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Monday, September 30, 2013

Preparations for my trip to Fukushima










A few months ago I had the privilege of interning with the Japan America Society and was fortunate enough to have been a part of an exchange program to brought 8 orphans from an orphanage called Fukushima Aiiukuen to California for a 10 day exchange program.  Fukushima Aiiukuen is located just outside of the no-entry zone in Fukushima and its children live under the enormous pressure both from the social and physical danger of Fukushima, as well as the discrimination that all orphans face in Japanese society.


Due to radiation contamination, the 150 children in this orphanage are not allowed to be outside for more than 2 hours a day and are restricted to indoor activities during most of their free time. To make matters worse, they, like others from Fukushima face social discrimination and are treated as outcasts by certain segments of Japanese society due to the paranoia cast on individuals living in an environment with radiation contamination.

Further, all orphans in Japan are heavily discriminated against for the sole reason that they live outside of the traditional Japanese family structure as orphans. This discrimination can undermine these children's futures in almost every way imaginable.  Because of this, their identities need to be kept confidential and it is for this reason that I cannot upload any pictures with these children on this blog.
I also created a movie that showcases this 10 day program that will later be used to promote this program.  I really wish I could share this with all of you on this post.

The exchange program that brought these students over was created for the purpose of granting some of the children from Fukushima a chance to live 2 weeks away from the worries they face in Fukushima for a life-changing experience in America.  During these two weeks, these children were treat as VIPs and had an experience of a lifetime.  Through this program JAS hopes to help these children see something greater than what they are restricted to as orphans in Fukushima with the purpose of giving them inspiration and goals in their lives.  It also will inspire orphans who were not selected for this tour to achieve better grades since students with the highest English grades are chosen for this yearly program.

Tomorrow on October 2nd, I will have the opportunity to travel with JAS to meet with the staff members and children of Fukushima Aiiukuen.  I will also have the opportunity to share the video I have created to help promote this exchange program to the orphanage.  I cant wait!


My plans for my visit to Fukushima Aiiukuen on October 2nd are all set!  A special thanks to Tina Tajima for generously taking care my travel, lodging, and various other expenses for this trip! Here is a package that I received this afternoon from Tina that provides me with everything I will need to visit Fukushima.
I first met Tina shortly after I returned from a volunteering and touring experience in Northern Japan.  I was a part of a panel that updated various members of the Japanese community on the current state of affairs in the Tohoku region. 
Tina is the lady on the left dressed in a black shirt.  She works in Tokyo and has been very supportive of my wishes to volunteer and assist Japanese people affected by the March 11th disasters.




Saturday, September 28, 2013

Hafu

In my sociology of Japan class, we learned that 1 out of every 10 marriages in Japan are now between a foreigner and a Japanese national. This is a very interesting documentary that looks into the result of these marriages through the experiences of mixed-race Japanese living in Japan. 

I am very interested in seeing this and am planning on working with people here at ICU to organize a group trip to one of the showings!

Here is a link to the trailer:  http://vimeo.com/71153390



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The United States - Japan Bridging Foundation

Prior to my arrival here at ICU, I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of the Bridging Scholarship from the US-Japan Bridging Foundation.  This scholarship helped bring financial stability to my year in Tokyo and has enabled me to plan out trips to Northern Japan to help with reconstruction efforts in the region.

In addition to this scholarship, I was greatly humbled to have been selected as the first Grondine Memorial Scholar, an honor that is actively expanding my horizons here in Tokyo. This scholarship was created in memory of the late Robert Grondine, an incredible individual who dedicated his life and career to strengthening relations between Japan and America. You can learn more about this scholarship in the link below.

http://www.icontact-archive.com/ax046v6l6BJV8nl1zpg2-qxQSNSRkGdQ


The full article can be found here:  http://www.icontact-archive.com/ax046v6l6BJV8nl1zpg2-qxQSNSRkGdQ

Saturday, September 21, 2013

A Trip to Kamakura



Today, my floormates and I took a trip to Kamakura.  What was once the capital of Japan many decades ago, is now a beautiful seaside city with many temples, restaurants and a slower pace of life than Tokyo.  



We left our apartments on Saturday morning and made our way over to Mitaka Station.
The hour and a half journey to Kamakura only involves one train transfer!


Kamakura is a huge tourist destination.  I passed people from all parts of the world as I walked around the station.



