For Northwest College alum Hiroki Kakimoto, taking a trip down memory lane meant a more than 5,400-mile trip.

Some 18 years after his graduation, Kakimoto revisited the Northwest College campus last month and met up with some old friends in Powell.

When Kakimoto came to NWC in 1999, he was following in the footsteps of his cousin, Takatomo Itoi, who became one of the college’s distinguished almuni.

During his stay in Powell, Kakimoto became good friends with Alex Crosby and wound up living with Crosby and his mother, Kay Crosby Dooley.

“Hiroki became part of our family and enriched our lives,” Dooley said, explaining that Kakimoto and other Japanese students at the college came to know her as “Mom.”

Kakimoto went on to complete his education at Arizona State University in Tempe. Now back in Tokyo, he’s the president of a small public relations firm called actio, which has clients all over the world — including Microsoft Japan.

But Kakimoto has kept in touch with college officials and his friends from Powell; for instance, he’s helped NWC officials on their recuiting trips to Japan.

“Hiroki has a great love for NWC,” Dooley said.

In mid-September, Kakimoto traveled back to the United States for a kind of whirlwind reunion tour — this time accompanied by his wife Megumi and their two daughters, 6-year-old Hirari and 3-year-old Nohana.

The Kakimotos spent a day with Crosby and his family in Denver, then came to the Powell area. While in the area, he caught up with Dooley and others, took a trip to Yellowstone National Park and revisited the NWC campus.

“It was such a joy to reconnect with Hiroki and meet his family,” Dooley said.

While reminiscing about the old days at NWC and taking in the many changes on campus, Kakimoto was welcomed by the current Intercultural Programs staffers, Dooley said; Kakimoto offered to help Intercultural Program Coordinator Kara Ryf when she visits Tokyo this month.

Kakimoto and his family also got a chance to meet NWC’s new Student Senate president, Bossan Abdyyeva of Turkmenistan, who is the first-ever international student to hold the position.

“It was a great day!” Dooley said.

Before heading back to Japan, Kakimoto also traveled to his own stomping grounds at ASU. But it likely won’t be Kakimoto’s last visit to the Powell area: “... He is already planning of sending his girls to NWC,” Dooley said.