Tokyo, Kemendikbudristek — Indonesian students forged global friendships with Japanese counterparts while gaining firsthand experience in Japanese arts and cultural discipline from November 20 to 22, 2023, through the Tokyo Inbound Exchange Program (IEP) 2023.
The Tokyo IEP 2023 is a collaborative program between the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. The program brought together 12 selected high school students from various regions in Indonesia, actively participating in a fun-filled program at Oizumi High School, Japan.
The participants of the Tokyo IEP 2023 program include Carissa Aurelia Wibowo (SMK Negeri 57 Jakarta), Rizky Pratama (SMK TI Muhammadiyah Cikampek), Salsa Nurohman Putri (SMK Ma’arif NU 2 Ajiabarang), Raka Adian (SMK Negeri 2 Klaten), Rr. Nur Sheyla Yulia Wahyuningsih Widodo (SMK PGRI 3 Malang), Shafina Dian Kusumawardani (SMKN 6 Surabaya).
Additionally, Nabil Annasai Yusuf (SMA Negeri 7 Bekasi), Reavant Arvandho Subekti (SMA Negeri 1 Jakarta), Made Indira Pradnya Paramita (SMA Negeri 66 Jakarta), Nararya Zuhdi Parabhawa (SMA Negeri 61 Jakarta), Fahry Dzaky Dwiananda, and Anindita Kushala Pangarso (SMA Negeri 6 Depok).
The program involved various learning activities at Oizumi High School, as well as extracurricular classes introducing Japanese culture, such as tea ceremonies, Japanese calligraphy (shodou), and learning to play the Japanese koto, all enthusiastically embraced by the twelve Indonesian students.
In a separate meeting, Yusli Wardiatno, the Education and Cultural Attaché (Atdikbud) at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, was impressed by the stories and experiences shared by the participants after the program.
“We are very impressed with the discipline, obedience to teachers, environmental cleanliness, and empathy of Japanese students,” expressed Reavant Arvandho Subekti. Raka Adian added, “Japanese students always give compliments and appreciation for good deeds.”
Atdikbud Yusli Wardiatno conveyed a message to the students to consider this activity as positive learning about life values and educational diplomacy efforts. “Maintain communication with your new friends in Japan as a contribution to strengthening Indonesia-Japan relations,” said Yusli while meeting with the participants, accompanied by the Head of the Indonesian School in Tokyo (SRIT), Ari Driyaningsih.
Concluding the meeting, Yusli encouraged the students to become agents of cultural and disciplinary change in their respective schools while preserving the noble cultural values of Indonesia.
“May the positive experiences gained during your interactions with students in Japan serve as good educational diplomacy practices to be implemented not only with peers but also within your families and communities, in harmony with the values, ethics, and customs of the Indonesian nation,” emphasized Yusli.