ALBANY, Ore. — In the backyard of The Wright Place, a small family farm in Albany, Sakuya Hattori darted across the grass, clutching a football as three brothers chased him in laughter.
His suitcase lay open in the living room, packed with Oregon souvenirs: sweets, keychains and jars of honey, ready for the 4,800-mile journey back home to Gifu, Japan.
In just a few hours, Sakuya, 15, would board a flight at Portland International Airport, ending his three-week trip in Oregon.
“It was my first time being outside of Japan," Sakuya said in Japanese. “I wanted to experience another culture and lifestyle."
“It opens the minds of our young people and families in America. We have different cultures, but in the end, we’re all the same people. Keeping those lines of communication open helps us grow.”
Sakuya came to Oregon through the Labo International Exchange Foundation Party, a language learning and cultural exchange youth program in Japan, which collaborates with the Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H’s inbound exchange to match international delegates with host families for homestays.
This summer, OSU Extension 4-H welcomed 14 youths from Japan, two delegates from South Korea and three chaperones. The program is coordinated through OSU Extension in partnership with the State’s 4-H International Exchange Programs in Seattle. Since 1973, Oregon has hosted 4,509 delegates, the most among all the participating states.
Learning beyond language
Life on the Wrights’ farm was unlike anything Sakuya had experienced. Back home, although Gifu is a mountain town with both urban and rural areas, he had rarely been around animals. For example, he stood back when he first saw the family cat, Lucy, but by the end of his stay, Lucy was curled up on his lap.
“I've never had a pet before, so seeing pets and animals here are something new and fun,” Sakuya said. “My host family is really kind and lets me try new things every day.”
When a cow named Bingo escaped the pasture one evening, Sakuya helped the Wrights guide it safely back, despite his hesitation around large livestock.
“He jumped right in to help,” said Perry Wright, who farms and raises animals with his wife, Nikki, and their three sons, Owen, Micah and Lucas. “He’s just like one of the brothers.”
Sakuya joined the Wrights on trips across the state, visiting Crater Lake National Park, the coast and the Tillamook Creamery. He went camping for the first time, where he learned how to pitch a tent, roast marshmallows to make s’mores and try river fishing.
Hosting an international student was a first for the Wrights. Perry said the experience encouraged them to explore Oregon more deeply as a family, something they might not have done otherwise.
“Oregon was known for its valley, the coast and the high desert. So, we aim to get Sakuya to experience all three of those things,” Perry said. “Language barrier was a little bit tough, but when he was surrounded by the scenery, it spoke louder than words.”
At home, communication often relied on Google Translate and plenty of gestures.
“You could see him thinking hard about what words to use in English,” Nikki said. “He came out of his shell so much after arriving.”
“If we do it again, I hope we will have more time to prepare and to learn more Japanese language,” Perry added.
For kids, hobbies and activities can form friendships across language barriers. Sakuya quickly joined games of basketball and soccer in the backyard, learning to hit golf balls and introducing the Wrights to Japanese games he brought from home, like a sushi chopstick board game and origami.
He also experienced honey spinning, helping bottle the Wrights’ fresh honey, which he brought home as gifts. Food, naturally, became part of the learning.
"After seeing what we eat, he probably thinks Americans just eat meat and ice cream,” Perry joked. “We had ice cream every other day.”
Finding common ground
The 4-H inbound exchange is coordinated by Jon Gandy, 4-H statewide volunteer manager and international program coordinator. Gandy matches international delegates with host families, surveys their hobbies and personalities to ensure a good fit. Families undergo background checks and complete a cultural orientation before hosting.
The orientation includes a booklet about Japanese and Korean customs, from food preferences to taking off shoes indoors to longer bath routines.
Nikki said her family was surprised by how quickly Sakuya adapted. She was happy to see him go from being too shy to speak on day one to feeling comfortable lying with the brothers on the couch and grabbing food when he needed it.
They adjusted some family routines to make him feel at home, such as putting their sons in the same room to give Sakuya his own space and keeping the floors extra tidy, since Japanese families typically walk barefoot indoors.
“That’s what we’d hope for our own kids if they ever went overseas — to be cared for and respected,” Nikki said.
For Owen Wright, 14, a 4-H member who shows pigs, the experience offered a new kind of learning.
“It was my first time making friends with someone from another country,” he said. “At first, the language was hard, but we used apps and hand gestures and laughed a lot when we couldn’t find the words.”
Sakuya said he can feel his English has improved little by little.
“In Japan, we study English, but we don’t get many chances to use it in daily conversation. Here, I learned how to actually talk in English in real life," he said.
Before the program ended, Sakuya showed the Wright family a photo album of his life in Japan and gave them traditional Yukata robes as souvenirs. He said he hoped to write letters and stay in touch.
“We hope to keep in touch with Sakuya, too," Perry said. "And maybe it’ll spur a trip to Japan for us.”
A global connection
It's Gandy's second year supervising the program, but he knows the farewells at the end of the three-week program are always emotional.
“You see tears in the eyes of both the kids and host families,” he said. “Seeing that connection had grown so close just in three weeks was incredible. These are connections that can last even decades.”
“It opens the minds of our young people and families in America,” he added. “We have different cultures, but in the end, we’re all the same people. Keeping those lines of communication open helps us grow.”
Weeks after the delegates left, Gandy received a stack of handwritten letters in his office. They were the greeting letters from Japan that the kids wrote before they came and thank-you postcards from the kids after they returned to Japan, which all arrived late due to international mailing. The letters are in English, with simple sentences but tremendous warmth and excitement.
“Hello! I’m Yume Suzuki. I’m going to stay in Oregon. I’m so excited for my homestay. I’d like to talk to many people. I can go to Oregon thanks to you. I’m looking forward to meeting you.”
“Dear Jon Gandy, thank you for coordinating my homestay. I was able to meet a kind family and make new friends, making it an unforgettable and precious month. Please give my best regards to both of them.”
Next year marks the 75th anniversary of the 4-H inbound exchange, a milestone that celebrates decades of shared meals, homes, stories and friendships, like the one between Sakuya and the Wrights, where connection always finds a way, even across languages and oceans.
Families interested in hosting international delegates can apply to become a 4-H inbound host family for next summer. Oregon 4-H also offers outbound exchange opportunities for teens ages 13–18 to explore new cultures in Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan, Korea and Taiwan through summer or year-long programs abroad.
For more information about upcoming 4-H international exchange programs or hosting opportunities, visit the OSU Extension 4-H International Exchange webpage.
