Josho Gakuen Visit
October 2026
On October 16th, 81 Students from Josho Gakuen Junior and High School came from Osaka, Japan, all the way to Waialua to visit our STEM Learning Center (SLC)! This is their second year visiting our SLC, and we are so happy they came back to introduce a new group of students!
TOURS
After both of our schools presented, we split the Josho Gakuen students into four groups of 20 each and took them on student-led tours around our SLC. We showed them around our RECF and FTC room, and the Construction, Control Systems, and Maker Space/ Business, Media, and Documentation areas. We demonstrated how our machines worked, using our state-of-the-art equipment, specifically the Datron CNC Mill, to create our team logo out of metal! The Josho students were impressed by how we designed and created components locally and in-house.
REFLECTIONS
After the tour, we exchanged gifts with one another. Our team handed out goodie bags to every student, including local snacks and team merch! We also gave custom Team 359 Pokémon cards made using our UV printer. In return, we received a wide variety of Japanese snacks! Our team was happy to connect with the students and make memories that will last forever.
PRESENTATIONS
We started with a presentation for the Josho Gakuen students and mentors covering our background, robots, and community impact. Following this, Josho Gakuen students gave us a presentation on the nature of their school and some research projects they have worked on, sharing their discoveries and observations. Our team was surprised to see how detailed these projects were, and it showed us how hard these students work! Through the presentations, we were breaking down the language barrier while highlighting our 2 programs' accomplishments.
EXCHANGE
Despite the Japanese-to-English language barrier, we each learned so much about each other and had a great time! We got a peek into the lives of students from what seemed like a world completely different from ours, while also finding many common areas. Thank you, Josho Gakuen students and teachers, for letting us host you and getting to know you!
Check out our other program tours!