Japanese students once again had an opportunity to participate in an iconic American New Year’s tradition, the historic Rose Parade, as part of a Honda-sponsored cultural exchange program aimed at developing and deepening exchanges among the next generation of leaders of the United States and Japan.

The Tomodachi Honda Cultural Exchange Program, a partnership of the Tomodachi Initiative and Honda, selects high school students from the disaster-affected prefectures of the Great East Japan Earthquake to spend two weeks in Los Angeles and participate in several enriching activities.
Last year a group of 20 high school students from Miyagi Prefecture participated, and this year, 20 high school students from Iwate Prefecture participated in the program.

The students had an opportunity to perform original music with approximately 250 students in the local community as part of an experiential music program. They also assisted in the decoration of the American Honda float which was created within the concept of “Nature’s Hope.” The float displayed the harmony between the United States and Japan by showcasing various animals and plants found in the Sanriku Fukko National Park in the disaster-hit Tohoku region of Japan as well as national parks in the United States.

Created by the Tomodachi Initiative and Honda to develop and deepen exchanges among the next generation of leaders of the United States and Japan, the “Tomodachi Honda Cultural Exchange Program is a three-year partnership guided by Honda’s corporate slogan “The Power of Dreams.”