About Us

Haddonfield Japan exchange

The Haddonfield Japan Exchange was born in 2006 out of the vision of retired Philadelphia teacher and longtime Haddonfield resident Bill Brown. 

The HJE facilitates an exchange program between high school students in Haddonfield and Japan. In alternating summers, 15-20 students and chaperones from Japan and the U.S. visit one another and stay with host families for two weeks. Since its founding, more than 200 American and Japanese students have participated in the program. With many returning stating their experience was one of the most important and enjoyable trips they have taken in their lives, students have forged lifelong memories, international friendships, and a profound appreciation for Japanese culture and its people.

This international exchange program has been a labor of love for Bill, who has led the trips to Japan and the United States for over a decade. He still exudes the same enthusiasm as he did 20 years ago and leads the HJE today as co-director. 

MISSION

To empower students of Haddonfield to become global stewards through a culturally immersive trip of a lifetime, and to strengthen the bond between our two nations.

OUR JAPANESE PARTNER

We are currently partnered with the premier international school Sendai Ikuei Gakuen, a private school established in 1906. Sendai is a charming city with rich samurai history, located in Japan’s Tohoku Region, northeast of Tokyo on Honshu island. 

NON-PROFIT STATUS

The Haddonfield Japan Exchange (HJE) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Haddonfield, New Jersey.