WATSONVILLE — In May, a group of Pajaro Valley Unified School District students traveled to Japan, entering a new culture, sampling new food and meeting the families that would be their hosts for a week.
It is now the American students’ turn to play host.
After a 5,000-mile trip from Kawakami, Japan, 12 students arrived in Watsonville Tuesday for a five-day stay that will involve a beach picnic, a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and time in their hosts’ schools.
The Watsonville’s Sister City exchange program with Kawakami, Japan is now nearly 30 years old.
The Japanese students began their visit with a trip to the Watsonville Fire Department and to the police station.
Students traveling to Kawakami go on several sightseeing trips and to Kawakami Middle School, which is populated by about 200 seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students.
