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the bolles school
Upper School Students Return from Exchange Trip to Tokyo

Three upper school students participated in the Bolles Japanese Exchange Program with the Keio School, traveling to Tokyo from June 2-18.

The group consisted of incoming seniors Alex Boutwell ’24 and Akshay Ketty ’24 and rising junior Bode Klassen ’25, who previously hosted their exchange partners from Keio when they visited Jacksonville and the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus earlier in the spring.

During their time in Tokyo, the group tried delicious local cuisine, immersed themselves in cultural experiences and participated in academic and special classes. They took judo and kendo lessons, practiced the art of Japanese calligraphy, participated in a traditional tea ceremony and carved kanji into stone to create stamps. Their journey was further enriched by meeting with Bolles upper school Japanese teacher Yukari Braren during their time in Japan. 

Bolles has enjoyed a longstanding exchange relationship with Keio. This study-abroad program was conducted for the first time in three years after being canceled due to Covid.

To view pictures from the students’ trip abroad, visit our online photo gallery.