For more than three decades, DMPS and Kofu, Japan have been actively participating in an exchange program.

In June of an exchange year, 24 students and five employees of DMPS spend almost two weeks immersed in the Japanese culture. They spend time as a member of a Japanese family which host our students and staff, they experience Japanese schools, and explore many cultural offerings of the beautiful city of Kofu, Japan.

In August of an exchange year, DMPS students, employees and their families offer that same experience to the people of Kofu. Twenty-four Japanese students and three to five Japanese chaperones travel to Des Moines and stay with host families. As with the June exchange, Japanese students will become a part of their host families routines to immerse themselves in American culture. Connections built in both the June and August exchanges create lifetime bonds and many students and host families still keep in touch today.

The DMPS student trip to Kofu is scheduled for Thursday, May 31, 2018 through Monday, June 11, 2018. The deadline for the Kofu School Exchange has been extended indefinitely. For more information about the application process, click here.