Senior Paul Fertitta went on a 10-day study trip to Japan this past summer with 25 other Fairfax County students.

For how long have you been studying Japanese?

I have been taking it since first grade. I’m doing the IB Diploma so I need more years than the usual diploma.

How were you picked for this trip? What organization(s) allowed for this to happen?

It’s the new Kakehashi project. I got picked by filling out an application, then our teacher reviewed it with two other teachers. He liked my application so I got to go.

What places did you visit? Which was your favorite?

We went to Tokyo and then we went to a city two hours south called Mie. It was more like a state. We went to Kyoto which was probably my favorite; we got to see the history of it and it had really cool temples.

What part of the Japanese society stood out the most to you? How did it compare to society in Northern Virginia?

I kind of liked how everyone was really nice. Even if you bumped into them, they’d apologize. You don’t have that in America.

What was your favorite part of the trip and why?

My favorite part of the trip was probably the homestay that we did for two nights. It was really cool to experience life as a Japanese teenager.

If you ever get the chance, would you like to go back to Japan?

Yes, Japan was such a lovely country. It was so much fun. It was so cool experiencing all the culture and tasting all the food.