The Honourable Dave Levac, The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (second from right),
welcomes students from Seiwa Gakuen of Sendai, Japan, along with those of Toronto's Malvern Collegiate Institute
to Queen's Park, as Consul-General of Japan Eiji Yamamoto (far right) looks on.
KIZUNA Project Brings Students from Earthquake-Affected Area to Toronto
Twenty-four students from Seiwa Gakuen high school in Sendai, Japan, an area affected severely by the Great East Japan Earthquake, were in Toronto on exchange with Malvern Collegiate Institute as part of the KIZUNA Project. They came in Canada subsequent to the visit to Japan earlier this month by Malvern students. The Japanese students were in Toronto March 16 to 22.
Japan has undergone a remarkably swift recovery since the disaster, which struck March 11, 2011, taking the lives of approximately 16,000 people and devastating the infrastructure and economy of the region. While many challenges still remain, the resilience of the local people has returned stability in many aspects of their lives. In order to promote understanding of Japan’s revitalization among the international community, more than 10,000 youths from 41 countries and regions took part in the KIZUNA Project over the past year, with those from outside Japan participating in exchanges with schools in regions affected by the earthquake.
One hundred students from Canada participated in the project with representation from Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Vancouver. At the same time, 100 Japanese students from the affected areas visited the same Canadian cities.
Kizuna refers the ties that bind human relations, and the Project was also an opportunity for Japan to share its experiences in dealing with this unprecedented disaster, as well as to express its heartfelt appreciation to friends worldwide who extended invaluable support in its time of need.
While in Toronto, the students from Seiwa Gakuen visited Queen's Park on March 18, and met with the Honourable Dave Levac, The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, as well as the Honourable David C. Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. They also on the same day gave a presentation at the Japan Foundation, Toronto, courageously recounting their first-hand accounts of the disaster. That evening, they attended a reception in their honour at the ofiicial residence of the Consul-General of Japan, Mr. Eiji Yamamoto.
During the course of the week, the students also visited the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, where they learned about the history of Japanese Canadians, as well as the Kortright Centre, where they saw how maple syrup was made. They also took part in school activities at Malvern Collegiate, and formed friendships that are certain to last a lifetime. They departed Toronto on March 22 to fly to Victoria and see the debris that have crossed the Pacific since the earthquake and have reached Canadian shores.
Consul-General Yamamoto with the Honourable David C. Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Seiwa Gakuen and Malvern Students pose for a group shot with His Honour and the Consul-General.
Seiwa Gakuen students present first-hand accounts of the disaster.
Demonstrating the Sparrow Dance that originates from their region.
Deputy Consul-General Tetsuya Yoshimoto (centre left) and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre's
Special Ambassador Sid Ikeda (centre right) learn the dance from the students.
Seiwa Gakuen students are honoured at a special reception at the Consul-General's official residence.
Taking in a class at Malvern.
Lunch at Malvern Collegiate Institute.
Learning the history of Japanese in Canada at the JCCC.
Learning about maple syrup at the Kortright Centre.