The Japan America Student Conference Blog

After settling down in Kyoto the JASC delegate set out to explore Japans ancient capital. The JASC delegate split up into three groups, one went to Urasenke to participate in the Chado tea ceremony tradition, another went to the Toraya factory to see and sample some of Japans most famous sweets and the last group went to Nishihonganji, one of Kyoto’s renowned temples.   Everyone enjoyed taking a break from meetings and work and finally getting some down time to tour Japan. We then returned to the Kyoto Utano Hostel to have round table reflection. As deadlines approach groups are having to think more critically about the aspects they have learned about each other’s nations and final forum presentations.

6:30am: The usual time for waking up during JASC. However, this day, I was particularly tired from observing a four-hour conference centered around the prospects for Shimane’s regional revitalization. I participated in the conference as well, providing ideas for educational enrichment and how education could be used as a tool to convince people to migrate and, ideally, live in the area.

Made it into the newspaper!

7:00am: Packing. This is the moment I finally realized that I was soon leaving Shimane’s beauty. Yet, I was not leaving the memories behind. My okaasan and obaasan treated me to a variety of Shimane’s unique activities and sights, including: a boat trip around Matsue Castle, the wonders of the castle itself,

8:00am: Breakfast. Potatoes again.

9:00am: Round table. The true highlight of the conference; this is what we set out nearly 24 hours of travel time and 12,000 miles to achieve. Today’s highlight included my gained knowledge of the difference between ippanshoku & sougoushoku (don’t know what it is? Should have been in JASC!)

12:15pm: Departure – a particularly bittersweet time. On one hand, I could finally venture outside the building past 10:30pm and explore the wonders that Japan had to offer. However, Shimane’s rural charm is forever etched into my mind, and I found it particularly difficult to

2:30pm: We reached the first service stop on our long (seven hour) bus ride. This particular stop was situated in Okayama prefecture, curiously known for its delicious milk products. I gorged on

4:30pm:  I slept for the majority of the bus ride, and this service stop included. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure where we were on the map, but I didn’t mind. I enjoyed the comfort (and air conditioned atmosphere) of the bus ride.

7:00pm: Arrival! Admittedly, I mostly explored the darkness of my eyelids the entire trip. However, when I was conscious, I was in awe at the green rice fields scattered along the highway. When we arrived in Kyoto itself, I was surprised that the weather was not as hot and humid as my round table partner (from Kyoto) warned.

The Future: Final forum is approaching rapidly and, admittedly, I am terrified, perhaps at the likely chance of presenting unprepared. Nonetheless, I am determined not to stress about it. Rather, I’m looking towards the future in other ways. For example, I’m excited to further explore Kyoto’s breathtaking beauty – perhaps its famous sites such as Kyoumizudera Shrine. I also want a taste of city life (and a preview of Tokyo’s eccentricity) in the Gion Shopping District. Finally, I intend to reinforce the valuable friendships I have thus far with my fellow delegates.

After nearly a week in beautiful Shimane, the 67th JASC delegation brought the second leg of our program to a close with a forum on regional revitalization and following reception.

The day started off as any other at our Sunlake residence: at 6AM; a classical musical track wafted through the hallways and bedrooms as our cue to wake. A light cafeteria breakfast came soon after -- and by mid-morning, most of us were fully awake and ready to tackle the day. For a volunteer task force of 14 (One Japanese and one American delegate from each RT group), this morning was spent prepping for a presentation to the residents of Shimane later that afternoon.

Split into three groups, delegates focused on innovating for regional revitalization across three sectors: tourism, industry, and education. I myself was a member of the tourism group, which discussed ways in which to sustainably attract both national and international visitors to the prefecture. After all the meetings, we had a light lunch and (for some, with nervous excitement) headed to the Prefectural Office to share our ideas with Shimane community members and to the rest of the delegation. Several important guests were present, including commentators from well-known businesses in each of the three sectors. Tourism was first, and suggested a linear marketing process for Shimane to follow (centralize and define a powerful brand image, increase accessibility to the region and its information, and follow up with locally-based resources while keeping a global perspective).

As a digital marketer, I personally wanted to stress the importance of a unified marketing strategy -- and expressed this by comparing the differences and issues with Shimane's Japanese, Korean, and English tourism websites. I'll be the first to admit that my nerdy obsession with digital marketing made me want to go on and on about this particular fix, but our presentation made sure to equally represent other ideas (such as development of a winter activities program to encourage tourism in more stagnant months).

