Masako spent her Swiss boarding school life in Surval at the end of 1970s. First she was forced to do so by her father who wanted his daughter to overcome her shyness, but she eventually ended up asking her father to extend her stay by one more year. As an alumna, Masako has sent more than 100 Japanese students to Surval over the last 35 years. Masako visits Surval every two years with her husband, Hiro, who is a university professor in Sapporo, Japan, so that they both can periodically say hello to both old and new people there.