What is the US-Japan Discovery Tour?

The US-Japan Discovery Tour project is a 10-day educational program hosted by the Koyamada Foundation (SKF) and the SKF Japan.

The tour’s purpose is to inspire and motivate Japanese youth to study English, to encourage them to study abroad at U.S. colleges and universities as well as to promote cross-cultural exchanges and strengthen friendship between the next generation of Japanese and Americans.

The touring three young celebrities from American TV & film by Dylan & Cole Sprouse and Shin Koyamada will provide unique opportunities to inspire the next generation of Japan’s youth to learn about each other’s history, education and traditions as well as to enhance US-Japan connections and exchange for years to come.

The tour will be twittered and facebooked via Dylan (@dylansprouse) & Cole (@colesprouse)’s twitter accounts as well as Shin (@koyamadashin) and the all SKF USA and Japan’s affiliated facebook pages with total over 800,000 followers and fans around the world so everyone can be in tuned live to see what they are doing there.

Who are Dylan & Cole Sprouse?
Twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse were born August 4, 1992, in Arezzo, Italy. They began their acting career at the tender age of six months. From 1993 to 1998, the twins shared the role of Brett Butler’s youngest child, Patrick Kelly, on ABC’s series “Grace Under Fire” (1993). The twins then moved on to what is probably their most memorable role as Julian in Adam Sandler’s box-office hit Big Daddy (1999). During that same month, their second feature film, The Astronaut’s Wife (1999), starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron, was also released. Dylan and Cole were featured in Dana Carvey’s film The Master of Disguise (2002), in which they played the role of Young Pistachio. The boys then shared voice-over roles in Adam Sandler’s animated feature Eight Crazy Nights (2002), and, in the fall of 2003, the twins shared the lead role of Jeremiah in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004).

Most recently, the boys starred together in their own half hour sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” (2005) on the Disney Channel. The show was popular enough to spawn a sequel, “The Suite Life on Deck” (2008). The Suite Life on Deck went on to become the most-watched tween/children’s television show in 2008 and 2009. The show ended in May 2011. They also starred in the “The Suite Life Movie”, which aired in March of the same year. They began cultivating an adult image by starring in the independent theatrical suspense film, “The Kings of Appletown” in 2009.

In 2010, the twin brothers were both accepted to New York University. Cole is focusing his curriculum on the humanities and archaeology while Dylan is focusing on video game design. In 2011, Dylan was elected president of the Third Avenue North residence hall at NYU.

How did the tour all happen to begin with?
The Sprouse brothers have been close friends to Shin for many years. Shin starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie called “Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior” in 2006 and has worked on many Disney Channel projects together with Dylan and Cole for many years since they are much younger. The brothers are fans of Japanese anime and manga.

In late 2012. Dylan and Cole Sprouse were officially appointed by Nia Lyte, Co-founder & President of the Koyamada Foundation as the “International Ambassadors” to promote the understanding of peace, friendship, education and cultural diversity within the international youth community. As the Ambassadors, the mission of the tour was born out of their wishes to visit Japan one day for the first time in their lives and created as part of our ongoing “US-Japan Initiative”, which is operated under our “Agency For Education”.

Why Japan?
For the Sprouse brothers, who attend New York University and hold Japanese culture in high regard, it will be their first visit to Japan.

This tour will impact regional Japanese youth (especially Disney fans) and is also geared toward spreading US-Japanese brotherhood, goodwill and understanding amid the backdrop of important Japanese historical landmarks and areas. Points of significance include: visiting young American troops at US Military bases in Iwakuni and Okinawa; hosting international cultural exchange programs in the various regions; sojourn to the international modern cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka; pay respects to the Tohoku disaster areas in Sendai and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima; absorb the traditional temples and tourism attractions in Kyoto, and the national Japanese garden in Shin’s hometown Okayama; and partake in traditional countryside’s cultural activities in Kagoshima.

When and Where are they traveling exactly in Japan?
We will bring their Japanese youth motivational program to Tokyo, Miyagi, Kyoto, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefecture from August 7th through 17th, 2013 in Japan.

WHEN WHERE WHAT
8 / 7 Los Angeles – Tokyo Leaving to Tokyo, Japan
8 / 8 Tokyo Sightseeing, a meet & greet, reception party, etc
8 / 9 Tokyo A cultural and education event, sightseeing, a meet & greet, etc
8 / 10 Sendai Visiting Tohoku disaster areas, a first-pitch at a professional baseball game, etc
8 / 11 Kyoto A meet & greet with the Kyoto Mayor, sightseeing, etc
8 / 12 Osaka Sightseeing, visiting US Consulate-General, etc
8 / 13 Okayama A cultural and education event, sightseeing, a meet & greet with the Governor, etc
8 / 14 Hiroshima / Iwakuni Sightseeing, Visiting at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima and troops at Iwakuni US Base, etc
8 / 15 Fukuoka / Kagoshima A cultural and education event in Fukuoka. Sightseeing and a cultural and education event in Kagoshima, etc
8 / 16 Okinawa A cultural and education event, sightseeing, a meet and greet, reception parties, etc
8 / 17 Okinawa – Los Angeles Leaving to Los Angeles.

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