Kamakura Station


Kamakura is surrounded by forested hills and mountains.  Absolutely beautiful. 





The Great Buddha, a prime tourist destination in Kamakura.




After viewing the Great Buddha, my roommates and I went to get lunch.

We ate at a traditional Japanese restaurant where I ordered a chirashi bowl set.

This picture still makes me hungry even now.

While walking along the streets of Kamakura, I felt a cool breeze and was overwhelmed with a strange sensation.  At that time I had no idea we were anywhere near the coast, but the second I felt that ocean breeze I knew that the ocean was close.  
We followed the direction of the breeze and we were met with a beautiful beach and the Pacific Ocean.  For the first time in a month I saw the ocean, I never realized how much I missed it until then.



This beach had many California qualities to it.


We stayed at this beach for a few hours as we eagerly awaited sunset.  I also got a chance to take some interesting photos during this downtime. 
There were a lot of surfers in Kamakura.
Even a father teaching his son how to surf!


A boy running along the beach just as the sun began to set.



A boy whacking a girl with a stick.  
Kamakura also looks like it is a great place for wind surfing!




We ended our trip with a visit to a beautiful shrine at dusk.  Our trip to Kamakura was a much needed breath of air from the urban sprawl of Tokyo, I will come back to visit Kamakura one of these days.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

An interesting experience of a Japanese American in Japan


A fun fact about being a Japanese American in Japan is that nobody seems to believe that I am actually of Japanese descent. 

Today in an english class for 6th graders I was helping out in, I gave a self introduction.  I told the class "Hello, I am Derek Yamashita from America.  I am Japanese but was born and raised in California."  Then when a girl was asked to repeat what I said, she said "He is Derek Yamashita, he is half American, and half Japanese, he is from California."  

This was a great example of how many people I have met in Japan have trouble comprehending the concept of an American of Japanese descent.  They almost always assume that I am only part Japanese and never guess that I am full Japanese. This doesnt bother me at all, but I find it very interesting and humorous at times.



More details about the program:


Back when I was fundraising for Tohoku relief after the March 11th disasters, I was introduced to Jon Abbott, a teacher working in Japan who was also involved in relief operations.  Since then we have kept in touch and now live only a few stations apart here in Tokyo.  Jon has given me tours of parts of Tokyo, introduced me to many people and most recently invited to me to come help teach English at a UNESCO summer camp program!  He's been a massive help to my assimilation here in Tokyo. 

 
Jon Abbott (the man in the white shirt). 



                                                       
Booklets and CDs given to the students
                                                                            


                                                    
The class I helped teach was pretty small.  We practiced self introductions and played word games that required the students to converse with me for clues and to find the answers.  


Some of the kids in the room were very shy and would be very unwilling to speak in front of the class.  In private 1-1 conversation however, they could speak english fairly well.  

After teaching in the smaller class, all of the students returned to a lecture hall where a graduate student from Kenya gave a presentation about her country to the students.

Oh and did I mention she gave her presentation in Japanese?
Pretty good Japanese too!

It was a great presentation and the students really loved it!  

They even practiced songs and dancing!  
 
This program provides these students with an amazing opportunity to see
the rich diversity of global culture.  I was very happy to have been able to
take part in this program and will be volunteering with this group in the future!








The Life-Size Gundam

Did you know that there is a place in Japan where a life-size 1/1 scale Gundam stands?
Its huge. 

A few days ago a fellow University of California friend named Andrew proposed a trip to Odaiba, a futuristic man-made island created for shopping and entertainment. It will also be the future site of many venues for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!

-Click on the pictures to expand them!


A map of Odaiba
Myself and Andrew who also really wanted to see the Gundam

Odaiba has its own rail line that travels over the streets of Tokyo,
Tokyo Bay, and even throughout Odaiba.



Odaiba was filled with very large malls with various themes and attractions. 




It was also a very lively place with all kids of street performers and shops.

There is even a huge Cat Cafe there where you can have coffee
or other drinks while enjoying the company of cats.


After walking through Odaiba, we finally found the Gundam!  

Its huge, seriously. Probably as tall as a 4-5 story building!

There is also a cool show where the Gundam's head moves and steam/lights surround it.  

Andrew and I then headed to a beach where we got some pictures of
Rainbow Bridge and the Tokyo Skyline.