By May Masangkay

KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 2 Kyodo -- Foreign students in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, wrapped up an annual Japanese immersion program on Friday with songs, tears and last-minute snapshots as they bid farewell to a brief summer experience on the Sea of Japan coast and opened doors in their newfound Japanese "hometown."

During Friday's closing ceremony of the 15th "Japan Tent" program, about 350 student participants shared an outpouring of joy and enthusiasm over their eight-day experience, with one girl singing a line from a song of the all-girl pop group Morning Musume as a tribute to Japan's future.

At the same venue in Kanazawa, Naohiro Hayashibara of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Ishikawa stood on behalf of the Japanese student volunteers and told the audience to always consider Kanazawa as their "second hometown."

Representing the foreign students, Li Yanli, a Chinese student at the University of Tokyo, echoed their sentiments on the homestay experiences and said she was able to appreciate the spirit of Japan through hands-on experience in traditional Japanese arts and culture.

"It was just fascinating," gushed 19-year-old Katie McRae, an Australian student at Himeji Dokkyo University in Hyogo Prefecture, while 23-year-old Aurelio Valenciano from the Philippines described the program as his "best experience in Japan."

Kanazawa resident Mutsumi Okajima, 47, who provided a home for Valenciano, a student at Tokyo's Japan Electronics College, gleefully said she had her own fun experience with him.

"He was very good in Japanese, which made it easy for us to communicate. I also find him so much like 'Sampei',"she said, referring to a stout Japanese TV personality who is popular for his unique comic antics.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Toyama University student Yuri Wakabayashi said she was not new to volunteering, but this time around, she said felt happier since she was able to mingle more with the foreign students.

"In the university campuses, foreign students and Japanese usually interact separately and there is not much chance to mingle. In this sense, the Japan Tent has been a very good opportunity for us to do something together," she said.

Japan Tent organizing committee member Katsuro Kosugi, who has been involved in the program since its inaugural session in 1988, agrees that the program plays a key role for further interaction.

"The Japan Tent is a place for the students to exchange opinions and talk from a multifaceted perspective on common issues such as the Sept. 11 terror attacks, which was a constant topic of discussion," Kosugi said.

He added that this year was in particular special due to the address by former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata in which she called on the students and the world for more awareness and aid for refugees in an effort to achieve peace.