Page 12 - 2017 yearbook

By: Michael Cabeza
Turning Japaneza

Over this past summer, 42
students, 10 chaperons, 28 parents
and relatives, and 4 alumni, made the
trek to Asia, where they got a taste of
the Japanese culture. This trip took
the visitors through cities like Tokyo,
Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima Park, Osaka,
among others.
“Tokyo was exactly what the
group expected: fast paced, bright,
beautiful, flashy, and electric in
atmosphere,” said group leader Mr.
Charles Cleveland.
This trip focused on the life of
Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, who was in
Japan at the time the atomic bomb was
dropped on Hiroshima.
“The students knew of Father
Arrupe’s impact in the area but they
didn’t understand the extent to which
he is still respected and honored,” said
Mr. Cleveland.
The students who attended
proudly wore the name of Father Arrupe
on the back of their shirts, making the
trip a lot more than just a vacation.
“This trip expanded my cultural
knowledge and taught me how there are
such diverse cultures around the world,”
At Nara Park in Japan, sophomore Christian Trastoy gets up close and personal with one of the wild deer that frequent the location. Other than the said sophomore Federico Lozano.
wild life, Nara Park was also popular for its scenic beauty.

Trying out the Asian cuisine, eighth graders Austin San Juan, Daniel Raez, and Daniel
Jimenez, wait for the entrees at a local restaurant in Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Last year’s OSP Asia group gathers for a group picture in Hakone-machi Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa, Japan.
Hakone was the location of a noted Shinto shrine where Minamoto no Yoritomo prayed for victory.