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More Nagoya Exchange Program Participants Reunite
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Former students, hosts, and staff celebrate 50 years since the first exchange.

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      The Nagoya Study Tour program continued the celebration of its 50th anniversary with the reunion of another group of alumni in September, including several from the program’s first year.
       A collaborative effort between the Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN) and the University of Utah, the exchange program brought more than 300 students from Nagoya, Japan, to Utah and the United States over the course of nearly 30 years, from 1963 to 1992. In July of this year, seven former exchange students from Nagoya came back to the U to reunite with members of their Salt Lake City host families and U employees who had helped with the program over the years. Several more former participants reunited for a celebration at the U on September 11, including alumni Teruo Nakayama, an exchange student in 1965; Shun-ichi Yamamoto, from 1969; Goro Yamauchi, Kojuro Yamamoto, and Sei Kobayashi, who came in 1970; Hiroshi Hatano, 1981; and Kazuhiko Ohshima, from 1987; as well as 1963 exchange alumni Teruo Ishii, Akira Sekino, and Dr. Keiichiro Tsuji, now chairman of the Association of Former NBN Students.
      
 
Reunion participants gather at the U’s Park Building: front row, Nelly Divricean, Kazuhiko Ohshima, Mitsuko Tsuji, and Rie Ohshima; second row, Joan Young, Sei Kobayashi, Keiichiro Tsuji, and Mayumi Call; third row, Melvin Young, Michael Hardman, Teruo Ishii, Kojuro Yamamoto, and Vern Call; and top row, John Ashton, Hiroshi Hatano, Goro Yamauchi, Teruo Nakayama, and Akira Sekino.
       
       In the morning, the group met with Michael Hardman BS’71 MEd’73 PhD’75, the U's chief global officer; John Ashton BS’66 JD’69, the Alumni Association's executive director, Nelly Divricean BS’09 MS’12, international alumni relations manager; and other University staff and guests. Hardman talked about the new University of Utah Asia Campus in Songdo, South Korea, and each former student had the chance to talk about their experience at the U and their life after they went back to Japan.     
       A luncheon reception for the program alumni and their host families was then held at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City. Ashton again welcomed everyone back together, and Tsuji talked about the lifelong connections that developed through the program. Each former student shared more stories about their time at the U, and Teruo Ishii led the group in singing a few songs together, in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and English.
       After the main reunion events, the group enjoyed a few more days in Salt Lake City, visiting other U entities such as the School of Business and the College of Engineering, hiking at Snowbird Resort, and spending time with their friends.    
  
 
From left, Kazuhiko Ohshima, Kojuro Yamamoto, Patricia Jarvis (wife of former program director Boyer Jarvis), and Mark Johnston look at keepsakes and photos that alumni had displayed to share.
      
       The Nagoya exchange program was the brainchild of then University of Utah President A. Ray Olpin and was sponsored by NBN. Japanese students visited the United States for five weeks each summer, all expenses paid, staying in University of Utah dorms while studying at the U, touring the nation (including not just visits to classic “tourist” spots but also meeting with select professors on various campuses), and then living with host families in Salt Lake City. Long-lasting relationships developed over the years, and many of the host families from Utah later visited their students in Japan.
       About 10 students were chosen for the Nagoya program each summer during a rigorous selection process (often from 150 to 250 applicants). At the U, the students attended special seminars on English, American History, geography, politics, and western customs (as well as regular summer classes of their choice). The students then spent a few weeks touring the United States (Las Vegas; the Grand Canyon; New York; Boston; Washington, D.C.; and other destinations). After their travels, they returned to Salt Lake City for a “home stay” with a local family, experiencing American family life and sharing some of their own traditions. 
       University of Utah alum Mark Johnston HBS'86 MD'90 was one of a few American undergraduate students from the U who were able to go on exchange to Japan during the program, becoming friends with many of the Japanese exchange alumni. But because of the great expense, the America-to-Japan aspect of the student exchange program lasted only a few years. 
      
Teruo Ishii plays the guitar and leads the group in song at the September luncheon, while Sei Kobayashi joins in.
       
 Olpin was inspired to initiate the exchange program following a visit to Japan in the spring of 1963. His interest in Japan and intercultural exchange brought him into contact with Shotoro Kamiya, founder and then president of NBN, who was looking to celebrate the successful first year of his company. Olpin suggested that NBN sponsor Japanese college students on a study tour of the United States, with the U as host. Kamiya agreed with the proposal, and Olpin contacted Boyer Jarvis, then head of the summer school at the U and assistant to the president, asking him to make arrangements for that summer. The Nagoya Study Tour was born.
 The program changed lives. Many alumni cite their exchange experience as impacting them for the better in numerous ways, expanding how they saw themselves and the world. Mel Young, program director for more than 20 years, says, “The Nagoya Study Tour has been a great catalyst in fostering understanding between Utah and Japan,” resulting in many business and educational exchanges, in addition to personal friendships.
 Special thanks to former administrator Young and his family for helping organize the 50th anniversary celebration. To learn more about the participants and activities of the July alumni gathering, click here.
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Dr. Keiichiro Tsuji speaks to the group at the September luncheon.





Participants enjoy the lunch buffet.





Shun-ichi Yamamoto talks with Conan Grames. Grames' parents were a host family in Utah, and he later lived in Japan.




Kojuro Yamamoto shares a recollection.


 


Boyer Jarvis chats with Hiroshi Hatano.




Goro Yamauchi speaks to the group.




Michael Sanders and Kojuro Yamamoto look at a keepsake together. Sanders drove the exchange students on their tours of the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming friends with many.
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