NAWILIWILI — The students never thought they would be building a canoe using ropes, said Kyoko Ikeda, the coordinator and English instructor for Toyama National College of Technology. Ten students and two instructors from the Japanese college have been spending
NAWILIWILI — The students never thought they would be building a canoe using ropes, said Kyoko Ikeda, the coordinator and English instructor for Toyama National College of Technology.
Ten students and two instructors from the Japanese college have been spending the past two weeks learning and applying what they’ve learned at Kaua‘i Community College, Ikeda said.
“The highlight of their trip here is working on Namahoe, the Kaua‘i discovery sailing canoe,” said Dennis Chun, the KCC Hawaiian Studies instructor, who along with several other KCC staff members and volunteers joined the students in working at the canoe housed at Nawiliwili Harbor.
Ikeda said the trip to Kaua‘i is a result of an earlier memorandum of agreement signed between Toyama college and KCC in the summer.
“Tomaki Oku, one of the instructors who was here for the signing, said he is in awe that, just several months ago, the agreement was signed and he is back with students,” Ikeda said.
The agreement is on a year-to-year basis and renewable through mutual agreement of both sides, Ikeda said.
Students range from the equivalent of American 10th grade through students up to 25 years old.
“We have three ‘advanced’ students who would be between 21-23 years old; one equal to high school 11th grade and the rest equal to high school 10th grade,” Ikeda said. “The students in the ‘advanced’ team are doing their own research, which involves calculations based on data gathered.”
Ikeda said the actual calculations involving the displacement of Namahoe under various load and weather conditions will be done when the students return to Japan. Those findings are critical to Namahoe’s crew, and will be sent back once completed.
“It’s good the students have this as a learning experience, and it’s especially rewarding for them to know they have something to give back,” Ikeda said.
The trip has been a whirlwind for the students, who when not working in the classroom or at the canoe, continue to work in other areas, practicing their English and translating into Hawaiian and Japanese.
During the nighttime hours, Chun and several other instructors have been working with the students in studying Hawaiian stars and their use in navigation.
“This is an amazing program,” Ikeda said. “The program is not a required one, but is intended for those who need opportunity to change.”
She said one of the most amazing and rewarding aspects of the trip is to watch the eyes of the students light up when they realize they are applying lessons they learned back in Japan.
“For example, they have been learning how to tie different knots from studying books in school,” Ikeda said. “But now, they are using what they learned to lash decking to Namahoe. The students never realized that what they learned back home would one day be used to build a boat.”
For more information on the Toyama college, visit its Web site at www.toyama-nct.ac.jp/etop/etop.html.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
