08/12/2026
Global Kids DC youth leaders spent the second half of their global citizenship journey in Tokyo listening, learning, and building understanding across cultures. 🇯🇵
At Kaetsu Gakuen, a Tokyo high school, our students sat with Japanese educators and peers to learn firsthand what school, leadership, and daily life look like on the other side of the world, then joined their new friends in cultural exchange through music, dance, and performance.
Our students also sat in on an Artist Panel on arts, cultural exchange, and living abroad in the diaspora, hearing directly from artists navigating identity, creativity, and belonging across two worlds. They also visited the U.S. Embassy to learn about diplomacy and international careers, and paused for a quiet moment of reflection at Shinagawa Central Garden, making paper cranes in remembrance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through these experiences, our students engaged with history, identity, and responsibility in ways no textbook could teach.
The week closed with a farewell dinner cruise on a traditional Yakatabune and a group reflection where students named what they’ll carry home with them, not souvenirs, but perspective.
This is what intentional global education looks like: young people showing up with open minds, honoring history, and building real connection across borders.
DC Parks & Recreation
