Yoshimi Yamagata Aoyagi, the Japanese teacher at East Chapel Hill High School and Chapel Hill High School, received international recognition from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On Aug. 10, 2022, she was awarded a Commendation for her outstanding achievements in the international promotion of the Japanese language. The award symbolized Aoyagi’s contributions to teaching and advancing an understanding of Japan’s culture over the course of her 10-year career at East.
“I truly feel that I do not do anything special so I was very surprised when I received the award. I have been teaching for a long time and many people have helped me. I really feel I can finally return something to them,” Aoyagi said.
Sensei Aoyagi moved to the United States in 1985 in hopes of pursuing her graduate studies at West Virginia University, after spending 25 years living in Japan. Since then, she has dedicated her career to teaching students of various backgrounds the distinctive culture and language of Japan.
Aoyagi’s dedication to her students is evident in the success they achieve in learning the language. Her passion for teaching and commitment to helping her students achieve their goals has not only earned her recognition from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also the admiration of her students, who often speak of her as a mentor and friend.
Chess Whitsell, a current senior, reflects on her academic career under Sensei Aoyagi’s instruction.
“I’ve been in Japanese since freshman year and in only four years I am much more proficient in the language than I thought I’d be,” Whitsell said. “Not only does she teach the language, but she also teaches the culture, which I feel like is just as important.”
In addition to her teaching, Aoyagi is also actively involved in the local community. The Animazement Convention, co-founded by Aoyagi herself, is an annual cultural fair, ranging from anime voice actors and manga artists to traditional customs of East Asian cuisine.
“Animazement will have its 25th anniversary this year,” Aoyagi said. “I was teaching at NCSU, helping TAAS (Triangle Area Anime Society) hold a 36-hour anime marathon; that was the inspiration for the Animazement convention… [I realized that it] should focus not only on Japanese anime and manga but also Japanese culture and language.”
For as long as she can remember, sharing Japanese culture was a priority for Aoyagi.
“The U.S. is a big country. When I was in West Virginia, I had a chance to meet local elementary school students. When we asked them if they had been to foreign countries, one student answered that he went to Ohio. This was my starting point,” Aoyagi said. “I really thought I needed to introduce a new culture and language to youngsters. I want to give high school students small eye-opening experiences in Japanese class.”
Japanese language teachers, like Sensei Aoyagi, play a vital role in promoting Japanese culture to American high school students.
ECHHS Spanish teacher Mark Moseley has been a longtime friend and colleague of Aoyagi.
“My own children love Yoshimi-san! They like to visit and draw her pictures of Pokemon. I love her, my family loves her, her colleagues love her, and her students love her. She deserves so much recognition. Yoshimi-sensei works harder than anyone else I’ve ever met,” Moseley said.
By providing students with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the culture, they can foster a more positive and respectful relationship between the two countries, according to Sensei Aoyagi. Additionally, she noted that learning about a foreign culture can help students to develop a more global perspective and become more culturally aware and understanding individuals.
“Sensei’s efforts are so important because there are so few Japanese teachers across America, and we are very lucky to have her working so hard here at East,” Moseley said. “Japan has made many great contributions to the world’s culture and technology; it’s important that we learn about the Japanese language and people.”
Photo courtesy of Yoshimi Aoyagi