Industry and Education brought up interesting points that played to Shimane's strengths in the medical and IT fields. By expressing and developing the talent and focus of the region, both groups sought to emphasize Shimane as a place for businesses to thrive and for eager students to begin specializing. The Industry group also mentioned the possibility of exporting Shimane products in the developing markets of Southeast Asia, and the Education group thought to utilize the large number of empty dormitories in Shimane to help create or convert new charter and boarding schools in the region. Each group's presentation was followed by special commentary from Shimane leaders in each respective sector, and question/answer sections also brought out more interesting points from the minds of all the delegates.

After a successful forum and many speeches later, the delegation found itself at the beautiful English Garden in Matsue, where (thanks to the generosity of Shimane industry leaders and members of the community) delegates, special guests, and host families broke bread together over a beautiful spread of food and drink. Shimane gave two brief performances: one of samurai culture and another by the costumed prefectural mascot, Shimanekko (Shimanekko is a yellow cat, dressed with icons from Shimane's famous historical Izumo Taisha shrine).

My first experience in Japan was in Ishikawa, Komatsu - a small town tucked in the western side of the main island of Honshu.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, I fell in love with the true Japan. A week in Shimane reminded me of the first few feelings that I felt landing at Komatsu airport.

Such feelings were excitement, joy, a fear of the unknown and the feeling of being stuck in Inaka Japan.

To a country boy that was raised outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and turned city boy due to living in New York and Boston, Komatsu came in with mixed feelings and so did Shimane.

However, surrounded by nature and open fields, Shimane brought upon me time to reflect. Moments of serendipity that are rare when boggled down by a crazy schedule  and fast-paced cities like Boston, New York and Tokyo.

Since the summer of the year 2011 to now the summer of the year 2015, in the timespan of these 5 summers, I've traveled to Japan more than 10 times, completed multiple internships, studied abroad, worked as a consultant at multiple companies culminating to me being now a member of 67th JASC. I could not think of any other way to end my college career and mark the beginning of my life as a Shakaijin in Japan.

Nonetheless, the never ending sea of rice fields and rows of mountains forced me to ponder upon the original reason why I decided to learn Japanese. The reason actually stems from my time living in Haiti.

The Haitian market is dominated by Japanese goods. From Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Isuzu and more, Japanese cars made made up an overwhelming amount of the vehicles on the street.

The television predominantly showed Japanese shows such as Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z and such all translated into French or English. Onigiri were redrawn to be burgers, names were changed and made to have an American or French flair to mask the Japanese influence.

Once I realized the Japanese influence that was hidden in the shadows, I was astonished to see how a country so far has such an influence on a small country like Haiti. This officially launched  me on a quest to learn more about Japan and how it became a leading soft power player in the world.

Never did it occurred to me that I would be coming to Shimane, the land of the gods and cradle of many of Japan's cultural influences.

We started our fourth day in Shimane in a cloudy day, which was pretty good for us because usually the sun light was too strong. 

But, the sceneries in Shimane are always beautiful.

After about one hour bus riding, we arrived at Nakamura Brace Corporation. During the presentation, we are all amazed by Mr. Nakamura’s story for founding his company. I am deeply inspired by Mr.

Nakamura’s story because we all have dreams, and we are trying hard for achieving our dreams despite other people told us our dreams are impossible.

This is the artificial hand that was produced by Nakamura Brace. At first glance, the hand was scary, but it will help a lot of people who lost their hand.

Iwami-ginzan is the world heritage. There is a small town in Iwami-ginzan. The town keeps its original atmosphere from the ancient period. Even the vending machine needs to merge into its style.

Kumagai family was the most powerful family in the area. We were very happy to visit the family’s home as you can tell from the following photos.

After we finished our lovely lunch in Omori city.

We went to Onan city to discuss how to renovate the city. Yoshiteru-san and I think about letting scientists and researchers to live in this peaceful place. It could be better for them concentrating on their projects, and at the same promote the education in the area. 

A Warm Welcome from Shimane

Yesterday night August 8, 2015, marked the beginning of our stay in Shimane Prefecture. It also marked the start of my favorite experience as of yet: a homestay with a local family. Throughout my time in Japan thus far, I have had a lot of firsts, such as eating my first onigiri and bento, visiting my first temple, attending my first lantern festival, and even visiting Japan itself is a first for me. However, through my stay with Ikoku (my homestay mom) and her family, I was able to experience many more firsts through the perspective of locals.

My Homestay Family and Home 

(Left) Ikoku’s family picture,  (right) Starting on the left, Suzu, me, Saya, Ayaka, Ikoku, Haru, Aki, taken today in one of their “toconoma” rooms

This is my homestay family, the people who lovingly took me into their home for a day and kindly took the time to show me around Shimane. Ikoku (left picture, top row, 2nd from left) took Ayaka, a Japanese delegate, and me around her community. Ikoku’s children, shown above, were lively, inclusive, and understanding of my limited Japanese language skills.

