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Event Highlight: Kikokushijo Academy Juken Students Immerse in English at British Hills

公開： 2026年8月12日
Class in British Hills
80 Kikokushijo Academy 6th graders spent two days at British Hills in Fukushima for KA's second annual trip, practicing interview skills for entrance exams and experiencing British history and culture in a fully English environment.
目次
KA Interview Lessons
Experiencing British History & Culture
Parent Testimonials
From the KA Community Events Team
About Kikokushijo Academy

日本語版はこちら

From May 30th to 31st, 80 Grade 6 students joined Kikokushijo Academy for our second annual trip to British Hills in Fukushima.

During their crucial year of entrance exam—juken—preparation, this trip provided students a break in their daily routines, while learning new skills for their exams.

The trip was held entirely in English, and students enjoyed spending two days fully immersed in the language.

KA Interview Lessons

During the two-day trip, students took part in two interview lessons. On the first day, students took a class in the Ambassador’s Hall, which was modeled after typical university classrooms in England.

Here, the students first listened to advice from specialist teachers on how to speak academically in interviews about their hobbies, interests, and experiences. The students then practiced their interview skills with different partners, and finished each interview by giving constructive feedback to each other.

On the second day, the class was held in a gymnasium, where they practiced their speaking and presentation skills while conducting rapid-fire interview questions. Some KA teachers joined the interviews with the students, while others walked around the room giving useful advice to the students.

Experiencing British History & Culture

In addition to KA classes, students also took part in two classes organized by British Hills. On the first day, the students took part in a team building class where they hid items around the Manor House, a beautiful recreation of the historic buildings found throughout England. Here, the students got into groups to create puzzles for other teams to solve to find the hidden items.

On the second day, they studied, practiced, and performed a part of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Both of the activities were a great way for everyone to experience part of the history of the U.K.

On both days, all meals were served in the Refectory, which was modeled after the dining hall found in Oxford University. The students enjoyed talking to each other during the meals, with many saying that they felt like they were in a Harry Potter movie.

Some students said that the architecture found throughout British Hills transported them back to a time when they lived in the U.K. as they reminisced about their memories abroad.

Parent Testimonials

The feedback from parents of the trip’s participants was quite positive, with many praising the interview skills that they students learned. The word tanoshii (fun) came up in nearly every piece of feedback we received.

Our daughter was born and raised in Japan, and although we use English at home, this was her first chance to be fully immersed in an English-speaking environment outside it. She attends an international school, but a lot of the interaction there is in Japanese.

When she came back from the overnight trip, she told us she had felt like a fish in water in an English-speaking environment, and she is now thinking about university overseas. We had always hoped she would spread her wings, but until now she had been hesitant, so we are grateful for this opportunity.

Since starting Grade 6, our child has been dealing with the demands of juken preparation along with all the pressures that come with it at that age. Being away from home, and away from the usual study environment, this trip seems to have been the perfect change of pace.

At the meeting point, our child looked nervous, wondering, “Will I make friends?” But at pickup there was a crowd of new friends and a lot of excitement. Seeing that smile, full of joy, was enough for us to know that joining had been the right decision.

It wasn’t only fun, either. Our child seems to have drawn a great deal of positive inspiration from peers working toward the same returnee junior high school entrance exams, and to have come away with a lot to think about, from how to approach studying to how to think about the future.

Our child also said, “Is this what every day will be like once I start junior high? That would be amazing. It looks so fun!” The trip seems to have given a concrete picture of the near future, and the longing for the target school, and the wish to get in, feel stronger than before.

It was a very valuable and fulfilling experience. Once again, our sincere thanks to the teachers and staff who gave our child such a wonderful opportunity.

We hope that this trip was a meaningful experience for every student, and that they learned many new skills vital for their upcoming entrance exams.

View more photos of the event here.

From the KA Community Events Team

The KA Community Events team was rekindled following COVID with the goal of hosting more events, activities, and trips for students so that students can spend meaningful time in English outside of the classroom.

Building a strong community for our students and fostering new friendships is a core part of the team’s mission. At British Hills, we witnessed many students making new friends, and we believe that this will further cement their confidence in their academic journeys.

Students in every grade, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, and even former students who are now part of the alumni network, can enjoy events hosted by KA throughout the year. We hope that every student can make a new friend, learn a new skill, or simply have a good time at every event we host.

To find out more about past events, check out the Community Events page on our website.

About Kikokushijo Academy

Founded in 2004, Kikokushijo Academy (KA) is Japan’s leading after-school program for returnee and bilingual students. Over two decades, KA has built a network of more than 16,000 alumni at top universities and in global careers.

KA also operates Rising Stars, a program for domestic students beginning their English-learning journey. KA is part of Global KA Holdings, Inc.

Learn more at kikokushijoacademy.com and globalka.com.

この記事の記者

帰国子女 アカデミー

帰国子女 アカデミー

帰国子女 アカデミー

帰国子女アカデミーでは、英語を勉強の科目としてだけではなく、自己を高めるためのツールとして捉えています。KAの生徒たちがそれぞれの目標を達成している背景には、テスト対策だけにとどまらない、子供たちの将来を見据えた日々の取り組みがあります。