Give your students an authentic taste of Japan. Japan‑in‑a‑Suitcase is a traveling educational program that gives elementary school students a chance to experience Japanese culture, customs, and contemporary life. Choose among three topics — each aligned to grade-level TEKS — that will ignite your students’ curiosity and open their minds and hearts.
“We really enjoyed having you and the wonderful presentation on Japan. Our students are still talking about it…We want to include this for next year. At lunch yesterday, the students experienced eating with chopsticks. Some of them did quite well! Even our principal received instructions on chopsticks from the participants. It was a fun conclusion to our introduction to Japanese culture.”
-Dallas teacher
School Life in Japan
2nd – 4th Grade
Who cleans Japanese schools? Why isn’t there a cafeteria in most schools? Students will discover the answers to these questions and more through a presentation of Japanese school items. They will learn to count to ten and make a bookmark, writing simple Japanese “letters” with a calligraphy pen.
Daily Life in Japan
4th – 6th Grade
Why do Japanese leave their shoes at the door? If there are no beds in a Japanese house, where do people sleep? Students will learn about Japanese homes, food, entertainment, transportation and money. They will practice Japanese manners and create an origami chopstick holder.
guidelines
- Maximum 30 students per presentation
- Presentation length: 50 minutes
- Maximum of 3 presentations per day
- Between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm
- Teacher must be present at all times during the presentation
- $100 first presentation, $50 subsequent presentations at same school/same day
- A break lasting 1 hour or more will be charged as an extra presentation
Content
All presentations include:
- Introduction to Japan’s geography
- Basic Japanese words & greetings
- Oral presentation with photos & objects
- Hands-on activity
- Teacher resource materials
Learning Partners
Japan-in-a-Suitcase is an approved program of Learning Partners – A Program of Big Thought, a nationally recognized collaboration that provides high-quality arts and cultural activities to all Dallas Independent School District elementary students each year.
Presenter
A native of Nagasaki, Japan, Mihoko Ishikawa has been a Japan-in-a-Suitcase presenter since 2008. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of Japanese culture at Japan-America Society events, at community festivals, and in classrooms throughout the year.