This home also happens to be a temple named “Dairyuji,” or “temple of the big dragon,” as Ayaka translated for me. It was so pretty, I had to take lots of pictures.

Next, we went to the Community Center, where the kids had taiko practice. I got a chance to play! 

Shinwa Festival

In the Evening, I got the chance to attend the Shinwa festival. Although not the biggest one, this festival brings in many different people from throughout the city. Ayaka and I got the opportunity to participate in the “Bonodori” dance, which was the highlight of the evening. I danced with shop owners, civil servants, young, and old (all of which danced better than me). 

Ikoku’s co-workers with whom I joined in dancing. They work in city hall.

(Left to right) two fellow dancers, Ayaka, Saya, Suzu, Aki, and me

We ran into the leader of the American delegation, Hannah (far right)

Bamboo Activities

Today, we went back to the community center to make “hashi” a.k.a chopsticks, and bowls to eat “nagashi somen.” This was by far my best meal in Japan so far. Because of the lively people, the welcoming atmosphere, and the general sense of community I felt from the people made this a meal to remember.

Various youth who attended this community event. Everyone is making their own chopsticks and bamboo “bowls” to use for later

Various youth who attended this community event. Everyone is making their own chopsticks and bamboo “bowls” to use for later

Eating “nagashi somen,” which is somen noodles — and in this case pink somen noodles, cherry tomatoes, ham, and cucumbers —  getting put down an open bamboo shoot. You try your best to catch the food and eat it. At the end of the shoot is a basket to collect the fallen food and it is returned to the top and saved

I again felt the family atmosphere, especially when a young girl gave me one of her tomatoes when she noticed I was unable to catch one myself. The people were welcoming overall; they were constantly asking me if I was doing okay, they checked up on my progress, told me to try different things (like cutting the bamboo or hand-carving the chopsticks) and were considerate of my limited Japanese abilities. I felt like I was given the royal treatment. As I was leaving the facilities, young children leaving in a separate car yelled out “See you” in English, a phrase I had told them just moments before.

Tea Ceremony

Upon coming home to the temple, Ayaka and I were treated like guests of honor, through a special tea ceremony in the main “toconoma,” an area only the “most important guests are taken to,” as Ikoku’s mother told me. There, we made our own Japanese tea, ate traditional Japanese sweets, and sat in a beautiful and large traditional Japanese room.

Making the tea with the kids. Suzu and Aki were especially good at it

Creating Friendships

We got to sleep in today!!! Whoooo! Well, we were only able to sleep until around seven o'clock this morning, but it was something. At this point, every second of sleep counts. #allsleepmatters

After breakfast, we were separated by roundtables (RT) before boarding buses. It was a twenty minute drive to Izumo Taisha, one of the most influential and prominent Shinto shrines in Japan. On the way the religion RT, fondly called “Rem Rem,” gave a presentation on Shinto religious characteristics and told us how the world was created according to Shinto philosophy. The story is quite interesting, so I'll share it here on the blog. Before the world existed there were two gods named Izanami, a female deity, and Izanagi, her male counterpart. When these gods used a tool to stir the ocean, several drops of water dripped off their utensil and formed several of the island of Japan. Although Izanami and Izanagi saw that the newly created landmass was good, they were still not content, so they took to their marriage bed. Izanami later gave birth to the rest of the islands one by one. This story is just one of the grand bits of Japanese mythology that we learned about today. We also heard the story about how the gates of hell were sealed with a stone and about how the one of the gods added land to Japan by stealing it from the Korean Peninsula. Shimane prefecture is bursting with ancient stories passed down from generation to generation. There is a deep relationship between religion, history, and life here, resulting in a sense of mystery and intrigue. I, personally, (and I'm sure many others share this feeling) believe that this connection with the local culture and its past is very important and inspiring. We were lucky to be able to learn about this all in person.

To be honest, I was very nervous to participate in home stay. With my incredibly limited knowledge of Japanese and worrying about violating proper etiquette in a Japanese home, I was worried I wouldn't be able to communicate or would come off as a rude American 😅 Luckily my 岡さん and かちょさん were very patient and understanding of the minor difficulties I had the first few hours of meeting me.  I'm also super fortunate to have ミドリさん as a roommate/translator! Supposedly we're all going to 温泉 tonight. I'm anxious again - but if JASC or my homestay experience has taught me anything, it's that my anxieties are usually far worse than reality.

