In addition to students from Nose High School, this year’s visit also incorporated students from Kitasenri High School, Fukui High School and Ibaraki Nishi High School.

Chiaki Uchidi, a teacher from Nose High School who accompanied the students, said that all four high schools are within close proximity in the Osaka area.

“This is the fourth visit of students from my area to come to Mudgee and my third visit with them,” Mr Uchida said.

“All 25 students on this visit are on their first visit to Australia.

“All of them are being hosted by families of children who attend Mudgee High School.

“These cultural exchanges are proving very valuable to our students and I hope that Mudgee High School students also are able to benefit from our visit.

“During this visit the Japanese students learnt written and oral English as well as music, science and mathematics.

“Being able to learn English in an Australian classroom is a great benefit to our students.

“At home there are about 400 foreign teachers of English and 30 of those come from Australia,

“On the cultural (front) this time we have shown traditional martial arts such as Kendo and Kata Karate and Origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding.”

During their last day at Mudgee High School the Japanese students demonstrated Origame and gave both Kendo and Karate demonstrations.

Sei, a 17-year-old brother of a student who was here last year, and a recent black belt in Karate gave a demonstration against a white belt (novice) student.

“Sei gained his black belt just three weeks before coming to Australia after just 18 months, which is a very short time to reach this level,” Mr Uchida said.

“He started late as many children start as young as three years of age.”

Mr Uchida said the children have always developed wonderful friendships with the children they come in conract with at Mudgee and going back to Japan was always an emotional time.