ポートランド語学研修生歓迎会挨拶 7月16日

Farewell Ceremony Speech For Roosevelt High School

Hello, everyone.

Are you having a good time in your school life?

Today I feel a little sad, because the students from Roosevelt high school are going back to their country.

 First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you for visiting our school. And also I’d like to say thank you to everyone in our school for making this program a great success. Above all a special thank you goes to all the host students and particularly to their families.

You have shared a school life with our students and spent a home stay with host families. During your home stay, you visited Koyasan and Kyoto.

Koyasan was founded by Kobo Daishi, Kukai 1,200 years ago. Kobo Daishi (Kukai) had two visions for Koyasan. The first was creating a site for prayer for the betterment of society and the people living in it. The second was training talented people to contribute to the happiness of that society and those people. Koyasan has for many years preserved traditional religion as a fundamental part of Japanese spirituality. Whether you consider yourself a believer or non-believer, there is a deep part of the Japanese mentality and spirit that comes from these traditions.

Kyoto is a historical city and has a number of historical sites, boasting a long history and culture. Kyoto used to be the location where the imperial family resided and was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years. As a result, it developed as a center of politics and culture. Now, Kyoto is one of the most popular destinations for tourists, where tens of millions visit every year.

I’m very happy that you enjoyed Japanese life and home-stay life.

Anyway, thank you so much for your kindness and corporation.

May you be happy and have a good luck.

Never forget visiting our school, and please get to love our school even more.

Thank you so much for listening. (Thank you so much for your attention.)