I started the day bleary-eyed, dressed in Business Formal, and a raisin bun in both hands. At 8:00, morning announcements were read, and we filed out of the Bunka Koryu Kaikan, each pulling out our fans in an effort to offset the Hiroshima heat. I have since been informed that I have not yet experienced real Japanese heat because Kyoto is next on our itinerary.

After a brief stint on the train, all 71 delegates of JASC were soon gathered outside of the Wendy Hito Machi Plaza. The day’s programming started with scheduled RT time. My fellow GEARS (Global Eco-hazard and Resource Sustainability) delegates were soon discussing our plans for promoting a more sustainable lifestyle in Tokyo. We focused on the wasteful abundance of vending machines, which adds to the consumption of plastic, and negates all efforts to use reusable water bottles. Next, we brainstormed ideas on how to slowly phase out the use of plastic bags in stores throughout Japan.

Lunch was served quickly, but personally, I was too excited for the Hiroshima Forum to eat. The first guest speaker was Mr. Sadao Yamamoto, a hibakusha (survivor of an A-bomb attack) who recounted his story for us. On August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m, 3 B-29 bombers flew overhead as he worked in the field picking sweet potatoes. “We didn’t believe they would drop the bomb,” he told us, “We thought they were only reconnaissance planes.” Within seconds, the bomb exploded in a blast of heat and fire. The huge fireball burned at the temperature of almost 4,000º Farenheit. Although his face was badly burned, there was no medicine on hand to treat his injuries. Like many victims, tempura oil was applied instead. In addition, they were denied water due to the belief that burn victims should not drink water, as it dilutes the body’s natural water storage and prevents quick recovery. Mr. Yamamoto’s family was fortunate enough to survive, but he explained how his uncle—although seemingly in perfect physical condition after the attack, died a few days later due to the residual radiation. After his presentation, Mr. Yamamoto said a few short words which really struck a chord with me. “I have no grudge against the Americans,” he said, “Let’s work together to create a nuclear free world. Let’s join hands to prevent another Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” I believe that it takes a person of incredible strength to see past the hardships of one’s own life and look to the betterment of all human kind. His message of peace and the need for strong action towards the cause of nonproliferation is one that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The second part of the Forum was an active discussion between Mr. Kazumi Mizumoto (the Vice-President of Hiroshima Peace Institute) and Mrs. Mihoko Kumamoto (the President of UNITAR, Hiroshima Office). Among the topics discussed was Nuclear Energy and Sustainable Development. As an Environmental Studies major at Franklin & Marshall University, I found both topics within my area of study and learned much from the two experts. It was very enlightening to hear their opinions and thoughts on issues I am very interested in, such as the roles of economic development and social aspects on the sustainable development of nations.

Lastly, the third part of the forum focused on Group Discussions. In Room C, we talked about the contentious issue of U.S forces being stationed in Japan. Although Okinawa accounts for less that 1% of landmass in Japan, it houses more than half of the U.S forces in Japan. U.S forces place an incredible burden on the people of Okinawa, and some hope to see the U.S forces move elsewhere.

Our last stop was at Hotel Sunroute, where we were greeted by many JASC supporters and alumni. I had the pleasure of talking to a prominent hibakusha who told us all about her travels. I was impressed that out of 20,000 applicants, she was selected as one of three women in a group of 35 Fullbright scholars. Many of us struck up conversations around the room, even coming away with a few business cards. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear more about the lives of JASC alumni.

AAAAAAND OFF WE GO! On the third day of JASC, we visited Otafuku and Miyajima.

The Mazda exec puts a graph up on the screen.

On one axis, there’s price, on the other, quality. Most people, he explains, think that you have to sacrifice one for the other. This is visualized by a line that looks like this: \

Mazda doesn’t believe in that kind of exchange. At Mazda, you can have both. At Mazda, you can breakthrough.

Their insight feels a lot like marketing, but I think there’s a great deal of truth to it. More abstractly, presenting a dichotomy as an exclusive choice tends to promote myopia rather than logical clarity. It’s easy to pick out two contrasting ideals and begin to think that you can only have one, but that just isn’t true. This kind of thinking is important for JASC.

There’s a similar perception that you have to choose between helping other people and personal happiness. In some ways this makes sense. If you think of value as a limited thing that can either be held on to or given away, the more you give to others, the less you have for yourself. In practice, that just isn’t true. Just as teaching is the best way to learn, giving is often the best way to gain.

My thoughts here are even more radical. As Joanna mentioned in our reflection, peacekeeping starts on the individual level. In other words, the very framework of me/others creates a false dichotomy that prevents any real resolution. Inevitably, seeing selfishness as a sacrifice only leads to burnout and moral indulgence.

