‘Transformative’ Japan Exchange Seeks Georgia Applicants for Fully Funded Program in Atlanta’s Sister City 

A longstanding exchange program that has proven “transformative” for Atlanta fourth and fifth graders is seeking its next set of 11-year-old applicants for a fully funded two-week experience this July. 

The Asia-Pacific Children’s Convention brings “junior ambassadors” from more than 30 (mostly Asian) countries to Fukuoka, Atlanta’s sister city in southern Japan, to foster cultural understanding through structured activities and home stays for more than 200 kids. 

Four slots (two for boys, two for girls) are open to Georgians through the Japan-America Society of Georgia, which is accepting applications through Feb. 9. 

Kitty Fung, an executive assistant and consular officer at the Consulate General of Belgium, found out about the program through a Global Atlanta article last year, then signed up her daughter, Emilee Ip, who was selected as one of four Atlanta participants.

Sending her daughter across the world in the care of chaperones and an unknown host family was nerve-wracking, Ms. Fung admitted, but the organizers helped allay her fears.

“After Emilee got selected, she instantly connected with the other three Junior Ambassadors and Ms. Debra (Owen), her chaperone. Ms. Debra did an amazing job organizing meetings leading up to the day they’d leave for this trip. Everything was well-organized from the selection procedure, to having the children getting to know each other, to the logistics part (plane tickets, paperwork, communication etc.) to her chaperoning the kids to Japan. Everything was well taken care of by APCC and Ms. Debra,” Ms. Fung told Global Atlanta. 

Still, the night when Emilee was set to arrive in Japan ended up being a sleepless night one for Ms. Fung, though the uneasiness subsided when she was informed that Emilee had arrived safely and had joined in activities.  

“I was anxious and constantly checking my phone for updates and pictures about her but once those pictures came in, I saw she was happy, therefore I was happy for her. Emilee built a beautiful life-long relationship with her host sister and camp friends, and she was actually sad to come home.”

Emilee also felt a little homesick, but the loneliness gave way to excitement upon her arrival in Japan, a country she had visited twice before but never by herself. 

“When I met my host family, they were so welcoming and kind from the start. They took me out to different places, and I had the best food. I started learning Japanese via Duolingo when I heard I was selected and I’m still learning it today. When I was boarding the plane, I was a bit nervous and excited at the same time. I brought a picture of my family in case I got homesick,” Emilee told Global Atlanta. 

If the goal is to “nurture omoiyari (caring, considerate and compassionate) global citizens,” as the Japan-American society puts it on the application site, Emilee seems to have gotten the message. 

A highlight for Emilee was making friends at Marine World, an aquarium in Fukuoka that hosted programs for the visiting children. 

“I came back a more humble and grateful (and more organized) person, seeing how people in Japan live a simple but happy life. I hope I can go back to Japan one day to visit my host family again.” 

Ms. Fung said she wholly recommends the program for Atlanta parents, as it’s a learning experience for both children and the adults they leave behind.

“The most transformative aspect of this program for her was becoming a more independent person and the fact she had so much fun without a device for the entire time,” Ms. Fung said. “For me, it was the learning process of letting go of her and realizing that children are so adaptive to life.”

The children’s convention was spun out of the 1989 Asian-Pacific Exposition, which marked the city’s centennial anniversary. Located just across the strait from South Korea and closer than most of Japan to the Asian mainland, Fukuoka has a reputation for relative openness and is capitalizing on it by attracting expatriates from around the region and the world.

The Japanese city was the focus of the society’s 2025 JapanFest in Georgia, which marked 20 years of sister city partnership between Fukuoka and Atlanta. 

• Learn more about the APCC, the local BRIDGE Club and how to apply here
• See more testimonials here
• Fill out the online application here for the program, which spans July 10-21, 2026. Eligible applicants must have been born between August 1, 2014, and July 31, 2015.