned.

"We fill their head with more knowledge than they can handle," McGarvey
said. "But the real lasting thing that happens ... they become really,
really good friends."