After Mazda, we head to the opening ceremony. After watching a video about JASC I’ve started to realize just how important this conference really is. This doesn’t come from the words of distinguished alumni nearly as much as it does from the historical context. It’s easy to see the U.S. government as an immense and all-powerful monolith that somehow exerts immeasurable control. The truth is that the entirety of U.S. Japan relations are managed by a large handful of foreign service agents who tend to move from country to country every few years. JASC is important because so little else is.

Today marked the last day of American Orientation for the Amedeles at Cal Poly Pomona. Our delegates rose early (and to the occasion) by breaking off into RT groups after breakfast and morning announcements to engage in meaningful discussion. For me, that discussion consisted of the points we wanted to discuss with our Japanese counterparts and the questions we wanted to ask.

After RT time, we were given time to pack for the journey ahead (LAX->SFO, SFO->Haneda, Haneda->Hiroshima). We also had time to work on the American Culture skit we plan to present to the Japadeles upon arrival in Hiroshima. This time was put to good use and we went through several run-throughs of the script, including one for the EC board. I wouldn’t want to give anything away in this post, but just know that working on this skit really helped us all to bond. Humor really is a great way to break the ice (even further.)

We also did a lot of traveling today. It took a while to get to LAX and to SFO due to some uncontrollable mishaps, but the EC did their best to mitigate the situation. I think today was a particularly stressful day for the EC, but I want to take the time to thank each of them for doing their part to keep us organized and on time for our flights. I know it’s not easy to coordinate travel plans, especially with a large group of people, and there were times when I noticed their frustration, but each of them did their best to rectify the situation.

Here we are: first full day of JASC that graciously does not include any flying or running around to various quarters of the globe.  That will come in time, but for now, I take liberty to say we are content being mostly stationary.

Admittedly, this morning came a wee bit early. Collectively we reacted with bafflement and quiet tears when we learned that we would be breakfasting at the hellish hour of 7:00 am. Nonetheless, we looked f-i-n-e and in the height of fashion as we dined on coffee and bacon – because the world is a brighter and cheerier place with both – and then filed into the conference room for a talk by Peter Beck, in which we learned about various issues facing Japan at the moment, such at the US military presence in Okinawa.

Afterwards we were dispersed to our respective Round Tables for discussions of our topics.  For a group of people who have known each other scarcely more than 24 hours (and hardly that since thank God we were sleeping for some of them), our conversations are über deep.  As a wise man once said:

Anyway,

Photoshoots followed.  We were fierce, fiery, and highly attractive.  Naturally. Little else need be said.

Lunch was a very pleasant, picnic-type affair on the lawn, and then we retired to the conference room again for a culture information session.  Much was learned, but especially this fun tid-bit: apparently it is instrumental to listen for the click of a phone camera on subways and not to step over people’s backpacks because they might be secretly documenting delicate body parts.  Moving on.  An extra part of the cultural information session was the proper distribution techniques of business cards, which is NOT (thank you, Kevin and Jackie), “making them rain”.  That is not proper.  And it is probably frowned upon.  Instead, one should formally hand one’s card over, and then receive the incoming card with due care and doting attention.

A favorite part of the day was the Special Topics session, where we discussed normally sensitive issues like “Does God Exist?” and “What is the American Dream to You?” and that type of thing.  Happily, this went so smoothly and civilly as to make us very cozy and comfortable, and was a perfect transition into our next scheduled event: The Planning of The Skit.  Now, from what I hear, we are at a great disadvantage, relative to our Japanese counterparts who, by all accounts, have been preparing their act for a great amount of time, and are probably at this moment going over an elaborate dance routine or dramatic scene yet one more time for good measure.  Well, I proudly announce that in a mere 50 minutes, we had a theme, scenes, characters, and part of a script.  So there.  It’s fine.  We will make this epic yet.

I hopped off the plane at L.A.X. with a dream and a cardigan…

Hi everyone! My name is Caitlin Hoppel. I am a rising junior marketing major at Villanova University and an American delegate of the Power and Responsibility in the Business World RT. I am incredibly excited to be a part of the 67th JASC and cannot wait to see what these next few weeks hold!

The first day of JASC was a whirlwind of smiling new faces and never-ending introductions. Just yesterday afternoon, the American delegates met at the Tom Bradley International terminal. As the delegates slowly filtered into the small seating area, we passed the time sharing stories and getting to know each other. Nothing says bonding like sitting on a linoleum floor for three hours! But truthfully, it was wonderful meeting everyone and winding down after a long flight. Although we were caught in LA traffic, the bus ride to Cal Poly Pomona was another opportunity to find out more about each other.