“True friends stay
with you no matter
the distance or time
that separates you
from them.”
Lance Reynald

It was the luck of the draw. When I was first invited to escort a group of students from St. Lawrence Academy to Nagasaki, Japan for a homestay visit in November 1998, I learned that my host student would be Saori Komoda, a 16-year-old tenth-grade student at Junshin Girls’ High School. She and her parents lived in the town of Sotome, about 45-minutes by bus from the school. My two-week visit to the school was memorable, but the highlight of the visit was the time I spent with Saori and her parents at their home. They welcomed me as family.

Today, twenty-eight years later, Saori is visiting San José with her soon-to-be 16-year-old daughter, Saki. Saori wanted Saki to experience life in the United States, so they took advantage of a one-week national holiday in Japan to visit us. We spent Monday and Tuesday playing tourist in San Francisco. Yesterday, Saki spent a good part of the day at Presentation High School in San José to get a feel for high school life in the U.S. Today, she enjoyed several hours on the campus of The Harker Upper School where she made quick friends with her host student, Momo, who is fluent in Japanese. These experiences have been priceless for Saki.

Tomorrow, Saki will spend the day at Notre Dame High School in San José. Like Presentation and Notre Dame, Saki’s high school in Sasebo, Japan is an all-girls Catholic school. While there are similarities in the experience, it should come as no surprise that Saki has noticed myriad differences in the schools. Japanese schools, for the most part, continue to feature very traditional styles of learning, while American schools have introduced countless innovative approaches to learning that seem to enhance student learning significantly.

It has been an absolute joy to watch Saki come out of her shell as she gains confidence daily realizing that she really can speak English well enough to be understood. She has studied English for the past three years. As is so often the case, Saki became quite proficient at writing English, but speaking is a challenge, as there are few opportunities for Japanese students to speak English with native English speakers. 

Saki and Saori visited here eight years ago, but Saki has only sketchy memories of that visit. By the time she boards her flight back to Japan tomorrow night, she will have a lifetime of unforgettable memories of her 2026 visit to California. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to welcome Saori and Saki into our home once again. Despite the almost 6,000 miles between our cities, Saori and I have maintained our friendship for 28 years. I expect that it will continue for many more.