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This year 30 youths were invited to the ten days South Asian High School Students Invitation Program from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. This innovative program was set up by the Government of Japan to enable promising high school students from South Asian countries to gain insights into aspects of contemporary Japanese society and thus strengthening the relations between Japan and South Asian countries. Ms. Annie Acharya, Ms. Pauline Limbu, Ms. Priyanka Joshi, Ms. Shaileshwori Sharma with an escort teacher, Ms. Sarojna Rai from St. Mary's School, participated in the program from December 1 to 10, 2003.

Each day offered the chance to explore different aspects of Japanese society such as industry, commerce, education, the environment, history and religion. From start to finish, the schedule was extremely intensive, including a day trip to Hiroshima, a visit to the peace memorial park and museum, a visit to Kyoto, the Kanto International High School, museum, disposal center, etc. and sightseeing in Tokyo. To give them a feel for Japanese family life, both students and teachers stayed with host families, too. Opportunities were given throughout the trip for students to ask questions and compare their experiences to life in Nepal.

Japanese and all other participants from South Asian countries interacted with one another, despite the obvious language barriers. By the end of the trip, it was clear that friendship had been established between individuals as well as between Nepal and Japan. Feedback from the Nepali participants included comments such as: "Japanese people are loyal, sincere and honest. We were extremely impressed that a high level of cultural ethics has been maintained in a new technologically advanced country like Japan."

Ms. Sarojna Rai, an escort teacher, comments: "It was indeed an innovative and fruitful program for all of the participants. Sharing of knowledge and feelings among the Japanese and fellow students of neighboring countries helped us to enrich our knowledge and understanding of the wider world. The lessons of individuality, punctuality, independence and warmth learnt from Japan are going to last us a lifetime."