Another Ship of Friendship carrying Japanese school children has arrived in Russia’s far eastern island of Sakhalin, a source in the regional Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy told. According to the source, the children will stay with local families for three days to get acquainted with Russian culture and cuisine.

Axar.az reports citing TASS, "A total of 42 Japanese citizens, including 30 children and 12 adults, have arrived," the ministry’s source said. "Almost all of them will stay with local families for the next three days so that they could get acquainted with Russian culture and everyday life. After that, they will go on guided tours around the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk," the source added.

The Ship of Friendship project was launched in 1998. The Sakhalin regional Ministry for Sports, Tourism and Youth policy and the Russia-Japan society, supported by the Sakhalin-Japan organization, arrange such trips once a year alternately in Sakhalin and Japan. More than 1,000 school children and college students from Sakhalin and Japan have already participated in the project.

The exchanges are aimed, first and foremost, at introducing participants to the Japanese and Russian culture, everyday life, traditions and education systems. During their trips, children take part in various cultural programs, visit schools and other educational institutions, as well as places where youngsters spend their vacations. Staying with local families is an important aspect of the project.