Guam Welcomes Japan High School Culinary Champions in Cultural Exchange

GCC & GVB Team Up to Welcome Hirosaki Jitsugyo High School Culinary Champions to Guam.

Guam Community College (GCC) and the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) once again hosted a food and cultural exchange for high school and college students from Japan and Guam. Students from Japan’s Hirosaki Jitsugyou High School, Aomori Prefecture competed in the Umaimon Koshien 2024 (a High School Cooking Contest in Japan) in November 2024 and won the opportunity to participate in a Study Tour to Guam.

The three Japanese Exchange students, Mai Saito, Arisa Sasaki, and Aki Yamada had a day full of food and cultural immersion on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, starting at the Leo Palace Resort in Mañenggon, where they met with their culinary counterparts from Guam Community College’s Culinary Program and Okkodo High School.

The students were also treated to a tour around the island courtesy of GVB, and a presentation on Guam’s unique culture, food, language and island, by 10 Okkodo High School students from GCC’s Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTMP) program, led by Instructor Darlyn Zapanta.

“The students created the presentation themselves, using the materials and knowledge we provided in the classroom through their three-year program,” said Carol Cruz, GCC Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

“The program is tailored to educate and perpetuate Guam’s tourism and hospitality industry.”

“Tourism is our island’s major economic engine and these students will one day lead our tourism market in a career in the hospitality and tourism industry.”

After the cultural exchange portion of the morning’s agenda, 16 GCC postsecondary culinary students witnessed the Japanese Exchange students prepare their winning dish, the “Gappado Aomori Burger.”  GCC’s culinary team, led by Chefs Paul Kerner and Bertrand Harullion demonstrated the art of cooking Chamorro dishes.   Working alongside the GCC Culinary team for a special demonstration was Guest Chef Koji Tanimoto, the official resident chef of Japan Consul General Susumu Ueda.

“Compared to last year, there were more students and chefs who participated this year.  We are grateful to have Okkodo’s HTMP students, Consul General Ueda and Chef Tanimoto join us to help create an even more meaningful cultural exchange,” GVB Senior Marketing Manager Regina Nedlic stated.

“This exchange program began when the winners of 2023 Umaimon Koshien competition were invited to come to Guam, courtesy of the Guam Visitors Bureau, for an exchange with GCC’s Culinary Program.  Since then, Guam has hosted the winners for two years and begun a tradition for Japan’s competing high schools to look forward to.”

Hermoine Martinez, GCC Baking & Pastry postsecondary student was excited about event.

“I was excited and nervous to meet the exchange students from Japan that have similar educational goals as mine,” said Martinez. “I enjoyed watching them prepare their dishes using the diverse ingredients to win the competition in Japan. I would like to keep the connection with these students and hope to learn from each other through our culinary educations.”

To close out the day’s cultural exchange, six postsecondary GCC International Hotel Management students and Okkodo’s HTMP students volunteered to host the three exchange students in a tour around the Chamorro Village to take in the sights and sounds of the Wednesday Night Market.

“We’re grateful to take part in this unique opportunity for Japan high school contest winners to experience a culinary and cultural exchange with our talented students in Guam,” said GVB President & CEO Régine Biscoe Lee, attending her first local event on behalf of the bureau. “This exchange not only allows us to share our food and traditions with these visiting youth, but also to create relationships, making Guam a special place for them to return to in the future.”

SEEN IN MAIN IMAGE:  Culinary champions from Hirosaki Jitsugyo High School (L-R) Aki Yamada, Mai Saito, and Arisa Sasaki present their award-winning Gappado Aomori Burger at a culinary exchange on Wednesday – image courtesy of GVB

Media Contact:  Lisa Bordallo, Public Information Officer, GUAM VISITORS BUREAU, SETBISION BISITAN GUÅHAN, Tumon, Guam, (671) 979-1523, lisa.bordallo@visitguam.org