Students from Anaheim's sister city Mito, Japan, immerse themselves in language and culture

Big very big. That's what the 20 students from Mito, Japan Anaheim's sister city had to say about their impressions of America and American life at the end of their two-week stay in this city. The group of 16 girls, four boys and their teacher lived with 11 host families in Anaheim and Anaheim Hills. The group included 10 high school students and 10 college students. All of the scholars have spent at least six years studying English and came here to practice then- language skills, learn firsthand about American culture, and, of course, take in some sun at the beach and do some shopping. Their weekday itinerary included lessons in language and conversation, history, culture (such as traditions and holiday), and outings to local museums. The students spent weekends with their host families, who planned individual trips to Sea World, the Getty Center, and hosted barbecues. Marne Colby, a 27-year-old second-grade teacher in Buena Park, served as the Japanese students' instructor for their two ays, however, that she felt more like their friend and hopes to plan her own trip to Japan soon. "I felt more like their friend, than their teacher," she said. Mutsumi Hosoya, an English-language teacher at a junior high school in Mito, accompanied the students on their journey and also stayed with a host family. She said the students quickly found their footing in America despite some initial anxiety about being immersed in a new culture. In the end, she says, Japan and America are not so different. "Japan is now a copy of America," Hosoya says of trends and values in the two countries. But the two countries are not so similar that the students were left unimpressed by American culture. Several students said they were surprised to see the diverse makeup of America's demographics. "There are many ethnic people, it doesn't matter," Rie Suzuki said. "Asian people, black people, white people; all mixed." The 19-year-old studies American and English literature at Ibaraki Christian University and said she wants to learn more about American culture. Others put a lot of weight figuratively, not literally in the role food plays in American culture. The size of it, the variety of restaurants, and even Americans' take on sushi. Yuji Kanazawa, a 16-year-old high school student, said he liked California rolls, sushi stuffed with crab and avocado, although it would be considered an oddity in Japan. Others were overwhelmed by the size of traditional American fare such as burgers, steaks, and "Japanese food and American food are so different," Suzuki said. "Japanese treasure food. American food is a lot, very big. If people leave food, they throw it away." Yoko Miyazaki, a 21-year-old French literature major at Aoyamagakuin University, said she was most impressed by the array of cuisines available. Although there is some variety in Japan, she said it does not compare to American restaurants. Twenty students from Mito, Mito, Japan, Anaheim's sister city, spent two weeks here. They are, Back Row from left, Manabu Shimizu, Hiroki Miura, Ayumi Shibanuma, Noriko Fujita, Eriko Inoue, Yoshinori Hirose and Yuji Kanazawa, middle from left, Yoko Miyazaki, Rie Suzuki, Megumi Kaneko, Emi Uedo, Eriko Kogawa, Chiemi Tomisawa and front from left, Nobuka Sagawa, Akiko Kitanaka, Yukie Tachihara, Machiko Miyashita, Yuko Funkanuma, Yumi Suzuki and Chihiro Kuwano. VOICES FROM MITO AND ANAHEIM "Japanese treasure food. American food is a lot, very big. If people leave food, they throw it away." REE SUZUKI "Japan is now a copy of America." MUTSUMI HOSOYA "In America they have a lot of cultures and many countries' restaurants. People here enjoy all countries' tastes." YOKO MIYAZAKI "I don't have children. But I have 26 Japanese girls."